Homeland security : a framework for addressing the nation's efforts

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-09-21

According to a variety of U.S. intelligence assessments, the United States now confronts a range of increasingly diffuse threats that puts greater destructive power into the hands of small states, groups, and individuals and threatens our values and ...

Challenging Operations: An Ethical Framework to Assist Humanitarian Aid Workers in their Decision-making Processes

PubMed Central

Clarinval, Caroline; Biller-Andorno, Nikola

2014-01-01

Introduction: This paper aims to raise awareness regarding ethical issues in the context of humanitarian action, and to offer a framework for systematically and effectively addressing such issues. Methods: Several cases highlight ethical issues that humanitarian aid workers are confronted with at different levels over the course of their deployments. The first case discusses a situation at a macro-level concerning decisions being made at the headquarters of a humanitarian organization. The second case looks at meso-level issues that need to be solved at a country or regional level. The third case proposes an ethical dilemma at the micro-level of the individual patient-provider relationship. Discussion: These real-life cases have been selected to illustrate the ethical dimension of conflicts within the context of humanitarian action that might remain unrecognized in everyday practice. In addition, we propose an ethical framework to assist humanitarian aid workers in their decision-making process. The framework draws on the principles and values that guide humanitarian action and public health ethics more generally. Beyond identifying substantive core values, the framework also includes a ten-step process modelled on tools used in the clinical setting that promotes a transparent and clear decision-making process and improves the monitoring and evaluation of aid interventions. Finally, we recommend organizational measures to implement the framework effectively. Conclusion: This paper uses a combination of public health/clinical ethics concepts and practices and applies them to the decision-making challenges encountered in relief operations in the humanitarian aid context. PMID:24987575

HIV/AIDS, beersellers and critical community health psychology in Cambodia: a case study.

PubMed

Lubek, Ian; Lee, Helen; Kros, Sarath; Wong, Mee Lian; Van Merode, Tiny; Liu, James; McCreanor, Tim; Idema, Roel; Campbell, Catherine

2014-01-01

This case study illustrates a participatory framework for confronting critical community health issues using 'grass-roots' research-guided community-defined interventions. Ongoing work in Cambodia has culturally adapted research, theory and practice for particular, local health-promotion responses to HIV/AIDS, alcohol abuse and other challenges in the community of Siem Reap. For resource-poor communities in Cambodia, we recycle such 'older' concepts as 'empowerment' and 'action research'. We re-imagine community health psychology, when confronted with 'critical', life-and-death issues, as adjusting its research and practices to local, particular ontological and epistemological urgencies of trauma, morbidity and mortality.

The Workaholism Syndrome: An Emerging Issue in the Psychological Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piotrowski, Chris; Vodanovich, Stephen J.

2008-01-01

The present paper provides a concise overview of the "workaholism syndrome." This includes a discussion of workaholism from an addiction perspective, it's overall components and consequences, and a conceptual framework. Suggestions are offered for effective strategies to confront and mediate the onerous impact of workaholism.

Complicating Issues in Holocaust Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, David H.

2010-01-01

Confronting the Holocaust in a classroom setting involves a complex undertaking that demands careful planning as educators develop and present curricula on the subject to their students. This article explores another problematic factor involved in teaching the Shoah, that is, several issues that exist outside the content/pedagogical framework but…

Suing for Negligent Teaching: An Australian Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Peter

1996-01-01

Discusses, from an Australian perspective, the context of, and the legal framework for, suing in educational negligence. Examines the decision of the English Court of Appeal. Explores some of the issues an Australian court might face when confronted with a claim in educational negligence. (80 footnotes) (MLF)

Advancing the adverse outcome pathway framework and its applications through a global horizon scanning exercise

EPA Science Inventory

Regulatory agencies worldwide are confronted with the challenging task of assessing the risks of thousands of chemicals to protect both human health and the environment. Traditional toxicity testing largely relies on apical endpoints from whole animal studies, which, in addition...

Cybersemiotics: a transdisciplinary framework for information studies.

