Sample records for agencies creating effective

  1. Creating an EBP framework on a journey to becoming an EBP agency: pioneers in the field of children's mental health.

    PubMed

    Archer-Kuhn, Beth; Bouchard, Terrance Thomas; Greco, Adelle

    2014-01-01

    Agencies servicing children, youth, and families have been particularly pressured to demonstrate service effectiveness and accountability by government funders. The human service fields have not fully embraced research evidence into the organizational culture creating a challenge of introducing research evidence into agencies. Gaps in knowledge have been identified when agencies attempt to travel down the path of introducing evidence-based practice into organizational culture. The paradigm shift of introducing research into practice was the journey taken by one mid-sized agency in southwestern Ontario, Canada. A framework for assessing evidence-based practice programs in services was created as part of their journey.

  2. Quality management as knowledge sharing: experiences of the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency.

    PubMed

    Harrison, Lindsay

    2012-01-01

    Lacking a coordinated effort in utilizing data and tracking program outcomes, one agency developed a Quality Management (QM) division to facilitate and manage more effective data use. To support this process, the agency sought to develop a collective, agency-wide understanding and investment in improving and measuring client outcomes. Similarly, the agency also focused efforts on creating a culture of transparency and accountability, with goals of improving service, increasing agency integrity, meeting regulatory compliance, and engaging in effective risk management. Operationalizing the QM initiative involved developing procedures, systems, and guidelines that would facilitate the generation of reliable and accurate data that could be used to inform program change and decision-making. This case study describes this agency's experience in successfully creating and implementing a QM initiative aimed at engaging in greater knowledge sharing. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  3. The Role of Golem, Pygmalion, and Galatea Effects on Opportunistic Behavior in the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rowe, W. Glenn; O'Brien, James

    2002-01-01

    Applying transaction cost and agency theories to the classroom suggests that some students may engage in opportunism. Preventive practices may create a "Golem" effect of negative self-fulfilling prophecies. By creating an atmosphere of trust, teachers may engender the Pygmalion effect of positive self-fulfilling prophecies. (Contains 20…

  4. Understanding Effective Program Improvement Schools through a Distributed Leadership Task Context Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gipson, Frances Marie

    2012-01-01

    Federal, state, and local agencies face challenges organizing resources that create the conditions necessary to create, sustain, and replicate effective high performing schools. Knowing that leadership does impact achievement outcomes and that school districts tackle growing numbers of sanctioned Program Improvement schools, a distributed…

  5. Contributing to operations of community agencies through integrated fieldwork experiences.

    PubMed

    Klinger, Lisa; Bossers, Ann

    2009-06-01

    Occupational therapists are change agents who are well equipped to participate in community development. Community development projects can help agencies in many ways, including determining needs, educating stakeholders, developing novel programs, finding and creating resources, marketing the agency, and creating or implementing policy. In order for service agencies to profit, they need an understanding of the skills occupational therapists can offer. The best way to gain that knowledge may be through direct experience. This paper describes the benefits that flow to community agency partners and to occupational therapy students from an innovative, integrated fieldwork model that links students with service agencies. This approach has demonstrated many benefits to community partners, while allowing all students in an occupational therapy program to have community development experience. This is a cost-effective way to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy and to deliver multiple community development projects.

  6. An Inflammatory Fag and a Queer Form: Larry Kramer, Polemics, and Rhetorical Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rand, Erin J.

    2008-01-01

    Rhetorical agency is the capacity for words and actions to be intelligible and forceful, and to create effects through their formal and stylistic conventions. The polemical discourses of Larry Kramer, a controversial AIDS activist, demonstrate a concurrence of features that define the polemic as a rhetorical form and therefore enable agency:…

  7. Does Agency Competition Improve the Quality of Policy Analysis? Evidence from OMB and CBO Fiscal Projections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krause, George A.; Douglas, James W.

    2006-01-01

    Public management scholars often claim that agency competition provides an effective institutional check on monopoly authority, and hence, leads to improvement of administrative performance in public sector agencies. This logic was central for creating the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in 1975 to challenge the policy information provided by…

  8. 36 CFR 1222.32 - How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors? 1222.32 Section 1222.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Agency Recordkeeping Requirements § 1222.32 How do agencies manage records created or received by...

  9. 36 CFR 1222.32 - How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors? 1222.32 Section 1222.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Agency Recordkeeping Requirements § 1222.32 How do agencies manage records created or received by...

  10. 36 CFR 1222.32 - How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors? 1222.32 Section 1222.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Agency Recordkeeping Requirements § 1222.32 How do agencies manage records created or received by...

  11. 36 CFR § 1222.32 - How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors? § 1222.32 Section § 1222.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property... Agency Recordkeeping Requirements § 1222.32 How do agencies manage records created or received by...

  12. 78 FR 54660 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Public Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-05

    ... reference. Information Collection Request Title: HRSA Telehealth Outcome Measures. OMB No.: 0915-0311...) created a set of performance measures that grantees can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their...), all federal agencies must develop strategic plans describing their overall goal and objectives. The...

  13. The social integration of healthcare agency workers in long-term care facilities: A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Lapalme, Marie-Ève; Doucet, Olivier

    2018-06-01

    Patient care quality is a key concern for long-term care facilities and is directly related to effective collaboration between healthcare professionals. The use of agency staff in long-term care facilities creates important challenges in terms of coordination and communication within work units. The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating effect of common in-group identity in the relationship between permanent employees' perceptions regarding the use of agency workers -namely distributive justice, perceptions of threat, perceived similarities with agency workers, and leader inclusiveness toward agency staff- and the permanent employees' adoption of collaborative behaviours. Cross-sectional study. Three long-term care facilities. 290 regular healthcare employees (nurses and care attendants). Data were obtained through questionnaires filled out by employees. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation analyses. The results showed the indirect effects of perceived distributive justice, perceived similarity and leader inclusiveness toward agency workers on permanent employees' cooperation behaviours through common group identification. Perceptions of threat were not related to common group identification or collaborative behaviours. The results also showed that common in-group identification is related to cooperation behaviours only for employees without previous experience as agency workers. This study suggests that permanent healthcare employees who feel they are fairly compensated relative to agency workers, who consider these workers as similar to them, and who believe their supervisor appreciates agency workers' contributions tend to develop a common in-group identity, which fosters collaborative behaviours. Managers of long-term care facilities who wish to foster collaboration among their blended workforce should thus create an environment conducive of a more inclusive identity, particularly if their employees have no previous experience as agency workers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Effective U.S. Aid and Assistance to Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Area and Northwest Frontier Province

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-16

    federal, provincial and district level. They created the National Disaster Management Authority ( NDMA ) to serve as that agency. In 2009, the Pakistan...Government created two subordinate levels to the NDMA : the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the District Disaster Management

  15. Creating quality improvement culture in public health agencies.

    PubMed

    Davis, Mary V; Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

    2014-01-01

    We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007-2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies' ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture.

  16. 36 CFR 1232.16 - What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility? 1232.16 Section 1232.16 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT TRANSFER OF RECORDS TO RECORDS STORAGE FACILITIES § 1232.16 What documentation must an agency create before it...

  17. 36 CFR 1232.16 - What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility? 1232.16 Section 1232.16 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT TRANSFER OF RECORDS TO RECORDS STORAGE FACILITIES § 1232.16 What documentation must an agency create before it...

  18. 36 CFR 1232.16 - What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility? 1232.16 Section 1232.16 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT TRANSFER OF RECORDS TO RECORDS STORAGE FACILITIES § 1232.16 What documentation must an agency create before it...

  19. Creating Spaces for Children's Agency: "I Wonder…" Formulations in Teacher-Child Interactions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Houen, Sandy; Danby, Susan; Farrell, Ann; Thorpe, Karen

    2016-01-01

    Affording children's agency is an important pedagogical underpinning of a high-quality early childhood program. Yet little is known about how teachers' interactions create spaces for children's agency. From the perspectives of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, this paper investigates how teachers and children navigate agency through…

  20. 36 CFR 1232.16 - What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility? 1232.16 Section 1232.16 Parks... RECORDS TO RECORDS STORAGE FACILITIES § 1232.16 What documentation must an agency create before it...

  1. 75 FR 50983 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-18

    ...;and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, #0;delegations of authority... financing community facilities and businesses, providing technical assistance and creating effective...

  2. Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DeCIDE) Network

    Cancer.gov

    The Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness Network is a network of research centers that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality created to conduct practical studies about health care items and services.

  3. Tri-Agency Coordination: Challenges and Successes in Creating a Community of Practice among Climate Change Education Principal Investigators funded by NASA, NOAA, and NSF

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoedinger, S. E.; McDougall, C.; Karsten, J. L.; Campbell, D.; Pippin, M. R.; Chambers, L. H.

    2013-12-01

    The effort needed for comprehensive climate change education is far greater than any one institution, education sector, or even federal agency can handle. Recognizing a need to synergistically combine efforts, NSF, NASA, and NOAA have created a collaborative community of their climate change education principal investigators (PIs) through tri-agency coordination. The goals of this tri-agency collaboration are to leverage existing resources, minimize duplicate efforts, and facilitate communication among this emergent community of scientists and educators. NASA, NOAA, and NSF work together to strategically coordinate and support a portfolio of projects focused on climate literacy and education in formal and informal learning environments. The activities of the tri-agency collaboration, including annual meetings for PIs, a catalog of the agencies collective investments in climate change education and the ongoing development of a nascent common evaluation framework, have created a strong national network for effectively engaging diverse audiences with the principles of climate literacy (see Eos Vol. 92, No. 24, 14 June 2011). Last year, after 3 years of active collaboration, similar programs underway at other U.S. Global Change Research Program agencies: the EPA, National Institutes for Environmental Health Sciences, and USDA, were engaged in the collaboration. And, in an attempt to understand the interests of the private sector in this arena, conversations have begun with private philanthropic organizations. This year, as many of the funded projects are maturing, the PI meeting will have a focus on bringing this community together to create a science-theme based tangible outcome that can move the field of climate change education forward. Additional outcomes from this PI meeting will be presented as well as the challenges that were encountered in bringing together institutions with diverse missions, and approaches developed to ensure all parties feel they're benefiting from the collaboration.

  4. Creating Quality Improvement Culture in Public Health Agencies

    PubMed Central

    Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. Methods. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007–2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Results. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Conclusions. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies’ ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture. PMID:24228680

  5. Mapping of Florida's Coastal and Marine Resources: Setting Priorities Workshop

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robbins, Lisa; Wolfe, Steven; Raabe, Ellen

    2008-01-01

    The importance of mapping habitats and bioregions as a means to improve resource management has become increasingly clear. Large areas of the waters surrounding Florida are unmapped or incompletely mapped, possibly hindering proper management and good decisionmaking. Mapping of these ecosystems is among the top priorities identified by the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council in their Annual Science Research Plan. However, lack of prioritization among the coastal and marine areas and lack of coordination of agency efforts impede efficient, cost-effective mapping. A workshop on Mapping of Florida's Coastal and Marine Resources was sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and Southeastern Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS). The workshop was held at the USGS Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) in St. Petersburg, FL, on February 7-8, 2007. The workshop was designed to provide State, Federal, university, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) the opportunity to discuss their existing data coverage and create a prioritization of areas for new mapping data in Florida. Specific goals of the workshop were multifold, including to: * provide information to agencies on state-of-the-art technology for collecting data; * inform participants of the ongoing mapping programs in waters off Florida; * present the mapping needs and priorities of the State and Federal agencies and entities operating in Florida; * work with State of Florida agencies to establish an overall priority for areas needing mapping; * initiate discussion of a unified classification of habitat and bioregions; * discuss and examine the need to standardize terminology and data collection/storage so that data, in particular habitat data, can be shared; 9 identify opportunities for partnering and leveraging mapping efforts among agencies and entities; * identify impediments and organizational gaps that hinder collection of data for mapping; * seek innovative solutions to the primary obstacles identified; * identify the steps needed to move mapping of Florida's oceans and coasts forward, in preparation for a better coordinated, more cost-effective mapping program to allow State and Federal agencies to make better decisions on coastal-resource issues. Over 90 invited participants representing more than 30 State and Federal agencies, universities, NGOs, and private industries played a large role in the success of this two-day workshop. State of Florida agency participants created a ranked priority order for mapping 13 different regions around Florida. The data needed for each of the 13 priority regions were outlined. A matrix considering State and Federal priorities was created, utilizing input from all agencies. The matrix showed overlapping interests of the entities and will allow for partnering and leveraging of resources. The five most basic mapping needs were determined to be bathymetry, high-vertical resolution coastline for sea-level rise scenarios, shoreline change, subsurface geology, and benthic habitats at sufficient scale. There was a clear convergence on the need to coordinate mapping activities around the state. Suggestions for coordination included: * creating a glossary of terms: a standard for specifying agency data-mapping needs; * creating a geographic information officer (GIO) position or permanent organizing group to maintain communications established at this workshop and to maintain progress on the issues identified during the workshop. The person or group could develop a website, maintain a project-status matrix, develop a list of contacts, create links to legislative updates and links to funding sources; * developing a web portal and one-stop/clearinghouse of data. There was general consensus on the need to adopt a single habitat classification system and a strategy to accommodate existing systems smoothly. Unresolve

  6. EVALUATING THE WATER QUALITY EFFECTIVENESS OF WATERSHED-SCALE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PROGRAMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The US EPA Office of Research and Development, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and the Upper Big Walnut Creek Quality Partnership created a collaborative team of eleven agencies and universities to develop a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness...

  7. The Role of Communication in Post-disaster Research Coordination: Communicating the research moratorium after the 22 February 2011 Mw 6 Christchurch Earthquake in New Zealand.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beaven, S.

    2015-12-01

    Disasters stimulate research activity by creating comparatively rare post-disaster data, while also increasing the urgency of agency demand for scientific evidence. In the wake of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake disaster, New Zealand, post-disaster research activity was coordinated by a national Natural Hazards Research Platform, in collaboration with response agencies. The focus was on research support for responding agencies, with an emphasis on creating high quality scientific outcomes. This coordinated research effort did not include independent research activity, which escalated steeply in the weeks after the event. The risks this increased research pressure posed to response operations and impacted populations informed the declaration of a moratorium on research not deemed relevant to the needs of response agencies. This presentation summarizes communication issues that made it difficult to disseminate the moratorium, and to establish the relevance of this decision where it might have been most effective in diminishing these risks: within national and international natural hazard and disaster research communities, other national research communities, across responding agencies and organisations, and among impacted organizations and communities.

  8. Consortium building among local health departments in northwest Illinois.

    PubMed Central

    Orthoefer, J; Bain, D; Empereur, R; Nesbit, T A

    1988-01-01

    The 1947 report by Haven Emerson envisioned the widespread delivery of local public health services through organizational patterns that substituted multi-county or regional agencies for locally controlled departments. The 1971 study by Vlado Getting supported the Emerson report and suggested alternative methods to provide public health services via multi-county area health service agencies for rural areas of Illinois. The number of local agencies in the State has doubled since the mid-1960s, yet a majority of rural counties have maintained a single-county health agency rather than forming multi-county arrangements. In effect, potential economies of scale have been forfeited. In northwest Illinois, however, eight local health departments, covering both rural and urban areas, have formed a multi-county consortium to identify and meet several overlapping program needs. This Region I consortium, with a population base of 590,000, was created as a result of the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reduction Act. Through the block grants created by the act, funds became available for preventive health and health promotion activities in fiscal year 1982. Once in place, the consortium provided a cost effective means to manage the Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Feeding Program (WIC) and some elements of family planning programs in Region I. The consortium approach offers numerous opportunities for future growth and regionalization of services. PMID:3140277

  9. Creating a meaningful infection control program: one home healthcare agency's lessons.

    PubMed

    Poff, Renee McCoy; Browning, Sarah Via

    2014-03-01

    Creating a meaningful infection control program in the home care setting proved to be challenging for agency leaders of one hospital-based home healthcare agency. Challenges arose when agency leaders provided infection control (IC) data to the hospital's IC Committee. The IC Section Chief asked for national benchmark comparisons to align home healthcare reporting to that of the hospital level. At that point, it was evident that the home healthcare IC program lacked definition and structure. The purpose of this article is to share how one agency built a meaningful IC program.

  10. Indicators of Effective Policy Development & Implementation. Issue Brief #8

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stonemeier, Jenny; Trader, Barb; Kaloi, Laura; Williams, Gabrielle

    2016-01-01

    Within the SWIFT framework, the Inclusive Policy Structure and Practice domain addresses the need for a supportive, reciprocal partnership between the school and its district or local educational agency. Therefore, intentional and effective policy decision-making processes are integral to SWIFT implementation. Such processes create opportunities…

  11. Tracking Success: Outputs Versus Outcomes-A Comparison of Accredited and Non-Accredited Public Health Agencies' Community Health Improvement Plan objectives.

    PubMed

    Perrault, Evan K; Inderstrodt-Stephens, Jill; Hintz, Elizabeth A

    2018-06-01

    With funding for public health initiatives declining, creating measurable objectives that are focused on tracking and changing population outcomes (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors), instead of those that are focused on health agencies' own outputs (e.g., promoting services, developing communication messages) have seen a renewed focus. This study analyzed 4094 objectives from the Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) of 280 local PHAB-accredited and non-accredited public health agencies across the United States. Results revealed that accredited agencies were no more successful at creating outcomes-focused objectives (35% of those coded) compared to non-accredited agencies (33% of those coded; Z = 1.35, p = .18). The majority of objectives were focused on outputs (accredited: 61.2%; non-accredited: 63.3%; Z = 0.72, p = .47). Outcomes-focused objectives primarily sought to change behaviors (accredited: 85.43%; non-accredited: 80.6%), followed by changes in knowledge (accredited: 9.75%; non-accredited: 10.8%) and attitudes (accredited: 1.6%; non-accredited: 5.1%). Non-accredited agencies had more double-barreled objectives (49.9%) compared to accredited agencies (32%; Z = 11.43, p < .001). The authors recommend that accreditation procedures place a renewed focus on ensuring that public health agencies strive to achieve outcomes. It is also advocated that public health agencies work with interdisciplinary teams of Health Communicators who can help them develop procedures to effectively and efficiently measure outcomes of knowledge and attitudes that are influential drivers of behavioral changes.

  12. 32 CFR 286.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... distributed to other agency employees for their official use. Personal papers fall into three categories: those created before entering Government service; private materials brought into, created, or received... Administration Information Center, Agency Service Division (NIA), Washington, DC 20408. (3) A record must exist...

  13. Engineering Technical Support Center Annual Report Fiscal Year 2015

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Office of Research and Development (ORD) created the Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in 1987, one of several technical support centers created as part of the Technical Support Project (TSP). ETSC provid...

  14. A senior manager with a knowledge management portfolio: the Santa Clara County experience.

    PubMed

    Lindberg, Arley

    2012-01-01

    The agency director sought to create a systematically coordinated department that utilizes knowledge management strategies to promote evidence-informed practice. In his view, the organization was not providing needed information or organizational supports for practitioners to use knowledge effectively. To address this issue, he created a Director of Development and Operational Planning (DDOP) position with the responsibility to build structures and facilitate processes that support knowledge management. The DDOP oversees research and planning, government relations, legislative development and support, Board of Supervisors communications, staff development and training, community contracts, public information and in-house communication. The DDOP is reorganizing units under her supervision to create a knowledge management matrix that will implement new knowledge sharing strategies related to evaluation, contracts, legislation, organizational development, policy and planning, and staff development. The case study describes challenges and strategies related to: government regulations, size and complexity of the agency, staff resistance, and the developmental nature of the process. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  15. 32 CFR 518.7 - FOIA terms defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... fees in the event of a waiver denial. Written requests may be received by postal service or other... maintained primarily for the convenience of an agency employee, and not distributed to other agency employees... Government service; private materials brought into, created, or received in the office that were not created...

  16. Institutional Effectiveness as Process and Practice in the American Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Terri Mulkins

    2011-01-01

    The six regional accrediting agencies in the United States have created a set of standards based on best practices in colleges and universities. The evolving perception of an effective institution is one that uses data, assessment, and evaluation results to improve programs and services and strives for a high level of institutional quality. While…

  17. The Political Economy of Education Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lykins, Chad

    2011-01-01

    Government agencies and professional organizations have attempted to improve education research by creating common standards for judging research quality. However, the absence of agreement regarding research quality has limited the effectiveness of this approach. This article argues that, rather than focusing on standards, policy makers should…

  18. Fiscal loss and program fidelity: impact of the economic downturn on HIV/STI prevention program fidelity.

    PubMed

    Catania, Joseph A; Dolcini, M Margaret; Gandelman, Alice A; Narayanan, Vasudha; McKay, Virginia R

    2014-03-01

    The economic downturn of 2007 created significant fiscal losses for public and private agencies conducting behavioral prevention. Such macro-economic changes may influence program implementation and sustainability. We examined how public and private agencies conducting RESPECT, a brief HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infection) counseling and testing intervention, adapted to fiscal loss and how these adaptations impacted program fidelity. We collected qualitative and quantitative data in a national sample of 15 agencies experiencing fiscal loss. Using qualitative analyses, we examined how program fidelity varied with different types of adaptations. Agencies reported three levels of adaptation: agency-level, program-level, and direct fiscal remedies. Private agencies tended to use direct fiscal remedies, which were associated with higher fidelity. Some agency-level adaptations contributed to reductions in procedural fit, leading to negative staff morale and decreased confidence in program effectiveness, which in turn, contributed to poor fidelity. Findings describe a "work stress pathway" that links program fiscal losses to poor staff morale and low program fidelity.

  19. Congress Creates Super Federal Library Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steere, Paul J.

    2010-01-01

    In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate passed the controversial Federal Library Agency Act (FLAA) on a nearly unanimous voice vote, sending it to President Obama for his expected signature. The House had passed it in February with a two-thirds majority. The FLAA creates a new mandate by combining federal library functions scattered…

  20. Use of dried aquatic plant roots to adsorb heavy metals

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

    Robichaud, K.D.

    1996-12-31

    The removal of heavy metal ions by dried aquatic macrophytes was investigated. The ability of the biomass, Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Typha latifolia (cattail), Sparganium minimum (burr reed) and Menyanthes trifoliata to abstract lead and mercury ions is presented here, along with a conceptual filter design. This paper examines an alternative to both the traditional and recent systems designed for metal removal. It involves the use of dried aquatic macrophytes. There are numerous advantages for the use of dried macrophytes in the treatment of industrial wastewater. First, it is cost-effective. There are also funding opportunities through a variety of Environmentalmore » Protection Agency`s (EPA) programs. It is more environmentally conscious because a wetland, the harvesting pond, has been created. And, it creates public goodwill by providing a more appealing, less hardware-intensive, natural system.« less

  1. 78 FR 29117 - After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-17

    ...] After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce... Final Consideration Pilot Program (AFCP) to create the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP... without modifications) depending on feedback from the participants and the effectiveness of the pilot...

  2. Flight Operations in the Sells Airspace Overlying the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation and Organ Pipe Cactus Nat’l Monument. Volume 2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-08-01

    by crash- associated fires. I -2 An Epual Opportunity Agency b. all off-road tracks created by vehicles driven to the site to retrieve the wreakage...require responses: 1. The DEIS established that in 1977, 10,394 supersonic sorties capable of creating sonic booms were flown in the Sells Airspace, DEIS...report discuss the effect of a typical case of a F-16 aircraft flying at interme- diate power and z00 feet AGL creating a noise of 103dB. RDEI3 §4.3.2.1

  3. Revised Total Coliform Webinar for Primacy Agencies

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This webinar was created to assist Primacy Agencies in the implementation of the Revised Total Coliform Rule. It provides an overview of the requirements in the rule and implementation guidance for Primacy Agencies.

  4. Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-23

    A motorized glider prepares to take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flying with its engine off, the glider will be positioned above the 14,000-foot level to measure sonic booms created by agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

  5. Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) Testing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-23

    A motorized glider has taken off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Flying with its engine off, the glider will be positioned above the 14,000-foot level to measure sonic booms created by agency F-18 jets to measure the effects of sonic booms. Several flights a day have been taking place the week of Aug. 21, 2017 as part of NASA's Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence, or SonicBAT II Program. NASA at Kennedy is partnering with the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Langley Research Center in Virginia, and Space Florida for a program in which F-18 jets will take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility and fly at supersonic speeds while agency researchers measure the effects of low-altitude turbulence caused by sonic booms.

  6. Creating a Geo-Referenced Bibliography with Google Earth and Geocommons: The Coos Bay Bibliography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmitt, Jenni; Butler, Barb

    2012-01-01

    We compiled a geo-referenced bibliography of research including theses, peer-reviewed articles, agency literature, and books having sample collection sites in and around Coos Bay, Oregon. Using Google Earth and GeoCommons we created a map that allows users such as visiting researchers, faculty, students, and local agencies to identify previous…

  7. 76 FR 24513 - Public Land Order No. 7765; Partial Revocation Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Withdrawal; Florida

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-02

    ...] Public Land Order No. 7765; Partial Revocation Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Withdrawal; Florida AGENCY... as part of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area. DATES: Effective Date: May 2, 2011... U.S.C. 1787), which created the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, and which...

  8. Changes in student teachers' agency beliefs during a teacher education year, and relationships with observed classroom quality, and day-to-day experiences.

    PubMed

    Malmberg, Lars-Erik; Hagger, Hazel

    2009-12-01

    Conceptualizations of teachers' agency beliefs converge around domains of support and instruction. We investigated changes in student teachers' agency beliefs during a 1 year teacher education course, and related these to observed classroom quality and day-to-day experiences in partnership schools during the practicum. Out of a sample of 66 student teachers who had responded to at least two out of four times to a questionnaire (18 men 48 women; mean age 26.4 years), 30 were observed during teaching, and 20 completed a 4-day short form diary. Confirmatory factor analysis validated two agency belief constructs. Multi-level models for change investigated individual differences in change over time. Multi-level path models related observation and diary responses to agency beliefs. Supportive agency belief was high and stable across time. Instructional agency belief increased over time, suggesting a beneficial effect of teacher education. This increase was predicted by observed classroom quality (emotional support and student engagement) and daily positive affect and agency beliefs. Teacher education is successful in creating a context in which student teachers' supportive agency beliefs can be maintained and instructional agency beliefs can increase during the course.

  9. The Tri-Agency Climate Education (TrACE) Catalog: Promoting collaboration, effective practice, and a robust portfolio by sharing educational resources developed across NASA, NOAA & NSF climate education initiatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDougall, C.; Martin, A.; Givens, S. M.; Yue, S.; Wilson, C. E.; Karsten, J. L.

    2012-12-01

    The Tri-Agency Climate Education (TrACE) Catalog is an online, interactive, searchable and browsable web product driven by a database backend. TrACE was developed for and by the community of educators, scientists, and Federal agency representatives involved in a tri-agency collaboration for climate education. NASA, NOAA, and NSF are working together to strategically coordinate and support a portfolio of projects focused on climate literacy and education in formal and informal learning environments. The activities of the tri-agency collaboration, including annual meetings for principal investigators and the ongoing development of a nascent common evaluation framework, have created a strong national network for effectively engaging diverse audiences with the principles of climate literacy (see Eos Vol. 92, No. 24, 14 June 2011). TrACE is a tool for the climate education community that promotes the goals of the tri-agency collaboration to leverage existing resources, minimize duplicate efforts, and facilitate communication among this emergent community of scientists and educators. TrACE was born as "The Matrix," a product of the 2011 Second Annual NASA, NOAA and NSF Climate Change Education Principal Investigators Meeting (see McDougall, Wilson, Martin & Knippenberg, 2011, Abstract ED21B-0583 presented at 2011 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA.) Meeting attendees were asked to populate a pen-and-paper matrix with all of the activities or deliverables they had created or anticipated creating as part of their NOAA/NASA/NSF-funded project. During the 2012 Third Annual Tri-Agency PI Meeting, projects were given the opportunity to add and update their products and deliverables. In the intervening year, the dataset comprising the Matrix was converted to a MySQL database, with a standardized taxonomy and minimum criteria for inclusion, and further developed into the interactive TrACE Catalog. In the fall of 2012, the TrACE Catalog web product will be made publicly available. The catalog currently contains information about 204 educational products and resources, representing 81 federally funded projects, categorized by audience type (e.g., K-12 students, public, decision makers, scientists) and resource type (e.g., curriculum, electronic media & tools, exhibits). The web interface will allow for searching, sorting, and browsing of available educational resources by audience type, product type, funding agency, and geographical region. Using this tool, PIs working on similar efforts or in similar bioregions will be able to locate, learn from, and collaborate with each other. The dataset is also useful for visualizing and assessing the breadth and depth of the tri-agency portfolio. In this poster presentation, representatives from the three collaborating agencies will demonstrate the functionality of the TrACE Catalog and the dataset that drives it. We will invite others who are working on similar efforts to add their anticipated/existing products.

  10. 36 CFR § 1232.16 - What documentation must an agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., Modern Records Programs (NWM), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, phone number (301) 837... agency create before it transfers records to a records storage facility? § 1232.16 Section § 1232.16 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT...

  11. Adapting inland fisheries management to a changing climate

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Paukert, Craig P.; Glazer, Bob A.; Hansen, Gretchen J. A.; Irwin, Brian J.; Jacobson, Peter C.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; Shuter, Brian J.; Whitney, James E.; Lynch, Abigail J.

    2016-01-01

    Natural resource decision makers are challenged to adapt management to a changing climate while balancing short-term management goals with long-term changes in aquatic systems. Adaptation will require developing resilient ecosystems and resilient management systems. Decision makers already have tools to develop or ensure resilient aquatic systems and fisheries such as managing harvest and riparian zones. Because fisheries management often interacts with multiple stakeholders, adaptation strategies involving fisheries managers and other partners focused on land use, policy, and human systems, coupled with long-term monitoring, are necessary for resilient systems. We show how agencies and organizations are adapting to a changing climate in Minnesota and Ontario lakes and Montana streams. We also present how the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission created a management structure to develop adaptation strategies. These examples demonstrate how organizations and agencies can cope with climate change effects on fishes and fisheries through creating resilient management and ecological systems.

  12. Agency and the construction of social preference: between inequality aversion and prosocial behavior.

    PubMed

    Choshen-Hillel, Shoham; Yaniv, Ilan

    2011-12-01

    The term social preference refers to decision makers' satisfaction with their own outcomes and those attained by comparable others. The present research was inspired by what appears to be a discrepancy in the literature on social preferences--specifically, between a class of studies demonstrating people's concern with inequality and others documenting their motivation to increase social welfare. The authors propose a theoretical framework to account for this puzzling difference. In particular, they argue that a characteristic of the decision setting--an individual's role in creating the outcomes, referred to as agency--critically affects decision makers' weighting of opposing social motives. Namely, in settings in which people can merely judge the outcomes, but cannot affect them ("low agency"), their concern with inequality figures prominently. In contrast, in settings in which people determine the outcomes for themselves and others ("high agency"), their concern with the welfare of others is prominent. Three studies using a new salary-allocation paradigm document a robust effect of agency. In the high-agency condition, participants had to assign salaries, whereas in the low-agency condition, they indicated their satisfaction with equivalent predetermined salaries. It was found that, compared with low-agency participants, high-agency participants were less concerned with disadvantageous salary allocations and were even willing to sacrifice a portion of their pay to better others' outcomes. The effects of agency are discussed in connection to inequality aversion, social comparison, prosocial behavior, and preference construction.

  13. 36 CFR 1220.32 - What records management principles must agencies implement?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Responsibilities § 1220.32 What records management principles must agencies implement? Agencies must create and... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What records management principles must agencies implement? 1220.32 Section 1220.32 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL...

  14. Nature-Culture Constructs in Science Learning: Human/Non-Human Agency and Intentionality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bang, Megan; Marin, Ananda

    2015-01-01

    The field of science education has struggled to create robust, meaningful forms of education that effectively engage students from historically non-dominant communities and women. This paper argues that a primary issue underlying this on-going struggle pivots on constructions of nature-culture relations. We take up structuration theory (Giddens,…

  15. The Science of Public Messages for Suicide Prevention: A Workshop Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chambers, David A.; Pearson, Jane L.; Lubell, Keri; Brandon, Susan; O'Brien, Kevin; Zinn, Janet

    2005-01-01

    There is minimal guidance for efforts to create effective public messages that increase awareness that suicide is preventable. To address this need, several agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Annenberg Foundation convened a workshop consisting of suicide prevention advocates and persons with expertise in public…

  16. Health Matters for People with Developmental Disabilities: Creating a Sustainable Health Promotion Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marks, Beth; Sisirak, Jasmina; Heller, Tamar

    2010-01-01

    Adults with developmental disabilities are at significant risk for health problems. Effective health promotion can improve outcomes--and that's why adult day and residential agencies, schools, and other organizations need this invaluable program development guide. An urgent call to action and a start-to-finish framework for health promotion, this…

  17. 76 FR 31884 - Reducing Regulatory Burden; Retrospective Review Plans Under E.O. 13563

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-02

    ... agencies have been posted on the White House Web site at: http://www.slideshare.net/whitehouse/hud-combined... effective and less burdensome in achieving HUD's mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive... House Web site at: http://www.slideshare.net/whitehouse/hud-combined . The appendix to HUD's plan...