PubMed

Brier, S

1998-04-01

This paper summarizes recent attempts by this author to create a transdisciplinary, non-Cartesian and non-reductionistic framework for information studies in natural, social, and technological systems. To confront, in a scientific way, the problems of modern information technology where phenomenological man is dealing with socially constructed texts in algorithmically based digital bit-machines we need a theoretical framework spanning from physics over biology and technological design to phenomenological and social production of signification and meaning. I am working with such pragmatic theories as second order cybernetics (coupled with autopolesis theory), Lakoffs biologically oriented cognitive semantics, Peirce's triadic semiotics, and Wittgenstein's pragmatic language game theory. A coherent synthesis of these theories is what the cybersemiotic framework attempts to accomplish.

Teaching Centers: Toward the State of the Scene.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmieder, Allen A.; Yarger, Sam J.

This monograph is intended to: (a) outline the background and current extent of teacher centering in the U.S., (b) stimulate intercenter communication, (c) identify resources for potential program developers, (d) raise some developmental problems and issues confronting center builders, and (e) provide a framework for a systematic analysis of the…

An assessment of frameworks useful for public land recreation planning.

Treesearch

Stephen F. McCool; Roger N. Clark; George Stankey

2007-01-01

Public land managers are confronted with an ever-growing and diversifying set of demands for providing recreation opportunities. Coupled with a variety of trends (devolution of governance and decisionmaking, population growth, technological innovation, shifts in public values, economic restructuring) and reduced organizational capacity, these demands represent a...

Confronting Psychology's Power

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Dennis

2008-01-01

Isaac Prilleltensky (this issue, pp. 116-136) seeks to make community psychology a more effective force for social justice. His discussion of psychopolitical validity raises a number of questions: How perfect must the theoretical framework be to usefully oppose unjust power? In what way is the notion of "psychopolitical validity" most useful? How…

A Reflection Framework for Teaching Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merritt, Eileen G.; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E.; Berry, Robert Q., III; Walkowiak, Temple A.; McCracken, Erin R.

2010-01-01

Mathematics teachers confront dozens of daily decisions about how to instruct students. It is well established that high-quality instruction provides benefits for students with diverse learning and family backgrounds. However, it is often difficult for teachers to identify the critical aspects of a successful mathematics lesson as they strive to…

A Feminist Posthumanist Multispecies Ethnography for Educational Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloro-Bidart, Teresa

2018-01-01

The "animal" or "more-than-human" turn in the humanities and social sciences has challenged nature/culture binaries in the fields of environmental education and early childhood studies, yet the field of educational studies has yet to confront its humanist roots. In this article, I sketch a nascent conceptual framework that…

Strategy and Communication: A Framework for Future International Relations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roshwald, Mordecai

1984-01-01

World conditions make clarity of intent and substance essential in communications among governments. To avoid nuclear confrontation, strategy planners and policymakers should analyze their own communications as well as those of others with great care. Direct and fast communication among leaders can help to preserve peace. (Author/CS)

Advanced Level Physics Students' Conceptions of Quantum Physics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mashhadi, Azam

This study addresses questions about particle physics that focus on the nature of electrons. Speculations as to whether they are more like particles or waves or like neither illustrate the difficulties with which students are confronted when trying to incorporate the concepts of quantum physics into their overall conceptual framework. Such…

Teachers' Perspectives on the Human-Nature Relationship: Implications for Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almeida, Antonio; Vasconcelos, Clara

2013-01-01

This study based on a theoretical framework of three main environmental perspectives in the human-nature relationship (anthropocentrism, biocentrism and ecocentrism), aimed to identify their incidence in teachers involved with environmental projects when confronted with diverse environmental issues. 60 teachers drawn from four school cycles in…

Developing Materials for Deliberative Forums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rourke, Brad

2014-01-01

When citizens deliberate together about important issues, they can reach decisions and take action together on problems that confront them. Deliberation does not require a certain kind of guide, or framework, or language, or facilitator, but, because it can be difficult to face such choices, supporting materials can make it easier. In Developing…

Arguing with Adversaries: Aikido, Rhetoric, and the Art of Peace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroll, Barry M.

2008-01-01

The Japanese martial art of aikido affords a framework for understanding argument as harmonization rather than confrontation. Two movements, circling away ("tenkan") and entering in ("irimi"), suggest tactics for arguing with adversaries. The ethical imperative of aikido involves protecting one's adversary from harm, using the least force…

Using Iceland as a Model for Interdisciplinary Honors Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Kim; Thorgaard, Gary

2014-01-01

Interdisciplinary approaches do not merely satisfy an abstract longing; in post-educational life--especially in a secular, Western, post-modern culture--young people must confront complex issues that transcend any one discipline. Educational systems accordingly have a duty to offer frameworks for understanding this complexity that go beyond any…

The Egalitarian Optimist and the Confrontation of Prejudice

PubMed Central

Wellman, Justin A.; Czopp, Alexander M.; Geers, Andrew L.

2010-01-01

Standing up against prejudice often requires one to surmount powerful inter- and intra-individual forces. Egalitarian standards alone are often insufficient to surmount these forces. As individuals high in dispositional optimism vigorously pursue valued goals, even when threatened with obstacles, we propose that the combination of high optimism and salient egalitarian goals predicts the confrontation of prejudice. In the present study, individuals high and low in both optimism and prejudice were randomly assigned to hear a racist joke followed by an argument, or to hear the same joke but without the argument. We found that low-prejudice optimists who had their chronic egalitarian values made salient by hearing the argument were highly likely to confront a later act of prejudice. Self-report data closely mirrored this behavioral finding. These findings support a self-regulatory approach to confrontation and suggest new avenues for combating prejudice. PMID:20336167

25 Snapshots of a Movement: Profiles of Campuses Implementing CQI.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association for Higher Education, Washington, DC.

This volume presents descriptions of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as it is being applied at 25 institutions of higher education. It offers 25 different perspectives on use of the strategic framework, and provides numerous ways to think about issues confronting campuses that decide to embrace CQI. An introduction outlines CQI's beginnings…

Controversy as a Mode of Invention: The Example of James and Freud.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClish, Glen

1991-01-01

Counteracts the overemphasis on introspection that potentially limits composition students' progress in argumentation by endorsing a renewal of classical rhetoric and invention. Explores texts by William James and Sigmund Freud, which are suitable works to provide the framework necessary for a confrontation-based classroom approach to invention.…

The Democratic Sieve in Teacher Education. Confronting Heterosexism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrovic, John E.

1998-01-01

Uses field data to build a case for presenting sexual orientation as another form of diversity that preservice teachers must recognize, understand, and be prepared to live with, exploring the power of democratic principles to support the conceptual framework and examining the role of teacher educators in promoting democratic values that extend to…

Juvenile Justice: A Bibliographic Essay.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kondak, Ann

1979-01-01

Provides information on the background and legal framework of the juvenile justice system, the issues that confront it, and the pressures for change, as well as noting some sources of information on the system. Available from American Association of Law Libraries, 53 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 1201, Chicago, Illinois 60604; sc $4.00. (Author/IRT)

Error Tendencies in Processing Student Feedback for Instructional Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schermerhorn, John R., Jr.; And Others

1985-01-01

Seeks to assist instructors in recognizing two basic errors that can occur in processing student evaluation data on instructional development efforts; offers a research framework for future investigations of the error tendencies and related issues; and suggests ways in which instructors can confront and manage error tendencies in practice. (MBR)

"Which Hat Are You Wearing Today?" Ethical Challenges in Dual Employment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorner, Susan N.

1991-01-01

Establishes a framework for personal decision making for librarians confronted with conflict of interest situations that arise as a result of working part-time as a freelance information entrepreneur and part-time as a library employee. Codes of ethics of professional organizations are examined, and the organizational environment is considered.…

Managing the whole landscape: historical, hybrid, and novel ecosystems

Treesearch

Richard J. Hobbs; Eric Higgs; Carol M. Hall; Peter Bridgewater; F. Stuart Chapin III; Erle C. Ellis; John J. Ewel; Lauren M. Hallet; James Harris; Kristen B. Hulvey; Stephen T. Jackson; Patricia L. Kennedy; Christoph Kueffer; Lori Lach; Trevor C. Lantz; Ariel E. Lugo; Joseph Mascaro; Stephen D. Murphy; Cara R. Nelson; Michael P. Perring; David M. Richardson; Timothy R. Seastedt; Rachel Standish; Brian M. Starzomski; Katherine N. Suding; Pedro M. Tognetti; Laith Yakob; Laurie Yung