  18. Health Research Funding Agencies' Support and Promotion of Knowledge Translation: An International Study

    PubMed Central

    Tetroe, Jacqueline M; Graham, Ian D; Foy, Robbie; Robinson, Nicole; Eccles, Martin P; Wensing, Michel; Durieux, Pierre; Légaré, France; Nielson, Camilla Palmhøj; Adily, Armita; Ward, Jeanette E; Porter, Cassandra; Shea, Beverley; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

    2008-01-01

    Context The process of knowledge translation (KT) in health research depends on the activities of a wide range of actors, including health professionals, researchers, the public, policymakers, and research funders. Little is known, however, about health research funding agencies' support and promotion of KT. Our team asked thirty-three agencies from Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and the United States about their role in promoting the results of the research they fund. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with a sample of key informants from applied health funding agencies identified by the investigators. The interviews were supplemented with information from the agencies' websites. The final coding was derived from an iterative thematic analysis. Findings There was a lack of clarity between agencies as to what is meant by KT and how it is operationalized. Agencies also varied in their degree of engagement in this process. The agencies' abilities to create a pull for research findings; to engage in linkage and exchange between agencies, researchers, and decision makers; and to push results to various audiences differed as well. Finally, the evaluation of the effectiveness of KT strategies remains a methodological challenge. Conclusions Funding agencies need to think about both their conceptual framework and their operational definition of KT, so that it is clear what is and what is not considered to be KT, and adjust their funding opportunities and activities accordingly. While we have cataloged the range of knowledge translation activities conducted across these agencies, little is known about their effectiveness and so a greater emphasis on evaluation is needed. It would appear that “best practice” for funding agencies is an elusive concept depending on the particular agency's size, context, mandate, financial considerations, and governance structure. PMID:18307479

  19. A proposal for amending administrative law to facilitate adaptive management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Craig, Robin K.; Ruhl, J. B.; Brown, Eleanor D.; Williams, Byron K.

    2017-07-01

    In this article we examine how federal agencies use adaptive management. In order for federal agencies to implement adaptive management more successfully, administrative law must adapt to adaptive management, and we propose changes in administrative law that will help to steer the current process out of a dead end. Adaptive management is a form of structured decision making that is widely used in natural resources management. It involves specific steps integrated in an iterative process for adjusting management actions as new information becomes available. Theoretical requirements for adaptive management notwithstanding, federal agency decision making is subject to the requirements of the federal Administrative Procedure Act, and state agencies are subject to the states’ parallel statutes. We argue that conventional administrative law has unnecessarily shackled effective use of adaptive management. We show that through a specialized ‘adaptive management track’ of administrative procedures, the core values of administrative law—especially public participation, judicial review, and finality— can be implemented in ways that allow for more effective adaptive management. We present and explain draft model legislation (the Model Adaptive Management Procedure Act) that would create such a track for the specific types of agency decision making that could benefit from adaptive management.

  20. A proposal for amending administrative law to facilitate adaptive management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Craig, Robin K.; Ruhl, J.B.; Brown, Eleanor D.; Williams, Byron K.

    2017-01-01

    In this article we examine how federal agencies use adaptive management. In order for federal agencies to implement adaptive management more successfully, administrative law must adapt to adaptive management, and we propose changes in administrative law that will help to steer the current process out of a dead end. Adaptive management is a form of structured decision making that is widely used in natural resources management. It involves specific steps integrated in an iterative process for adjusting management actions as new information becomes available. Theoretical requirements for adaptive management notwithstanding, federal agency decision making is subject to the requirements of the federal Administrative Procedure Act, and state agencies are subject to the states' parallel statutes. We argue that conventional administrative law has unnecessarily shackled effective use of adaptive management. We show that through a specialized 'adaptive management track' of administrative procedures, the core values of administrative law—especially public participation, judicial review, and finality— can be implemented in ways that allow for more effective adaptive management. We present and explain draft model legislation (the Model Adaptive Management Procedure Act) that would create such a track for the specific types of agency decision making that could benefit from adaptive management.

  1. Engineering Technical Support Center Annual Report Fiscal ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Office of Research and Development (ORD) created the Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in 1987, one of several technical support centers created as part of the Technical Support Project (TSP). ETSC provides engineering expertise to Agency program and regional offices and remediation teams working at contaminated sites across the country. The ETSC is operated within ORD’s Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division (LRPCD) of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ETSC’s mission is to provide site-specific scientific and engineering technical support to Remedial Project Managers, On-Scene Coordinators, and other remediation personnel at contaminated sites. This allows local, regional, or national authorities to work more quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively, while also increasing the technical experience of the remediation team. Since its inception, the ETSC has supported countless projects across all EPA Regions in almost all states and territories. This report highlights significant projects the ETSC supported in fiscal year 2015 (FY15). These projects addressed an array of environmental scenarios, such as remote mining contamination, expansive landfill waste, cumulative impacts from multiple contamination sources, and persistent threats from abandoned industrial sites. Constructing and testing new and innovative treatment technol

  2. 76 FR 16409 - Summitec Corporation; Transfer of Data

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-23

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0038; FRL-8868-3] Summitec Corporation; Transfer of Data AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This notice announces... their components to human health and the environment. In addition, the contractor shall create Data...

  3. Procedures and Guidelines for Digitization (Scanning)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    These documents establishes EPA's approach for creating digitized versions of Agency documents and establishes standards for capturing digitized content from paper and microform Agency documents and records.

  4. Loglines. July - August 2010

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-08-01

    that particular activity or not. assist this effort. We are DLA will help we work toward creating a single-agency environment , we will also build a...24 helps services test renewable fuels. We are DLA 30 single-agency environment , create a sense of community among global workforce...lock? And for a basic light double switch? Do they want steel or The pricing and quality of each justify costs. Product safety is also considered

  5. The use of key indicators as a foundation for knowledge management: the experiences of Monterey County's Social and Employment Services Department.

    PubMed

    Lindberg, Arley

    2012-01-01

    While effective knowledge management practices are commonly sought by organizations, facilitating the use and ongoing engagement in these practices can be challenging. To this end, one agency developed a strategy for institutionalizing their knowledge management functions by appointing a team responsible for monitoring and implementing knowledge management functions, and creating a report for use as a tool by departments agency-wide. Aimed at increasing transparency both within the agency and with the surrounding community, the report provides an overview of individual departments' programs, goals, recent caseload trends, and latest achievements. The report is made available online and accessible by the general public. This case study describes the development of this team and report, as well as lessons learned and future knowledge management goals for the agency. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  6. Persistence(ing): Posthuman Agency in a Writers' Studio

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuby, Candace R; Rucker, Tara Gutshall; Darolia, Laura H.

    2017-01-01

    This manuscript focuses on agency from a posthumanist stance. For so long, educators' definitions of agency have focused solely on people. As we read more on posthuman ideas of agency, we were also reading Deleuze and Guattari's work on philosophy and concepts. These two bodies of scholarship intra-acted with each other to create newness of ideas…

  7. 75 FR 14435 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy... information that DOE is developing to collect data on the status of activities, project progress, jobs created... 2009. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the...

  8. 75 FR 14436 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy... information that DOE is developing to collect data on the status of activities, project progress, jobs created... 2009. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the...

  9. 75 FR 11871 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy... information that DOE is developing to collect data on the status of activities, project progress, jobs created... Reinvestment Act of 2009. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is...

  10. Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Evidence and Improvement: How Can Integrating Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning Help?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leimer, Christina

    2009-01-01

    Regional accrediting agencies today require higher education institutions to develop and demonstrate a culture of evidence-based decision-making and improvement as part of its emphasis on effectiveness. However, scant literature or examples exist to guide colleges and universities in developing such a culture. Cultural change is usually prompted…

  11. 78 FR 63477 - Guidance for Industry on Active Controls in Studies To Demonstrate Effectiveness of a New Animal...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-D-0419... controls and have a basic understanding of statistical principles. DATES: Submit either electronic or... the Agency's current thinking on the topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any...

  12. Evaluating Supplemental Educational Service Providers: Suggested Strategies for States. A Guidebook Prepared for the Center on Innovation & Improvement. Second Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Steven M.; Potter, Allison; Harmon, Jennifer

    2006-01-01

    This second edition of the Guidebook is designed to help state educational agencies (SEAs) create an effective system to evaluate state-approved supplemental educational service (SES) providers. The text includes tools and strategies that will help readers determine evaluation measures, identify possible evaluation methodologies, and address the…

  13. The hospital based staffing agency.

    PubMed

    Manion, J; Reid, S B

    1989-01-01

    Before a hospital considers creating an internal staffing agency, a detailed business plan must be developed. By addressing marketing and operational issues in advance, nurse executives can avoid unnecessary business problems.

  14. Veterinarians in Environmental Health: Opportunities for Veterinarians at the Environmental Protection Agency

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 partially in response to widespread public concern about environmental degradation. The EPA mission is to protect human health and the environment and the Agency is tasked with enforcing our nation's envi...

  15. S5: Information Technology for Science Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Coughlan, Joe

    2017-01-01

    NASA Missions and Programs create a wealth of science data and information that are essential to understanding our earth, our solar system and the universe. Advancements in information technology will allow many people within and beyond the Agency to more effectively analyze and apply these data and information to create knowledge. The desired end result is to see that NASA data and science information are used to generate the maximum possible impact to the nation: to advance scientific knowledge and technological capabilities, to inspire and motivate the nation's students and teachers, and to engage and educate the public.

  16. Aligning organizational priorities with ARC to improve youth mental health service outcomes.

    PubMed

    Glisson, Charles; Williams, Nathaniel J; Hemmelgarn, Anthony; Proctor, Enola; Green, Philip

    2016-08-01

    The Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC) organizational intervention is designed to improve community-based youth mental health services by aligning organizational priorities with 5 principles of effective service organizations (i.e., mission driven, results oriented, improvement directed, relationship centered, participation based). This study assessed the effect of the ARC intervention on youth outcomes and the mediating role of organizational priorities as a mechanism linking the ARC intervention to outcomes. Fourteen community-based mental health agencies in a midwestern metropolis along with 475 clinicians and 605 youth (ages 5-18) served by those agencies were randomly assigned to the 3-year ARC intervention or control condition. The agencies' priorities were measured with the ARC Principles Questionnaire (APQ) completed by clinicians at the end of the intervention. Youth outcomes were measured as total problems in psychosocial functioning described by their caregivers using the Shortform Assessment for Children (SAC) at 6 monthly intervals. The rate of improvement in youths' psychosocial functioning in agencies assigned to the ARC condition was 1.6 times the rate of improvement in agencies assigned to the control condition, creating a standardized difference in functioning of d = .23 between the 2 groups at the 6-month follow-up. The effect on youth outcomes was fully mediated by the alignment of organizational priorities described in the 5 ARC principles (d = .21). The ARC organizational intervention improves youth outcomes by aligning organizational priorities with the 5 ARC principles. The findings suggest that organizational priorities explain why some community mental health agencies are more effective than others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Rhetorical Agency as Emergent and Enacted

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Marilyn M.

    2011-01-01

    Individual agency is necessary for the possibility of rhetoric, and especially for deliberative rhetoric, which enables the composition of what Latour calls a good common world. Drawing on neurophenomenology, this essay defines individual agency as the process through which organisms create meanings through acting into the world and changing their…

  18. Health Effects of Toxicants: Online Knowledge Support ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Research in toxicology generates vast quantities of data which reside on the Web and are subsequently appropriated and utilized to support further research. This data includes a broad spectrum of information about chemical, biological and radiological agents which can affect health, the nature of the effects, treatment, regulatory measures, and more. Online resources are created and housed by a variety of institutions, including libraries and government agencies. This paper focuses on three such institutions and the tools they offer to the public: the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and its Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Reference is also made to other relevant organizations. A review of online public data sources and data resources on health effects of toxicants offered by NLM, EPA and OECD..

  19. Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-05-13

    country’s public finances , or create a viable framework for post-conflict justice and reconciliation. Elections for legislative bodies and a...significant pressure on government finances . The Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook estimates that Libya’s 2015 budget deficit was 49% of GDP...and effective oversight over the National Oil Corporation , the Central Bank of Libya, and the Libyan Investment Authority.” United Nations and

  20. Relationship and Involvement of the State Library Agencies with the National Program Proposed by NCLIS. Related Paper No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trezza, Alphonse F.

    Each of the 50 states has created a state library agency to administer state and federal library programs. Since the 1960's state library agencies have been involved in bibliographical systems and networks. In the 1970's these agencies completed long-range plans to meet each state's library service needs. Because of this experience, the state…

  1. Preserving electronic records: Not the easiest task

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eaton, Fynnette

    1993-01-01

    The National Archives and Records Administration has had a program for accessioning, describing, preserving and providing reference service to the electronic records (machine-readable records) created by Federal agencies for more than twenty years. Although there have been many changes in the name of the office, its basic mission has remained the same: to preserve and make available those records created by Federal agencies that the National Archives has determined to have value beyond the short-term need of the originating agency. A phrase that was once coined for a preservation conference still applies: the National Archives, when it decides to accept the transfer of records into its custody, is committing itself to preserving these records for perpetuity.

  2. 5 CFR 550.401 - Purpose, applicability, authority, and administration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... create imminent danger to their lives. (b) Applicability. This subpart applies to— (1) Executive agencies... to the area from which recruited; and (4) Alien employees of an agency hired within the United States...

  3. 5 CFR 550.401 - Purpose, applicability, authority, and administration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... create imminent danger to their lives. (b) Applicability. This subpart applies to— (1) Executive agencies... to the area from which recruited; and (4) Alien employees of an agency hired within the United States...

  4. 5 CFR 550.401 - Purpose, applicability, authority, and administration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... create imminent danger to their lives. (b) Applicability. This subpart applies to— (1) Executive agencies... to the area from which recruited; and (4) Alien employees of an agency hired within the United States...

  5. 5 CFR 550.401 - Purpose, applicability, authority, and administration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... create imminent danger to their lives. (b) Applicability. This subpart applies to— (1) Executive agencies... to the area from which recruited; and (4) Alien employees of an agency hired within the United States...

  6. 5 CFR 550.401 - Purpose, applicability, authority, and administration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... create imminent danger to their lives. (b) Applicability. This subpart applies to— (1) Executive agencies... to the area from which recruited; and (4) Alien employees of an agency hired within the United States...

  7. Basic Program Elements for Federal employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs and related matters; Subpart I for Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements. Final rule.

    PubMed

    2013-08-05

    OSHA is issuing a final rule amending the Basic Program Elements to require Federal agencies to submit their occupational injury and illness recordkeeping information to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and OSHA on an annual basis. The information, which is already required to be created and maintained by Federal agencies, will be used by BLS to aggregate injury and illness information throughout the Federal government. OSHA will use the information to identify Federal establishments with high incidence rates for targeted inspection, and assist in determining the most effective safety and health training for Federal employees. The final rule also interprets several existing basic program elements in our regulations to clarify requirements applicable to Federal agencies, amends the date when Federal agencies must submit to the Secretary of Labor their annual report on occupational safety and health programs, amends the date when the Secretary of Labor must submit to the President the annual report on Federal agency safety and health, and clarifies that Federal agencies must include uncompensated volunteers when reporting and recording occupational injuries and illnesses.

  8. Physical Training for Long-Duration Spaceflight.

    PubMed

    Loehr, James A; Guilliams, Mark E; Petersen, Nora; Hirsch, Natalie; Kawashima, Shino; Ohshima, Hiroshi

    2015-12-01

    Physical training has been conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) for the past 10 yr as a countermeasure to physiological deconditioning during spaceflight. Each member space agency has developed its own approach to creating and implementing physical training protocols for their astronauts. We have divided physical training into three distinct phases (preflight, in-flight, and postflight) and provided a description of each phase with its constraints and limitations. We also discuss how each member agency (NASA, ESA, CSA, and JAXA) prescribed physical training for their crewmembers during the first 10 yr of ISS operations. It is important to understand the operational environment, the agency responsible for the physical training program, and the constraints and limitations associated with spaceflight to accurately design and implement exercise training or interpret the exercise data collected on ISS. As exploration missions move forward, resolving agency differences in physical training programs will become important to maximizing the effectiveness of exercise as a countermeasure and minimizing any mission impacts.

  9. State Decision-Makers Guide for Hazardous Waste Management: Defining Hazardous Wastes, Problem Recognition, Land Use, Facility Operations, Conceptual Framework, Policy Issues, Transportation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corson, Alan; And Others

    Presented are key issues to be addressed by state, regional, and local governments and agencies in creating effective hazardous waste management programs. Eight chapters broadly frame the topics which state-level decision makers should consider. These chapters include: (1) definition of hazardous waste; (2) problem definition and recognition; (3)…

  10. Developing Secondary Students' Epistemic Agency in a Knowledge-Building Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Kwok-Wing; Campbell, Madeline

    2018-01-01

    A key educational objective for the twenty-first century is developing students' epistemic agency. Epistemic agency is the active process of choosing when, what, where one learns and how one knows, as well as the capacity to create knowledge in a community. The knowledge-building communities model developed by Scardamalia and Bereiter was used in…

  11. On Personal and Collective Dimensions of Agency in Doctoral Training: Medicine and Natural Science Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hakkarainen, Kai Pekka; Wires, Susanna; Keskinen, Jenni; Paavola, Sami; Pohjola, Pasi; Lonka, Kirsti; Pyhältö, Kirsi

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to investigate knowledge-creating agency by examining doctoral students' accounts of their pursuits, using structured interviews. We examined all of the talk apparently related to agency of 13 doctoral students taking part in collective doctoral training in two, highly regarded Finnish research communities…

  12. Acting as Accountable Authors: Creating Interactional Spaces for Agency Work in Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipponen, Lasse; Kumpulainen, Kristiina

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, relying on the sociocultural framework of learning, we report on the results of an ethnographically-grounded investigation of agency work among nine pre-service teachers: The main objective is to determine how agency emerges and is constructed in situated discourse practices within the context of a teacher education program embedded…

  13. 78 FR 74142 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-10

    ... dedicated to the IDSM. Still other warrantors have created posters to alert consumers to the existence of.... The graphic design work entails creating pamphlets, brochures, posters, or other materials aimed at...

  14. Options for Transitional Security Capabilities for America

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-01-01

    the proposed parent and supporting agencies have, or are they likely to have, the resources to accomplish the mission? What would be the option’s...Agency Option The USMS is the federal law enforcement agency chosen as the parent organization for this option and could provide all the skills...need to be created to support the force. State and Metropolitan Police Option This option has two suboptions in which the parent federal agency would be

  15. Creating Conditions for Policy Change in National Parks: Contrasting Cases in Yellowstone and Yosemite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yochim, Michael J.; Lowry, William R.

    2016-05-01

    Public agencies face significant political obstacles when they try to change long-standing policies. This paper examines efforts by the U.S. National Park Service to change long-term policies in Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks. We argue that, to be successful, the agency and pro-change allies must expand the sphere of conflict to engage the support of the broader American public through positive framing, supportive science, compelling economic arguments, consistent goals, and the commitment of other institutional actors. We show that the agency is capable of creating these conditions, as in the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone, but we argue that this is not always the outcome, as in reducing automobile congestion in Yosemite Valley.

  16. Creating Conditions for Policy Change in National Parks: Contrasting Cases in Yellowstone and Yosemite.

    PubMed

    Yochim, Michael J; Lowry, William R

    2016-05-01

    Public agencies face significant political obstacles when they try to change long-standing policies. This paper examines efforts by the U.S. National Park Service to change long-term policies in Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks. We argue that, to be successful, the agency and pro-change allies must expand the sphere of conflict to engage the support of the broader American public through positive framing, supportive science, compelling economic arguments, consistent goals, and the commitment of other institutional actors. We show that the agency is capable of creating these conditions, as in the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone, but we argue that this is not always the outcome, as in reducing automobile congestion in Yosemite Valley.

  17. Aligning Organizational Priorities with ARC to Improve Youth Mental Health Service Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Glisson, Charles; Williams, Nathaniel J.; Hemmelgarn, Anthony; Procter, Enola; Green, Philip

    2016-01-01

    Objective The ARC organizational intervention was designed to improve community-based youth mental health services by aligning organizational priorities with five principles of effective service organizations (i.e., mission-driven, results-oriented, improvement-directed, relationship-centered, participation-based). This study assessed the effect of the ARC intervention on youth outcomes and the mediating role of organizational priorities as a mechanism linking the ARC intervention to outcomes. Methodology Fourteen community-based mental health agencies in a Midwestern metropolis along with 475 clinicians and 605 youth (aged 5–18) served by those agencies were randomly assigned to the three-year ARC intervention or control condition. The agencies’ priorities were measured with the ARC Principles Questionnaire (APQ) completed by clinicians at the end of the intervention. Youth outcomes were measured as total problems in psychosocial functioning described by their caregivers using the Shortform Assessment for Children (SAC) at six monthly intervals. Results The rate of improvement in youths’ psychosocial functioning in agencies assigned to the ARC condition was 1.6 times the rate of improvement in agencies assigned to the control condition, creating a standardized difference in functioning of d = .23 between the two groups at the six month follow-up. The effect on youth outcomes was fully mediated by the alignment of organizational priorities described in the five ARC principles (d = .21). Conclusions The ARC organizational intervention improves youth outcomes by aligning organizational priorities with the five ARC principles. The findings suggest that organizational priorities explain why some community mental health agencies are more effective than others. PMID:27253202

  18. Creative ways to manage paratransit costs : final report, July 2008 [summary].

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-07-01

    The increasing expense of providing paratransit service for special needs riders has created a challenge for Floridas public transportation agencies. These agencies are continually in search of methods to control or reduce paratransit costs so the...

  19. Managing the complexity of nurse shortages: a case study of bank and agency staffing in an acute care Trust in Wales, UK.

    PubMed

    Massey, Lynn; Esain, Ann; Wallis, Marianne

    2009-07-01

    Managing nurse shortages is a major challenge in Trusts today given the worldwide shortage of nurses. To fill the gap created by a lack of permanent staff UK government agencies have increasingly used bank and agency staff. Managing this type of staffing effectively and efficiently, in the context of shrinking healthcare funds, is a major challenge in providing safe and quality healthcare. To analyse bank and agency nursing staffing patterns and factors that impact on these patterns. Case study within the largest hospital in one Welsh Integrated Healthcare Trust. De-identified bank and agency staffing electronic and manual database records and focus group interview with bank and agency office staff. A predictable bank and agency staffing pattern was found, wherein bank and agency nursing staff were used with increasing frequency towards the end of the week. Demand for bank and agency nursing staff occurred because of: hospital practices that fund a fixed staff establishment for nursing units, while patient numbers and acuity are variable; poor forward planning; sickness, and absence due to professional development or staff training. There is a need for managers to reconsider management and recruitment policies, particularly in relation to using bank and agency staff. The complexity of staffing challenges managers to focus on predictability of workload needs and other factors that affect staffing requirements, such as: professional development, flexible working rosters to match the need and minimize sickness and turnover of staff.

  20. Accord No. 334 of 18 August 1989.

    PubMed

    1989-01-01

    This Accord creates the Programme for Forestation and Reforestation of the Amazon Region of Ecuador with Native Species, under the control of the National Forestry Directorate. The preamble to the Accord states that the Programme has been created, in part, to stop the indiscriminate exploitation of natural trees. Accord No. 332 of 18 August 1989, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, creates under the Regional Subsecretariat for the Amazon the Agency of Natural Resources of the Amazon Region of Ecuador to coordinate activities taking place in that area with the Institute for Settlement of the Amazon Region of Ecuador and relevant state organizations. The preamble to the Accord states that the Agency has been created, in part, to ensure the rational and harmonic development of the region and to preserve the region's natural resources. See Registro Oficial, No. 262, 28 August 1989, p. 2.

  1. A Community Organizes for Action: A Case Study of the Mon-Yough Region in Pennsylvania.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avery, Robert W.; Chesler, Herbert A.

    This case study examines the development and problems of the Mon-Yough Community Action Committee, Inc. (MYCAC), one of the local anti-poverty agencies in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The agency's major effort is to overcome problems created by the decline of the local steel industry by supporting existing welfare agencies, and through such…

  2. Health effects of toxicants: Online knowledge support

    PubMed Central

    Judson, Richard; de Marcellus, Sally; de Knecht, Joop; Leinala, Eeva

    2016-01-01

    Research in toxicology generates vast quantities of data which reside on the Web and are subsequently appropriated and utilized to support further research. This data includes a broad spectrum of information about chemical, biological and radiological agents which can affect health, the nature of the effects, treatment, regulatory measures, and more. Information is structured in a variety of formats, including traditional databases, portals, prediction models, and decision making support tools. Online resources are created and housed by a variety of institutions, including libraries and government agencies. This paper focuses on three such institutions and the tools they offer to the public: the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and its Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Reference is also made to other relevant organizations. PMID:26506572

  3. Health effects of toxicants: Online knowledge support.

    PubMed

    Wexler, Philip; Judson, Richard; de Marcellus, Sally; de Knecht, Joop; Leinala, Eeva

    2016-01-15

    Research in toxicology generates vast quantities of data which reside on the Web and are subsequently appropriated and utilized to support further research. This data includes a broad spectrum of information about chemical, biological and radiological agents which can affect health, the nature of the effects, treatment, regulatory measures, and more. Information is structured in a variety of formats, including traditional databases, portals, prediction models, and decision making support tools. Online resources are created and housed by a variety of institutions, including libraries and government agencies. This paper focuses on three such institutions and the tools they offer to the public: the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and its Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Reference is also made to other relevant organizations. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. Strategies Which Foster Broad Use and Deployment of Earth and Space Science Informal and Formal Education Resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meeson, Blanche W.; Gabrys, Robert; Ireton, M. Frank; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Education projects supported by federal agencies and carried out by a wide range of organizations foster learning about Earth and Space systems science in a wide array of venues. Across these agencies a range of strategies are employed to ensure that effective materials are created for these diverse venues. And that these materials are deployed broadly so that a large spectrum of the American Public, both adults and children alike, can learn and become excited by the Earth and space system science. This session will highlight some of those strategies and will cover representative examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the strategies. Invited speakers from selected formal and informal educational efforts will anchor this session. Speakers with representative examples are encouraged to submit abstracts for the session to showcase the strategies which they use.

  5. 7 CFR 4274.343 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... charges it will assess the ultimate recipients; (v) Demonstrate to Agency satisfaction that the... organizations; (vi) Provide evidence to Agency satisfaction that the intermediary has a proven record of... intermediary's program. Outcomes should be expressed in quantitative or observable terms such as jobs created...

  6. Generic continuity of operations/continuity of government plan for state-level transportation agencies.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-08-01

    The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20 (HSPD-20) requires all local, state, tribal and territorial government agencies, and private sector owners of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) to create a Continuity of Operationsl:onti...

  7. 7 CFR 4274.343 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... charges it will assess the ultimate recipients; (v) Demonstrate to Agency satisfaction that the... organizations; (vi) Provide evidence to Agency satisfaction that the intermediary has a proven record of... intermediary's program. Outcomes should be expressed in quantitative or observable terms such as jobs created...

  8. International funding agencies: potential leaders of impact evaluation in protected areas?

    PubMed Central

    Craigie, Ian D.; Barnes, Megan D.; Geldmann, Jonas; Woodley, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    Globally, protected areas are the most commonly used tools to halt biodiversity loss. Yet, some are failing to adequately conserve the biodiversity they contain. There is an urgent need for knowledge on how to make them function more effectively. Impact evaluation methods provide a set of tools that could yield this knowledge. However, rigorous outcome-focused impact evaluation is not yet used as extensively as it could be in protected area management. We examine the role of international protected area funding agencies in facilitating the use of impact evaluation. These agencies are influential stakeholders as they allocate hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support protected areas, creating a unique opportunity to shape how the conservation funds are spent globally. We identify key barriers to the use of impact evaluation, detail how large funders are uniquely placed to overcome many of these, and highlight the potential benefits if impact evaluation is used more extensively. PMID:26460135

  9. Sample registration software for process automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia nuclear agency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Nur Aira Abd; Yussup, Nolida; Salim, Nazaratul Ashifa Bt. Abdullah; Ibrahim, Maslina Bt. Mohd; Mokhtar, Mukhlis B.; Soh@Shaari, Syirrazie Bin Che; Azman, Azraf B.; Ismail, Nadiah Binti

    2015-04-01

    Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) had been established in Nuclear Malaysia since 1980s. Most of the procedures established were done manually including sample registration. The samples were recorded manually in a logbook and given ID number. Then all samples, standards, SRM and blank were recorded on the irradiation vial and several forms prior to irradiation. These manual procedures carried out by the NAA laboratory personnel were time consuming and not efficient. Sample registration software is developed as part of IAEA/CRP project on `Development of Process Automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia Nuclear Agency (RC17399)'. The objective of the project is to create a pc-based data entry software during sample preparation stage. This is an effective method to replace redundant manual data entries that needs to be completed by laboratory personnel. The software developed will automatically generate sample code for each sample in one batch, create printable registration forms for administration purpose, and store selected parameters that will be passed to sample analysis program. The software is developed by using National Instruments Labview 8.6.

  10. Creating an Infrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research in Emergency Medical Services

    PubMed Central

    Seymour, Christopher W.; Kahn, Jeremy M.; Martin-Gill, Christian; Callaway, Clifton W.; Angus, Derek C.; Yealy, Donald M.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives Emergency medical services (EMS) providers deliver the initial care for millions of people in the United States each year. The Institute of Medicine noted a deficit in research necessary to improve prehospital care, created by the existence of data silos, absence of long-term outcomes, and limited stakeholder engagement in research. This article describes a regional effort to create a high-performing infrastructure in southwestern Pennsylvania addressing these fundamental barriers. Methods Regional EMS records from 33 agencies in January 2011 were linked to hospital-based electronic health records (EHRs) in a single nine-hospital system, with manual review of matches for accuracy. The use of community stakeholder engagement was included to guide scientific inquiry, as well as 2-year follow up for patient-centered outcomes. Results Local EMS medicine stakeholders emphasized the limits of single-agency EMS research, and suggested that studies focus on improving cross-cutting, long-term outcomes. Guided by this input, more than 95% of EMS records (2,675 out of 2,800) were linked to hospital-based EHRs. More than 80% of records were linked to 2-year mortality, with more deaths among EMS patients with prehospital hypotension (30.5%) or respiratory distress (19.5%) than chest pain (5.4%) or non-specific complaints (9.4%). Conclusions A prehospital comparative effectiveness research infrastructure composed of patient-level EMS data, EHRs at multiple hospitals, long-term outcomes, and community stakeholder perspectives is feasible and may be scalable to larger regions and networks. The lessons learned and barriers identified offer a roadmap to answering community and policy-relevant research questions in prehospital care. PMID:24842512

  11. Energy efficiency in nonprofit agencies: Creating effective program models

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

    Brown, M.A.; Prindle, B.; Scherr, M.I.

    Nonprofit agencies are a critical component of the health and human services system in the US. It has been clearly demonstrated by programs that offer energy efficiency services to nonprofits that, with minimal investment, they can educe their energy consumption by ten to thirty percent. This energy conservation potential motivated the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to conceive a project to help states develop energy efficiency programs for nonprofits. The purpose of the project was two-fold: (1) to analyze existing programs to determine which design and delivery mechanisms are particularly effective, and (2) to create model programsmore » for states to follow in tailoring their own plans for helping nonprofits with energy efficiency programs. Twelve existing programs were reviewed, and three model programs were devised and put into operation. The model programs provide various forms of financial assistance to nonprofits and serve as a source of information on energy efficiency as well. After examining the results from the model programs (which are still on-going) and from the existing programs, several replicability factors'' were developed for use in the implementation of programs by other states. These factors -- some concrete and practical, others more generalized -- serve as guidelines for states devising program based on their own particular needs and resources.« less

  12. 75 FR 29600 - Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-26

    ... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA-2010-0022] Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel Meeting AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA). ACTION: Notice of upcoming quarterly... amended, shall report to the Commissioner of Social Security. The Panel will advise the Agency on creating...