2014-01-01

The reality confronting ecosystem managers today is one of heterogeneous, rapidly transforming landscapes, particularly in the areas more affected by urban and agricultural development. A landscape management framework that incorporates all systems, across the spectrum of degrees of alteration, provides a fuller set of options for how and when to intervene, uses...

Assistant Professors of Color Confront the Inequitable Terrain of Academia: A Community Cultural Wealth Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Melissa A.; Chang, Aurora; Welton, Anjalé D.

2017-01-01

This qualitative study adopted Yosso's community cultural wealth (CCW) framework to examine how 16 assistant professors of color (APOC) drew upon various forms of capital (navigational, aspirational, social, resistant, linguistic, familial) to deal with racism and marginalization in academia. Findings revealed how APOC: dealt with students'…

The Glass Cliff: An Examination of the Female Superintendency in South Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowles, Blanche Boyd

2013-01-01

South Carolina public school districts are confronted with a series of difficult circumstances and rely more on female superintendents than the national average. The investigation of female South Carolina superintendents was guided by the glass cliff conceptual framework. The glass cliff represents situations where females are promoted over males…

Using History to Inform the Modern Immigration Debate in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCorkle, William David

2018-01-01

The contentious modern immigration debate in the United States is often void of historical context and thus filled with fallacious narratives. To confront this trend, social studies educators should place the issues of modern immigration within their proper historical framework. This paper looks at three primary themes educators can explore: the…

An exploration of warfighting and firefighting doctrine

Treesearch

Michael T. DeGrosky; Alen Slijepcevic

2015-01-01

Over the past two decades, wildland fire professionals have been confronted with worsening conditions and complex challenges that cry out for change and new ways of thinking. However, change requires a framework within which people reliably translate policy into timely, effective action. Doctrine, or a body of teachings, instructions, taught principles, or positions,...

Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conroy, M.J.; Runge, M.C.; Nichols, J.D.; Stodola, K.W.; Cooper, R.J.

2011-01-01

The broad physical and biological principles behind climate change and its potential large scale ecological impacts on biota are fairly well understood, although likely responses of biotic communities at fine spatio-temporal scales are not, limiting the ability of conservation programs to respond effectively to climate change outside the range of human experience. Much of the climate debate has focused on attempts to resolve key uncertainties in a hypothesis-testing framework. However, conservation decisions cannot await resolution of these scientific issues and instead must proceed in the face of uncertainty. We suggest that conservation should precede in an adaptive management framework, in which decisions are guided by predictions under multiple, plausible hypotheses about climate impacts. Under this plan, monitoring is used to evaluate the response of the system to climate drivers, and management actions (perhaps experimental) are used to confront testable predictions with data, in turn providing feedback for future decision making. We illustrate these principles with the problem of mitigating the effects of climate change on terrestrial bird communities in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. ?? 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

A Dual Hesitant Fuzzy Multigranulation Rough Set over Two-Universe Model for Medical Diagnoses

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Li, Deyu; Yan, Yan

2015-01-01

In medical science, disease diagnosis is one of the difficult tasks for medical experts who are confronted with challenges in dealing with a lot of uncertain medical information. And different medical experts might express their own thought about the medical knowledge base which slightly differs from other medical experts. Thus, to solve the problems of uncertain data analysis and group decision making in disease diagnoses, we propose a new rough set model called dual hesitant fuzzy multigranulation rough set over two universes by combining the dual hesitant fuzzy set and multigranulation rough set theories. In the framework of our study, both the definition and some basic properties of the proposed model are presented. Finally, we give a general approach which is applied to a decision making problem in disease diagnoses, and the effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by a numerical example. PMID:26858772

Teaching the Interactionist Model of Ethics: Two Brief Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Edward C.