  13. Regulatory Monitoring of Fortified Foods: Identifying Barriers and Good Practices

    PubMed Central

    Rowe, Laura A; Vossenaar, Marieke; Garrett, Greg S

    2015-01-01

    While fortification of staple foods and condiments has gained enormous global traction, poor performance persists throughout many aspects of implementation, most notably around the critical element of regulatory monitoring, which is essential for ensuring foods meet national fortification standards. Where coverage of fortified foods is high, limited nutritional impact of fortification programs largely exists due to regulatory monitoring that insufficiently identifies and holds producers accountable for underfortified products. Based on quality assurance data from 20 national fortification programs in 12 countries, we estimate that less than half of the samples are adequately fortified against relevant national standards. In this paper, we outline key findings from a literature review, key informant interviews with 11 fortification experts, and semi-quantitative surveys with 39 individuals from regulatory agencies and the food fortification industry in 17 countries on the perceived effectiveness of regulatory monitoring systems and barriers to compliance against national fortification standards. Findings highlight that regulatory agencies and industry disagree on the value that enforcement mechanisms have in ensuring compliance against standards. Perceived political risk of enforcement and poorly resourced inspectorate capacity appear to adversely reinforce each other within an environment of unclear legislation to create a major hurdle for improving overall compliance of fortification programs against national standards. Budget constraints affect the ability of regulatory agencies to create a well-trained inspector cadre and improve the detection and enforcement of non-compliant and underfortified products. Recommendations to improve fortification compliance include improving technical capacity; ensuring sustained leadership, accountability, and funding in both the private and the public sectors; and removing political barriers to ensure consistent detection of underfortified products and enforcement of applicable fortification standards. Only by taking concrete steps to improve the entire regulatory system that is built on a cooperative working relationship between regulatory agencies and food producers will a nutrition strategy that uses fortification see its intended health effects. PMID:26374804

  14. 32 CFR 148.6 - Agency review.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF RECIPROCITY OF FACILITIES National Policy on Reciprocity of Use and... value added to the process of co-use of facilities by development of electronic data retrieval across government. As this review continues, agencies creating or modifying facilities databases will do so in a...

  15. 24 CFR 214.303 - Performance criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) Conflicts of interest. (1) A director, employee, officer, contractor, or agent of a participating agency shall not engage in activities that create a real or apparent conflict of interest. Such a conflict... participation in the Housing Counseling program. (5) Participating agencies must notify HUD of conflicts of...

  16. 32 CFR 293.4 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... and maintained primarily for the convenience of the Agency employee, and that are not distributed to... created before entering Government service; private materials brought into, created, or received in the... National Technical Information Service (NTIS), or the Internet normally need not be processed as FOIA...

  17. 32 CFR 293.4 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... and maintained primarily for the convenience of the Agency employee, and that are not distributed to... created before entering Government service; private materials brought into, created, or received in the... National Technical Information Service (NTIS), or the Internet normally need not be processed as FOIA...

  18. Pyroelectric Crystal Accelerator In The Department Of Physics And Nuclear Engineering At West Point

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

    Gillich, Don; Kovanen, Andrew; Anderson, Tom

    The Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center (NSERC), a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) office located at the United States Military Academy (USMA), sponsors and manages cadet and faculty research in support of DTRA objectives. The NSERC has created an experimental pyroelectric crystal accelerator program to enhance undergraduate education at USMA in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. This program provides cadets with hands-on experience in designing their own experiments using an inexpensive tabletop accelerator. This device uses pyroelectric crystals to ionize and accelerate gas ions to energies of {approx}100 keV. Within the next year, cadets and faculty atmore » USMA will use this device to create neutrons through the deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion process, effectively creating a compact, portable neutron generator. The double crystal pyroelectric accelerator will also be used by students to investigate neutron, x-ray, and ion spectroscopy.« less

  19. 78 FR 54491 - Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-04

    ... process is available on request. Schedules Pending 1. Department of Defense, Defense Commissary Agency... destruction, after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value... agencies create billions of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control this...

  20. 32 CFR 2001.49 - Special access programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... enhanced for information in special access programs (SAP), established under the provisions of section 4.3 of the Order by the agency head responsible for creating the SAP. Agency heads shall ensure that the... Agreement/Understanding is established for each SAP that has significant interagency support requirements...

  1. 9. VIEW SHOWING PEARL WHITFORD (LEFT) AND ARTHUR RAINING BIRD ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    9. VIEW SHOWING PEARL WHITFORD (LEFT) AND ARTHUR RAINING BIRD (RIGHT) HOLDING A FRAMED FLOUR SACK USED BY THE ROCKY BOY'S AGENCY FLOUR MILL. THE SACK SHOWS AN IMAGE OF ROCK BOY, LEADER OF THE CHIPPEWA AND CREE INDIANS IN MONTANA AT THE TIME ROCK BOY'S RESERVATION WAS CREATED BY CONGRESS (PHOTO WAS TAKEN BEHIND THE AGENCY'S SCHOOL). - Rocky Boy's Agency Flour Mill, Rocky Boy, Hill County, MT

  2. Emergence of multilateral proto-institutions in global health and new approaches to governance: analysis using path dependency and institutional theory.

    PubMed

    Gómez, Eduardo J; Atun, Rifat

    2013-05-10

    The role of multilateral donor agencies in global health is a new area of research, with limited research on how these agencies differ in terms of their governance arrangements, especially in relation to transparency, inclusiveness, accountability, and responsiveness to civil society. We argue that historical analysis of the origins of these agencies and their coalition formation processes can help to explain these differences. We propose an analytical approach that links the theoretical literature discussing institutional origins to path dependency and institutional theory relating to proto institutions in order to illustrate the differences in coalition formation processes that shape governance within four multilateral agencies involved in global health. We find that two new multilateral donor agencies that were created by a diverse coalition of state and non-state actors, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and GAVI, what we call proto-institutions, were more adaptive in strengthening their governance processes. This contrasts with two well-established multilateral donor agencies, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, what we call Bretton Woods (BW) institutions, which were created by nation states alone; and hence, have different origins and consequently different path dependent processes.

  3. Emergence of multilateral proto-institutions in global health and new approaches to governance: analysis using path dependency and institutional theory

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The role of multilateral donor agencies in global health is a new area of research, with limited research on how these agencies differ in terms of their governance arrangements, especially in relation to transparency, inclusiveness, accountability, and responsiveness to civil society. We argue that historical analysis of the origins of these agencies and their coalition formation processes can help to explain these differences. We propose an analytical approach that links the theoretical literature discussing institutional origins to path dependency and institutional theory relating to proto institutions in order to illustrate the differences in coalition formation processes that shape governance within four multilateral agencies involved in global health. We find that two new multilateral donor agencies that were created by a diverse coalition of state and non-state actors, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and GAVI, what we call proto-institutions, were more adaptive in strengthening their governance processes. This contrasts with two well-established multilateral donor agencies, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, what we call Bretton Woods (BW) institutions, which were created by nation states alone; and hence, have different origins and consequently different path dependent processes. PMID:23663485

  4. 75 FR 15421 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-29

    ... the status of activities, project progress, jobs created and retained, spend rates and performance... information that DOE is developing to collect data on the status of activities, project progress, jobs created and retained, spend rates and performance metrics under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of...

  5. Wilderness management within an Australian interstate context

    Treesearch

    J. Elkinton

    2015-01-01

    Conservation, reserve management within an interstate context is not unique in or to Australia. Nevertheless, the policy and procedures derived from various, state legislation often creates ambiguity for interstate, land management agencies. This compels such agencies to adopt specific approaches and strategies to landscape management. This paper provides a context for...

  6. Pre-K Gifted Program Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Andrea; Wilson, Jon

    2010-01-01

    (Purpose) After an extensive search, which included the Internet, four state Departments of Education, and national and state agencies for the gifted, were told by a national agency for gifted children that no standards, specifically for gifted preschool children, existed. The purpose of this paper is to create standards for a preschool gifted…

  7. 75 FR 20350 - Announcement of the Board of Trustees for the National Environmental Education Foundation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-19

    ... administer private gifts for the benefit of, or in connection with, the environmental education and training... National Environmental Education Foundation AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Environmental Education Foundation was created by Section 10 of Public Law 101-619...

  8. 78 FR 13054 - Announcement of the Board of Directors for the National Environmental Education Foundation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-26

    ... National Environmental Education Foundation AGENCY: Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education, Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) was created by Section 10 of Public Law 101-619, the National Environmental Education Act of 1990. It...

  9. Forging University-Community Collaboration: The Agency Perspective on National Service.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tice, Carol H.

    1994-01-01

    With passage of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, national service volunteers will be joining forces with community-based organizations to work with underserved populations, creating many challenges. The community agency perspective on some anticipated challenges, possible responses, and application of principles of good…

  10. College and Career Development Organizer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National High School Center, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The National High School Center has created a college and career development organizer to synthesize and organize an increasingly complicated and crowded field of college and career readiness initiatives. The organizer, composed of three strands, can be used to map the efforts of state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs)…

  11. Break-even Analysis: Tool for Budget Planning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lohmann, Roger A.

    1976-01-01

    Multiple funding creates special management problems for the administrator of a human service agency. This article presents a useful analytic technique adapted from business practice that can help the administrator draw up and balance a unified budget. Such a budget also affords reliable overview of the agency's financial status. (Author)

  12. 78 FR 26780 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-08

    ... Sclerosis (ALS) Registry--Revision (0923-0041, Expiration 7/31/13)--Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Background and Brief Description On October 10, 2008, President Bush signed S. 1382: ALS... Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Registry. The activities described are part of the effort to create the National...

  13. Training Manual for Human Service Risk Managers. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Frank W.; And Others

    This manual is designed to educate human service agency management personnel involved in transportation about basic risk management principles and insurance issues. Chapter I illustrates the liability factors that create the insurance and risk management needs. Both legal and humanitarian obligations of human service agencies involved in…

  14. Improving Law Enforcement Cross Cultural Competencies through Continued Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sereni-Massinger, Christine; Wood, Nancy

    2016-01-01

    Over the last thirty years Community Oriented Policing (COP) has spawned advancements in creating community partnerships with law enforcement agencies. Agencies that focus on such partnerships have served to reduce crime and resolve conflict. However, community opinions towards law enforcement have become increasingly negative due to recent civil…

  15. Leveraging Early Childhood Data for Better Decision Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sirinides, Philip; Coffey, Missy

    2018-01-01

    Americans share an expectation that government will serve the common good, creating inescapable pressure for public agencies--especially those that serve young children--to perform well. Yet education and human services agencies continually struggle to respond to the complex conditions in which children are born. How can they address the practical…

  16. Agency as a Construct for Guiding the Establishment of Communication-Friendly Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alper, Rebecca M.; McGregor, Karla K.

    2015-01-01

    Educators face the challenge of creating classroom environments that are physically, socially, and didactically "communication friendly" for children with diverse communication needs and differences. In this article we propose that (1) communication and the development of agency are bi-directionally linked and, therefore, (2) the…

  17. Office of Research and Development Program Guide, Fiscal Year 1976.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. Office of Research and Development.

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency was created by Presidential order in December of 1970. This order brought together 15 programs scattered among several Federal Government agencies to mount a coordinated attack on environmental problems. These problems include air and water pollution, solid waste management, pesticides, radiation,…

  18. 75 FR 20085 - Subpart B-Advanced Biofuel Payment Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-16

    ... biofuels industry is very capital intensive, the Agency is proposing multi-year contracts to enable advanced biofuels producers the assurance of a multi-year revenue stream. This approach is consistent with the goal of creating a stable industry. Finally, the Agency is proposing a two- tiered payment...

  19. 75 FR 14588 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-26

    ... progress, jobs created and retained, spend rates and performance metrics under the American Recovery and... information that DOE is developing to collect data on the status of activities, project progress, jobs created and retained, spend rates and performance metrics under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of...

  20. Creating an infrastructure for comparative effectiveness research in emergency medical services.

    PubMed

    Seymour, Christopher W; Kahn, Jeremy M; Martin-Gill, Christian; Callaway, Clifton W; Angus, Derek C; Yealy, Donald M

    2014-05-01

    Emergency medical services (EMS) providers deliver the initial care for millions of people in the United States each year. The Institute of Medicine noted a deficit in research necessary to improve prehospital care, created by the existence of data silos, absence of long-term outcomes, and limited stakeholder engagement in research. This article describes a regional effort to create a high-performing infrastructure in southwestern Pennsylvania addressing these fundamental barriers. Regional EMS records from 33 agencies in January 2011 were linked to hospital-based electronic health records (EHRs) in a single nine-hospital system, with manual review of matches for accuracy. The use of community stakeholder engagement was included to guide scientific inquiry, as well as 2-year follow up for patient-centered outcomes. Local EMS medicine stakeholders emphasized the limits of single-agency EMS research and suggested that studies focus on improving cross-cutting, long-term outcomes. Guided by this input, more than 95% of EMS records (2,675 of 2,800) were linked to hospital-based EHRs. More than 80% of records were linked to 2-year mortality, with more deaths among EMS patients with prehospital hypotension (30.5%) or respiratory distress (19.5%) than chest pain (5.4%) or nonspecific complaints (9.4%). A prehospital comparative effectiveness research infrastructure composed of patient-level EMS data, EHRs at multiple hospitals, long-term outcomes, and community stakeholder perspectives is feasible and may be scalable to larger regions and networks. The lessons learned and barriers identified offer a roadmap to answering community and policy-relevant research questions in prehospital care. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  1. Budget Issues: Effective Oversight and Budget Discipline Are Essential--Even in a Time of Surplus

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-02-01

    substantial benefit from USDA’s food safety inspection and testing services.18 In 1997, the Congress created Medicare+Choice to encourage wider availability...quality of the nation’s food is inefficient and outdated. Within USDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for the safety of...FDA, and 10 other federal agencies administer over 35 different laws that oversee food safety . The current food safety system suffers from

  2. Decree No. 515/988 creating a National Commission for Minors, Women, and the Family, 17 August 1988.

    PubMed

    1988-01-01

    This Decree creates a National Commission for Minors, Women, and the Family, composed of the representatives of various public agencies in Uruguay. The Commission was created in order to facilitate the coordination of activities of different state institutions in analyzing international technical assistance programs relating to minors, women, and the family, as well as giving advice to the Executive. full text

  3. American Film Institute, 1974; Hearing before the Special Subcommittee on Arts and Humanities of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, U.S. Senate, 93rd Congress, Second Session on H.R. 17504, To Amend the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 to Create the American Film Institute as an Independent Agency, December 11, 1974.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.

    This report is on the Senate Subcommittee hearing on December 11, 1974, to amend the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 to create the American Film Institute as an independent agency. Witnesses testifying before the subcommittee included: George Stevens, Charlton Heston, Roger Stevens, Harry McPherson, William Lehman,…

  4. Understanding cattail (typha spp.) invasion and persistence in forested wetlands created by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-01-01

    Common cattail (Typha latifolia) is a native plant species listed as an invasive weed by some regulatory agencies. While it is not listed as a noxious weed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, control of cattail populations in created forested wetlands i...

  5. Innovation Zones: Creating Policy Flexibility for Personalized Learning. Issue Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patrick, Susan; Gentz, Susan

    2016-01-01

    There is a new state education policy concept termed either innovation zones or districts of innovation. State education agencies interested in shifting their role from enforcing compliance to one of supporting innovation and building capacity in districts are working to spur new innovative instructional models and create space for…

  6. Attracting Clients to Service-Oriented Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Disney, Diane M.

    One of a series of manuals developed by the Home and Community-Based Career Education Project, the outreach component publication describes how the project went about attracting clients for its adult vocational counseling services. Sections include: creating a publicity campaign, using an advertising agency, creating products for the mass media,…

  7. National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) : standards for creating pipeline location data : standards for electronic data submissions, including metadata standards and examples

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-07-14

    These standards represent a guideline for preparing digital data for inclusion in the National Pipeline Mapping System Repository. The standards were created with input from the pipeline industry and government agencies. They address the submission o...

  8. Childhood Obesity Task Forces Established by State Legislatures, 2001-2010

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Sonia A.; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction States and communities are considering policy and environmental strategies, including enacting legislation, to reduce and prevent childhood obesity. One legislative approach has been to create task forces to understand key issues and develop a course of action. The goal of this study was to describe state-level, childhood obesity task forces in the United States created by legislation from 2001 through 2010. Methods We used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity database to identify state-level childhood obesity task forces created through legislation from 2001 through 2010. Results We identified 21 states that had enacted legislation creating childhood obesity task forces of which 6 had created more than one task force. Most task forces were charged with both gathering and reviewing information and making recommendations for obesity-prevention actions in the state. Most legislation required that task forces include representation from the state legislature, state agencies, community organizations, and community members. Conclusion Evaluation of the effectiveness of obesity-prevention task forces and the primary components that contribute to their success may help to determine the advantages of the use of such strategies in obesity prevention. PMID:23987250

  9. Fair credit reporting medical information regulations. Final rules.

    PubMed

    2005-11-22

    The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, and NCUA (Agencies) are publishing final rules to implement section 411 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act). The final rules create exceptions to the statute's general prohibition on creditors obtaining or using medical information pertaining to a consumer in connection with any determination of the consumer's eligibility, or continued eligibility, for credit for all creditors. The exceptions permit creditors to obtain or use medical information in connection with credit eligibility determinations where necessary and appropriate for legitimate purposes, consistent with the Congressional intent to restrict the use of medical information for inappropriate purposes. The final rules also create limited exceptions to permit affiliates to share medical information with each other without becoming consumer reporting agencies. The final rules are substantially similar to the rules adopted by the Agencies on an interim final basis in June 2005.

  10. Sample registration software for process automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia nuclear agency

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

    Rahman, Nur Aira Abd, E-mail: nur-aira@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my; Yussup, Nolida; Ibrahim, Maslina Bt. Mohd

    Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) had been established in Nuclear Malaysia since 1980s. Most of the procedures established were done manually including sample registration. The samples were recorded manually in a logbook and given ID number. Then all samples, standards, SRM and blank were recorded on the irradiation vial and several forms prior to irradiation. These manual procedures carried out by the NAA laboratory personnel were time consuming and not efficient. Sample registration software is developed as part of IAEA/CRP project on ‘Development of Process Automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia Nuclear Agency (RC17399)’. The objective ofmore » the project is to create a pc-based data entry software during sample preparation stage. This is an effective method to replace redundant manual data entries that needs to be completed by laboratory personnel. The software developed will automatically generate sample code for each sample in one batch, create printable registration forms for administration purpose, and store selected parameters that will be passed to sample analysis program. The software is developed by using National Instruments Labview 8.6.« less

  11. International funding agencies: potential leaders of impact evaluation in protected areas?

    PubMed

    Craigie, Ian D; Barnes, Megan D; Geldmann, Jonas; Woodley, Stephen

    2015-11-05

    Globally, protected areas are the most commonly used tools to halt biodiversity loss. Yet, some are failing to adequately conserve the biodiversity they contain. There is an urgent need for knowledge on how to make them function more effectively. Impact evaluation methods provide a set of tools that could yield this knowledge. However, rigorous outcome-focused impact evaluation is not yet used as extensively as it could be in protected area management. We examine the role of international protected area funding agencies in facilitating the use of impact evaluation. These agencies are influential stakeholders as they allocate hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support protected areas, creating a unique opportunity to shape how the conservation funds are spent globally. We identify key barriers to the use of impact evaluation, detail how large funders are uniquely placed to overcome many of these, and highlight the potential benefits if impact evaluation is used more extensively. © 2015 The Author(s).

  12. Notes on the Emerging Accreditation Regimes in Australia and New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boehringer, Kristian; Blyth, Sue; Scott, Fionna

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, new higher education regulatory regimes have emerged in both New Zealand and Australia. In Australia, the new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) employs a risk management approach while the New Zealand Quality Agency (NZQA) has adopted an evaluative approach. In practice, these varying approaches create real…

  13. Critical Considerations for Physical Literacy Policy in Public Health, Recreation, Sport, and Education Agencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dudley, Dean; Cairney, John; Wainwright, Nalda; Kriellaars, Dean; Mitchell, Drew

    2017-01-01

    The International Charter for Physical Education, Physical Activity, and Sport clearly states that vested agencies must participate in creating a strategic vision and identify policy options and priorities that enable the fundamental right for all people to participate in meaningful physical activity across their life course. Physical literacy is…

  14. 76 FR 15 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Texas; Emissions Banking and Trading of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-03

    ... Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Texas; Emissions Banking and Trading of Allowances Program AGENCY... to the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP) that create and amend the Emissions Banking and Trading... hard copy at the Air Planning Section (6PD-L), Environmental Protection Agency, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite...

  15. The Council of Youth Research: Critical Literacy and Civic Agency in the Digital Age

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Antero; Mirra, Nicole; Morrell, Ernest; Martinez, Antonio; Scorza, D'Artagnan

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the relationship between critical literacy practice, digital media production, and civic agency in the Council of Youth Research, a youth participatory action research program in which Los Angeles high school students conduct research and create dynamic, multimedia presentations as leaders of a growing youth movement for…

  16. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Utah's Clean Fuels and Vehicle Technology

    Science.gov Websites

    vehicles, infrastructure, and equipment. As an agency of Utah's Department of Environmental Quality, DAQ legislation that created the fund typically sets forth other important provisions related to funding and , or a combination of the two. Enabling legislation also gives a state agency or department the

  17. [Using Community Resources to Re-Integrate Ex-Offenders into Society].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlson, Norman A.

    A criminal justice system cannot be stronger than its weakest link, and corrections has been the weakest component in our system for far too long. Today's challenge is that of bringing together concerned citizens, public agencies, and private agencies in an effort to create a correctional system that works. Correctional programs can accomplish…

  18. 78 FR 54681 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, With Change, of a...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-05

    ... create numerous risks to the credit union, and the rule ensures that these risks will not lead to... the credit union must demonstrate to the NCUA that it understands the risks and has taken appropriate... NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB...

  19. Learner Agency: To Understand and to Be Understood

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blair, Deborah V.

    2009-01-01

    What began as an exploration of student learning while listening to music evolved into a study of learner agency in a music classroom. Whilst students used and developed strategies that enabled their own success while listening to, performing and creating music, it became evident that they were proactively seeking musical understanding and growth…

  20. Cooperative Efforts in Fuels Management

    Treesearch

    Gerald L. Adams

    1995-01-01

    Our forests have been neglected or protected to death, creating an extreme wildfire risk in wildland urban intermix communities. We as agencies and organizations are just now beginning to understand that the fuel problems we have across the western states are not a single agency problem, but "our problem." Wildfires do not respect boundaries, be they...

  1. 5 CFR 293.405 - Disposition of records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... RECORDS Employee Performance File System Records § 293.405 Disposition of records. (a) When the OPF of a..., employee performance files shall be forwarded to gaining agencies at the same time as the OPF (5 CFR 293... former employee returns to an agency, a new employee performance file will be created unless the prior...

  2. 5 CFR 293.405 - Disposition of records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... RECORDS Employee Performance File System Records § 293.405 Disposition of records. (a) When the OPF of a..., employee performance files shall be forwarded to gaining agencies at the same time as the OPF (5 CFR 293... former employee returns to an agency, a new employee performance file will be created unless the prior...

  3. 5 CFR 293.405 - Disposition of records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... RECORDS Employee Performance File System Records § 293.405 Disposition of records. (a) When the OPF of a..., employee performance files shall be forwarded to gaining agencies at the same time as the OPF (5 CFR 293... former employee returns to an agency, a new employee performance file will be created unless the prior...

  4. 5 CFR 293.405 - Disposition of records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... RECORDS Employee Performance File System Records § 293.405 Disposition of records. (a) When the OPF of a..., employee performance files shall be forwarded to gaining agencies at the same time as the OPF (5 CFR 293... former employee returns to an agency, a new employee performance file will be created unless the prior...

  5. 5 CFR 293.405 - Disposition of records.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... RECORDS Employee Performance File System Records § 293.405 Disposition of records. (a) When the OPF of a..., employee performance files shall be forwarded to gaining agencies at the same time as the OPF (5 CFR 293... former employee returns to an agency, a new employee performance file will be created unless the prior...

  6. Socially Oriented Student Entrepreneurship: A Study of Student Change Agency in the Academic Capitalism Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mars, Matthew M.; Rhoades, Gary

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents two clarifying cases of socially oriented student entrepreneurship. The findings illuminate an overlooked organizational space located at the intersection of the public good and academic capitalist knowledge/learning regimes (Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004) that provides students with the entrepreneurial agency to create social…

  7. Barriers to community-directed fire restoration

    Treesearch

    R. Bruce Hull; Bruce E. Goldstein

    2006-01-01

    Wild fire disasters create novel situations and challenges for natural resource managers, including working with emergent community groups that have a great deal of motivation for change, little familiarity with agency protocol, and strong preferences for the goals and methods of forest fire restoration, some of which may run counter to agency norms. After a fire,...

  8. Conservation and aid: designing more effective investments in natural resource governance reform.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Fred

    2009-10-01

    Biodiversity conservation outcomes are closely related to the rules and institutions governing resource use. Creating local incentives for conservation through more secure resource tenure is central to conservation outcomes on private and communal lands, where the preponderance of biodiversity occurs. Conservation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa are therefore centrally concerned with governance dynamics and institutional reform processes, such as the decentralization of property rights, and how best to achieve such reforms. Traditional mechanisms for financing conservation efforts in Africa rely heavily on funds channeled through multilateral and bilateral aid agencies. The history of development aid highlights a range of constraints these aid agencies face in terms of working toward more effective resource governance arrangements and promoting reforms. Government aid agencies possess incentives for promoting large-scale and short-term projects that maximize expenditure volumes and tend to define issues in technical rather than political terms. The history of development aid suggests that these and other characteristics of aid agencies impedes their ability to influence governance reform processes and that aid funding may discourage the adoption of reforms. Greater emphasis in African conservation financing needs to be placed on flexible, small-scale investments aligned to local interests and constituencies that prioritize innovation, learning, and experimentation. Additionally, more research is required that explores the linkages between conservation funding, donor decision-making processes, and governance reforms.

  9. Multifocal planes head-mounted displays.

    PubMed

    Rolland, J P; Krueger, M W; Goon, A

    2000-07-01

    Stereoscopic head-mounted displays (HMD's) provide an effective capability to create dynamic virtual environments. For a user of such environments, virtual objects would be displayed ideally at the appropriate distances, and natural concordant accommodation and convergence would be provided. Under such image display conditions, the user perceives these objects as if they were objects in a real environment. Current HMD technology requires convergent eye movements. However, it is currently limited by fixed visual accommodation, which is inconsistent with real-world vision. A prototype multiplanar volumetric projection display based on a stack of laminated planes was built for medical visualization as discussed in a paper presented at a 1999 Advanced Research Projects Agency workshop (Sullivan, Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Va., 1999). We show how such technology can be engineered to create a set of virtual planes appropriately configured in visual space to suppress conflicts of convergence and accommodation in HMD's. Although some scanning mechanism could be employed to create a set of desirable planes from a two-dimensional conventional display, multiplanar technology accomplishes such function with no moving parts. Based on optical principles and human vision, we present a comprehensive investigation of the engineering specification of multiplanar technology for integration in HMD's. Using selected human visual acuity and stereoacuity criteria, we show that the display requires at most 27 equally spaced planes, which is within the capability of current research and development display devices, located within a maximal 26-mm-wide stack. We further show that the necessary in-plane resolution is of the order of 5 microm.

  10. Development of an information data base for watershed monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, A. Y.; Blackwell, R. J.

    1980-01-01

    Landsat multispectral scanner data, Defense Mapping Agency digital terrain data, conventional maps, and ground data were integrated to create a comprehensive information data base (the Image Based Information System), to monitor the water quality of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Landsat imagery was used as the planimetric base to which all other data were registered. A georeference image plane, which provided an interface between all data planes for the Lake Tahoe Basin data base, was created from the drainage basin map. The data base was used to extract each drainage basin for separate display. The Defense Mapping Agency-created elevation image was processed with VICAR software to produce a component representing slope magnitude, which was cross-tabulated with the drainage basin georeference table. Future applications of the data base include the development of precipitation modeling, surface runoff models, and classification of drainage basin cover types.

  11. Delivering social work services in collaboration with the legal representation for individual clients: An effective, ethical and economical approach to supporting families in child abuse and neglect legal proceedings.

    PubMed

    Pott, Robbin

    2017-11-01

    This article discusses the need to improve the quality of helping relationships between families and social workers in the child protection system and the growing body of evidence that teams of social workers and lawyers are effective at improving outcomes in child protection legal proceedings. The author presents an alternative structure of delivering social work services within the child protection systems once a court gets involved with a family, proposing that social workers should focus on individual clients in collaboration with their legal representation, rather than the traditional model of a governmental agency social worker serving the family as a unit as it also determines placement of the children. Pairing the social worker to an individual client in tandem with their legal representative would help resolve the widely observed relationship problems between service users and governmental agency social workers that include the power imbalance created by the agency's authority to determine placement of children, the conflicts of interest that agency workers face when required to manage differing family members' needs, and the lack of protection of the due process right of confidentiality for parties involved in legal proceedings. This alternative structure also impacts the need to use resources more efficiently and has been demonstrated to result in substantial returns on investment. This article concludes that when a family becomes involved in child abuse and neglect legal proceedings, the child welfare agency should shift the delivery of social work services to the individual parties, away from the governmental agency and in conjunction with their legal representation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Fiscal Law, Incremental Funding, and Conditional Contracts.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-01-22

    Resolutions 6. Appropriations Lapses ii r7 7- 7.7 -.. 7 B. Problems Created In Agencies By Congressional Budget Process 1. Program Instability and Waste... created by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. To aid the President in his task of producing a single comprehensive federal budget, BOB had been...and borrows money to meet outlay payments, not to meet the level of new obligational authority created by Congress each year. 10 Although Secretary of

  13. Undergraduate Research Engagement at Major US Research Universities. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.14.13

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Douglass, John Aubrey; Zhao, Chun-Mei

    2013-01-01

    Bolstered by the recommendations of the 1998 Boyer Report, US federal agencies have put significant resources into promoting opportunities for undergraduates to engage in research. American universities and colleges have been creating support programs and curricular opportunities intended to create a "culture of undergraduate research."…

  14. Digital Media Shapes Youth Participation in Politics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kahne, Joseph; Middaugh, Ellen

    2012-01-01

    Will those who Tweet vote? Social media clearly create new opportunities for voice, for agency, and potentially for influence. But they create risks as well, because there is no reason to assume that engagement with participatory politics will inevitably or organically develop in positive ways. That's where schools come into the picture, playing…

  15. Preparing for the unexpected: violence in the home care environment, one agency's story.

    PubMed

    Browning, Sarah Via; Clark, Rebecca Culver; Glick, Roger E

    2013-06-01

    Home care and hospice agencies, bound by regulations, prepare for emergencies and disasters by creating policies and protocols for management of emergency situations, perhaps conducting table top or other types of drills, and discussing hazards likely to impact home care. Is this preparation merely an exercise to meet a requirement, or is it life-saving preparation? For one home care agency, the emergency exercise saved the day as the scenario enacted in the drill was actually lived out a few weeks after the exercise-a scenario the agency leaders hoped they would never face. This account explores how the agency prepared to meet the emergent situation and details lessons learned in the aftermath.

  16. VA Student Financial Aid: Management Actions Needed to Reduce Overlap in Approving Education and Training Programs and to Assess State Approving Agencies. Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate. GAO-07-384

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, George A.

    2007-01-01

    Since the 1940s, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its predecessor agencies have contracted with state approving agencies (SAA) to assess whether schools and training programs offer education of sufficient quality for veterans to receive VA education assistance benefits. SAAs are created or designated by state governments but are…

  17. Children's Environmental Health: 2007 Highlights. Environment, Health, and a Focus on Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007

    2007-01-01

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 to protect human health and the environment. The year 2007 marks 10 years of concerted Federal effort to address children's environmental health risks as mandated by Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. Much of the agency's…

  18. Searching for the Seventies: Photographs from the Environmental Protection Agency's DOCUMERICA Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bustard, Bruce; Potter, Lee Ann

    2013-01-01

    In 1971, the newly established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created DOCUMERICA, a federal government photography project born out of the nation's environmental crisis. The photographers hired by the EPA took thousands of photographs depicting pollution, waste, and blight, but they were given the freedom to capture the era's…

  19. State Education Agency Communications Process: Benchmark and Best Practices Project. Benchmark and Best Practices Project. Issue No. 01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zavadsky, Heather

    2014-01-01

    The role of state education agencies (SEAs) has shifted significantly from low-profile, compliance activities like managing federal grants to engaging in more complex and politically charged tasks like setting curriculum standards, developing accountability systems, and creating new teacher evaluation systems. The move from compliance-monitoring…

  20. The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: Helping You Grow Your Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, European Commission, 2011

    2011-01-01

    The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is a public body created by a Decision of the European Commission and operates under its supervision. It is located in Brussels and has been operational since January 2006. Its role is to manage European funding opportunities and networks in the fields of education and training,…

  1. 3 CFR 8611 - Proclamation 8611 of December 2, 2010. 40th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... President of the United States of America A Proclamation From the air we breathe to the water we drink, the... drinking water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 to protect... through pollution prevention and the development of clean-energy alternatives to fossil fuels. The...

  2. RESTORATION PLUS: A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RESEARCH PROGRAM TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS TO ACHIEVE ECOLOGICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is evaluating ecosystem restoration and management techniques to ensure they create sustainable solutions for degraded watersheds. The ORD/NRMRL initiated the Restoration Plus (RePlus) program in 2002, which emphasizes collabora...

  3. Creating a Learning Organization in Law Enforcement: Maturity Levels for Police Oversight Agencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Filstad, Cathrine; Gottschalk, Petter

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a stage model for maturity levels for police oversight agencies. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a literature review covering police oversight organizations and stages of growth models. Findings: As a conceptual paper, the main findings are related to the appropriateness of…

  4. Creating Meaningful Partnerships Between Communities and Environmental Health Researchers

    PubMed Central

    De Souza, Rachael; Aguilar, Genevieve C.; de Castro, A. B.

    2014-01-01

    Community engagement is a necessary, although challenging, element of environmental health research in communities. To facilitate the engagement process, direct action community organizing agencies can be useful in bringing together communities and researchers. This article describes the preliminary activities that one direct action community organizing agency used in partnership with researchers to improve community engagement in the first 6 months of an environmental health study conducted in a major U.S. city. Activities included developing communication strategies, creating opportunities for researcher–community interaction, and sustaining project momentum. To conduct environmental research that is both scientifically rigorous and relevant to communities, collaborating partners had to develop professional skills and strategies outside of their areas of expertise. PMID:23875568

  5. Ethics, law, and commercial surrogacy: a call for uniformity.

    PubMed

    Drabiak, Katherine; Wegner, Carole; Fredland, Valita; Helft, Paul R

    2007-01-01

    In the United States at this time, no uniform federal law exists regarding commercial surrogacy, and state statutory schemes vary vastly, ranging from criminalization to legal recognition with contract enforcement. The authors examine how commercial surrogacy agencies utilize the Internet as a means for attracting parents and surrogates by employing emotional cultural rhetoric. By inducing both parents and surrogates to their jurisdiction, agencies circumvent vast discrepancies in state statutory regulative schemes and create a distinct interstate business, absent an efficient regulatory framework or legal recourse in some circumstances. The authors propose a uniform federal regulatory scheme premised upon regulating interstate business transactions to create accountability and legal remedies for both the parents and the surrogate.

  6. Testing the Effects of the Addition of Videos to a Website Promoting Environmental Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Practices: Are Videos Worth It?

    PubMed Central

    Perrault, Evan K.; Silk, Kami J.

    2013-01-01

    Searching for ways to reach wider audiences in more comprehensible ways, health promotion agencies might add videos to their current web offerings. While potentially costly and time consuming to create, the effect of these videos on websites has not received much attention. This study translated research about the potential breast cancer risk for young girls associated with the household chemical PFOA into two websites mothers with young daughters were randomly assigned to view (website with videos vs. website without videos). Results revealed participants in the video condition found the advocated risk protective behaviors easier to perform and stated they were more likely to perform them than those in the non-video condition. Approximately 15 days after exposure, those in the video condition performed on average one more protective behavior than those in the non-video condition. Results also suggest that agencies’ efforts should focus on creating one quality video to place on a homepage, as video views declined the deeper people navigated into the site. Behaviors advocated should also be ones that can have lasting impacts with one-time actions, as effects wore away over time. Additional strategies are discussed for health promoters seeking to create videos to add to their current websites. PMID:25143661

  7. Collaborating with Space-related Research Institutes, Government Agencies and an Artistic team to create a series of Space-themed public events in Ireland in 2014

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaw, N.; McSweeney, C.; Smyth, N.; O'Neill, S.; Foley, C.; Phelan, R.; Crawley, J.; Henderson, C.; Cullinan, M.; Baxter, S.; Colley, D.; Macaulay, C. J.; Conroy, L.

    2015-10-01

    A suite of informal interactive public engagement initiatives was created, to promote the importance of Space exploration, to ignite curiosity and discover new and engaging platforms for science in the Arts & in STEM Education, and to increase awareness of careers in Ireland's Space science industries. These included: (1)'To Space'- A live multimedia theatre performance aimed at the general public & young adult, (2) an adaptation of 'To Space' for 13- 17 year old students entitled 'ToSpace for School leavers' and (3) 'My Place in Space', created for families. Blending humour, warmth and humanity and positioning science within story is a highly effective public engagement tool in igniting curiosity across many audience types. The nurturing and investment of artists working within these new cross-disciplinary relationships should be encouraged and supported to further broaden and develop new methodology in public engagement of the planetary sciences.

  8. [Methodological guideline for the efficacy and safety assessment of new pharmaceuticals: implementation of EUnetHTA's recommendations].

    PubMed

    Ubago Pérez, Ruth; Castillo Muñoz, María Auxiliadora; Banqueri, Mercedes Galván; García Estepa, Raúl; Alfaro Lara, Eva Rocío; Vega Coca, María Dolores; Beltrán Calvo, Carmen; Molina López, Teresa

    The European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) is the network of public health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and entities from across the EU. In this context, the HTA Core Model ® , has been developed. The Andalusian Agency for Health Technology Assessment (AETSA) is a member of the Spanish HTA Network and EUnetHTA collaboration In addition, AETSA participates in the new EUnetHTA Joint Action 3 (JA, 2016-2019). Furthermore, AETSA works on pharmaceutical assessments. Part of this work involves drafting therapeutic positioning reports (TPRs) on drugs that have recently been granted marketing authorisation, which is overseen by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS). AETSA contributes by drafting "Evidence synthesis reports: pharmaceuticals" in which a rapid comparative efficacy and safety assessment is performed for drugs for which a TPR will be created. To create this type of report, AETSA follows its own methodological guideline based on EUnetHTA guidelines and the HTA Core Model ® . In this paper, the methodology that AETSA has developed to create the guideline for "Evidence synthesis reports: pharmaceuticals" is described. The structure of the report itself is also presented. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  9. Implementing Multisector Nutrition Programs in Ethiopia and Nepal: Challenges and Opportunities From a Stakeholder Perspective.

    PubMed

    Kennedy, Eileen; Fekadu, Habtamu; Ghosh, Shibani; Baral, Kedar; Davis, Dale; Sapkota, Diplav; Webb, Patrick

    2016-12-01

    Effective governance is essential for effective nutrition program implementation. There are additional challenges in launching multisector plans to enhance nutritional status. The present study compares the challenges and opportunities in Ethiopia and Nepal in designing and implementing a multisector plan for nutrition. A semi-quantitative questionnaire with open-ended questions was used to solicit information from senior national-level policy officials and other key stakeholders. The nature of the major nutrition problems in each country was similar; these include malnutrition (particularly stunting), food insecurity, and micronutrient malnutrition. The main challenges identified included the need for more specificity in the roles of agencies/individuals in program implementation, more effective mechanisms for linking national to subnational officials, methods for creating awareness of the plans, and a dedicated line item in the budgets of each agency. The level of enthusiasm was high in both countries. Respondents in both countries highlighted the need to identify a "champion" at the highest level who would keep the momentum for the respective plans alive. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. Creating the Missing Connection. Final Report on The Fund for the Improvement of Collegiate Education Grant.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eveslage, Sonja A.; Wiesner, Linda

    Thomas A. Edison State College's Center for Corporate Partnerships and its 3-year program "Creating the Missing Connection" are reported. The Center connects Edison with business and government agencies so that they can play a role in making college education more accessible to their employees. The program contributed to the development…

  11. An Integrated Social, Economic, and Ecologic Conceptual (ISEEC) framework for considering rangeland sustainability

    Treesearch

    William E. Fox; Daniel W. McCollum; John E. Mitchell; Louis E. Swanson; Urs P. Kreuter; John A. Tanaka; Gary R. Evans; H. Theodore Heintz; Robert P. Breckenridge; Paul H. Geissler

    2009-01-01

    Currently, there is no standard method to assess the complex systems in rangeland ecosystems. Decision makers need baselines to create a common language of current rangeland conditions and standards for continued rangeland assessment. The Sustainable Rangeland Roundtable (SRR), a group of private and public organizations and agencies, has created a forum to discuss...

  12. 75 FR 78806 - Agency Information Collection (Create Payment Request for the VA Funding Fee Payment System (VA...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-16

    ... Payment Request for the VA Funding Fee Payment System (VA FFPS); a Computer Generated Funding Fee Receipt.... 2900-0474.'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Create Payment Request for the VA Funding Fee Payment System (VA FFPS); a Computer Generated Funding Fee Receipt, VA Form 26-8986. OMB Control Number: 2900...

  13. Community Partnerships: Creating Inclusion Together. Texas Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities: Annual Report Fiscal Year 1997.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Texas Planning Council for Development Disabilities, Austin.

    This Texas report focuses on the partnerships the Texas Council is creating with people, businesses, and organizations in the community to work toward greater access and accommodations for people with disabilities throughout local communities. Individual partnerships are described that represent cooperation with health and human services agencies,…

  14. [Clinical drug trials in Germany--an assessment of current status from the viewpoint of industry].

    PubMed

    Baumbauer, E

    1996-01-01

    Drug development today is a highly professional and costly affair, whereby quality and speed are decisive competitive factors in a global setting. Germany is in the process of losing its attractiveness for clinical drug research as evidenced by a significant decrease in funding of clinical drug research which at the moment amounts to about 1.5 billion DM/year. This decrease is due to an adverse environment created by a certain anxiety in public opinion regarding technological advances, an overburden of regulations, lack of an infrastructure in hospitals to work according to GCP and a regulatory agency which has to compete with momentarily more effective agencies in Europe (UK, France). A joint effort between industry and the medical profession is called for to change this situation for the better.

  15. Old and Young Dogs Teaching Each Other Tricks: The Importance of Developing Agency for Community Partners in Community Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bucher, Jacob

    2012-01-01

    This article covers the importance of creating and developing agency in community partners when engaging in community-based learning. Often when faculty incorporate service- or community-based learning into their classes, we measure the "learning" part but not the "service" or "community." Focusing more on the latter involves working "with"…

  16. 5 CFR 792.220 - What are the requirements that child care providers must meet in order to participate in this...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...' HEALTH AND COUNSELING PROGRAMS Agency Use of Appropriated Funds for Child Care Costs for Lower Income..., where applicable, by local authorities where the child care service is delivered. Outside of the United States, agencies may adopt or create criteria to ensure a child care center or family child care home is...

  17. Wyoming Community College Commission Agency 5 Year Strategic Plan, 2015-2019

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyoming Community College Commission, 2017

    2017-01-01

    In 2009, the Wyoming Community College Commission was tasked to create a blue-ribbon panel that would forge a Strategic Plan for the Community College System as a whole. This 5 year strategic plan will serve as a road map moving forward, barring any new legislative, commission or federal requirements that may require a change in the agency's…

  18. Wyoming Community College Commission Agency 5 Year Strategic Plan, 2014-2018

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyoming Community College Commission, 2017

    2017-01-01

    In 2009, the Wyoming Community College Commission was tasked to create a blue-ribbon panel that would forge a Strategic Plan for the Community College System as a whole. This 5 year strategic plan will serve as a road map moving forward, barring any new legislative, commission or federal requirements that may require a change in the agency's…

  19. The ReACH Collaborative--improving quality home care.

    PubMed

    Boyce, Patricia Simino; Pace, Karen B; Lauder, Bonnie; Solomon, Debra A

    2007-08-01

    Research on quality of care has shown that vigorous leadership, clear goals, and compatible incentive systems are critical factors in influencing successful change (Institute of Medicine, 2001). Quality improvement is a complex process, and clinical quality improvement applications are more likely to be effective in organizations that are ready for change and have strong leaders, who are committed to creating and reinforcing a work environment that supports quality goals (Shortell, 1998). Key leadership roles include providing clear and sustained direction, articulating a coherent set of values and incentives to guide group and individual activities, aligning and integrating improvement efforts into organizational priorities, obtaining or freeing up resources to implement improvement activities, and creating a culture of "continuous improvement" that encourages and rewards the pursuit and achievement of shared quality aims (Institute of Medicine, 2001, 70-71). In summary, home health care is a significant and growing sector of the health care system that provides care to millions of vulnerable patients. There seems little doubt that home health agencies want to focus on quality of care issues and provide optimal care to home-based patients. Furthermore, there is a growing awareness of the value for adapting innovative, effective models for improving the culture of home care practice. This awareness stems from the notion that some agencies see quality improvement activities as a way for them to distinguish themselves not only to regulators and customers, but also to meet the cultural and transformational needs to remain viable in a constantly evolving and competitive health care industry.

  20. Inclusive Branding Strategies for Domestic Violence Agencies: Embracing Opportunities to Reach and Better Serve Male-Identified Survivors.

    PubMed

    Dewey, Morgan; Heiss, Sarah N

    2018-05-01

    Successful strategies for branding that are inclusive of male-identified survivors were identified in this qualitative study through semi-structured interviews with leaders from six domestic violence agencies across the United States: four represented traditional domestic violence agencies and two represented specialized agencies with expertise in providing services to nontraditional survivors. The strategic implementation of (a) inclusive language, (b) visual diversity, (c) community outreach, and (d) communication channels emerged as successful strategies in branding in an inclusive way for male-identified survivors. The implementation of these successful strategies provides the opportunity for domestic violence agencies to create an inclusive environment for male-identified survivors and would contribute to a paradigm shift in how domestic violence is viewed.

  1. The National Capital Region closed circuit television video interoperability project.

    PubMed

    Contestabile, John; Patrone, David; Babin, Steven

    2016-01-01

    The National Capital Region (NCR) includes many government jurisdictions and agencies using different closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras and video management software. Because these agencies often must work together to respond to emergencies and events, a means of providing interoperability for CCTV video is critically needed. Video data from different CCTV systems that are not inherently interoperable is represented in the "data layer." An "integration layer" ingests the data layer source video and normalizes the different video formats. It then aggregates and distributes this video to a "presentation layer" where it can be viewed by almost any application used by other agencies and without any proprietary software. A native mobile video viewing application is also developed that uses the presentation layer to provide video to different kinds of smartphones. The NCR includes Washington, DC, and surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia. The video sharing architecture allows one agency to see another agency's video in their native viewing application without the need to purchase new CCTV software or systems. A native smartphone application was also developed to enable them to share video via mobile devices even when they use different video management systems. A video sharing architecture has been developed for the NCR that creates an interoperable environment for sharing CCTV video in an efficient and cost effective manner. In addition, it provides the desired capability of sharing video via a native mobile application.

  2. Telecommuters: the work force of the future.

    PubMed

    Yancer, D A; Moe, J K

    1995-01-01

    Telecommuters are the work force of the future. The dawning of the information age, with its explosion of telecommunication technology, presents new opportunities for healthcare agencies to extend their borders far beyond traditional physical boundaries. The virtual workplace can become a reality and position healthcare agencies to be geographically dispersed throughout their community. The authors describe a pioneering effort to use telecommunications to retain a valuable employee and create a healthcare agency's first virtual workplace. Strategies for success in telecommuting also are provided from both the telecommuter's and the manager's viewpoints.

  3. A procurement-based pathway for promoting public health: innovative purchasing approaches for state and local government agencies.

    PubMed

    Noonan, Kathleen; Miller, Dorothy; Sell, Katherine; Rubin, David

    2013-11-01

    Through their purchasing powers, government agencies can play a critical role in leveraging markets to create healthier foods. In the United States, state and local governments are implementing creative approaches to procuring healthier foods, moving beyond the traditional regulatory relationship between government and vendors. They are forging new partnerships between government, non-profits, and researchers to increase healthier purchasing. On the basis of case examples, this article proposes a pathway in which state and local government agencies can use the procurement cycle to improve healthy eating.

  4. Conceptualizing age-friendly community characteristics in a sample of urban elders: an exploratory factor analysis.

    PubMed

    Smith, Richard J; Lehning, Amanda J; Dunkle, Ruth E

    2013-01-01

    Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing US Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n = 1,376), we identified 6 factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: access to business and leisure, social interaction, access to health care, neighborhood problems, social support, and community engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations.

  5. Creating and Maintaining a Wellness Environment in Child Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lofton, Kristi L.; Carr, Deborah H.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: This study identifies issues associated with creating and maintaining a wellness environment in child care centers (CCCs) participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Methods: Structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with CCC professionals and state agency personnel to develop a survey to assess…

  6. Rebel girls? Unplanned pregnancy and colonialism in highlands Papua, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Butt, Leslie; Munro, Jenny

    2007-01-01

    In highlands Papua, Indonesia, rapid social change under a colonial system of governance has created novel sexual opportunities for young indigenous women. Recent scholarship has viewed similar youthful sexual practices that challenge the status quo as expressions of personal agency. By looking at how young women and their families cope with unplanned pregnancies, we suggest that a more viable analytic approach would be to view sexuality, pregnancy and childbirth as a single unit of analysis. From this perspective, young women's experiences are primarily ones of constraint. Case studies offer insights into the ways a political context of colonial domination limits options and choices for young women who have children born out of wedlock. In particular, this paper describes how the 'settler gaze' - omnipresent colonial norms and judgments - creates regulatory effects in the realm of reproduction.

  7. Technology Innovation

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA produces innovative technologies and facilitates their creation in line with the Agency mission to create products such as the stormwater calculator, remote sensing, innovation clusters, and low-cost air sensors.

  8. Occupational Pursuits: The Army and World War II Occupation Planning

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    Army became the dominant U.S. government agency in the interagency process concerning post-World War II occupation planning. Despite President ...the Army’s ability to create coherent internal doctrine, the relative weakness of civilian agencies, and the agenda and postwar goals of President ...Despite President Roosevelt’s own misgivings, shared by several influential members of his Cabinet, the Army nonetheless prevailed in shaping

  9. Building bridges between agencies, researchers, famers and non-governmental organizations to create collaborative native seed programs

    Treesearch

    Nancy L. Shaw; Berta Youtie; Peggy Olwell

    2011-01-01

    The Native Plant Materials Development Program was authorized by the U.S. Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of FY2001 to provide support for development of native plant materials required for restoration of disturbed public lands in the U.S.A. The Washington, DC, Office of the USDI Bureau of Land Management has provided national...

  10. Applying Lean principles and Kaizen rapid improvement events in public health practice.

    PubMed

    Smith, Gene; Poteat-Godwin, Annah; Harrison, Lisa Macon; Randolph, Greg D

    2012-01-01

    This case study describes a local home health and hospice agency's effort to implement Lean principles and Kaizen methodology as a rapid improvement approach to quality improvement. The agency created a cross-functional team, followed Lean Kaizen methodology, and made significant improvements in scheduling time for home health nurses that resulted in reduced operational costs, improved working conditions, and multiple organizational efficiencies.

  11. Quality in Cross-Border Higher Education and Challenges for the Internationalization of National Quality Assurance Agencies in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Taiwanese Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hou, Angela Yung-chi

    2014-01-01

    Cross-border higher education has created a need to build capacity -- particularly in the internationalization dimension -- for national quality assurance agencies to evaluate cross-border education provided by foreign educational providers, or jointly by local and foreign institutions. This is quickly becoming a key issue in the Asia-Pacific…

  12. Invasive Plant Management Plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation

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

    Giffen, Neil R.; McCracken, Kitty

    Invasive non-native plant species have become one of the greatest ecological threats across the country and around the world. Actively managing incursions of invasive plants is crucial to maintaining ecosystems, protecting natural resources, and ensuring proper function of facilities and their support infrastructures, power lines and other utility rights-of-way (ROWs), communications structures, roadways, and waterways. Invasive plants can threaten cultural resources, public and private properties, forests, wetlands, and other natural areas through increased risks of fire and storm damage, as well as decrease native plant diversity, particularly disrupting vital habitats of threatened and endangered species, both plant and animal. Inmore » 2000, the Federal Plant Protection Act came into effect. Under this Act, federal agencies are required to develop and coordinate an undesirable plants management program for control of invasive plants on federal lands under each agency’s respective jurisdiction. The agency must adequately fund the undesirable plants management program using an Integrated Pest Management Plan. Additionally, each agency is required to implement cooperative agreements with local and state agencies, as well as other federal agencies, to manage undesirable plants on federal lands under the agency’s jurisdiction. The US Department of Energy (DOE) takes its responsibility for addressing invasive and undesirable plant issues very seriously. Many DOE sites have programs to control invasive pest plant species. DOE has taken a proactive stance toward invasive plant control, and the Invasive Plant Management Plan— created to meet regulatory requirements of federal laws, executive orders, presidential memos, contracts, and agreements on DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR)—has been in effect since 2004. This document represents the second revision of this plan.« less

  13. 35 Years of Innovation - Leading the Way to a Clean Energy Future (Brochure)

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

    Not Available

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is at the forefront of energy innovation. For more than three decades, our researchers have built unparalleled expertise in renewable energy technologies while supporting the nation's vision that wind and water can provide clean, reliable, and cost-effective electricity. The NWTC strives to be an essential partner to companies, other DOE laboratories, government agencies, and universities around the world seeking to create a better, more sustainable future.

  14. Using a Geographic Information System to Improve Childhood Lead-Screening Efforts

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The Idaho Division of Public Health conducted a pilot study to produce a lead-exposure–risk map to help local and state agencies better target childhood lead-screening efforts. Priority lead-screening areas, at the block group level, were created by using county tax assessor data and geographic information system software. A series of maps were produced, indicating childhood lead-screening prevalence in areas in which there was high potential for exposure to lead. These maps could enable development of more systematically targeted and cost-effective childhood lead-screening efforts. PMID:23764346

  15. Applying business intelligence innovations to emergency management.

    PubMed

    Schlegelmilch, Jeffrey; Albanese, Joseph

    2014-01-01

    The use of business intelligence (BI) is common among corporations in the private sector to improve business decision making and create insights for competitive advantage. Increasingly, emergency management agencies are using tools and processes similar to BI systems. With a more thorough understanding of the principles of BI and its supporting technologies, and a careful comparison to the business model of emergency management, this paper seeks to provide insights into how lessons from the private sector can contribute to the development of effective and efficient emergency management BI utilisation.

  16. Web-Based Media Contents Editor for UCC Websites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Seoksoo

    The purpose of this research is to "design web-based media contents editor for establishing UCC(User Created Contents)-based websites." The web-based editor features user-oriented interfaces and increased convenience, significantly different from previous off-line editors. It allows users to edit media contents online and can be effectively used for online promotion activities of enterprises and organizations. In addition to development of the editor, the research aims to support the entry of enterprises and public agencies to the online market by combining the technology with various UCC items.

  17. Achieving Natural Flood Management through collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicholson, Alex; Byers, Samantha; Thomas, Ted; Welton, Phil

    2016-04-01

    Recent flooding in the UK has brought much attention to the field of Natural flood Management (NFM) as a means of helping to reduce flood risk to communities. Key questions exist in the field, which include quantifying the impact of NFM and maintaining it. In addition, agencies and at-risk communities look for ways of delivering NFM in a tightly stretched financial climate. Well-implemented NFM has the effect of restoring more natural catchment hydrological and sedimentological processes, which in turn can have significant flood risk and WFD benefits for catchment waterbodies. These catchment scale improvements in-turn allow more 'natural' processes to be returned to rivers and streams, creating a more resilient system. NFM can tick many boxes and target many funding opportunities. This paper discusses the NFM component of the Lustrum Beck Flood Alleviation Scheme (Stockton-On-Tees, UK), and explains how a multi-agency approach had to be considered to allow elements of the scheme to be delivered. A startling 70 different landowners and agencies manage the land in the Lustrum Beck catchment (~40km2). A partnership between the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission is planning to work on a demonstration site in the centre of the catchment. The paper goes on to explain the importance of this demonstration area in the context of the wider scheme.

  18. Interorganizational relationships among family support organizations and child mental health agencies.

    PubMed

    Acri, Mary C; Palinkas, Larry; Hoagwood, Kimberly E; Shen, Sa; Schoonover, Diana; Reutz, Jennifer Rolls; Landsverk, John

    2014-07-01

    This study examined: (1) qualitative aspects of close working relationships between family support organizations and child mental health agencies, including effective and ineffective characteristics of the relationship and aspects that they would change, and (2) the impact of the working relationship upon the family support organization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 directors of family support organizations characterized as having a close working relationship with a child mental health agency. Three main themes emerged regarding the quality of the working relationship: (a) interactional factors, including shared trust, communication, collaboration and service coordination; (b) aspects of the inner context of the family support organization, mental health agency, or both, including alignment of goals and values and perceptions of mental health services; and (c) outer contextual factors external to the organizations, such as financial and county regulations. Responses to the perceived impact of the relationship was divided into two themes: positive impacts (e.g. gained respect, influence and visibility), and negative impacts (e.g. lack of trust). This study lays the foundation for future research to better understand the mechanisms underlying interorganizational relationships in communities among different types of providers to create a more seamless continuum of services for families of children with mental health conditions.

  19. Collaboration: It Is Much More Than the Technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elfrey, Priscilla; Conroy, Michael

    2005-01-01

    A joint study conducted with the University of Central Florida and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) resulted in a new approach to the collaboration issues that had troubled the Agency. We believe in teams. We believe in the concept of collaboration. We never doubted Douglas Engelbart's thesis-- "Our very survival depends on our ability to work together, more effectively, to get collectively smarter. Computers -- when used properly -- can help us do that". It was not lack of trying. Predictably, NASA engineers had worked as if better and better technology would resolve the matter. It had not. The study itself provided an insight, an "aha! moment that pointed us toward the problems of collaboration we had to solve. People quickly saw that we had to remove barriers and make it easier to share data, coordinate efficiently, work together to add value and create corporate memory. This paper describes what happened.

  20. Regional climate response collaboratives: Multi-institutional support for climate resilience

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Averyt, Kristen; Derner, Justin D.; Dilling, Lisa; Guerrero, Rafael; Joyce, Linda A.; McNeeley, Shannon; McNie, Elizabeth; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Ojima, Dennis; O'Malley, Robin; Peck, Dannele; Ray, Andrea J.; Reeves, Matt; Travis, William

    2018-01-01

    Federal investments by U.S. agencies to enhance climate resilience at regional scales grew over the past decade (2010s). To maximize efficiency and effectiveness in serving multiple sectors and scales, it has become critical to leverage existing agency-specific research, infrastructure, and capacity while avoiding redundancy. We discuss lessons learned from a multi-institutional “regional climate response collaborative” that comprises three different federally-supported climate service entities in the Rocky Mountain west and northern plains region. These lessons include leveraging different strengths of each partner, creating deliberate mechanisms to increase cross-entity communication and joint ownership of projects, and placing a common priority on stakeholder-relevant research and outcomes. We share the conditions that fostered successful collaboration, which can be transferred elsewhere, and suggest mechanisms for overcoming potential barriers. Synergies are essential for producing actionable research that informs climate-related decisions for stakeholders and ultimately enhances climate resilience at regional scales.

  1. A bioeconomic perspective on the Endangered Species Act

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salau, K. R.; Fenichel, E. P.

    2012-12-01

    Habitat destruction threatens species existence and has recently accelerated due to population growth, urban sprawl, agricultural development and other profitable land conversions on public and private lands. To exacerbate this issue, the public good nature of species existence creates strong incentives for landowners to engage in free-riding behavior and forego conservation on managed lands. To reverse these negative effects, the United States Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973 to create a set of rules for planning government intervention to protect dwindling fish, wildlife, and plant populations and create a platform for recovery and conservation. The ESA is quite explicit about how to make tradeoffs when listing a species as threatened or endangered - only evaluation of biological risks faced are considered. But the act is unclear about what information can or should be used when determining delisting criteria for endangered species. The ESA mandates federal participation in conservation and, in many cases, agencies must curtail socially beneficial activities (e.g. grazing, renewable energy development, mining, military training) in order to meet species recovery objectives. As funding for conservation on federal lands is limited, this creates an implicit tradeoff between recovering species - to gain post-delisting managerial flexibility - and preventing extinction - to minimize management costs. In this respect, reconciliation of biological recovery goals amidst budget constraints and alternate land-use benefits should be supplemented by economic analysis. Economic tradeoffs are inherent in species recovery under the ESA, but the act does not discuss how agencies should structure a recovery plan in light of such factors. This study outlines a bioeconomic approach to framing the recovery problem under the ESA and provides a framework for simultaneously establishing measurable delisting criteria and a least-cost path to recovery. This approach is also a helpful conceptual tool for evaluating instruments like the ESA on their ability to provide conservation at a socially desired level, absent strong market incentive.

  2. Rediscovering Hope: Building School Cultures of Hope for Children of Poverty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sheehan, Kevin; Rall, Kevin

    2011-01-01

    A chronicle of the success of a small Catholic school on Long Island, N.Y. in overcoming poverty, race, and language for the 65 male students it has served in grades 5-8 for eight years. The authors posit that the secret of the school's success resides in creating goals, agency and pathways for success in its students, creating a climate of hope…

  3. Proselytization in Albania by Middle Eastern Islamic Organizations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-03-01

    9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) N/ A 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The...welcomed and positive, some have created problematic situations. Although, the revival of Islam was seen as a sign of freedom, it soon became an unexpected...access a small part of the population. However, Albania’s long history of religious tolerance, shallow roots in formal religion, and Western cultural

  4. Creating a passion for safety vs. management oversight and inspection

    Treesearch

    Jim Saveland

    1995-01-01

    I was disappointed with the OSHA report of the South Canyon Fire. My feelings are not the result of any need to defend my agency (USDA Forest Service). In another time and place, I thought the OSHA report following the death of Bill Martin (a smokejumper who died in a training jump) was right on target. In that instance I was disappointed with my agency's response...

  5. Lofty missions, down-to-earth plans.

    PubMed

    Rangan, V Kasturi

    2004-03-01

    Most nonprofits make program decisions based on a mission rather than a strategy. They rally under the banner of a particular cause, be it "fight homelessness" or "end hunger." And since their causes are so worthwhile, they support any programs that are related--even tangentially--to their core missions. It's hard to fault people for trying to improve the state of the world, but that approach to making decisions is misguided. Acting without a clear long-term strategy can stretch an agency's core capabilities and push it in unintended directions. The fundamental problem is that many nonprofits don't have a strategy; instead, they have a mission and a portfolio of programs. But they hardly make deliberate decisions about which programs to run, which to drop, and which to turn down for funding. What most nonprofits call "strategy" is really just an intensive exercise in resource allocation and program management. This article outlines for nonprofits a four-step process for developing strategy. The first step is to create a broad, inspiring mission statement. The second step is to translate that core mission into a smaller, quantifiable operational mission. For instance, an agency whose core mission is to fight homelessness must decide if its focus is rural or urban and if it should concentrate on low-income housing loans or on establishing more shelters. The third step is to create a strategy platform; that is, the nonprofit decides how it will achieve its operational mission. Decisions about funding and about client, program, and organizational development are all made here. Once that platform is established, the nonprofit is ready to move to step four--making reasoned, strategic decisions about which programs to run and how to run them. The agency that follows these steps will improve its focus and its effectiveness at fulfilling its mission.

  6. Integrated health care delivery system conducts ad agency search as part of its brand-launching effort.

    PubMed

    Lewicki, G

    1999-01-01

    PennState Geisinger Health System, Hershey, Pa., conducted an extensive ad agency search after its inception in 1997. The integrated health care delivery system needed to introduce its brand to an audience that was confused by the wide array of available health care options. BVK/McDonald, Milwaukee, the agency selected, has created a branding campaign that revolves around the tag-line "The power of health." PennState Geisinger will tabulate the results of BVK/McDonald's multi-million dollar campaign in 2000; at that time it will know whether its selection committee chose wisely.

  7. A History of the Energy Research and Development Administration [ERDA

    DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

    Buck, Alice L.

    1982-03-01

    Congress created the Energy Research and Development Administration on October 11, 1974 in response to the Nation's growing need for additional sources of energy. The new agency would coordinate energy programs formerly scattered among many federal agencies, and serve as the focus point for a major effort by the Federal Government to expand energy research and development efforts. New ways to conserve existing supplies as well as the commercial demonstration of new technologies would hopefully be the fruit of the Government's first significant effort to amalgamate energy resource development programs. This history briefly summarizes the accomplishments of the agency.

  8. 78 FR 14233 - Electronic Retirement Processing

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-05

    .... Public/private key (asymmetric) cryptography is a method of creating a unique mark, known as a digital... delivering a broad array of administrative services to multiple agencies. Shared symmetric key cryptography...