2009-01-01

This article draws on the interactionist model of ethics as a framework to help students answer two key questions they will confront in their future careers: (a) How can I, as a professional manager, deter clearly unethical behavior among my subordinates? and (b) How can I avoid engaging in clearly unethical behavior myself? For each of these…

Beyond Instructional Design: Making Learning Design a Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sims, Rod

2006-01-01

When we reflect on the emergence of online education and e-learning as the leading contender to confront the traditions of face-to-face teaching and learning, it is not only a case of better understanding the characteristics of online environments, but also timely to assess the relevance of theories and frameworks informing the design and…

Digital Practices and Literacy Identities in English Education: From Deterministic Discourses to a Dialectic Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Leticia E.

2008-01-01

My research explores the challenges and questions that pre-service teachers in two English Education programs confronted with respect to the role of technology in their professional practices and identities. It is evident from the data that the decision to incorporate different technologies in their professional practices implied much more than…

Confronting Analytical Dilemmas for Understanding Complex Human Interactions in Design-Based Research from a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamagata-Lynch, Lisa C.

2007-01-01

Understanding human activity in real-world situations often involves complicated data collection, analysis, and presentation methods. This article discusses how Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) can inform design-based research practices that focus on understanding activity in real-world situations. I provide a sample data set with…

Confronting Social Injustice: Cognitive Dissonance and Civic Development in Higher Education Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Leslie Cohen

2012-01-01

This qualitative, insider account of student civic development in a university service-learning course has two primary goals. One is to propose frameworks for describing the process of civic development of service-learning students that are situated in theories of civic identity, cognitive development, and cognitive dissonance. The other is to…

Meeting the Goal of a Literate America: The State Response. State Policy Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvanik, Robert A., Ed.

This report contains 10 articles, written by national and state leaders in the adult literacy field, that pose challenges confronting the adult literacy system. The articles provide a framework for states to use in beginning the process of achieving a literate citizenry and work force. Titles and authors are as follows: "Building State Literacy…

A Historical Analysis of Academic Development Using the Theoretical Lens of Pierre Bourdieu

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloot, Bruce Charles

2015-01-01

This paper provides a history of academic development by examining how a South African institution coped with the potent social forces confronting it before the collapse of apartheid. Theoretically, it draws on the framework of Pierre Bourdieu and engages with a paper written a decade ago by Naidoo, who also used Bourdieu to understand…

Developmentally Appropriate New Media Literacies: Supporting Cultural Competencies and Social Skills in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alper, Meryl

2013-01-01

Young children explore their world through manipulatives, playing with "technology" that may or may not be digital. To this end, I offer an exploration into how the existing framework of the New Media Literacies (NMLs) paradigm set forth by Henry Jenkins (2006) in "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education…

In vitro nematicidal effect of Chenopodium ambrosioides and Castela tortuosa n-hexane extracts against Haemonchus contortus (Nematoda) and their anthelmintic effect in gerbils.

PubMed

Zamilpa, A; García-Alanís, C; López-Arellano, M E; Hernández-Velázquez, V M; Valladares-Cisneros, M G; Salinas-Sánchez, D O; Mendoza-de Gives, P

2018-05-06

The in vitro nematicidal effect of Chenopodium ambrosioides and Castela tortuosa n-hexane extracts (E-Cham and E-Cato, respectively) on Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L3) and the anthelmintic effect of these extracts against the pre-adult stage of the parasite in gerbils were evaluated using both individual and combined extracts. The in vitro confrontation between larvae and extracts was performed in 24-well micro-titration plates. The results were considered 24 and 72 h post confrontation. The in vivo nematicidal effect was examined using gerbils as a study model. The extracts from the two assessed plants were obtained through maceration using n-hexane as an organic agent. Gerbils artificially infected with H. contortus L3 were treated intraperitoneally with the corresponding extract either individually or in combination. The results showed that the highest individual lethal in vitro effect (96.3%) was obtained with the E-Cham extract at 72 h post confrontation at 40 mg/ml, followed by E-Cato (78.9%) at 20 mg/ml after 72 h. The highest combined effect (98.7%) was obtained after 72 h at 40 mg/ml. The in vivo assay showed that the individual administration of the E-Cato and E-Cham extracts reduced the parasitic burden in gerbils by 27.1% and 45.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the anthelmintic efficacy increased to 57.3% when both extracts were administered in combination. The results of the present study show an important combined nematicidal effect of the two plant extracts assessed against L3 in gerbils.