  9. Pinoleville Pomo Nation Tribal Green Building Code

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Pinoleville Pomo Nation (PPN) worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT) to create this framework for tribal building codes.

  10. Evaluating Water Conservation and Reuse Policies Using a Dynamic Water Balance Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qaiser, Kamal; Ahmad, Sajjad; Johnson, Walter; Batista, Jacimaria R.

    2013-02-01

    A dynamic water balance model is created to examine the effects of different water conservation policies and recycled water use on water demand and supply in a region faced with water shortages and significant population growth, the Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The model, developed using system dynamics approach, includes an unusual component of the water system, return flow credits, where credits are accrued for returning treated wastewater to the water supply source. In LVV, Lake Mead serves as, both the drinking water source and the receiving body for treated wastewater. LVV has a consumptive use allocation from Lake Mead but return flow credits allow the water agency to pull out additional water equal to the amount returned as treated wastewater. This backdrop results in a scenario in which conservation may cause a decline in the available water supply. Current water use in LVV is 945 lpcd (250 gpcd), which the water agency aims to reduce to 752 lpcd (199 gpcd) by 2035, mainly through water conservation. Different conservation policies focused on indoor and outdoor water use, along with different population growth scenarios, are modeled for their effects on the water demand and supply. Major contribution of this study is in highlighting the importance of outdoor water conservation and the effectiveness of reducing population growth rate in addressing the future water shortages. The water agency target to decrease consumption, if met completely through outdoor conservation, coupled with lower population growth rate, can potentially satisfy the Valley's water demands through 2035.

  11. A New Alliance in the Geosicences: Tribal Colleges and Universities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bennett, B.

    2008-12-01

    With the passing of Tribal Colleges and Universities Executive Order 13270 by President Clinton in 1996, and subsequent amendments by President Bush in 2002, the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) have been inundated with requests for participation in many scientific programs and proposals. Although well-meant, many approaches to this opportunity have fallen well short of capturing the positive outcomes this important Executive Order was designed to create. Consequently, the best intentions have had catastrophic effects. These effects include propagating exploitation of TCUs, reinforced stereotypes, prohibitive barriers, further isolation and greater mistrust. To overcome these barriers, the scientific community and Federal agencies must change the way they consider and perceive TCUs and Indian Country. The objective of this discussion will be to demonstrate effective strategies for appropriately engaging TCUs in sustainable partnerships. This discussion will include: (1) recommendations to federal agencies to include appropriate language in applications that encourages equitable partnerships with TCUs; (2) the appropriate procedures for engaging TCUs and tribal communities; (3) the critical elements required to establish and maintain viable working partnerships with TCUs; and (4) the fundamental scientific issues in Indian Country and the role that TCUs and their partners will play in addressing them.

  12. Changing the Hidden Curriculum of Campus Rape Prevention and Education: Women's Self-Defense as a Key Protective Factor for a Public Health Model of Prevention.

    PubMed

    McCaughey, Martha; Cermele, Jill

    2015-10-16

    Recent activist, policy, and government efforts to engage in campus rape prevention education (RPE), culminating in the 2014 White House Task Force recommendations to combat campus sexual assault, prompt a need to examine the concept of "prevention" in the context of sexual assault on U.S. college campuses and their surrounding community service agencies. This article reviews previous research on effective resistance to sexual assault, showing that self-defense is a well-established protective factor in a public health model of sexual assault prevention. The article goes on to show, through an examination of campus rape prevention efforts framed as "primary prevention," that self-defense is routinely excluded. This creates a hidden curriculum that preserves a gender status quo even while it strives for change. The article concludes with recommendations for how administrators, educators, facilitators, funding agencies, and others can incorporate self-defense into campus RPE for a more effective, data-driven set of sexual assault prevention efforts. © The Author(s) 2015.

  13. Re-Framing Biotechnology Regulation.

    PubMed

    Peck, Alison

    Biotechnology is about to spill the banks of federal regulation. New genetic engineering techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 promise revolutionary breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and public health—but those techniques would not be regulated under the terms of the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. This revolutionary moment in biotechnology offers an opportunity to correct the flaws in the framework, which was hastily patched together at the advent of the technology. The framework has never captured all relevant technologies, has never satisfied the public that risk is being effectively managed, and has never been accessible to small companies and publicly-funded labs that increasingly are positioned to make radical, life-saving innovations. This Article offers a proposal for new legislation that would reshape biotechnology regulation to better meet these goals. Key reforms include tying regulation to risk rather than technology category; consolidating agency review; capturing distinct regulatory expertise through inter-agency consultations; creating a clearinghouse to help guide applicants and disseminate information; setting up more comprehensive monitoring of environmental effects; and providing federal leadership to fill key data gaps and address socio-economic impacts.

  14. Continuing-education needs of the currently employed public health education workforce.

    PubMed

    Allegrante, J P; Moon, R W; Auld, M E; Gebbie, K M

    2001-08-01

    This study examined the continuing-education needs of the currently employed public health education workforce. A national consensus panel of leading health educators from public health agencies, academic institutions, and professional organizations was convened to examine the forces creating the context for the work of public health educators and the competencies they need to practice effectively. Advocacy; business management and finance; communication; community health planning and development, coalition building, and leadership; computing and technology; cultural competency; evaluation; and strategic planning were identified as areas of critical competence. Continuing education must strengthen a broad range of critical competencies and skills if we are to ensure the further development and effectiveness of the public health education workforce.

  15. Conceptualizing Age-Friendly Community Characteristics in a Sample of Urban Elders: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Richard J.; Lehning, Amanda J.; Dunkle, Ruth E.

    2012-01-01

    Accurate conceptualization and measurement of age-friendly community characteristics would help to reduce barriers to documenting the effects on elders of interventions to create such communities. This article contributes to the measurement of age-friendly communities through an exploratory factor analysis of items reflecting an existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy framework. From a sample of urban elders (n =1,376), we identified six factors associated with demographic and health characteristics: Access to Business and Leisure, Social Interaction, Access to Health Care, Neighborhood Problems, Social Support, and Community Engagement. Future research should explore the effects of these factors across contexts and populations. PMID:23350565

  16. 5 CFR 470.317 - Project evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... agency determines that an experiment is creating a substantial hardship on, or is not in the best interest of, the public, the Federal Government, employees, or eligibles, even though the experiment is...

  17. 5 CFR 470.317 - Project evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... agency determines that an experiment is creating a substantial hardship on, or is not in the best interest of, the public, the Federal Government, employees, or eligibles, even though the experiment is...

  18. Stability Operations: Creating a New Air Force Speciality Code

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    same level of education and cultural depth. Post in- country tour and a regional tour at various agencies such as the Department of Agriculture...relationships with many of these people to provide a level of understanding and mutual respect. Create SSTR Squadrons/Groups The proposal is to...individuals have a career-long regional focus. While at the tactical level , the individual will remain in a squadron whose regional focus will

  19. 43 CFR 2.22 - What happens if a bureau receives a request for records it does not have or did not create?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... not create? (a) Consultations/referrals within DOI. If a bureau (other than the Office of Inspector... outside DOI. (1) If a bureau receives a request for records not in its possession, but which the bureau... you to submit it directly to the other agency. If you still believe that the records exist within DOI...

  20. Information Management: The Challenges of Managing Electronic Records. Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives. GAO-10-838T

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Melvin, Valerie C.

    2010-01-01

    Federal agencies are increasingly using electronic means to create, exchange, and store information, and in doing so, they frequently create federal records: that is, information, in whatever form, that documents government functions, activities, decisions, and other important transactions. As the volume of electronic information grows, so does…

  1. 43 CFR 2.22 - What happens if a bureau receives a request for records it does not have or did not create?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... not create? (a) Consultations/referrals within DOI. If a bureau (other than the Office of Inspector... outside DOI. (1) If a bureau receives a request for records not in its possession, but which the bureau... you to submit it directly to the other agency. If you still believe that the records exist within DOI...

  2. Transportation Safety Resource Center (TSRC) 2007.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-11-01

    The Transportation Safety Resource Center (TSRC) is the vital link in a collaborative : partnership created among federal and state transportation agencies, local stakeholders, : academic institutions, and the private sector to provide resources and ...

  3. Competence development for the promotion of gender equality in development cooperation: the case of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

    PubMed

    Hannan-andersson, C

    1997-01-01

    The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has created an Action Program for Promoting Equality Between Women and Men in Partner Countries that emphasizes competency development as a means of achieving gender equality. Competency development goes beyond formal training and utilizes existing entry points while creating innovative ones. SIDA's partnership approach requires clear delineation of roles for SIDA personnel and partner countries, with SIDA 1) applying a gender perspective to assessments, 2) initiating a constructive dialogue about gender equality if needed, 3) assessing the need for gender equality promoting competency development, 4) studying the local context, and 5) developing effective local networks. In addition, the needs of different groups within SIDA should be met with appropriate competency development inputs while SIDA continues support to competency development in partner countries by developing local capacity for gender training and gender sensitization at the regional and national levels. At SIDA, gender training has evolved since 1989 to its current focus on the practical and concrete challenges facing participants. In addition, departments and divisions conduct sector- and issue-specific training, and gender equality is integrated in all SIDA training activities on every topic. The challenges for future competency development are to 1) increase the number of men involved in provision of competency development inputs, 2) improve competency at embassy and field levels, and 3) improve competency in policy dialogues.

  4. Enhanced surveillance strategies for detecting and monitoring chronic wasting disease in free-ranging cervids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walsh, Daniel P.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide wildlife management agencies with the foundation upon which they can build scientifically rigorous and cost-effective surveillance and monitoring programs for chronic wasting disease (CWD) or refine their existing programs. The first chapter provides an overview of potential demographic and spatial risk factors of susceptible wildlife populations that may be exploited for CWD surveillance and monitoring. The information contained in this chapter explores historic as well as recent developments in our understanding of CWD disease dynamics. It also contains many literature references for readers who may desire a more thorough review of the topics or CWD in general. The second chapter examines methods for enhancing efforts to detect CWD on the landscape where it is not presently known to exist and focuses on the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the surveillance program. Specifically, it describes the means of exploiting current knowledge of demographic and spatial risk factors, as described in the first chapter, through a two-stage surveillance scheme that utilizes traditional design-based sampling approaches and novel statistical methods to incorporate information about the attributes of the landscape, environment, populations and individual animals into CWD surveillance activities. By accounting for these attributes, efficiencies can be gained and cost-savings can be realized. The final chapter is unique in relation to the first two chapters. Its focus is on designing programs to monitor CWD once it is discovered within a jurisdiction. Unlike the prior chapters that are more detailed or prescriptive, this chapter by design is considerably more general because providing comprehensive direction for creating monitoring programs for jurisdictions without consideration of their monitoring goals, sociopolitical constraints, or their biological systems, is not possible. Therefore, the authors draw upon their collective experiences implementing disease-monitoring programs to present the important questions to consider, potential tools, and various strategies for those wildlife management agencies endeavoring to create or maintain a CWD monitoring program. Its intent is to aid readers in creating efficient and cost-effective monitoring programs, while avoiding potential pitfalls. It is hoped that these three chapters will be useful tools for wildlife managers struggling to implement efficient and effective CWD disease management programs.

  5. Learn about the EPA's Federal Technology Transfer Act Program

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This act allows sharing Agency knowledge and expertise with outside partners through collaborative agreements and licensing. Potential partners can take advantage of opportunities to create or further develop solutions to environmental problems.

  6. 76 FR 66087 - Request for Comments Under Executive Order 12898

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-25

    ... other things, commits agencies to develop a final Environmental Justice Strategy. The purpose of this... Justice Strategy. To facilitate receipt of the information, the Department has created an Internet portal...

  7. 76 FR 81541 - Request for Comments Under E.O. 12898

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-28

    ..., agencies listed in EO 12898 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (EJ MOU), which, among other things... receipt of the information, the Department has created an Internet portal specifically designed to capture...

  8. Creating Digital Elevation Model Using a Mobile Device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durmaz, A. İ.

    2017-11-01

    DEM (Digital Elevation Models) is the best way to interpret topography on the ground. In recent years, lidar technology allows to create more accurate elevation models. However, the problem is this technology is not common all over the world. Also if Lidar data are not provided by government agencies freely, people have to pay lots of money to reach these point clouds. In this article, we will discuss how we can create digital elevation model from less accurate mobile devices' GPS data. Moreover, we will evaluate these data on the same mobile device which we collected data to reduce cost of this modeling.

  9. Operation of emergency operating centers during mass casualty incidents in taiwan: a disaster management perspective.

    PubMed

    Wen, Jet-Chau; Tsai, Chia-Chou; Chen, Mei-Hsuan; Chang, Wei-Ta

    2014-10-01

    On April 27, 2011, a train derailed and crashed in Taiwan, causing a mass casualty incident (MCI) that was similar to a previous event and with similar consequences. In both disasters, the emergency operating centers (EOCs) could not effectively integrate associated agencies to deal with the incident. The coordination and utilization of resources were inefficient, which caused difficulty in command structure operation and casualty evacuation. This study was designed to create a survey questionnaire with problem items using disaster management phases mandated by Taiwan's Emergency Medical Care Law (EMCL), use statistical methods (t test) to analyze the results and issues the EOCs encountered during the operation, and propose solutions for those problems. Findings showed that EOCs lacked authority to intervene or coordinate with associated agencies. Also, placing emphasis on the recovery phase should improve future prevention and response mechanisms. To improve the response to MCIs, the EMCL needs to be amended to give EOCs the lead during disasters; use feedback from the recovery phase to improve future disaster management and operation coordination; and establish an information-sharing platform across agencies to address all aspects of relief work.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-6).

  10. Agenda setting for smoking control in Japan, 1945-1990: influence of the mass media on national health policy making.

    PubMed

    Sato, Hajime

    2003-01-01

    Agenda setting is regarded as a key process in policymaking. This study first examines the trends in newspaper articles on smoking and health and the debates on the issue in the Diet in Japan for the period 1945-1990. Then relationships of those articles and debates with national administrative actions are analyzed. Although the media helped set the agenda in the Diet before the emergence of the nonsmokers' rights movement, it did not do so thereafter. On the other hand, media reports continued to be associated with various aspects of administrative policy making throughout the study period and played an important role in mobilizing administrative agencies. Effects of mass media on agencies were regarded as largely independent of the debates in the Diet. It is also noted that simple "scientific" reports on the health hazards of smoking had no association either with agency action or with Diet debates. This indicates that issue building, which consists of creating a package of ideas about the facts, the causal theories, the responsibilities, and the feasible solutions, is important when scientific facts are to be dealt with by policymakers.

  11. Opportunities and constraints for organizations to help sustain tropical forest resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hyman, Eric L.

    1986-01-01

    A large number of organizations make decisions that directly or indirectly affect tropical forests. The principal constraints that affect these organizations are (1) insufficient funds; (2) insufficient knowledge about the resources and appropriate technologies; (3) institutional, cultural, and political factors; (4) inadequate communication; and (5) contradictory efforts. Opportunities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of these organizations include (1) increasing cooperation among US government agencies; (2) redirecting international organizations; (3) increasing coordination among organizations; (4) boosting support of nongovernmental organizations and universities; (5) encouraging responsible involvement by private corporations; (6) strengthening existing organizations; and (7) creating new organizations.

  12. Regulation and accreditation: the pros and cons for psychiatric facilities.

    PubMed

    Houck, J H

    1984-12-01

    Psychiatric hospitals must be regulated, and someone must write the rules, says the author. But the rules of such agencies as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals and Medicare are rarely subjected to rigorous testing, either for efficacy or for cost-effectiveness. The author discusses the problems of expense, inconsistency, and excessive documentation created by the regulatory process, plus positive aspects such as the stimulus for improvement. One urgent need, he believes, is to reconcile more closely the views of the cost-cutters and the standard-setters before they inflict irreparable damage on some segments of the hospital system.

  13. Health risk communication at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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

    Johnson, B.L.

    The purpose of this paper is to describe efforts related to risk communication at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The agency was created by Congress to fulfill health-related responsibilities specified in Superfund. Four areas are described for which ATSDR has responsibility under Superfund in the context of how each area relates to risk communication. These include health assessments, toxicological profiles, medical education and consultation, and exposure registries. The discussion is structured around four elements: a description of the activity, the message that is being communicated, the target audience, and how the risk is communicated to thismore » group.« less

  14. Building a culture of learning through organizational development: the experiences of the Marin County Health and Human Services Department.

    PubMed

    Lindberg, Arley; Meredith, Larry

    2012-01-01

    After determining a need for organizational change informed by changes in workforce demographics, community demographics, the socio-political and economic environment, and constraints on resources, one agency sought to transform its organizational culture into that of a learning organization. An external organizational development consultant was hired to work with agency leadership to identify ways that would help move the agency's culture towards one that was conducive to learning. Specifically, the agency director sought to create a culture where communication is encouraged both vertically and horizontally, frontline level workers are engaged and their voices heard, cross-departmental problem solving is practiced, innovative ideas are supported, and evidence-informed practice regularly implemented. This case study describes the experiences of this agency and the process taken toward engaging an external consultant and moving towards the development of a culture of learning. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  15. A theoretical framework for negotiating the path of emergency management multi-agency coordination.

    PubMed

    Curnin, Steven; Owen, Christine; Paton, Douglas; Brooks, Benjamin

    2015-03-01

    Multi-agency coordination represents a significant challenge in emergency management. The need for liaison officers working in strategic level emergency operations centres to play organizational boundary spanning roles within multi-agency coordination arrangements that are enacted in complex and dynamic emergency response scenarios creates significant research and practical challenges. The aim of the paper is to address a gap in the literature regarding the concept of multi-agency coordination from a human-environment interaction perspective. We present a theoretical framework for facilitating multi-agency coordination in emergency management that is grounded in human factors and ergonomics using the methodology of core-task analysis. As a result we believe the framework will enable liaison officers to cope more efficiently within the work domain. In addition, we provide suggestions for extending the theory of core-task analysis to an alternate high reliability environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  16. IT Workforce: Key Practices Help Ensure Strong Integrated Program Teams; Selected Departments Need to Assess Skill Gaps

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-11-01

    personnel, career paths for program managers, plans to strengthen program management, and use of special hiring authorities) Monitor and report...agencies with direct hiring authority for program managers and directed OPM to create a specialized career path. OMB also tasked agencies with...guidance for developing career paths for IT program managers.14 OPM’s career path guide was to build upon its IT Program Management Competency Model

  17. Culture, personal experience and agency.

    PubMed

    McCarthy, John; Sullivan, Paul; Wright, Peter

    2006-06-01

    In this article, we explore what we perceive to be a gap between agency as articulated in practice theories and agency as personally experienced. The gap is not created by a turn to practice in theorizing, but by the tendency to produce theoretical representations that silence the particularity of experience and the diversity of voices in experience. In exploring the gap, we identify aspects of practice theories that explicitly commit to theoretical representation over personal experience and describe Bakhtin's commitment to action and personal experience as an alternative. In order to exemplify Bakhtin's approach in practice, we then present an analysis of one artist-teacher's experience of her own agency in making art and in teaching. Finally, we comment on what a commitment to representational theorizing does to accounts of an artist's activities and personal experience.

  18. 31 CFR 900.8 - No private rights created.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS (DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) SCOPE OF STANDARDS § 900.8..., substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its agencies...

  19. 31 CFR 900.8 - No private rights created.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS (DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) SCOPE OF STANDARDS § 900.8..., substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its agencies...

  20. 31 CFR 900.8 - No private rights created.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS (DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) SCOPE OF STANDARDS § 900.8..., substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its agencies...

  1. 31 CFR 900.8 - No private rights created.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS (DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) SCOPE OF STANDARDS § 900.8..., substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its agencies...

  2. 31 CFR 900.8 - No private rights created.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS (DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE) SCOPE OF STANDARDS § 900.8..., substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its agencies...

  3. Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation (AMS) testbed initial screening report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-09-01

    Nationwide implementation of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services will result from a multitude of individual deployment decisions by public agencies and the private sector. The National ITS Architecture creates the opportunity for interop...

  4. Paratransit, Inc., Special Transportation Service in Sacramento

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1981-07-01

    Paratransit, Inc., a nonprofit corporation created in July, 1978, offers special transportation for handicapped and elderly persons in the Sacramento area. A variety of service agreements were negotiated with social service agencies for providing tra...

  5. 36 CFR 1222.32 - How do agencies manage records created or received by contractors?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF FEDERAL RECORDS...) (48 CFR parts 200-299). (2) Records management oversight of contract records is necessary to ensure...

  6. Job Segregation and Wage Discrimination under Title VII and the Equal Pay Act.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lorber, Lawrence Z.

    1980-01-01

    Questions whether the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or any other agency of the federal government, has the authority to create guidelines for personnel evaluation in the private sector. (Author/IRT)

  7. Electrofuels: More Efficient Than Photosynthesis

    ScienceCinema

    Toone, Eric; Eggert, Chas; Lynch, Mike; Roberts, B

    2018-06-06

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy (ARPA-E) has funded successful programs with OPXBIO, NC State and others to create hyper efficient processes for manufacturing biofuels and electrofuels, which can be used in the existing transportation infrastructure.

  8. ESA seeks gravitational-wave proposals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banks, Michael

    2016-12-01

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has put out a call for European scientists to submit proposals for the first space mission to observe gravitational waves - ripples in the fabric of space-time created by accelerating massive objects.

  9. Electrofuels: More Efficient Than Photosynthesis

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

    Toone, Eric; Eggert, Chas; Lynch, Mike

    2011-01-01

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy (ARPA-E) has funded successful programs with OPXBIO, NC State and others to create hyper efficient processes for manufacturing biofuels and electrofuels, which can be used in the existing transportation infrastructure.

  10. Strengthening the public health system.

    PubMed

    Roper, W L; Baker, E L; Dyal, W W; Nicola, R M

    1992-01-01

    Although the American public health system has made major contributions to life expectancy for residents of this country over the past century, the system now faces more complex health problems that require comprehensive approaches and increased capacity, particularly in local and State public health agencies. To strengthen the public health system, concerted action is needed to meet these five critical needs: First, the knowledge base of public health workers needs to be supplemented through on-the-job training and continuing education programs. To this end, self-study courses will be expanded, and a network of regional training centers will be established throughout the country. Second, communities need dynamic leadership from public health officials and their agencies. To enhance leadership skills and expand the leadership role of public health agencies, focused personal leadership development activities, including a Public Health Leadership Institute, and national conferences will provide a vision of the future role of public health agencies. Third, local and State public health agencies need access to data on the current health status of the people in their communities and guidance from the nation's public health experts. To improve access to information resources, state-of-the-art technologies will be deployed to create integrated information and communication systems linking all components of the public health system. Fourth, local and State agencies need disease prevention and health promotion plans that target problems and develop strategies and the capacity to address them. To provide communities with structured approaches to this process, planning tools have been developed and distributed, and technical assistance will be provided to local and State health agencies to involve each community in planning,priority setting, and constituency building.Finally, public health agencies need adequate resources to fund prevention programs. To improve the use of existing Federal support and enhance the availability of new community resources, grant programs will be modified, and innovative approaches to local resource enhancement will be developed and shared.Activities in these five key areas are designed to improve the infrastructure of the public health system and its capacity to carry out effectively the core functions of public health assessment, policy development, and assurance of the availability of the benefits of public health. If the nation is to achieve the health objectives for the year 2000, the public health system-the individuals and institutions that, when working effectively together, promote and protect the health of the people-must be strengthened.

  11. Advancing research collaborations among agencies through the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee: A necessary step for linking science to policy.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LaValley, M.; Starkweather, S.; Bowden, S.

    2017-12-01

    The Arctic is changing rapidly as average temperatures rise. As an Arctic nation, the United States is directly affected by these changes. It is imperative that these changes be understood to make effective policy decisions. Since the research needs of the Arctic are large and wide-ranging, most Federal agencies fund some aspect of Arctic research. As a result, the U.S. government regularly works to coordinate Federal Arctic research in order to reduce duplication of effort and costs, and to enhance the research's system perspective. The government's Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) accomplishes this coordination through its policy-driven five-year Arctic Research Plans and collaboration teams (CTs), which are research topic-oriented teams tasked with implementing the plans. The policies put forth by IARPC thus inform science, however IARPC has been less successful of making these science outcomes part of an iterative decision making process. IARPC's mandate to facilitate coordinated research through information sharing communities can be viewed a prerequisite step in the science-to- decision making process. Research collaborations and the communities of practice facilitated by IARPC allow scientists to connect with a wider community of scientists and stakeholders and, in turn, the larger issues in need of policy solutions. These connections help to create a pathway through which research may increasingly reflect policy goals and inform decisions. IARPC has been growing into a more useful model for the science-to-decision making interface since the publication of its Arctic Research Plan FY2017-2021, and it is useful to evaluate how and why IARPC is progressing in this realm. To understand the challenges facing interagency research collaboration and the progress IARPC has made, the Chukchi Beaufort and Communities CTs, were evaluated as case studies. From the case studies, several recommendations for enhancing collaborations across Federal agencies emerge, including establishing appropriate agency leadership; determining focused and achievable scope of team goals; providing room for bottom-up, community-driven determination of goals; and finally, building relationships and creating an inclusive team environment.

  12. Evaluating water conservation and reuse policies using a dynamic water balance model.

    PubMed

    Qaiser, Kamal; Ahmad, Sajjad; Johnson, Walter; Batista, Jacimaria R

    2013-02-01

    A dynamic water balance model is created to examine the effects of different water conservation policies and recycled water use on water demand and supply in a region faced with water shortages and significant population growth, the Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The model, developed using system dynamics approach, includes an unusual component of the water system, return flow credits, where credits are accrued for returning treated wastewater to the water supply source. In LVV, Lake Mead serves as, both the drinking water source and the receiving body for treated wastewater. LVV has a consumptive use allocation from Lake Mead but return flow credits allow the water agency to pull out additional water equal to the amount returned as treated wastewater. This backdrop results in a scenario in which conservation may cause a decline in the available water supply. Current water use in LVV is 945 lpcd (250 gpcd), which the water agency aims to reduce to 752 lpcd (199 gpcd) by 2035, mainly through water conservation. Different conservation policies focused on indoor and outdoor water use, along with different population growth scenarios, are modeled for their effects on the water demand and supply. Major contribution of this study is in highlighting the importance of outdoor water conservation and the effectiveness of reducing population growth rate in addressing the future water shortages. The water agency target to decrease consumption, if met completely through outdoor conservation, coupled with lower population growth rate, can potentially satisfy the Valley's water demands through 2035.

  13. Implementing Health Impact Assessment Programs in State Health Agencies: Lessons Learned From Pilot Programs, 2009-2011.

    PubMed

    Goff, Nancy; Wyss, Kerry; Wendel, Arthur; Jarris, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has emerged as a promising tool to integrate health considerations into decision making. The growth and success of HIA practice in the United States will be dependent on building the capacity of practitioners. This article seeks to identify the role of state health agencies (SHAs) in building capacity for conducting HIAs and the key components of initiatives that produced effective HIAs and HIA programs. The authors proposed to answer 3 research questions: (1) What can be the role of the SHA in HIA? (2) What are the characteristics of successful state HIA programs? and (3) What are some effective strategies for building capacity for HIA in SHAs and local health departments? The authors reviewed program reports from the ASTHO's pilot state health agencies (California, Minnesota, Oregon, and Wisconsin) that, between 2009 and 2011, created HIA programs to provide HIA training, conduct HIAs, and build practitioner networks. Program reports were examined for shared themes on the role of SHAs in a statewide HIA initiative, the characteristics of successful programs, and effective strategies for building capacity. Despite differences among the programs, many shared themes existed. These include stressing the importance of a basic, sustained infrastructure for HIA practice; leveraging existing programs and networks; and working in partnership with diverse stakeholders. SHAs can build capacity for HIA, and SHAs can both lead and support the completion of individual HIAs. States and territories interested in starting comprehensive statewide HIA initiatives could consider implementing the strategies identified by the pilot programs.

  14. A Framework for Describing Health Care Delivery Organizations and Systems

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Perry D.; Larson, David B.; Marion, Lucy N.; Sills, Marion R.; Solberg, Leif I.; Zerzan, Judy

    2015-01-01

    Describing, evaluating, and conducting research on the questions raised by comparative effectiveness research and characterizing care delivery organizations of all kinds, from independent individual provider units to large integrated health systems, has become imperative. Recognizing this challenge, the Delivery Systems Committee, a subgroup of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Effective Health Care Stakeholders Group, which represents a wide diversity of perspectives on health care, created a draft framework with domains and elements that may be useful in characterizing various sizes and types of care delivery organizations and may contribute to key outcomes of interest. The framework may serve as the door to further studies in areas in which clear definitions and descriptions are lacking. PMID:24922130

  15. The role of adaptive management as an operational approach for resource management agencies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, B.L.

    1999-01-01

    In making resource management decisions, agencies use a variety of approaches that involve different levels of political concern, historical precedence, data analyses, and evaluation. Traditional decision-making approaches have often failed to achieve objectives for complex problems in large systems, such as the Everglades or the Colorado River. I contend that adaptive management is the best approach available to agencies for addressing this type of complex problem, although its success has been limited thus far. Traditional decision-making approaches have been fairly successful at addressing relatively straightforward problems in small, replicated systems, such as management of trout in small streams or pulp production in forests. However, this success may be jeopardized as more users place increasing demands on these systems. Adaptive management has received little attention from agencies for addressing problems in small-scale systems, but I suggest that it may be a useful approach for creating a holistic view of common problems and developing guidelines that can then be used in simpler, more traditional approaches to management. Although adaptive management may be more expensive to initiate than traditional approaches, it may be less expensive in the long run if it leads to more effective management. The overall goal of adaptive management is not to maintain an optimal condition of the resource, but to develop an optimal management capacity. This is accomplished by maintaining ecological resilience that allows the system to react to inevitable stresses, and generating flexibility in institutions and stakeholders that allows managers to react when conditions change. The result is that, rather than managing for a single, optimal state, we manage within a range of acceptable outcomes while avoiding catastrophes and irreversible negative effects. Copyright ?? 1999 by The Resilience Alliance.

  16. Funding Solar Projects at Federal Agencies: Mechanisms and Selection Criteria (Brochure)

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

    Not Available

    Implementing solar energy projects at federal facilities is a process. The project planning phase of the process includes determining goals, building a team, determining site feasibility and selecting the appropriate project funding tool. This fact sheet gives practical guidance to assist decision-makers with understanding and selecting the funding tool that would best address their site goals. Because project funding tools are complex, federal agencies should seek project assistance before making final decisions. High capital requirements combined with limits on federal agency energy contracts create challenges for funding solar projects. Solar developers typically require long-term contracts (15-20) years to spread outmore » the initial investment and to enable payments similar to conventional utility bill payments. In the private sector, 20-year contracts have been developed, vetted, and accepted, but the General Services Administration (GSA) contract authority (federal acquisition regulation [FAR] part 41) typically limits contract terms to 10 years. Payments on shorter-term contracts make solar economically unattractive compared with conventional generation. However, in several instances, the federal sector has utilized innovative funding tools that allow long-term contracts or has created a project package that is economically attractive within a shorter contract term.« less

  17. Operational and safety-based analyses of varied toll lanes.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-02-01

    Over the past decades, fatal crashes and severe injuries have been observed to : increase in highway facilities. This has created a big concern among different : transportation agencies and other organizations such as State Departments of : Transport...

  18. Guidelines for deploying weather responsive operations in TxDOT traffic signals.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-02-01

    Inclement weather, such as rain, snow, fog, and ice, create special operational challenges for traffic : management agencies. This project provided Texas Department of Transportation with technical guidance : for improving safety and efficiency of si...

  19. Quantifying the purchasing power of public transportation in Texas : technical report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-07-01

    Investments in public transportation in Texas contribute to the state and local economy by improving : transportation options, which in turn creates benefits for individuals, businesses, and governments. Many : different agencies provide public trans...

  20. 77 FR 25182 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-27

    ... endorsed HCAHPS. The enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 created an additional incentive for... May 29, 2012. OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: CMS Desk Officer, Fax...

  1. 36 CFR 1238.26 - What are the restrictions on use for permanent and unscheduled microform records?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... permanent and unscheduled microform records? (a) Agencies must not use the silver gelatin master microform or duplicate silver gelatin microform of permanent or unscheduled records created in accordance with...

  2. 36 CFR 1238.26 - What are the restrictions on use for permanent and unscheduled microform records?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... permanent and unscheduled microform records? (a) Agencies must not use the silver gelatin master microform or duplicate silver gelatin microform of permanent or unscheduled records created in accordance with...

  3. 36 CFR 1238.26 - What are the restrictions on use for permanent and unscheduled microform records?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... permanent and unscheduled microform records? (a) Agencies must not use the silver gelatin master microform or duplicate silver gelatin microform of permanent or unscheduled records created in accordance with...

  4. 36 CFR 1238.26 - What are the restrictions on use for permanent and unscheduled microform records?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... permanent and unscheduled microform records? (a) Agencies must not use the silver gelatin master microform or duplicate silver gelatin microform of permanent or unscheduled records created in accordance with...

  5. Traffic data acquisition and distribution (TDAD)

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-05-01

    The wide variety of remote sensors used in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications (loops, : probe vehicles, radar, cameras, etc.) has created a need for general methods by which data can be shared : among agencies and users who own dis...

  6. Draft reference grid cells for emergency response reconnaissance developed for use by the US Environmental Protection Agency [ER.QUADS6K_EPA

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Draft reference grid cells for emergency response reconnaissance developed for use by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Grid cells are based on densification of the USGS Quarterquad (1:12,000 scale or 12K) grids for the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico and are roughly equivalent to 1:6000 scale (6K) quadrangles approximately 2 miles long on each side. Note: This file is >80MB in size. Regional subsets have been created from this national file that include a 20 mile buffer of tiles around each EPA Region. To access the regional subsets, go to http://geodata.epa.gov/OSWER/6kquads_epa.zip and select the name of the file that corresponds to your region of interest (e.g. 6kquadr1.zip is the name of the file created for EPA Region 1).

  7. Making families: organizational boundary work in US egg and sperm donation.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Katherine M

    2013-12-01

    Egg and sperm donation can create distinct issues for designating family boundaries. These issues come to the forefront as relations between donors, recipients, and donor-conceived children have been shifting from anonymous to more open arrangements in the US and other western countries. In this study, I address US organizational practices and family boundary construction. Fertility clinics, egg donation agencies, and sperm banks are central providers of US gamete donation services. Given the disruptive potential of gamete donation, how do they manage relationships between parties? Through a content analysis of materials from twenty fertility clinics, twenty egg donation agencies, and thirty-one sperm banks, I address three major strategies of organizational boundary work: 1) creating identity categories, 2) managing information, and 3) managing interaction. I ultimately argue that even as many organizations offer opportunities for connections between parties, they exercise social control over donation arrangements through bounded relationships. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The divided mind of a disbeliever: Intuitive beliefs about nature as purposefully created among different groups of non-religious adults.

    PubMed

    Järnefelt, Elisa; Canfield, Caitlin F; Kelemen, Deborah

    2015-07-01

    Do non-religious adults - despite their explicit disavowal of religious beliefs - have a tacit tendency to view nature as purposefully created by some being? This question was explored in three online studies using a speeded judgment procedure, which assessed disbelievers in two different Western cultures (United States and Finland). Despite strong performance on control trials, across all three studies non-religious individuals displayed a default bias to increasingly judge pictures of natural phenomena as "purposefully made by some being" under processing constraints. Personal beliefs in the supernatural agency of nature ("Gaia beliefs") consistently predicted this tendency. However, beliefs in nature as purposefully made by some being persisted even when such secular agency beliefs were controlled. These results suggest that the tendency to view nature as designed is rooted in evolved cognitive biases as well as cultural socialization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Generating relevant climate adaptation science tools in concert with local natural resource agencies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Micheli, L.; Flint, L. E.; Veloz, S.; Heller, N. E.

    2015-12-01

    To create a framework for adapting to climate change, decision makers operating at the urban-wildland interface need to define climate vulnerabilities in the context of site-specific opportunities and constraints relative to water supply, land use suitability, wildfire risks, ecosystem services and quality of life. Pepperwood's TBC3.org is crafting customized climate vulnerability assessments with selected water and natural resource agencies of California's Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Mendocino counties under the auspices of Climate Ready North Bay, a public-private partnership funded by the California Coastal Conservancy. Working directly with managers from the very start of the process to define resource-specific information needs, we are developing high-resolution, spatially-explicit data products to help local governments and agency staff implement informed and effective climate adaptation strategies. Key preliminary findings for the region using the USGS' Basin Characterization Model (at a 270 m spatial resolution) include a unidirectional trend, independent of greater or lesser precipitation, towards increasing climatic water deficits across model scenarios. Therefore a key message is that managers will be facing an increasingly arid environment. Companion models translate the impacts of shifting climate and hydrology on vegetation composition and fire risks. The combination of drought stress on water supplies and native vegetation with an approximate doubling of fire risks may demand new approaches to watershed planning. Working with agencies we are exploring how to build capacity for protection and enhancement of key watershed functions with a focus on groundwater recharge, facilitating greater drought tolerance in forest and rangeland systems, and considering more aggressive approaches to management of fuel loads. Lessons learned about effective engagement include the need for extended in-depth dialog, translation of key climate adaptation questions into deliverable metrics and indicators, and the need to take time to digest and formulate results in terms of adaptive management actions. Agencies also express a benefit in using Climate Ready results to raise public awareness of the resource challenges that may lay ahead.

  10. The A.A.A.A. [American Association of Advertising Agencies] Educational Foundation Grants: Purpose, Results, Application; On the 22 Research Grants Awarded by the Foundation from 1968 through 1973, with Bibliographies of Published Material Which Resulted from the Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tinkham, Spencer F.

    The Educational Foundation of the American Association of Advertising Agencies was established by the Association's board to foster the accomplishment of six major goals: to create a bridge between advertising and university research, to attract top young people to the study of advertising, to raise the academic stature of advertising, to enlarge…

  11. Agency and Market Area Factors Affecting Home Health Agency Supply Changes

    PubMed Central

    Porell, Frank W; Liu, Korbin; Brungo, David P

    2006-01-01

    Objective To use the natural experiment created by the Medicare interim payment system (IPS) to study supply change behavior of home health agencies (HHAs) in local market areas. Data Sources One hundred percent Medicare home health claims for 1996 and 1999, linked with Medicare Provider of Service and Denominator files, and the Area Resource File. Study Design Medicare home health care (HHC) claims data were used to distinguish HHAs that changed the local market supply of Medicare HHC by their market exit or by significant expansion or contraction of their geographic service area between 1996 and 1999 from other HHAs. Multinomial logit models were estimated to analyze how characteristics of agencies and the market areas in which they served were associated with these different agency-level supply changes. Principal Findings Changes in local HHA supply stemming from geographic service area expansions and contractions rivaled those owing to agency closures and market entries. Agencies at greater risk of closure and service area contraction tended to be smaller, newer, freestanding agencies, operating with more visit-intensive practice styles in markets with more competitor agencies. Except for having much less visit-intensive practice styles, similar attributes characterized agencies that increased local supply through service area expansion. Conclusions Supply changes by HHAs largely reflected rational market responses by agencies to significant changes in financial incentives associated with the Medicare IPS. Recently certified agencies were among the most dynamic providers. Supply changes were more likely among agencies operating in more competitive market environments. PMID:16987305

  12. Agency and market area factors affecting home health agency supply changes.

    PubMed

    Porell, Frank W; Liu, Korbin; Brungo, David P

    2006-10-01

    To use the natural experiment created by the Medicare interim payment system (IPS) to study supply change behavior of home health agencies (HHAs) in local market areas. One hundred percent Medicare home health claims for 1996 and 1999, linked with Medicare Provider of Service and Denominator files, and the Area Resource File. Medicare home health care (HHC) claims data were used to distinguish HHAs that changed the local market supply of Medicare HHC by their market exit or by significant expansion or contraction of their geographic service area between 1996 and 1999 from other HHAs. Multinomial logit models were estimated to analyze how characteristics of agencies and the market areas in which they served were associated with these different agency-level supply changes. Changes in local HHA supply stemming from geographic service area expansions and contractions rivaled those owing to agency closures and market entries. Agencies at greater risk of closure and service area contraction tended to be smaller, newer, freestanding agencies, operating with more visit-intensive practice styles in markets with more competitor agencies. Except for having much less visit-intensive practice styles, similar attributes characterized agencies that increased local supply through service area expansion. Supply changes by HHAs largely reflected rational market responses by agencies to significant changes in financial incentives associated with the Medicare IPS. Recently certified agencies were among the most dynamic providers. Supply changes were more likely among agencies operating in more competitive market environments.

  13. The Long Way From Government Open Data to Mobile Health Apps: Overcoming Institutional Barriers in the US Federal Government

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Government agencies in the United States are creating mobile health (mHealth) apps as part of recent policy changes initiated by the White House’s Digital Government Strategy. Objective The objective of the study was to understand the institutional and managerial barriers for the implementation of mHealth, as well as the resulting adoption pathways of mHealth. Methods This article is based on insights derived from qualitative interview data with 35 public managers in charge of promoting the reuse of open data through Challenge.gov, the platform created to run prizes, challenges, and the vetting and implementation of the winning and vendor-created apps. Results The process of designing apps follows three different pathways: (1) entrepreneurs start to see opportunities for mobile apps, and develop either in-house or contract out to already vetted Web design vendors; (2) a top-down policy mandates agencies to adopt at least two customer-facing mobile apps; and (3) the federal government uses a policy instrument called “Prizes and Challenges”, encouraging civic hackers to design health-related mobile apps using open government data from HealthData.gov, in combination with citizen needs. All pathways of the development process incur a set of major obstacles that have to be actively managed before agencies can promote mobile apps on their websites and app stores. Conclusions Beyond the cultural paradigm shift to design interactive apps and to open health-related data to the public, the managerial challenges include accessibility, interoperability, security, privacy, and legal concerns using interactive apps tracking citizen. PMID:25537314

  14. The Long Way From Government Open Data to Mobile Health Apps: Overcoming Institutional Barriers in the US Federal Government.

    PubMed

    Mergel, Ines

    2014-12-23

    Government agencies in the United States are creating mobile health (mHealth) apps as part of recent policy changes initiated by the White House's Digital Government Strategy. The objective of the study was to understand the institutional and managerial barriers for the implementation of mHealth, as well as the resulting adoption pathways of mHealth. This article is based on insights derived from qualitative interview data with 35 public managers in charge of promoting the reuse of open data through Challenge.gov, the platform created to run prizes, challenges, and the vetting and implementation of the winning and vendor-created apps. The process of designing apps follows three different pathways: (1) entrepreneurs start to see opportunities for mobile apps, and develop either in-house or contract out to already vetted Web design vendors; (2) a top-down policy mandates agencies to adopt at least two customer-facing mobile apps; and (3) the federal government uses a policy instrument called "Prizes and Challenges", encouraging civic hackers to design health-related mobile apps using open government data from HealthData.gov, in combination with citizen needs. All pathways of the development process incur a set of major obstacles that have to be actively managed before agencies can promote mobile apps on their websites and app stores. Beyond the cultural paradigm shift to design interactive apps and to open health-related data to the public, the managerial challenges include accessibility, interoperability, security, privacy, and legal concerns using interactive apps tracking citizen.

  15. A Large-Scale, Multiagency Approach to Defining a Reference Network for Pacific Northwest Streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Stephanie; Eldred, Peter; Muldoon, Ariel; Anlauf-Dunn, Kara; Stein, Charlie; Hubler, Shannon; Merrick, Lesley; Haxton, Nick; Larson, Chad; Rehn, Andrew; Ode, Peter; Vander Laan, Jake

    2016-12-01

    Aquatic monitoring programs vary widely in objectives and design. However, each program faces the unifying challenge of assessing conditions and quantifying reasonable expectations for measured indicators. A common approach for setting resource expectations is to define reference conditions that represent areas of least human disturbance or most natural state of a resource characterized by the range of natural variability across a region of interest. Identification of reference sites often relies heavily on professional judgment, resulting in varying and unrepeatable methods. Standardized methods for data collection, site characterization, and reference site selection facilitate greater cooperation among assessment programs and development of assessment tools that are readily shareable and comparable. We illustrate an example that can serve the broader global monitoring community on how to create a consistent and transparent reference network for multiple stream resource agencies. We provide a case study that offers a simple example of how reference sites can be used, at the landscape level, to link upslope management practices to a specific in-channel response. We found management practices, particularly areas with high road densities, have more fine sediments than areas with fewer roads. While this example uses data from only one of the partner agencies, if data were collected in a similar manner they can be combined and create a larger, more robust dataset. We hope that this starts a dialog regarding more standardized ways through inter-agency collaborations to evaluate data. Creating more consistency in physical and biological field protocols will increase the ability to share data.

  16. Realizing the potential of ecosystem services: a framework for relating ecological changes to economic benefits.

    PubMed

    Wainger, Lisa; Mazzotta, Marisa

    2011-10-01

    Increasingly government agencies are seeking to quantify the outcomes of proposed policy options in terms of ecosystem service benefits, yet conflicting definitions and ad hoc approaches to measuring ecosystem services have created confusion regarding how to rigorously link ecological change to changes in human well-being. Here, we describe a step-by-step framework for producing ecological models and metrics that can effectively serve an economic-benefits assessment of a proposed change in policy or management. A focus of the framework is developing comparable units of ecosystem goods and services to support decision-making, even if outcomes cannot be monetized. Because the challenges to translating ecological changes to outcomes appropriate for economic analyses are many, we discuss examples that demonstrate practical methods and approaches to overcoming data limitations. The numerous difficult decisions that government agencies must make to fairly use and allocate natural resources provides ample opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of natural and social scientists to improve methods for quantifying changes in ecosystem services and their effects on human well-being. This framework is offered with the intent of promoting the success of such teams as they support managers in evaluating the equivalency of ecosystem service offsets and trades, establishing restoration and preservation priorities, and more generally, in developing environmental policy that effectively balances multiple perspectives.

  17. Designing Effective Natural Hazards Preparedness Communications: Factors that Influence Perceptions and Action

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong-Parodi, G.; Fischhoff, B.

    2012-12-01

    Even though most people believe that natural hazards preparation is important for mitigating damage to their homes and basic survival in the aftermath of a disaster, few actually disaster-proof their homes, create plans, or obtain supplies recommended by agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Several observational studies suggest that socio-demographic characteristics such as income and psychological characteristics such as self-efficacy affect whether or not an individual takes action to prepare for a natural hazard. These studies, however, only suggest that these characteristics may play a role. There has been little research that systematically investigates how these characteristics play a role in people's perceptions of recommended preparatory activities and decisions to perform them. Therefore, in Study 1, we explore people's perceptions of natural hazards preparedness measures on four dimensions: time, cost, helpfulness, and sense of preparedness. We further investigate if these responses vary by the socio-demographic and psychological characteristics of self-efficacy, knowledge, and income level. In Study 2, we experimentally test whether people's sense of self-efficacy, as it relates to natural hazards, can be manipulated through exposure to an "easy-and-effective" versus a "hard-and-effective" set of preparation measures. Our findings have implications for the design of natural hazards communication materials for the general public.

  18. PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION OF ANIMAL WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH EPA'S ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to further environmental protection by accelerating the commercialization of new and innovative technology through independent performance verification and dissemination of in...

  19. Continuity of operations/continuity of government for state-level transportation organizations.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-01

    The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20 (HSPD-20) requires all local, state, tribal and territorial government agencies, : and private sector owners of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) to create a Continuity of Operations/Con...

  20. Establishing monitoring programs for travel time reliability.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    Within the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), Project L02 focused on creating a suite of methods by which transportation agencies could monitor and evaluate travel time reliability. Creation of the methods also produced an improved u...

  1. 41 CFR 102-76.20 - What issues must Federal agencies consider in providing site planning and landscape design services?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued... an expansion need is identified to exist; (e) Create a landscape design that is a pleasant, dynamic...

  2. PATHOGEN EQUIVALENCY COMMITTEE (PEC)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created the PEC in 1985 to make recommendations to EPA and State managers on the equivalency of unproven sewage sludge disinfection technologies/processes to either a Process to Significantly Reduce Pathogens (PSRP) or a Process to Further...

  3. 75 FR 47883 - Elimination of USDOT Number Registrant-Only Classification

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Elimination of USDOT Number Registrant-Only Classification AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT..., FMCSA created the ``registrant-only'' USDOT number classification to identify registered owners of CMVs...

  4. TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT, HYDROTECHNICS IN SITU FLOW SENSOR

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program evaluated performance of HydroTechnics, Inc. flow sensors in measuring the three-dimensional flow pattern created by operation of the Wasatch Environmental, Inc. (WEI) ground...

  5. 36 CFR § 1238.26 - What are the restrictions on use for permanent and unscheduled microform records?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... permanent and unscheduled microform records? (a) Agencies must not use the silver gelatin master microform or duplicate silver gelatin microform of permanent or unscheduled records created in accordance with...

  6. Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-03-19

    private - sector technological development. Legislative activity over the past two decades has created a policy for technology development, albeit an ad hoc one. Because of the lack of consensus on the scope and direction of a national policy, Congress has taken an incremental approach aimed at creating new mechanisms to facilitate technological advancement in particular areas and making changes and improvements as necessary. Congressional action has mandated specific technology development programs and obligations in federal agencies that did not initially support such

  7. The science of public messages for suicide prevention: a workshop summary.

    PubMed

    Chambers, David A; Pearson, Jane L; Lubell, Keri; Brandon, Susan; O'brien, Kevin; Zinn, Janet

    2005-04-01

    There is minimal guidance for efforts to create effective public messages that increase awareness that suicide is preventable. To address this need, several agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Annenberg Foundation convened a workshop consisting of suicide prevention advocates and persons with expertise in public health evaluation, suicide contagion, decision-making, and marketing. "Logic models" were used to define intended messages and audiences, assumed mechanisms of change, and outcomes. This summary describes some of the challenges and opportunities identified by workshop participants in evaluating public awareness campaigns in suicide prevention, technical assistance needs, and a proposed research agenda.

  8. Balancing risk, interpersonal intimacy and agency: perspectives from marginalised women in Zambia.

    PubMed

    Davis, Lwendo Moonzwe; Kostick, Kristin Marie

    2018-05-15

    Women are most exposed to sexual health risks within their marital relationships, primarily due to the sexually risky behaviours of their spouses. Studies show that expanding agency is critical for women to mitigate both physical and sexual health risks and is linked to increased psycho-social well-being and economic independence. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative primary data collected from a peri-urban community in Zambia, this paper explores how women exert agency in a community where few educational and economic opportunities and substantial food insecurity exacerbate women's risk for HIV within their marital relationships. It also examines how expressions of agency within marital unions can reduce HIV risk exposure and lead to socio-economic benefits. However, expressions of agency can also create physical, psycho-social and sexual health risks, particularly when spouses do not support independent decision-making and actions that women consider necessary to support the household and maintain intimacy. Findings highlight the importance of community involvement and addressing harmful socio-cultural norms to foster the realisation of women's agency.

  9. Linking departmental priorities to knowledge management: the experiences of Santa Cruz County's Human Services Department.

    PubMed

    Lindberg, Arley

    2012-01-01

    Federal welfare reform, local service collaborations, and the evolution of statewide information systems inspired agency interest in evidence-informed practice and knowledge sharing systems. Four agency leaders, including the Director, Deputy Director, Director of Planning and Evaluation, and Staff Development Program Manager championed the development of a learning organization based on knowledge management throughout the agency. Internal department restructuring helped to strengthen the Planning and Evaluation, Staff Development, and Personnel units, which have become central to supporting knowledge sharing activities. The Four Pillars of Knowledge framework was designed to capture agency directions in relationship to future knowledge management goals. Featuring People, Practice, Technology and Budget, the framework links the agency's services, mission and goals to the process of becoming a learning organization. Built through an iterative process, the framework was created by observing existing activities in each department rather than being designed from the top down. Knowledge management can help the department to fulfill its mission despite reduced resources. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  10. Dense Plasma Focus: physics and applications (radiation material science, single-shot disclosure of hidden illegal objects, radiation biology and medicine, etc.)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gribkov, V. A.; Miklaszewski, R.; Paduch, M.; Zielinska, E.; Chernyshova, M.; Pisarczyk, T.; Pimenov, V. N.; Demina, E. V.; Niemela, J.; Crespo, M.-L.; Cicuttin, A.; Tomaszewski, K.; Sadowski, M. J.; Skladnik-Sadowska, E.; Pytel, K.; Zawadka, A.; Giannini, G.; Longo, F.; Talab, A.; Ul'yanenko, S. E.

    2015-03-01

    The paper presents some outcomes obtained during the year of 2013 of the activity in the frame of the International Atomic Energy Agency Co-ordinated research project "Investigations of Materials under High Repetition and Intense Fusion-Relevant Pulses". The main results are related to the effects created at the interaction of powerful pulses of different types of radiation (soft and hard X-rays, hot plasma and fast ion streams, neutrons, etc. generated in Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) facilities) with various materials including those that are counted as perspective ones for their use in future thermonuclear reactors. Besides we discuss phenomena observed at the irradiation of biological test objects. We examine possible applications of nanosecond powerful pulses of neutrons to the aims of nuclear medicine and for disclosure of hidden illegal objects. Special attention is devoted to discussions of a possibility to create extremely large and enormously diminutive DPF devices and probabilities of their use in energetics, medicine and modern electronics.

  11. A community health worker intervention to address the social determinants of health through policy change.

    PubMed

    Ingram, Maia; Schachter, Ken A; Sabo, Samantha J; Reinschmidt, Kerstin M; Gomez, Sofia; De Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Carvajal, Scott C

    2014-04-01

    Public policy that seeks to achieve sustainable improvements in the social determinants of health, such as income, education, housing, food security and neighborhood conditions, can create positive and sustainable health effects. This paper describes preliminary results of Acción para la Salud, a public health intervention in which Community health workers (CHWs) from five health agencies engaged their community in the process of making positive systems and environmental changes. Academic-community partners trained Acción CHWs in community advocacy and provided ongoing technical assistance in developing strategic advocacy plans. The CHWs documented community advocacy activities through encounter forms in which they identified problems, formulated solutions, and described systems and policy change efforts. Strategy maps described the steps of the advocacy plans. Findings demonstrate that CHWs worked to initiate discussions about underlying social determinants and environment-related factors that impact health, and identified solutions to improve neighborhood conditions, create community opportunities, and increase access to services.

  12. Exploring Attitudes, Perceived Norms, and Personal Agency: Insights Into Theory-Based Messages to Encourage Park-Based Physical Activity in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods.

    PubMed

    Groshong, Lisa; Stanis, Sonja A Wilhelm; Kaczynski, Andrew T; Hipp, J Aaron; Besenyi, Gina M

    2017-02-01

    Public parks hold promise for promoting population-level PA, but studies show a significant portion of park use is sedentary. Past research has documented the effectiveness of message-based strategies for influencing diverse behaviors in park settings and for increasing PA in nonpark contexts. Therefore, to inform message-based interventions (eg, point-ofdecision prompts) to increase park-based PA, the purpose of this study was to elicit insights about key attitudes, perceived norms, and personal agency that affect park use and park-based PA in low-income urban neighborhoods. This study used 6 focus groups with youth and adults (n = 41) from low-income urban areas in Kansas City, MO, to examine perceptions of key attitudinal outcomes and motivations, perceived norms, key referents, and personal agency facilitators and constraints that affect park use and park-based PA. Participant attitudes reflected the importance of parks for mental and physical health, with social interaction and solitude cited as key motivations. Of 10 themes regarding perceived norms, influential others reflected participants' ethnic makeup but little consensus emerged among groups. Social and safety themes were cited as both facilitators and constraints, along with park offerings and setting. Information about attitudes, perceived norms, and personal agency can increase understanding of theoretically derived factors that influence park-based PA and help park and health professionals create communication strategies to promote PA.

  13. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, TNT DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, SPREETA TM SENSOR

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ...

  14. 40 CFR 232.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 PROGRAM DEFINITIONS... mining-related materials;” after the words “utility lines; and artificial reefs. (2) In addition..., overburden from mining or other excavation activities, and materials used to create any structure or...

  15. 40 CFR 232.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 PROGRAM DEFINITIONS... mining-related materials;” after the words “utility lines; and artificial reefs. (2) In addition..., overburden from mining or other excavation activities, and materials used to create any structure or...

  16. 40 CFR 232.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING 404 PROGRAM DEFINITIONS... mining-related materials;” after the words “utility lines; and artificial reefs. (2) In addition..., overburden from mining or other excavation activities, and materials used to create any structure or...

  17. 7 CFR 1942.306 - Purposes of grants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... importance to farmers and rural residents. (10) Create, expand, and operate rural distance learning networks or rural learning programs, that provide educational instruction or job training instruction related...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED...

  18. 7 CFR 1942.306 - Purposes of grants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... importance to farmers and rural residents. (10) Create, expand, and operate rural distance learning networks or rural learning programs, that provide educational instruction or job training instruction related...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED...

  19. 7 CFR 1942.306 - Purposes of grants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... importance to farmers and rural residents. (10) Create, expand, and operate rural distance learning networks or rural learning programs, that provide educational instruction or job training instruction related...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED...

  20. NATO/CCMS PILOT STUDY ON CLEAN PRODUCTS & PROCESSES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Led by the United States, represented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Risk Management Research Laboratory, the Pilot Study on Clean Products and Processes was instituted to create an international forum where current trends, developments, and expert...

  1. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES, CLEAN ENVIRONMENT EQUIPMENT, SAMPLEASE BLADDER PUMP

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  2. Environmental forensic research for emerging contaminants in complex environmental matrices

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency has established criteria to address many of the significant traditional pollutants demonstrated to have adverse affects on environmental quality. However, new chemicals are being created almost daily, and these new chemicals, as ...

  3. Three Conn. Companies Provide Public with Chemical Information under EPA Settlements

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Three Connecticut companies will report publically on their use of required toxic chemicals, creating a safer environment for the public, under the terms of three separate recent settlements with the US Environmental Protection Agency. All three settlement

  4. A self-describing data transfer methodology for ITS applications : executive summary

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-12-01

    A wide variety of remote sensors used in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications (loops, probe vehicles, radar, cameras) has created a need for general methods by which data can be shared among agencies and users who disparate computer ...

  5. Environmental Technology Verification Report - NATCO Group, Inc. – Paques THIOPAQ Gas Purification Technology

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ...

  6. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES, BURGE ENVIRONMENTAL INC. MULTIPROBE 100

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  7. A self-describing data transfer methodology for ITS applications

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-01-01

    The wide variety of remote sensors used in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) : applications (loops, probe vehicles, radar, cameras, etc.) has created a need for general : methods by which data can be shared among agencies and users who own dis...

  8. THE NEVADA GEOSPATIAL DATA BROWSER

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Landscape Ecology Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Las Vegas, NV) has developed the Nevada Geospatial Data Browser, a spatial data archive to centralize and distribute the geospatial data used to create the land cover, vertebrate habitat models, and land o...

  9. Improving safety on rural local and tribal roads safety toolkit.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-08-01

    Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit was created to help rural local ...

  10. SPECIATE 4.2: speciation Database Development Documentation

    EPA Science Inventory

    SPECIATE is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) repository of volatile organic gas and particulate matter (PM) speciation profiles of air pollution sources. Among the many uses of speciation data, these source profiles are used to: (1) create speciated emissions inve...

  11. 7 CFR 1942.306 - Purposes of grants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED... importance to farmers and rural residents. (10) Create, expand, and operate rural distance learning networks or rural learning programs, that provide educational instruction or job training instruction related...

  12. 28 CFR 802.4 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Administration COURT SERVICES AND OFFENDER SUPERVISION AGENCY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS... proprietary interest in the information. (e) Computer software means tools by which records are created, stored, and retrieved. Normally, computer software, including source code, object code, and listings of...

  13. Improving safety on rural local and tribal roads.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-08-01

    Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for local and Tribal agencies. The FHWA created a Toolkit and two User Guides to help rural local and Tribal roadway safety practitioners addre...

  14. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE, DECISION FX, INC., GROUNDWATER FX

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  15. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE, DECISION FX, INC. SAMPLING FX

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  16. Implementing a citizen's DWI reporting program using the Extra Eyes model

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-09-01

    This manual is a guide for law enforcement agencies and community organizations in creating and implementing a citizens DWI reporting program in their communities modeling the Operation Extra Eyes program. Extra Eyes is a program that engages volu...

  17. 75 FR 53563 - National Preparedness Month, 2010

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-01

    ... America A Proclamation During National Preparedness Month, we stress the importance of strengthening the... families, our communities, and our country. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready Campaign... on emergency preparedness, including how to prepare a family emergency plan, create an emergency...

  18. Restoring Agency to the Human Actor.

    PubMed

    Swann, William B; Jetten, Jolanda

    2017-05-01

    A cursory read of the social psychological literature suggests that when people find themselves in strong situations, they fail to display agency. The early classic studies of conformity, obedience, and bystander intervention, for example, are renowned for showing that when challenged by strong situational pressures, participants acquiesced-even if it meant abandoning their moral principles or disregarding their own sensory data. Later studies of learned helplessness, ego depletion, and stereotype threat echoed this "power of the situation" theme, demonstrating that exposure to (or the expectation of) a frustrating or unpleasant experience suppressed subsequent efforts to actualize goals and abilities. Although this work has provided many valuable insights into the influence of situational pressures, it has been used to buttress an unbalanced and misleading portrait of human agency. This portrait fails to recognize that situations are not invariably enemies of agency. Instead, strong situational forces often allow for, and may even encourage, expressions of human agency. We examine the nature, causes, and consequences of this phenomenon. We endorse a broader approach that emphasizes how responding to situational pressure can coexist with agency. This new emphasis should create greater convergence between social psychological models and the experience of agency in everyday life.

  19. Contextual information management: An example of independent-checking in the review of laboratory-based bloodstain pattern analysis.

    PubMed

    Osborne, Nikola K P; Taylor, Michael C

    2018-05-01

    This article describes a New Zealand forensic agency's contextual information management protocol for bloodstain pattern evidence examined in the laboratory. In an effort to create a protocol that would have minimal impact on current work-flow, while still effectively removing task-irrelevant contextual information, the protocol was designed following an in-depth consultation with management and forensic staff. The resulting design was for a protocol of independent-checking (i.e. blind peer-review) where the checker's interpretation of the evidence is conducted in the absence of case information and the original examiner's notes or interpretation(s). At the conclusion of a ten-case trial period, there was widespread agreement that the protocol had minimal impact on the number of people required, the cost, or the time to complete an item examination. The agency is now looking to adopt the protocol into standard operating procedures and in some cases the protocol has been extended to cover other laboratory-based examinations (e.g. fabric damage, shoeprint examination, and physical fits). The protocol developed during this trial provides a useful example for agencies seeking to adopt contextual information management into their workflow. Copyright © 2018 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The NorWeST Summer Stream Temperature Model and Scenarios for the Western U.S.: A Crowd-Sourced Database and New Geospatial Tools Foster a User Community and Predict Broad Climate Warming of Rivers and Streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Isaak, Daniel J.; Wenger, Seth J.; Peterson, Erin E.; Ver Hoef, Jay M.; Nagel, David E.; Luce, Charles H.; Hostetler, Steven W.; Dunham, Jason B.; Roper, Brett B.; Wollrab, Sherry P.; Chandler, Gwynne L.; Horan, Dona L.; Parkes-Payne, Sharon

    2017-11-01

    Thermal regimes are fundamental determinants of aquatic ecosystems, which makes description and prediction of temperatures critical during a period of rapid global change. The advent of inexpensive temperature sensors dramatically increased monitoring in recent decades, and although most monitoring is done by individuals for agency-specific purposes, collectively these efforts constitute a massive distributed sensing array that generates an untapped wealth of data. Using the framework provided by the National Hydrography Dataset, we organized temperature records from dozens of agencies in the western U.S. to create the NorWeST database that hosts >220,000,000 temperature recordings from >22,700 stream and river sites. Spatial-stream-network models were fit to a subset of those data that described mean August water temperatures (AugTw) during 63,641 monitoring site-years to develop accurate temperature models (r2 = 0.91; RMSPE = 1.10°C; MAPE = 0.72°C), assess covariate effects, and make predictions at 1 km intervals to create summer climate scenarios. AugTw averaged 14.2°C (SD = 4.0°C) during the baseline period of 1993-2011 in 343,000 km of western perennial streams but trend reconstructions also indicated warming had occurred at the rate of 0.17°C/decade (SD = 0.067°C/decade) during the 40 year period of 1976-2015. Future scenarios suggest continued warming, although variation will occur within and among river networks due to differences in local climate forcing and stream responsiveness. NorWeST scenarios and data are available online in user-friendly digital formats and are widely used to coordinate monitoring efforts among agencies, for new research, and for conservation planning.