Generalizable open source urban water portfolio simulation framework demonstrated using a multi-objective risk-based planning benchmark problem.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trindade, B. C.; Reed, P. M.

2017-12-01

The growing access and reduced cost for computing power in recent years has promoted rapid development and application of multi-objective water supply portfolio planning. As this trend continues there is a pressing need for flexible risk-based simulation frameworks and improved algorithm benchmarking for emerging classes of water supply planning and management problems. This work contributes the Water Utilities Management and Planning (WUMP) model: a generalizable and open source simulation framework designed to capture how water utilities can minimize operational and financial risks by regionally coordinating planning and management choices, i.e. making more efficient and coordinated use of restrictions, water transfers and financial hedging combined with possible construction of new infrastructure. We introduce the WUMP simulation framework as part of a new multi-objective benchmark problem for planning and management of regionally integrated water utility companies. In this problem, a group of fictitious water utilities seek to balance the use of the mentioned reliability driven actions (e.g., restrictions, water transfers and infrastructure pathways) and their inherent financial risks. Several traits of this problem make it ideal for a benchmark problem, namely the presence of (1) strong non-linearities and discontinuities in the Pareto front caused by the step-wise nature of the decision making formulation and by the abrupt addition of storage through infrastructure construction, (2) noise due to the stochastic nature of the streamflows and water demands, and (3) non-separability resulting from the cooperative formulation of the problem, in which decisions made by stakeholder may substantially impact others. Both the open source WUMP simulation framework and its demonstration in a challenging benchmarking example hold value for promoting broader advances in urban water supply portfolio planning for regions confronting change.

The Triangle Technique: a new evidence-based educational tool for pediatric medication calculations.

PubMed

Sredl, Darlene

2006-01-01

Many nursing student verbalize an aversion to mathematical concepts and experience math anxiety whenever a mathematical problem is confronted. Since nurses confront mathematical problems on a daily basis, they must learn to feel comfortable with their ability to perform these calculations correctly. The Triangle Technique, a new educational tool available to nurse educators, incorporates evidence-based concepts within a graphic model using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles to demonstrate pediatric medication calculations of normal therapeutic ranges. The theoretical framework for the technique is presented, as is a pilot study examining the efficacy of the educational tool. Statistically significant results obtained by Pearson's product-moment correlation indicate that students are better able to calculate accurate pediatric therapeutic dosage ranges after participation in the educational intervention of learning the Triangle Technique.

How College Students' Conceptions of Newton's Second and Third Laws Change Through Watching Interactive Video Vignettes: A Mixed Methods Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelman, Jonathan

Changing student conceptions in physics is a difficult process and has been a topic of research for many years. The purpose of this study was to understand what prompted students to change or not change their incorrect conceptions of Newtons Second or Third Laws in response to an intervention, Interactive Video Vignettes (IVVs), designed to overcome them. This study is based on prior research reported in the literature which has found that a curricular framework of elicit, confront, resolve, and reflect (ECRR) is important for changing student conceptions (McDermott, 2001). This framework includes four essential parts such that during an instructional event student conceptions should be elicited, incorrect conceptions confronted, these conflicts resolved, and then students should be prompted to reflect on their learning. Twenty-two undergraduate student participants who completed either or both IVVs were studied to determine whether or not they experienced components of the ECRR framework at multiple points within the IVVs. A fully integrated, mixed methods design was used to address the study purpose. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected iteratively for each participant. Successive data collections were informed by previous data collections. All data were analyzed concurrently. The quantitative strand included a pre/post test that participants took before and after completing a given IVV and was used to measure the effect of each IVV on learning. The qualitative strand included video of each participant completing the IVV as well as an audio-recorded video elicitation interview after the post-test. The qualitative data collection was designed to describe student experiences with each IVV as well as to observe how the ECRR framework was experienced. Collecting and analyzing data using this mixed methods approach helped develop a more complete understanding of how student conceptions of Newtons Second and Third Laws changed through completion of IVVs and how the ECRR framework was experienced. In answering the research questions, two major conclusions were reached: (1) while the ECRR framework was experienced in both the Newtons 2nd Law and Newtons 3rd Law IVVs, these experiences were qualitatively different from each other and these differences help support the differences in gain scores on the post-tests for the participants; and (2) both IVVs were able to change certain misconceptions associated with either Newtons 2nd or 3rd laws more than others. Therefore, in researching student experiences while completing the Newtons 2nd Law and Newtons 3rd Law IVVs, I determined that a complete, sequential experience of the elicit, confront, resolve, reflect framework led to the greatest change in student conceptions. This dissertation adds to the field of physics education through finding the positive impact of the ECRR framework, as IVVs are still being created and disseminated. Physics educators and researchers interested in conceptual change can use these findings to provide evidence on what students think when interacting with videos designed to change their conceptions. Finally, this dissertation supports the conceptual change literature in that the full, sequential experience involving each component of the ECRR framework led to a change in student conceptions.