  1. Learning autonomy in two or three steps: linking open-ended development, authority, and agency to motivation

    PubMed Central

    Andringa, Tjeerd C.; van den Bosch, Kirsten A.; Vlaskamp, Carla

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we connect open-ended development, authority, agency, and motivation through (1) an analysis of the demands of existing in a complex world and (2) environmental appraisal in terms of affordance content and the complexity to select appropriate behavior. We do this by identifying a coherent core from a wide range of contributing fields. Open-ended development is a structured three-step process in which the agent first learns to master the body and then aims to make the mind into a reliable tool. Preconditioned on success in step two, step three aims to effectively co-create an optimal living environment. We argue that these steps correspond to right-left-right hemispheric dominance, where the left hemisphere specializes in control and the right hemisphere in exploration. Control (e.g., problem solving) requires a closed and stable world that must be maintained by external authorities or, in step three, by the right hemisphere acting as internal authority. The three-step progression therefore corresponds to increasing autonomy and agency. Depending on how we appraise the environment, we formulate four qualitatively different motivational states: submission, control, exploration, and consolidation. Each of these four motivational states has associated reward signals of which the last three—successful control, discovery of novelty, and establishing new relations—form an open-ended development loop that, the more it is executed, helps the agent to become progressively more agentic and more able to co-create a pleasant-to-live-in world. We conclude that for autonomy to arise, the agent must exist in a (broad) transition region between order and disorder in which both danger and opportunity (and with that open-ended development and motivation) are defined. We conclude that a research agenda for artificial cognitive system research should include open-ended development through intrinsic motivations and ascribing more prominence to right hemispheric strengths. PMID:24155734

  2. Learning autonomy in two or three steps: linking open-ended development, authority, and agency to motivation.

    PubMed

    Andringa, Tjeerd C; van den Bosch, Kirsten A; Vlaskamp, Carla

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we connect open-ended development, authority, agency, and motivation through (1) an analysis of the demands of existing in a complex world and (2) environmental appraisal in terms of affordance content and the complexity to select appropriate behavior. We do this by identifying a coherent core from a wide range of contributing fields. Open-ended development is a structured three-step process in which the agent first learns to master the body and then aims to make the mind into a reliable tool. Preconditioned on success in step two, step three aims to effectively co-create an optimal living environment. We argue that these steps correspond to right-left-right hemispheric dominance, where the left hemisphere specializes in control and the right hemisphere in exploration. Control (e.g., problem solving) requires a closed and stable world that must be maintained by external authorities or, in step three, by the right hemisphere acting as internal authority. The three-step progression therefore corresponds to increasing autonomy and agency. Depending on how we appraise the environment, we formulate four qualitatively different motivational states: submission, control, exploration, and consolidation. Each of these four motivational states has associated reward signals of which the last three-successful control, discovery of novelty, and establishing new relations-form an open-ended development loop that, the more it is executed, helps the agent to become progressively more agentic and more able to co-create a pleasant-to-live-in world. We conclude that for autonomy to arise, the agent must exist in a (broad) transition region between order and disorder in which both danger and opportunity (and with that open-ended development and motivation) are defined. We conclude that a research agenda for artificial cognitive system research should include open-ended development through intrinsic motivations and ascribing more prominence to right hemispheric strengths.

  3. Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA) evolution for collaborative standards development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Collier, Charles Patrick; Lipkin, Ilya; Davidson, Steven A.; Baldwin, Rusty; Orlovsky, Michael C.; Ibrahim, Tim

    2017-04-01

    The Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA) is a C4ISR-focused technical and economic collaborative effort between the Air Force, Navy, Army, the Department of Defense (DoD), Industry, and other Governmental agencies to develop (and incorporate) a technical Open Systems Architecture standard in order to maximize C4ISR sub-system, system, and platform affordability, re-configurability, and hardware/software/firmware re-use. The SOSA effort will effectively create an operational and technical framework for the integration of disparate payloads into C4ISR systems; with a focus on the development of a modular decomposition (defining functions and behaviors) and associated key interfaces (physical and logical) for common multi-purpose architecture for radar, EO/IR, SIGINT, EW, and Communications. SOSA addresses hardware, software, and mechanical/electrical interfaces. The modular decomposition will produce a set of re-useable components, interfaces, and sub-systems that engender reusable capabilities. This, in effect, creates a realistic and affordable ecosystem enabling mission effectiveness through systematic re-use of all available re-composed hardware, software, and electrical/mechanical base components and interfaces. To this end, SOSA will leverage existing standards as much as possible and evolve the SOSA architecture through modification, reuse, and enhancements to achieve C4ISR goals. This paper will present accomplishments over the first year of SOSA initiative.

  4. Promoting a Sustainable Academic–Correctional Health Partnership: Lessons for Systemic Action Research

    PubMed Central

    Barta, William D.; Shelton, Deborah; Cepelak, Cheryl; Gallagher, Colleen

    2015-01-01

    In the United States, the phenomenon of mass incarceration has created a public health crisis. One strategy for addressing this crisis involves developing a correctional agency – academic institution partnership tasked with augmenting the quality and quantity of evidence-based healthcare delivered in state prisons and attracting a greater number of health professionals to the field of correctional health research. Using a Connecticut correctional agency – academic institution partnership as a case example, the present paper examines some of the key challenges encountered over the course of a 3-year capacity-building initiative. Particular attention is given to agency and institution characteristics both at the structural level and in terms of divergent stakeholder perspectives. The authors find that future partnership development work in this area will likely benefit from close attention to predictable sources of temporal variation in agency capability to advance project-related aims. PMID:26997863

  5. Agency as a mediator in the pathway from transactional sex to HIV among pregnant women in Swaziland: a multigroup path analysis.

    PubMed

    Fielding-Miller, Rebecca; Dunkle, Kristin L; Hadley, Craig; Cooper, Hannah Lf; Windle, Michael

    2017-07-18

    Transactional sex is a structural driver of HIV for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. In transactional relationships, sexual and economic obligations intertwine and may have positive and negative effects on women's financial standing and social status. We conducted a clinic-based survey with pregnant women in Swaziland using a locally validated transactional sex scale to measure the association between subjective social status, transactional sex, and HIV status, and to assess whether this association differed according to a woman's agency within her relationship. We recruited a convenience sample of 406 pregnant women at one rural and one urban public antenatal clinic in Swaziland and administered a behavioural survey that was linked to participant HIV status using clinic records. We then conducted a multigroup path analysis to test three hypotheses: (1) that more engagement in transactional sex is associated with decreased condom use and increased subjective social status; (2) that subjective social status mediates the relationship between transactional sex and HIV status; and (3) that these relationships are different across groups according to whether or not a woman reported any indicator of constrained agency within her relationship. The amount and value of material goods received from a sexual partner was significantly and positively associated with higher subjective social status among all participants. As the amount of material goods received from a partner increased, women who reported no indicators of constrained agency were less likely to use condoms. Conversely, there was no relationship between transactional sex and condom use among women who reported any indicator of constrained relationship agency. Among women who reported any indicator of constrained agency, HIV was significantly associated with lower subjective social status. Relationship agency likely plays a key role in determining which mechanisms create HIV risk for women in transactional relationships. Interventions to mitigate these risks must address social forces that penalize women who engage in sexual relationships as well as structural drivers of gendered economic disparity that reduce women's agency within their sexual and romantic relationships.

  6. 33 CFR 165.836 - Security Zone; Escorted Vessels, Mobile, Alabama, Captain of the Port.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... lights, vessel markings, or with agency insignia as follows: Coast Guard surface or air asset displaying... coming up onto or coming off a plane; or (3) Creating an excessive wake or surge. (b) Regulated area. All...

  7. 77 FR 59702 - Promoting U.S. EC Regulatory Compatibility

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-28

    ... TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Promoting U.S. EC Regulatory Compatibility AGENCY: Office of the United... and European Commission (EC) share the goal of reducing excessive regulatory costs, unjustified..., safety, welfare, and the environment. Promoting this goal will help businesses to grow, create jobs, and...

  8. Our Deming Users' Group.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dinklocker, Christina

    1992-01-01

    After training in the Total Quality Management concept, a suburban Ohio school district created a Deming Users' Group to link agencies, individuals, and ideas. The group has facilitated ongoing school/business collaboration, networking among individuals from diverse school systems, mentoring and cooperative learning activities, and resource…

  9. Environmental Technology Verification: Baghouse Filtration Products--Donaldson Co., Inc., Tetratec #6255-3 Filtration Media

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  10. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT: BAGHOUSE FILTRATION PRODUCTS--DONALDSON COMPANY, INC. 6277 FILTRATION MEDIA

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through high quality, peer reviewed data on technology performance to those involved in the des...

  11. 21 CFR 11.1 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... SIGNATURES General Provisions § 11.1 Scope. (a) The regulations in this part set forth the criteria under which the agency considers electronic records, electronic signatures, and handwritten signatures... handwritten signatures executed on paper. (b) This part applies to records in electronic form that are created...

  12. Advanced Education Business Plan 2005-2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Advanced Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    In collaboration with learning providers, the advanced education system, industry, communities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, Advanced Education strives to create accessible, affordable and quality learning opportunities that are responsive to the ongoing learning needs of Albertans. The Ministry's 2005-08 Business Plan…

  13. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES, GEOLOG, INC., MICRO-FLO BLADDER PUMP MODEL 57400

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ETV Program...

  14. Controlling Conflict in Africa

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-01-01

    attention to conflict management in Africa by the Clinton administration. The president himself visited the continent twice where he spoke out on the... conflict management but created new Africa programs in a range of administrative agencies, e.g. a U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office for Africa

  15. Environmental Technology Verification: Baghouse Filtration Products--TDC Filter Manufacturing, Inc., SB025 Filtration Media

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  16. SMART GUIDANCE AS A TOOL FOR PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

  17. SMART GUIDANCE AS A TOOL FOR PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING (ABSTRACT)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

  18. 78 FR 29237 - Final Priority; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-Rehabilitation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-20

    ..., producing observational findings, and creating other sources of research-based information. This research... Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers AGENCY... for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by the...

  19. 78 FR 12056 - National Environmental Education Advisory Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-21

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9783-1] National Environmental Education Advisory Council... Environmental Education Advisory Council (NEEAC). The NEEAC was created by Congress to advise, consult with, and... related to activities, functions and policies of EPA under the National Environmental Education Act (the...

  20. 78 FR 49752 - National Environmental Education Advisory Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-15

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9900-14-OA] National Environmental Education Advisory Council... Environmental Education Advisory Council (NEEAC). The NEEAC was created by Congress to advise, consult with, and... related to activities, functions and policies of EPA under the National Environmental Education Act (the...

  1. US EPA GEOSPATIAL QUALITY COUNCIL: ENSURING QUALITY IN GEOPSPATIAL SOLUTIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development, Environmental Sciences Division, created the EPA Geospatial Quality Council (GQC) to fill the gap between the EPA Quality Assurance (QA) and Geospatial communities. GQC participants inclu...

  2. Creating Hope for Life-Sentenced Offenders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruddell, Rick; Broom, Ian; Young, Matthew

    2010-01-01

    Offenders sentenced to terms of life imprisonment pose special challenges for correctional systems. The Correctional Service of Canada collaborated with nongovernmental agencies to develop programmatic interventions to better prepare this population to survive their prison sentences and transition to the community. This study describes the…

  3. 32 CFR 291.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY (DNA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM § 291.3 Definitions... word record: (i) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture, vehicles and equipment, whatever..., stored, and retrieved, if not created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies...

  4. 32 CFR 291.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY (DNA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM § 291.3 Definitions... word record: (i) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture, vehicles and equipment, whatever..., stored, and retrieved, if not created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies...

  5. 32 CFR 291.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY (DNA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM § 291.3 Definitions... word record: (i) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture, vehicles and equipment, whatever..., stored, and retrieved, if not created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies...

  6. 32 CFR 291.3 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY (DNA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM § 291.3 Definitions... word record: (i) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture, vehicles and equipment, whatever..., stored, and retrieved, if not created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies...

  7. Home Energy Saver

    Science.gov Websites

    . Environmental Protection Agency logo PIER logo Touchstome Energy Cooperatives logo California Air Resouces Board logo Infosys logo Berkeley Lab logo Created for the US Department of Energy by the Energy Technologies Energy logo

  8. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT; ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE; ENVIRONMENTAL SOFTWARE SITEPRO VERSION 2.0"

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  9. Fifteen Projects Unveiled to Green Local Communities, Create Jobs and Manage Stormwater Runoff

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    BALTIMORE - Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with Maryland's Department of Natural Resources, announced $727,500 in grants to be awarded to 15 organizations through the Green Streets,

  10. SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART) - presentation 04

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

  11. CERTAIN: City Environment Range Testing for Autonomous Integrated Navigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, Jill

    2016-01-01

    This is a presentation to the DOI UAS Interagency group that is informational in nature; just sharing publicly available and previously released information on UAS regulations and some of the UAS operations Langley Center has, to create awareness with other government agencies.

  12. 28 CFR 802.4 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... records. (c) Business information means trade secrets or other commercial or financial information. (d) Business submitter means any entity which provides business information to the Agency and which has a proprietary interest in the information. (e) Computer software means tools by which records are created...

  13. Evaluating Process Effectiveness to Reduce Risk

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, Christena C.

    2017-01-01

    It is well documented that government agencies do not have the same incentive as the private sector to focus on process effectiveness and continual improvement of those processes. It is also well documented whenever government agencies fail to deliver efficient, effective, consistent, and fair services to the citizens. In spite of the various "reinventing government" and "effectiveness initiatives" of the past decades, and in spite of the efforts on the part of many agencies to improve, government in general still lags behind industry in creating a culture of effective processes and systems. While the tragic events that unfolded recently in Flint, Michigan, teach us that running government "like a business" does not always take the needs of the citizenry into account, there are many lessons and techniques from the private sector that government agencies can use to improve. The incentive to improve, while mandated by various administrations1, needs to come from within the workforce, in order to effectively take root. The best, most effective incentive is to reduce, control or eliminate risk. Government agencies face some of the same risks as the private sector, while some are unique. While ISO 310002 has been around since 2009, risk has taken on increased visibility within the private sector with the advent of the emphasis on risk-based thinking in ISO 9001:20153. The relationship between risk-based thinking and effective processes is simple and direct. Those processes that are well thought out and standardized (i.e. Plan-Do-Check-Act), will have taken into account the applicable policy, statutory, regulatory, safety, quality and technical parameters, which may not occur to someone performing the process with minimal experience or training; and thus protect the employees, the public and the agency from statutory and regulatory violations; delay in providing services; non-delivery of services; harm to public or employee safety and health; cost overruns; breaches in security; loss of confidence in government; failure of publicly funded projects; damage to the environment; ethics violations, and the list goes on; with local, national and even international consequences. The Plan-Do-Check-Act process, also known as the "process approach" can be used at any time to establish and standardize a process, and it can also be used to check periodically for "process creep" (i.e., informal, unauthorized changes that have occurred over time), any necessary updates and improvements. While ISO 9001 compliance is not mandated for all government agencies, if interpreted correctly, it can be useful in establishing a framework and implementing effective management systems and processes.4 Another method that can be used to evaluate effectiveness is the scorecard definitions in Mallory's Process Management Standard5 as a basis for evaluating work on the process level on effective, and continuously improved and improving processes. With processes on the lower end of the scale, agencies are vulnerable to a great many risks, with employees and managers making up many of the rules as they go, leading to the above listed negative results. Without clear guidance for nominal operations, off-nominal situations can, and do, increase the likelihood of chaos. In an increasingly technical environment, with inter-agency communication and collaboration becoming the norm, agencies need to come to grips with the fact that processes can become rapidly outdated, and that the technical community should take on an increased role in the maturation of the agency's processes. Industry has long known that effective processes are also efficient, and process improvement methods such as Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, and mistake proofing lead to increased productivity, improved quality, and decreased cost. Again, government agencies have different concerns, but inefficiencies and mistakes can have dire and wide reaching consequences for the public that they serve. While no one goes to work planning to cause harm, it is up to agencies to establish upper level systems, which make establishment and compliance with processes possible. Again, Mallory provides us with a Systems Management Standard6, similar to the Process Management Standard, with a scale of 0-5 for systems effectiveness and maturity. Deming determined that "eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individual employees to do better." 7 It is not just the working level employees who need effective processes, but the mid-and upper level managers as well. A disciplined management culture sets the tone for the employees, aids both routine and off-nominal decision-making, and incorporates risk -based thinking into the systems and processes as a matter of normal activity. Figure 1, illustrates the relationship between ineffective and effective processes and risk, through the use of the "stoplight" colors that are commonly used to show serious situations (red), situations which may be improving or deteriorating depending on trends (yellow), and situations that are under control and continuously improved (green).

  14. Report on GeoData 2011 Workshop - Data Life Cycle, Integration and Citation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Signell, R.; Fox, P.

    2012-04-01

    The U.S. GeoData 2011 was inspired by a joint NSF-USGS identification of the need to hear from the broader 'geo' community on a variety of data related matters. While increasing attention needed to be paid to full life cycle of data, in the process of preparing and scoping the workshop two other hot issues were identified: integration and citation, giving the workshop three subject areas to delve into as well as to explore connections among them. Invited participants were drawn from all 'Geo' disciplines, and beyond, from information, computer and library science, from academia, agency and commercial organizations, and from student to senior faculty/ administrators. The workshop diversity provided a rich exchange of ideas, experiences and challenges for GeoData. Many key findings and recommendations have been extracted from the detail breakout discussions and syntheses during and after the workshop. Topical categories included: metadata, standards, standards-based tools, culture, collaboration and workforce. Key points that cut across all three-subject areas were: - A shift is needed within agencies to provide longer-term funding support, for communities to come together, remain coherent and to enable data stewardship, integration and citation within their communities and across to other communities (to the extent possible). - Agencies like USGS, NASA and NOAA must also play a key role in sustaining geoscience cyberinfrastructure by moving research advances into operations. - Community-wide standards and practices should build from demonstrated successes, be widely disseminated, and tools need to be developed to support them. - Education is critical to broader adoption. Marketing studies need to be conducted to provide the business case for full stewardship, integration and citation, and incentives are needed to encourage everyone to participate in making data integratable, citable, etc. While technology gaps are still evident across the three topic areas, there is recognition that human factors dominate, and often limit progress and effectiveness. Organizational and resource factors that would lead to a solid understanding of the business case behind, for example, making data preservable and integratable, come at a cost that is not well documented or supported when resource (funds and people) decisions are made. This presentation will report on the data life cycle findings and recommendations from the workshop. Recommendations: - Create an interagency working group to foster data life cycle management practices, support coordination and informatics science initiatives, and to develop a high level shared vision and strategy for data life cycle management - Create and fund a coordination office that works with the "working" level of agencies and academic institutions to facilitate working groups and workshops, adoption of standards and tools, and creation of sustainable archives - Support and actively participate in existing coordination groups, and create where needed, new communities of practice in data life cycle management across agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector - Establish an NSF working group to address the issue of incentives and cultural change needed to facilitate implementation of data life-cycle management http://tw.rpi.edu/web/Workshop/Community/GeoData2011, #geodata2011

  15. 1993 UPDATE OF THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S SITE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Emerging Technology Program (ETP), part of the U.S. EPA`s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, is continuing to create an environment where technical innovation can accelerate into field and commercial applications for treatment of hazardous waste sites....

  16. 76 FR 47262 - Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-04

    ... industry during the current reporting period. Pre-test and post- test results of trainees. Course... funding ends. 2. Agency creates training Increase number of Pre-test and post- materials and improves quality educational test results of the safety. materials developed. training materials. Provide quality...

  17. INVERTEBRATE AND PLANT ECO-SSLS DERIVED FROM PUBLISHED TOXICITY STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), in collaboration with other federal, state, and industry groups has developed Ecological Soil Screening Levels (Eco-SSLs) for common contaminants found at Superfund sites. The Eco-SSLs were created as a tool to identify soil conta...

  18. Epic landslide erosion from mountain roads in Yunnan, China – challenges for sustainable development

    EPA Science Inventory

    Expanding systems of mountain roads in developing countries significantly increase the risk of landslides and sedimentation in streams and rivers, as well as create vulnerabilities for residents and aquatic resources. However, neither government agencies nor external assistance o...

  19. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES - QED ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS INC. WELL WIZARD DEDICATED SAMPLING SYSTEM

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ...

  20. ESRP approach to using final ecosystem services

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed the ecosystem Services Research Program (ESRP) as one of its major research efforts. The goal of this program is to create “A comprehensive theory and practice for quantifying ecosystem services so that their value and their...

  1. 5 CFR 850.103 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...) ELECTRONIC RETIREMENT PROCESSING General Provisions § 850.103 Definitions. In this part— Agency means an... graphical image of a handwritten signature usually created using a special computer input device (such as a... comparison with the characteristics and biometric data of a known or exemplar signature image. Director means...

  2. Advanced Initiatives in Medical Simulation, 3rd Annual Conference to Create Awareness of Medical Simulation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-06-30

    Mexico suggested bringing together government agencies, academics, and industry representatives with an interest in medical simulation to identify ways...test, take online continuing medical education (CME) courses on electronic fetal monitoring and shoulder dystocia , and complete a physician

  3. Lessons Learned during Creation of the I-65 Biofuels Corridor (White Paper)

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

    Not Available

    2009-06-01

    A team of Clean Cities coalitions and state agencies worked together to create a biofuels corridor along I-65 between Indiana and Alabama. The team built relationships with stakeholders and learned the value of strong partnerships, good communication, marketing, and preparation.

  4. Creating Interpretive Visual Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holt, Brenda Southerland

    2012-01-01

    In a study of "disadvantaged" Australian rural women on access scholarships at an elite metropolitan university, I explored the complex amalgam of agency, imagination and personal experience at the nexus of higher education mobility. Alongside the 200 digital photographs the participants took to explain their mobility away from…

  5. 42 CFR 136.351 - Application and selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... factors: (1) The extent of the unmet health care needs of the urban Indians in the urban center involved..., in the urban center. Factors to be considered in determining relative accessibility include: (i...; (vi) Technical barriers created by State and local health agencies; (vii) Availability of...

  6. SPATIAL ACCURACY: A CRITICAL FACTOR IN GIS-RELATED ACTIVITIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Onsite analyses are critical to making timely decisions. The results of these decisions may not be realized for many years. In order to increase the value of onsite analyses and to create and utilize meaningful environmental models, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dev...

  7. 44 CFR 12.3 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Policy. 12.3 Section 12.3 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GENERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES § 12.3 Policy. In determining whether an advisory committee should be created...

  8. 44 CFR 12.3 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Policy. 12.3 Section 12.3 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GENERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES § 12.3 Policy. In determining whether an advisory committee should be created...

  9. 40 CFR 149.100 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 1424(e) and 1450 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Safe Drinking Water Act, Pub. L... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SOLE SOURCE... drinking water source for the San Antonio area and which, if contaminated, would create a significant...

  10. 40 CFR 149.100 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 1424(e) and 1450 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Safe Drinking Water Act, Pub. L... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SOLE SOURCE... drinking water source for the San Antonio area and which, if contaminated, would create a significant...

  11. New Chemicals Program - Boilerplates for Orders under section 5 of TSCA

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA issues orders under section 5 of the TSCA in response to a specific concern. These concerns are often very similar to concerns that have incited prior orders. To prevent this, the Agency created a standard boilerplate for the more frequent concerns.

  12. 77 FR 27442 - Recruitment of First Responder Network Authority Board of Directors

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-10

    ... First Responder Network Authority Board of Directors AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information... First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). The Act created FirstNet as an independent authority within NTIA that will establish a single nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network. The...

  13. 78 FR 13597 - Proposed Priority-National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-Rehabilitation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-28

    ... and rehabilitation research; (2) foster an exchange of expertise, information, and training methods to... refined analyses of data, producing observational findings, and creating other sources of research-based... Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--Rehabilitation Research and Training Center AGENCY...

  14. Modular and Spatially Explicit: A Novel Approach to System Dynamics

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Open Modeling Environment (OME) is an open-source System Dynamics (SD) simulation engine which has been created as a joint project between Oregon State University and the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is designed around a modular implementation, and provides a standa...

  15. 78 FR 1858 - National Environmental Education Advisory Council

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-09

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9769-2] National Environmental Education Advisory Council... Education Advisory Council (NEEAC). The NEEAC was created by Congress to advise, consult with, and make..., functions and policies of EPA under the National Environmental Education Act (the Act). The purpose of this...

  16. 5 CFR 300.504 - Prohibition on employer-employee relationship

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... REGULATIONS EMPLOYMENT (GENERAL) Use of Private Sector Temporaries § 300.504 Prohibition on employer-employee relationship No employer-employee relationship is created by an agency's use of private sector temporaries... appropriate procedures for interaction with private sector temporaries to assure that the supervisory...

  17. 36 CFR § 1222.26 - What are the general recordkeeping requirements for agency programs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF... be created and maintained to document program policies, procedures, functions, activities, and... electronic records; (c) Related records series and systems; (d) The relationship between paper and electronic...

  18. 32 CFR 292.4 - Specific policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT § 292.4 Specific policy... within the definition of the word “record:” (1) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture... created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies, functions, decisions, or...

  19. 32 CFR 292.4 - Specific policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... INFORMATION ACT PROGRAM DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT § 292.4 Specific policy... within the definition of the word “record:” (1) Objects or articles, such as structures, furniture... created or used as sources of information about organizations, policies, functions, decisions, or...

  20. School Leadership Policy Trends and Developments: Policy Expediency or Policy Excellence?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roach, Virginia; Smith, L. Wes; Boutin, James

    2011-01-01

    Background: Institutional theorists suggest environmental stakeholders in the "organizational field" have a symbiotic relationship with governing agencies, leading to institutional isomorphism. Hence state policy makers copy the work of their colleagues across states to create a sense of legitimacy, certainty, and professionalization…

  1. The Art (Not Science) of Grants Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gosmire, Doreen

    2006-01-01

    Currently there are more than fifty thousand nonprofit agencies and organizations, including schools, that receive federal grants. These entities invest substantial time and money in seeking grant dollars (Schumacher, 2005). Recipients underestimate the investment and complexity associated with managing grants. The work of creating ownership,…

  2. 78 FR 1188 - Commercial Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-08

    ... Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule... the following methods: Federal Communications Commission's Web Site: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2... Federal Communications Commission (Commission) propose to create a new Citizens Broadband Service in the...

  3. Education Via Satellite: A Trinational Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shaw, Willard D.

    The Rural Satellite Program of the U.S. Agency for International Development was a 6-year effort (1981-87) to explore the potential uses of two way telecommunications facilities, particularly satellite-mediated, telephone-based technologies--to support Third World Development educational endeavors. This program created three audioconferencing…

  4. Total Water Management: A Research Project of the United States Environmental Protection Agency

    EPA Science Inventory

    Total Water Management (TWM) examines urban water systems in an interconnected manner. It encompasses reducing water demands, increasing water recycling and reuse, creating water supply assets from stormwater management, matching water quality to end-use needs, and achieving envi...

  5. 77 FR 9239 - California State Motor Vehicle and Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Truck Idling...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-16

    ... Pollution Control Standards; Truck Idling Requirements; Notice of Decision AGENCY: Environmental Protection... to meet its serious air pollution problems. Likewise, EPA has consistently recognized that California... and high concentrations of automobiles, create serious pollution problems.'' \\37\\ Furthermore, no...

  6. Manual on performance of traffic signal systems: assessment of operations and maintenance.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-05-01

    The annual evaluation of traffic signal systems on an agency level can be of great importance for identifying problems, self-assessment, budgeting, creating the strategy for future steps, etc. The most famous similar effort of this type is the Nation...

  7. Texas-specific drive cycles and idle emissions rates for using with EPA's MOVES model : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-05-01

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) newest emissions model, MOtor Vehicle : Emission Simulator (MOVES), uses a disaggregate approach that enables the users of the model to create : and use local drive schedules (drive cycles) in order ...

  8. Alcohol control in Virginia : planning documents for use by agencies of the Commonwealth.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1982-01-01

    The Governor's Task Force to Combat Drunk Driving was created to confront the problem of drunken driving in Virginia, and to ascertain Virginia's current efforts to address this problem so that these efforts could be assessed and appropriate changes ...

  9. 78 FR 35053 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Evaluation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-11

    ... for OMB Review; Comment Request; Evaluation of the Army Unemployment Compensation for Ex... INFORMATION: I. Background: The Army Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service Members (UCX) Claimants... create a strong collaborative partnership among the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system, the public...

  10. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES, GEOPROBE INC., PNEUMATIC BLADDER PUMP GW 1400 SERIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) design efficient processes for conducting has created the Environmental Technology perfofl1lance tests of innovative technologies. Verification Program (E TV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental techn...

  11. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES, GEOPROBE INC, MECHANICAL BLADDER PUMP MODEL MP470

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) design efficient processes for conducting has created the Environmental Technology perfofl1lance tests of innovative technologies. Verification Program (E TV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental techn...

  12. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION OF THE W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES GORE-SORBER SCREENING SURVEY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  13. Interprofessional support of mental well-being in schools: a Bourdieuan perspective.

    PubMed

    Spratt, Jennifer; Shucksmith, Janet; Philip, Kate; Watson, Cate

    2006-08-01

    There is increasing international concern about the mental health and well-being of school-aged children, and the school is often seen as the optimum setting to deliver interagency interventions. This paper draws on a Scottish study examining the responses of local authorities, schools and other agencies to challenging behaviour related to poor mental health. It explores the ways in which the presence of workers from other agencies had an impact on the capacity of schools to respond to such issues. In Bourdieuan terms, the study showed that non-teaching workers imported into school developed new forms of 'habitus' leading to effective team work to support vulnerable pupils, but that they often operated in isolation from the wider teaching staff. Different professional cultures created significant barriers, which could be exacerbated by active resistance to meaningful engagement. Consequently, parallel working evolved, where staff from agencies other than education supported pupils experiencing difficulties, but there was little evidence of corresponding changes to ethos or pedagogy to meet the needs of pupils in school. Expertise pertaining to the mental well-being of pupils thus tended to be compartmentalized and was not readily transferred elsewhere, and this led to a disjointed experience for pupils. Our evidence strongly suggested that teachers preferred to learn from other teachers. This served to reinforce existing habitus and to isolate them from new ways of thinking. Potential ways of effecting culture change are suggested, through innovative training and development, linked to accountability, to challenge the new mode of parallel working before it becomes the status quo.

  14. Increasing clinicians' EBT exploration and preparation behavior in youth mental health services by changing organizational culture with ARC.

    PubMed

    Glisson, Charles; Williams, Nathaniel J; Hemmelgarn, Anthony; Proctor, Enola; Green, Philip

    2016-01-01

    Clinician EBT exploration and preparation behavior is essential to the ongoing implementation of new EBTs. This study examined the effect of the ARC organizational intervention on clinician EBT exploration and preparation behavior and assessed the mediating role of organizational culture as a linking mechanism. Fourteen community mental health agencies that serve youth in a major Midwestern metropolis along with 475 clinicians who worked in those agencies, were randomly assigned to either the three-year ARC intervention or control condition. Organizational culture was assessed with the Organizational Social Context (OSC) measure at baseline and follow-up. EBT exploration and preparation behavior was measured as clinician participation in nine separate community EBT workshops held over a three-year period. There was 69 percent greater odds (OR = 1.69, p < .003) of clinicians in the ARC condition (versus control) attending each subsequent workshop. Workshop attendance in the control group remained under two percent and declined over three years while attendance in the ARC condition grew from 3.6 percent in the first workshop to 12 percent in the ninth and final workshop. Improvement in proficient organizational culture mediated the positive effect of the ARC intervention on clinicians' workshop attendance (a × b = .21; 95% CI:LL = .05, UL = .40). Organizational interventions that create proficient mental health agency cultures can increase clinician EBT exploration and preparation behavior that is essential to the ongoing implementation of new EBTs in community youth mental health settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Beyond the “urge to move”: objective measures for the study of agency in the post-Libet era

    PubMed Central

    Rowe, James B.