The Impact of Preservice Teachers' Experiences in a Video-Enhanced Training Program on Their Teaching: A Case Study in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaudin, Cyrille; Chaliès, Sébastien; Amathieu, Jérôme

2018-01-01

This case study documents the influence of preservice teachers' experiences in a Video-Enhanced Training Program (VETP) on their teaching. The conceptual framework of this VETP comes from a research program in cultural anthropology based on Wittgenstein's analytical philosophy. Influence was identified during self-confrontation interviews with…

Government and Educational Reform: Policy Networks in Policy-Making in Zimbabwe, 1980-2008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyo, Nathan; Modiba, Maropeng M.

2013-01-01

This paper reflects on the key actors in education policy making in Zimbabwe. It looks at the contextual complexities that characterized policy-making in this country to make sense of the contestations that the state had to confront and accommodate. The policy network approach is employed as an analytical framework to clarify how, in particular…

HIV Infection Legal Issues: An Introduction for Developmental Services. Technical Report on Developmental Disabilities and HIV Infection, Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, David C.; Decker, Curtis L.

As agencies and programs serving individuals with developmental disabilities are called upon to serve a new population of individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, they will be forced to confront complex legal questions. This paper discusses the legal frameworks in which individuals with HIV infection are considered eligible…

Data governance frameworks and change management.

PubMed

Egelstaff, Richard; Wells, Marilyn

2013-01-01

Protecting and preserving data stored in electronic form is important, and ensuring that data is available to the correct access level requires consideration of the characteristics of the data and the purpose to which the data will be used. Important questions therefore are raised about what is the right data and who has the right access level. This is the substance of data governance. This paper will discuss the various aspects of data governance frameworks as it pertains to health care systems. The paper will also explore the changes that confront organisations and individuals as they embrace the requirements of data governance.

Pharmaceuticals, political money, and public policy: a theoretical and empirical agenda.

PubMed

Jorgensen, Paul D

2013-01-01

Why, when confronted with policy alternatives that could improve patient care, public health, and the economy, does Congress neglect those goals and tailor legislation to suit the interests of pharmaceutical corporations? In brief, for generations, the pharmaceutical industry has convinced legislators to define policy problems in ways that protect its profit margin. It reinforces this framework by selectively providing information and by targeting campaign contributions to influential legislators and allies. In this way, the industry displaces the public's voice in developing pharmaceutical policy. Unless citizens mobilize to confront the political power of pharmaceutical firms, objectionable industry practices and public policy will not change. Yet we need to refine this analysis. I propose a research agenda to uncover pharmaceutical influence. It develops the theory of dependence corruption to explain how the pharmaceutical industry is able to deflect the broader interests of the general public. It includes empirical studies of lobbying and campaign finance to uncover the means drug firms use to: (1) shape the policy framework adopted and information used to analyze policy; (2) subsidize the work of political allies; and (3) influence congressional voting. © 2013 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Predictor Combination in Binary Decision-Making Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Robert E.