    2014-01-01

    The investigation of human volition is a longstanding endeavor from both philosophers and researchers. Yet because of the major challenges associated with capturing voluntary movements in an ecologically relevant state in the research environment, it is only in recent years that human agency has grown as a field of cognitive neuroscience. In particular, the seminal work of Libet et al. (1983) paved the way for a neuroscientific approach to agency. Over the past decade, new objective paradigms have been developed to study agency, drawing upon emerging concepts from cognitive and computational neuroscience. These include the chronometric approach of Libet’s study which is embedded in the “intentional binding” paradigm, optimal motor control theory and most recent insights from active inference theory. Here we review these principal methods and their application to the study of agency in health and the insights gained from their application to neurological and psychiatric disorders. We show that the neuropsychological paradigms that are based upon these new approaches have key advantages over traditional experimental designs. We propose that these advantages, coupled with advances in neuroimaging, create a powerful set of tools for understanding human agency and its neurobiological basis. PMID:24999325

  16. Beyond the "urge to move": objective measures for the study of agency in the post-Libet era.

    PubMed

    Wolpe, Noham; Rowe, James B

    2014-01-01

    The investigation of human volition is a longstanding endeavor from both philosophers and researchers. Yet because of the major challenges associated with capturing voluntary movements in an ecologically relevant state in the research environment, it is only in recent years that human agency has grown as a field of cognitive neuroscience. In particular, the seminal work of Libet et al. (1983) paved the way for a neuroscientific approach to agency. Over the past decade, new objective paradigms have been developed to study agency, drawing upon emerging concepts from cognitive and computational neuroscience. These include the chronometric approach of Libet's study which is embedded in the "intentional binding" paradigm, optimal motor control theory and most recent insights from active inference theory. Here we review these principal methods and their application to the study of agency in health and the insights gained from their application to neurological and psychiatric disorders. We show that the neuropsychological paradigms that are based upon these new approaches have key advantages over traditional experimental designs. We propose that these advantages, coupled with advances in neuroimaging, create a powerful set of tools for understanding human agency and its neurobiological basis.

  17. Cost-effectiveness analysis of sandhill crane habitat management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kessler, Andrew C.; Merchant, James W.; Shultz, Steven D.; Allen, Craig R.

    2013-01-01

    Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost as much as US $12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decision-makers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals.

  18. The Best and the Brightest in Geosciences: Broadening Representation in the Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Myles, L.

    2017-12-01

    Geoscience research in government agencies and universities across the US is anchored by data collection from field and lab experiments. In these settings, the composition and the culture of the environment can be less welcoming for individuals from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the geosciences. Ongoing efforts to address diversity and inclusion in the field and lab include top-down approaches that provide support and training for established geoscience leaders and bottom-up approaches that offer research internships and fellowships for students. To achieve success, effective strategies for broadening representation in the field must be developed and shared across the geosciences community to advance scientific innovation and create opportunities for success.

  19. Canada's Interagency Volcanic Event Notification Plan: A Work in Progress Since 1990

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hickson, C. J.; Deacon, E.; Erickson, D.; Ilg, H.; Korstad, R.; Miller, E.; Servranckx, R.; White, W.; Whyte, J.

    2006-12-01

    Canada has had a formal volcanic ash notification network since early 1990. The Interagency Volcanic Event Notification Plan, "IVENP", was created following the near fatal encounter of a 747 passenger aircraft with ash from Mt. Redoubt, Alaska, in December of 1989. The Canadian Airline Pilots Association, brought the matter of aircraft safety and volcanoes to the floor of the Canadian Parliament where it was raised as an issue of significant concern. This concern, coupled with the threat of volcanic ash entering Canadian airspace, not only from Alaskan volcanoes, but also from the Cascade Magmatic Arc to the south (especially Washington and Oregon) and Canada's own history of volcanism, succeeded in generating a call to action. The Minister of Natural Resources Canada called upon his staff to create and maintain a plan. Work on the plan was started immediately and an early version was available to the original eight participating agencies by May 1990. Since that time the plan has been modified a number of times and the response to the three explosive 1992 eruptions of Mt. Spurr, Alaska, provided fertile grounds for testing the links and making modifications. Until 2004, Alaskan and Cascade volcanoes were relatively quiet, but renewed activity at Mt. St. Helens (starting in September of 2004) provided a critical new test of the plan. During the intervening years the plan had been kept current, but was not tested in a real eruption. One of the main challenges has been experienced by changing technology. Reliance on faxing in the 1990s, has been superseded by EMAIL and other electronic means of passing data. However, not all agencies have advanced in their digital capacity equally. The need for 24/7 vigilance and technologies that work under many differing circumstances for different agencies remains paramount. IVENP, if anything, has had to evolve into one which is even more flexible than originally conceived. Maintaining momentum, understanding agency mandates and capabilities, are all important to ensuring a functional effective notification plan resulting in timely action to avoid aircraft-ash confrontation and reducing the impact to people on the ground. Although we have improved various aspects of the plan after 16 years, there are still many things that remain a challenge.

  20. 76 FR 1525 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revisions to Rules and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-11

    ... Pollution; Permitting of Grandfathered and Electing Electric Generating Facilities AGENCY: Environmental... permitting procedures for grandfathered electric generating facilities (EGFs). The revisions address a... emissions increases of carbon monoxide (CO) created by the imposition of technology controls to be permitted...

  1. 32 CFR 581.1 - Army Disability Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Army Disability Review Board. 581.1 Section 581.1 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY PERSONNEL PERSONNEL... an administrative agency created within the Department of the Army under authority of section 302...

  2. SPECIATE 4.3: Addendum to SPECIATE 4.2--Speciation database development documentation

    EPA Science Inventory

    SPECIATE is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) repository of volatile organic gas and particulate matter (PM) speciation profiles of air pollution sources. Among the many uses of speciation data, these source profiles are used to: (1) create speciated emissions inve...

  3. Reading for Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKearney, Miranda

    2009-01-01

    The Reading Agency has been backing and building a movement in libraries called reader development. The movement is creating a livelier, more interventionist reading service that's both much more attractive and socially relevant. A focus on reader development is changing the way public libraries work, and transforming people's lives in the…

  4. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT; GROUNDWATER SAMPLING TECHNOLOGIES; W.L. GORE AND ASSOCIATES, INC., GORE-SORBER WATER QUALITY MONITORING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  5. Assessment of Important SPECIATE Profiles in EPA’s Emissions Modeling Platform and Current Data Gaps

    EPA Science Inventory

    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s SPECIATE database contains speciation profiles for both particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are key inputs for creating speciated emission inventories for air quality modeling. The objective of th...

  6. Handbook of Community Resources for Classroom Use.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cartwright, Laura; Miller, Carol

    This handbook, one of a series of materials, was created to help vocational education teachers in the Mississippi ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) Region to use resources available in their communities to enrich their classroom teaching. Resources are categorized as communication, government agencies, industry, and local business and…

  7. 76 FR 49832 - Notice of Market Assessment and Public Meeting for Digital Transportation Exchange

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-11

    ... Market Assessment and Public Meeting for Digital Transportation Exchange AGENCY: Office of the Secretary...--creating a thriving marketplace for digital transportation solutions. The Digital Transportation Exchange... best digital products and services for the transportation industry--from very simple to very complex...

  8. STANDARD EVALUATION PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTED DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY DATA

    EPA Science Inventory

    As a NAFTA-inspired multi-governmental initiative, experts from the US EPA (Office of Research and Development, Office of Pesticide Program, or OPP) and the PMRA (Pest Management Regulatory Agency) of Health Canada formed a working group to create a document that would serve as a...

  9. 76 FR 67058 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Sturgis, SD

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-31

    ...-0430; Airspace Docket No. 11-AGL-10] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Sturgis, SD AGENCY: Federal... Sturgis, SD, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures at Sturgis... proposed rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Sturgis, SD, creating controlled airspace at Sturgis...

  10. 76 FR 44257 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mobridge, SD

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-25

    ...-0134; Airspace Docket No. 11-AGL-3] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mobridge, SD AGENCY: Federal... Mobridge, SD, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures at Mobridge... notice of proposed rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Mobridge, SD, creating additional controlled...

  11. Environmental Technology Verification Report: Baghouse Filtration Products, Donaldson Company, Inc. Tetratex® 6282 Filtration Media (Tested March - April 2011)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  12. Environmental Technology Verification Report: Baghouse Filtration Products, Donaldson Company, Inc. Tetratex® 6277 Filtration Media (Tested March 2011)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  13. Environmental Technology Verification: Baghouse filtration products--W.L. Gore & Associates L3650 filtration media (tested November--December 2009)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  14. Environmental Technology Verification Report: Baghouse Filtration Products, Donaldson Company, Inc. Tetratex® 6262 Filtration Media (Tested March 2011)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

  15. Records of Achievement. NASA Special Publications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC.

    When Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 25 years ago, it directed that information derived from the agency's pursuit of knowledge through space exploration and aeronautical research be made available to all Americans. This has been accomplished through a series of scientific and technical publications. One…

  16. Creating a Population of 12-Digit Headwater Basins within the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary System

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ecological research within the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development has recently changed its focus to quantifying and mapping ecosystem services provided to humans. Our local research group has been charged to develop a regional assessment of se...

  17. DIGITAL ATLAS OF LAKE TEXOMA (CD-ROM)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked together to create a Digital Atlas of Lake Texoma. The Digital Atlas of Lake Texoma contains 29 digital map data sets covering Cooke and Grayson Counties in Texas, and Bryan,...

  18. 76 FR 78315 - Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-16

    ..., official opinions, and legal interpretations and activities. 3. Department of Defense, Defense Contract..., after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is... year Federal agencies create billions of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To...

  19. 77 FR 74028 - Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-12

    ..., after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is... agencies create billions of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control this...-significant case files, administrative materials, and working papers. Also includes records related to the...

  20. 77 FR 70835 - Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-27

    ..., after a specified period, of records lacking administrative, legal, research, or other value. Notice is... agencies create billions of records on paper, film, magnetic tape, and other media. To control this [[Page...). Records related to the International Visitor Leadership Program, including project files, grants, and...

  1. 76 FR 22408 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-21

    ...) systems created under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 1975, known as... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration... Advocacy for Developmental Disabilities (PADD) Program administered by the Administration on Developmental...

  2. 36 CFR 290.4 - Confidentiality of cave location information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... AGRICULTURE CAVE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT § 290.4 Confidentiality of cave location information. (a) Information... determines that disclosure will further the purposes of the Act and will not create a substantial risk of... Federal or State governmental agencies, bona fide educational or research institutes, or individuals or...

  3. Curriculum Research: Toward a Framework for "Research-based Curricula"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clements, Douglas H.

    2007-01-01

    Government agencies and members of the educational research community have petitioned for research-based curricula. The ambiguity of the phrase "research-based", however, undermines attempts to create a shared research foundation for the development of, and informed choices about, classroom curricula. This article presents a framework…

  4. 76 FR 73505 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, AR

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-29

    ...-0497; Airspace Docket No. 11-ASW-4] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Nashville, AR AGENCY: Federal... for Nashville, AR, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures... a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend Class E airspace for Nashville, AR, creating additional...

  5. The New Environment for Development Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Picciotto, Robert

    2007-01-01

    The millennium development goals have created new challenges for development evaluation. The main unit of account has shifted to the country level. Evaluation ownership must move from donor agencies to developing countries. The recognition that rich countries have development obligations is opening up evaluation frontiers beyond aid. A…

  6. 76 FR 4906 - Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-27

    ... Health Care Workforce Program: University-Based Training--OMB No. 0090-NEW--Office of the National... Workforce Program: University-Based Training. The Workforce Program, created under Section 3016 of the..., undergraduate, and masters degree programs, for both health care and information technology students.'' The...

  7. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION, TEST REPORT OF CONTROL OF BIOAEROSOLS IN HVAC SYSTEMS, COLUMBUS INDUSTRIES HIGH EFFICIENCY MINI PLEAT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  8. Some Automated Cartography Developments at the Defense Mapping Agency.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-01-01

    on a pantographic router creating a laminate step model which was moulded in plaster for carving Into a terrain model. This section will trace DMA’s...offering economical automation. Precision flatbed Concord plotters were brought into DMA with sufficiently programmable control computers to perform these

  9. 76 FR 40598 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Campbellton, TX

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-11

    ...-1053; Airspace Docket No. 10-ASW-15] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Campbellton, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action establishes Class E airspace... proposed rulemaking to establish Class E airspace for Campbellton, TX, creating controlled airspace at 74...

  10. 76 FR 43822 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Hearne, TX

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-22

    ...-0214; Airspace Docket No. 11-ASW-2] Establishment of Class E Airspace; Hearne, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action establishes Class E airspace... notice of proposed rulemaking to establish Class E airspace for Hearne, TX, creating controlled airspace...

  11. 77 FR 56761 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Kerrville, TX

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-14

    ...-1399; Airspace Docket No. 11-ASW-14] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Kerrville, TX AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at... Class E airspace for the Kerrville, TX, area, creating additional controlled airspace at Kerrville...

  12. Oil City PREP: Putting Positive Principles into Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenman, Jessica; Barnhill, Rachelle; Riley, Ben

    2013-01-01

    Tamara Shepard from Southwest Behavioral Health Management (SBHM) proposed a plan to schools in Venango County, Pennsylvania. School districts would collaborate with mental health agencies to create a school-based integrated classroom model that would combine education and behavioral health interventions in one setting. When she initially…

  13. 78 FR 23206 - Council for Native American Farming and Ranching

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Council for Native American Farming and Ranching AGENCY: Office of... meeting of The Council for Native American Farming and Ranching (CNAFR) a public advisory committee of the... examine methods of maximizing the number of new farming and ranching opportunities created through the...

  14. 77 FR 43571 - Council for Native American Farming and Ranching

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-25

    ... American Farming and Ranching AGENCY: Office of Tribal Relations, USDA. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a forthcoming meeting of The Council for Native American Farming and... of maximizing the number of new farming and ranching opportunities created through the farm loan...

  15. 3 CFR - Federal Leadership on Energy Management

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 3 The President 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Federal Leadership on Energy Management Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of December 5, 2013 Federal Leadership on Energy Management Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies In order to create a clean energy...

  16. Making Strides with Educational Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golden, Michael

    2005-01-01

    The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is working with local education agencies throughout the Commonwealth to create a culture of teaching and learning in every school that is student-centered, data-informed, personalized, and results-focused. Each of these elements have been supported seamlessly by systems, resources, technology, and…

  17. 78 FR 7433 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [Document... data collection of NQF 0678 Pressure Ulcer measures beginning October 1, 2012, with the understanding... of Health and Human Services (HHS) that was called for under the Affordable Care Act to create...

  18. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT SOFTWARE, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE RESEARCH CORPORATION, SPATIAL ANALYSIS AND DECISION ASSISTANCE (SADA)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

  19. SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART) FOR A PRESENTATION ON OCTOBER 2003.

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

  20. Innovative funding of educational outreach by a state agency

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kopaska-Merkel, D. C.

    2001-01-01

    The educational role of state geological surveys is increasing yet state funding for this role is commonly lacking. Staff members of the Geological Survey of Alabama/State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama have developed and implemented a succesful Outside Funding Model to support educational outreach programs. Staff members created an informal organization within the agency and raised money specifically for educational outreach. The primary vehicles for fund raising are an annual charity golf tournament, sales of t-shirts and field-trip guidebooks, and small grants awarded by a variety of organizations. The money raised is used to fund a wide variety of educational activities that would not be possible otherwise. The Alabama Outside Funding Model could be duplicated by surveys or similar agencies in other states.

  1. Strategic philanthropy: an opportunity for partnership between corporations and health/human service agencies.

    PubMed

    Marx, J D

    1996-01-01

    The study is a national survey of corporate philanthropy programs. The original problem underlying the study is the long-term decline in the percentage of total corporate contributions to health and human services. A questionnaire, mailed in May of 1993, was used to investigate the impact of strategic philanthropy on the relationship between corporations and health/human service organizations. Corporations strategically prioritizing their philanthropic support were expected to create new opportunities for partnerships between business and health/human service agencies. The survey resulted in a sample of 226 corporations. The results showed statistically significant support for the hypothesis that highly strategic philanthropy programs will be more likely to enter into a health/human service partnership than less strategic programs. The multiple regression analysis method was used to control for the effects of corporate size, industry type, the (corporate) contributions management organization, and United Way credibility. Based upon the results of the study, United Way is recommended to consider new roles for itself as a facilitator of partnerships between business and health/human service organizations.

  2. Reorganizing Nigeria's Vaccine Supply Chain Reduces Need For Additional Storage Facilities, But More Storage Is Required.

    PubMed

    Shittu, Ekundayo; Harnly, Melissa; Whitaker, Shanta; Miller, Roger

    2016-02-01

    One of the major problems facing Nigeria's vaccine supply chain is the lack of adequate vaccine storage facilities. Despite the introduction of solar-powered refrigerators and the use of new tools to monitor supply levels, this problem persists. Using data on vaccine supply for 2011-14 from Nigeria's National Primary Health Care Development Agency, we created a simulation model to explore the effects of variance in supply and demand on storage capacity requirements. We focused on the segment of the supply chain that moves vaccines inside Nigeria. Our findings suggest that 55 percent more vaccine storage capacity is needed than is currently available. We found that reorganizing the supply chain as proposed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency could reduce that need to 30 percent more storage. Storage requirements varied by region of the country and vaccine type. The Nigerian government may want to consider the differences in storage requirements by region and vaccine type in its proposed reorganization efforts. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  3. Satellite Contamination and Materials Outgassing Knowledge base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Minor, Jody L.; Kauffman, William J. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Satellite contamination continues to be a design problem that engineers must take into account when developing new satellites. To help with this issue, NASA's Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program funded the development of the Satellite Contamination and Materials Outgassing Knowledge base. This engineering tool brings together in one location information about the outgassing properties of aerospace materials based upon ground-testing data, the effects of outgassing that has been observed during flight and measurements of the contamination environment by on-orbit instruments. The knowledge base contains information using the ASTM Standard E- 1559 and also consolidates data from missions using quartz-crystal microbalances (QCM's). The data contained in the knowledge base was shared with NASA by government agencies and industry in the US and international space agencies as well. The term 'knowledgebase' was used because so much information and capability was brought together in one comprehensive engineering design tool. It is the SEE Program's intent to continually add additional material contamination data as it becomes available - creating a dynamic tool whose value to the user is ever increasing. The SEE Program firmly believes that NASA, and ultimately the entire contamination user community, will greatly benefit from this new engineering tool and highly encourages the community to not only use the tool but add data to it as well.

  4. Intervention mapping for development of a participatory return-to-work intervention for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders

    PubMed Central

    Vermeulen, Sylvia J; Anema, Johannes R; Schellart, Antonius JM; van Mechelen, Willem; van der Beek, Allard J

    2009-01-01

    Background In the past decade in activities aiming at return-to-work (RTW), there has been a growing awareness to change the focus from sickness and work disability to recovery and work ability. To date, this process in occupational health care (OHC) has mainly been directed towards employees. However, within the working population there are two vulnerable groups: temporary agency workers and unemployed workers, since they have no workplace/employer to return to, when sick-listed. For this group there is a need for tailored RTW strategies and interventions. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the structured and stepwise process of development, implementation and evaluation of a theory- and practise-based participatory RTW program for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers, sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). This program is based on the already developed and cost-effective RTW program for employees, sick-listed due to low back pain. Methods The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol was used to develop a tailor-made RTW program for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers, sick-listed due to MSD. The Attitude-Social influence-self-Efficacy (ASE) model was used as a theoretical framework for determinants of behaviour regarding RTW of the sick-listed worker and development of the intervention. To ensure participation and facilitate successful adoption and implementation, important stakeholders were involved in all steps of program development and implementation. Results of semi-structured interviews and 'fine-tuning' meetings were used to design the final participatory RTW program. Results A structured stepwise RTW program was developed, aimed at making a consensus-based RTW implementation plan. The new program starts with identifying obstacles for RTW, followed by a brainstorm session in which the sick-listed worker and the labour expert of the Social Security Agency (SSA) formulate solutions/possibilities for suitable (therapeutic) work. This process is guided by an independent RTW coordinator to achieve consensus. Based on the resulting RTW implementation plan, to create an actual RTW perspective, a vocational rehabilitation agency is assigned to find a matching (therapeutic) workplace. The cost-effectiveness of this participatory RTW program will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. Conclusion IM is a promising tool for the development of tailor-made OHC interventions for the vulnerable working population. PMID:19573229

  5. Review of the Tri-Agency Space Nuclear Reactor Power System Technology Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ambrus, J. H.; Wright, W. E.; Bunch, D. F.

    1984-01-01

    The Space Nuclear Reactor Power System Technology Program designated SP-100 was created in 1983 by NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Attention is presently given to the development history of SP-100 over the course of its first year, in which it has been engaged in program objectives' definition, the analysis of civil and military missions, nuclear power system functional requirements' definition, concept definition studies, the selection of primary concepts for technology feasibility validation, and the acquisition of initial experimental and analytical results.

  6. A case management agency and bank create a service innovation.

    PubMed

    Katz, K S; Stowe, A W

    1992-01-01

    Connecticut Community Care, Inc. (CCCI), a statewide, nonprofit case management agency, in collaboration with Connecticut National Bank (CNB), developed a unique model of delivering case management services to bank trust clients. No reports of such a collaborative model have been found in the published literature in the United States. The article presents a historical overview of this innovative initiative; the identification of the target population; the delivery of the assessment, coordination, and monitoring services; and the marketing techniques. Utilization statistics, a synopsis of the model outcomes as viewed by the trust officers, and suggestions for replication are also presented.

  7. Translating evidence into practice: the role of health research funders

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background A growing body of work on knowledge translation (KT) reveals significant gaps between what is known to improve health, and what is done to improve health. The literature and practice also suggest that KT has the potential to narrow those gaps, leading to more evidence-informed healthcare. In response, Canadian health research funders and agencies have made KT a priority. This article describes how one funding agency determined its KT role and in the process developed a model that other agencies could use when considering KT programs. Discussion While ‘excellence’ is an important criterion by which to evaluate and fund health research, it alone does not ensure relevance to societal health priorities. There is increased demand for return on investments in health research in the form of societal and health system benefits. Canadian health research funding agencies are responding to these demands by emphasizing relevance as a funding criterion and supporting researchers and research users to use the evidence generated. Based on recommendations from the literature, an environmental scan, broad circulation of an iterative discussion paper, and an expert working group process, our agency developed a plan to maximize our role in KT. Key to the process was development of a model comprising five key functional areas that together create the conditions for effective KT: advancing KT science; building KT capacity; managing KT projects; funding KT activities; and advocating for KT. Observations made during the planning process of relevance to the KT enterprise are: the importance of delineating KT and communications, and information and knowledge; determining responsibility for KT; supporting implementation and evaluation; and promoting the message that both research and KT take time to realize results. Summary Challenges exist in fulfilling expectations that research evidence results in beneficial impacts for society. However, health agencies are well placed to help maximize the use of evidence in health practice and policy. We propose five key functional areas of KT for health agencies, and encourage partnerships and discussion to advance the field. PMID:22531033

  8. STS106-s-013

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2000-09-08

    STS106-S-013 (8 September 2000)--- This view of shock-wave condensation collars backlit by the Sun occurred during the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on September 8, 2000. The scene was captured on 35mm motion picture film. One frame was digitized to make this still image. Although the primary effect is created by the forward fuselage of the Atlantis, secondary effects can be seen on the solid rocket booster (SRB) forward skirt, shuttle vertical stabilizer and wing trailing edge, behind the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME). The perfect on-time launch took place at 8:45:47 a.m. (EDT), September 8, 2000. Onboard the shuttle were astronauts Terrence W. Wilcutt, Scott D. Altman, Edward T. Lu, Richard A. Mastracchio and Daniel C. Burbank, along with cosmonauts Yuri I. Malenchenko and Boris V. Morukov who represent the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.

  9. 75 FR 20598 - Agency Information Collection Request: 60-Day Public Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-20

    ... Feasibility of Creating and Maintaining a National Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect Perpetrators--OMB No... from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. These data will be supplemented with encoded... assess the feasibility of implementing a national registry of child maltreatment perpetrators. The study...

  10. 75 FR 37808 - Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-30

    ... Assess the Feasibility of Creating and Maintaining a National Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect... primarily from records from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. These data will be... study will assess the feasibility of implementing a national registry of child maltreatment perpetrators...

  11. 75 FR 64235 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revisions to Rules and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-19

    ... Pollution; Permitting of Grandfathered and Electing Electric Generating Facilities AGENCY: Environmental... permitting procedures for grandfathered electric generating facilities (EGFs). The revisions address a... increases of carbon monoxide (CO) created by the imposition of technology controls to be permitted under the...

  12. Development of Advanced Light-Duty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis Tool (SAE 2013-01-0808)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Advanced Light-Duty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis tool was created by Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate the Greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency from light-duty vehicles. It is a physics-based, forward-looking, full vehicle computer simulator, which is cap...

  13. Replacing Coercive Power with Relationship Power

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boldt, Randal W.; Witzel, Melanie; Russell, Chuck; Jones, Van

    2007-01-01

    A long-established agency for troubled children was following a philosophy based on behavioral control and treatment of pathology. As staff examined their beliefs about the process of change, the climate evolved from enforcing behavior control to empowering youth to develop positive strengths. A charter school was created and new behavior…

  14. Higher Education as an International Commodity: Ensuring Quality in Partnerships.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodson, Peter J.; Thomas, Harold G.

    2001-01-01

    Describes how overseas collaborative activity has been particularly popular with many United Kingdom higher education institutions over the past decade, with the Quality Assurance Agency creating an audit agenda to measure the quality of such partnerships. Asserts that existing collaborative audit approaches lack cultural sensitivity and are open…

  15. Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Theodore E., Ed.

    "The Role of the State in Performance-Based Teacher Education-Certification" by Robert Roth creates a context for viewing how state agencies are approaching performance education. Peter Airasian then explores the value questions that are at the heart of evaluation issues. Fred McDonald looks at "The State of the Art in Performance Assessment," and…

  16. Nonprofit Communications from a Corporate Communications Viewpoint

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, Ava

    2006-01-01

    Nonprofit organizations, such as social service agencies, charities, and hospitals, plan and prepare communications that are vital to their missions. Although not corporations, these organizations produce news releases, newsletters, and annual reports that are similar to those created in the corporate sector. In this research project for a course…

  17. 77 FR 68682 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-16

    ...-1436; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-29] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Guthrie, IA AGENCY: Federal... Guthrie, IA. Decommissioning of the Guthrie Center non-directional radio beacon (NDB) at Guthrie County... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Guthrie, IA, area, creating additional...

  18. 77 FR 66069 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-01

    ...-1435; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-28] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Perry, IA AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Perry, IA... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Perry, IA, area, creating additional...

  19. 77 FR 66067 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-01

    ...-1432; Airspace Docket No. 11-ACE-25] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boone, IA AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This action amends Class E airspace at Boone, IA... proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend Class E airspace for the Boone, IA, area, creating additional...

  20. 75 FR 80811 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Revision of Information Collection; Comment...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-23

    ... who need these financial services, and that depository institutions can create an array of affordable... survey: ``(A) To what extent do insured depository institutions promote financial education and financial... depository institutions to bring those individuals and families who have rarely, if ever, held a checking...

  1. 77 FR 65564 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Indian Health Service Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Indian Health Service (IHS). ACTION: Notice... is hereby given that the Indian Health Service (IHS) is creating a new system of records entitled...

  2. SeqAPASS to evaluate conservation of high-throughput screening targets across non-mammalian species

    EPA Science Inventory

    Cell-based high-throughput screening (HTS) and computational technologies are being applied as tools for toxicity testing in the 21st century. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) embraced these technologies and created the ToxCast Program in 2007, which has served as a...

  3. Curious Hybrids: Creating "Not-Quite" Beings to Explore Possible Childhoods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knight, Linda

    2016-01-01

    Communications between adults and young children can expose different ideas and opinions. Adults and children have different capacities to speak, these discursive spaces can become filled with assumptions, stereotyping and conventional thinking about power and agency. If communication shifts away from the purely discursive, what might be exposed…

  4. EPA Region 1 Coast Guard Jurisdictional Boundary - Arcs

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Jurisdictional boundary between EPA and Coast Guard for EPA Region I. Created from 1:100000 USGS DLGs with greater detail drawn from 1:24000 commercial street data for Region I.This layer is used to determine which agency will be reponsible in the event of an oil spill.

  5. EPA Region 1 Coast Guard Jurisdictional Boundary - Polygons

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Jurisdictional boundary between EPA and Coast Guard for EPA Region I. Created from 1:100000 USGS DLGs with greater detail drawn from 1:24000 commercial street data for Region I.This layer is used to determine which agency will be reponsible in the event of an oil spill.

  6. State of Washington Strategic Information Technology Plan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washington State Dept. of Information Services, Olympia. Policy and Regulation Div.

    The Strategic Information Technology Plan of Washington is introduced and explained. The plan is mandated by state law to create a new framework for communication and collaboration to bring together agency technology planning with the achievement of statewide information technology goals and strategies. It provides a point of reference for the…

  7. Development Labs: University Knowledge Production and Global Poverty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Christopher S.

    2017-01-01

    In 2012, the United States Agency for International Development allocated $137 million to fund seven universities to create "development labs" to advance social/economic progress and reduce poverty. International economic development has become a booming field and industry but is also highly contested. The function of the university as a…

  8. Branding Your Post-School Outcomes Data Collection Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Post-School Outcomes Center, 2013

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of "Branding your Post-School Outcomes Data Collection Process" is to help state education agencies create brand recognition with youths, families, and school personnel for the post-school outcomes survey. Recognition--paired with information about the survey purpose, who is conducting the interview, and how the information…

  9. The CHOICES Project: Piloting a Secondary Transition Planning Database

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Dennis; Baxter, Abigail; Ellis, David; Pardue, Harold

    2013-01-01

    The CHOICES Project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, addresses the need for ready access to information for parents, students, school, and community agency personnel regarding transitional and community support programs. At this time we have created two databases (student information and community…

  10. Stewards of Digital Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rheingold, Howard

    2012-01-01

    Participatory culture, in which citizens feel and exercise the agency of being cocreators of their culture and not just passive consumers of culture created by others, depends on widespread literacies of participation. One can't participate without knowing how. And cultural participation depends on a social component that is not easily learned…

  11. 75 FR 5499 - Claims for Compensation; Death Gratuity Under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-03

    ... for Compensation; Death Gratuity Under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act AGENCY: Office of... Labor (DOL) published an interim final rule in order to administer the death gratuity created by section... provides a death gratuity payment to eligible survivors of federal employees and non-appropriated fund...

  12. Creating Space for Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altobelli, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    It's easy to imagine no gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students are at a given school, and, therefore, no need exists to court controversy and potential challenges by providing LGBTQ materials. LGBTQ students are everywhere, though, and they are at increased risk for a host of issues, including bullying, assault, and…

  13. Collaborative Benchmarking: Discovering and Implementing Best Practices to Strengthen SEAs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Building State Capacity and Productivity Center, 2013

    2013-01-01

    To help state educational agencies (SEAs) learn about and adapt best practices that exist in other SEAs and other organizations, the Building State Capacity and Productivity Center (BSCP Center) working closely with the Regional Comprehensive Centers will create multi-state groups, through a "Collaborative Benchmarking Best Practices Process" that…

  14. Smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss) response to concrete grinding residue application

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Concrete grinding residue (CGR) is a slurry byproduct created by concrete pavement maintenance operations. The application of CGR to roadside soils is not consistently regulated by state agencies across the United States. Much of this variability in regulation may be due to the lack of science-base...

  15. The Time-Limited Hot Line.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loring, Marti Tamm; Wimberley, Edward T.

    1993-01-01

    Notes that media have become involved in creating programs and addressing issues that have been historically exclusive purview of mental health and human services agencies. Explains how time-limited hot line has been used to address specific issues raised by these programs. Provides overview of this type of hot line, offering triangular model of…

  16. 77 FR 4297 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Reporting Under...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-27

    ... Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Reporting Under EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program...; and other landfill gas energy stakeholders. Title: Reporting Under EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach... Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), created by EPA as part of the Climate Change Action Plan, is a...

  17. Middle-Class Mothers on Urban School Selection in Gentrifying Areas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Amy; Lakes, Richard D.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined middle-class mothers' engagement in urban school selection as residents of two gentrifying neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia. Gentrifiers levy social capital when activating or exercising agency and create social networks that valorize child-rearing concerns through exchange of information. Thirty mothers with children under…

  18. Unlocking Elementary Students' Perspectives of Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Damiani, Jonathan

    2014-01-01

    This study examines whether and how principals take their lead from students, and use student voice, to create more responsive schools, and more responsible models of leadership. I consider issues of student agency and voice within four very different elementary school settings. Further, I consider the challenges students face, and the ways…

  19. 78 FR 75209 - Federal Leadership on Energy Management

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-10

    ... Leadership on Energy Management Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies In order to create a clean energy economy that will increase our Nation's prosperity, promote energy security, combat... removing 1.5 million cars from the road. Today I am establishing new goals for renewable energy as well as...

  20. Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice: Eduardo S. Morales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Psychologist, 2009

    2009-01-01

    Eduardo S. Morales, recipient of the Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice, is cited for his leadership in and contributions to institutional practice through obtaining and implementing research and service grants and creating agencies and programs for Latinos, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons,…

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