2008-01-01

Professional psychologists are often confronted with the task of making binary decisions about individuals, such as predictions about future behavior or employee selection. Test users familiar with linear models and Bayes's theorem are likely to assume that the accuracy of decisions is consistently improved by combination of outcomes across valid…

Introductory Remarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavroglu, Kostas

Practitioners of many (sub)-disciplines in the sciences are, at times, confronted with an apparent bliss which often turns into a nightmare: they are stuck with too good and too fertile a theory. 'Normal' science is surely a rewarding practice-but for that very reason it may, at times, also become boring. Theories or theoretical schemata may make successful predictions, may clarify 'mechanisms', they may show the way to further developments, and they may be amenable to non-controversial approximations. If one is really lucky, they may even-at least in principle-be able to answer all questions. There have-especially in the history of physics-been many such theories. Laplacian physics, ether physics and superstrings have historically defined the frameworks for such utopias where everything could be answerable, at least in principle. But one is truly at a loss when one is confronted with this in principle. In principle but not in practice? In principle but never? Confronted with the deadlocks that are implicit in such utopias, scientists started to collectively display a Procrustean psychopathology. They would prepare the beds and, yet, the theories would manage to trick the tricksters: almost all theories appeared to be fitting to any Procrustean bed. They were short and tall and normal at the same time.

Anger and hostility from the perspective of the Big Five personality model.

PubMed

Sanz, Jesús; García-Vera, María Paz; Magán, Inés

2010-06-01

This study was aimed at examining the relationships of the personality dimensions of the five-factor model or Big Five with trait anger and with two specific traits of hostility (mistrust and confrontational attitude), and identifying the similarities and differences between trait anger and hostility in the framework of the Big Five. In a sample of 353 male and female adults, the Big Five explained a significant percentage of individual differences in trait anger and hostility after controlling the effects due to the relationship between both constructs and content overlapping across scales. In addition, trait anger was primarily associated with neuroticism, whereas mistrust and confrontational attitude were principally related to low agreeableness. These findings are discussed in the context of the anger-hostility-aggression syndrome and the capability of the Big Five for organizing and clarifying related personality constructs.

Philosophical Issues in Educational Research: Is There Room for Truth in the Soft Sciences? Research Seminar and Workshop Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, D. C.

Many in the research community no longer believe that a naturalistic social science is possible. A social science based on the model of the physical sciences seems unattainable. Relativistic views are becoming common; it is often said that what is true depends on what different theoretical frameworks will be confronted by different realities. A…

Space law and space resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, Nathan C.

1992-01-01

Space industrialization is confronting space law with problems that are changing old and shaping new legal principles. The return to the Moon, the next logical step beyond the space station, will establish a permanent human presence there. Science and engineering, manufacturing and mining will involve the astronauts in the settlement of the solar system. These pioneers, from many nations, will need a legal, political, and social framework to structure their lives and interactions. International and even domestic space law are only the beginning of this framework. Dispute resolution and simple experience will be needed in order to develop, over time, a new social system for the new regime of space.

Peroxide accumulation and cell death in filamentous fungi induced by contact with a contestant.

PubMed

Silar, Philippe

2005-02-01

Podospora anserina and Coprinopsis cinerea (syn. Coprinus cinereus) are endowed with a defence system able to differentiate self vs. non-self and involving the generation of peroxide. Indeed, they produce peroxide when confronted with a filamentous fungus, only in non-self confrontations. Both species are not able to recognize yeasts and show a differential response to bacteria. The accumulation of peroxides in the ascomycete Podospora anserina requires an NADPH oxidase and a MAP kinase cascade, previously shown to be involved in fruit body formation, cell differentiation and cell degeneration. Confrontation is accompanied by the death of the contestant hyphae only in specific combinations of species. As in animals and plants, data suggest that peroxide is likely involved in signalling rather than playing a direct toxic role. Fungi display more complex behaviours than generally acknowledged, i.e. they are able to recognize potential contestants and built up defence reactions involving evolutionary conserved enzymes.

How Does Sexual Minority Stigma “Get Under the Skin”? A Psychological Mediation Framework

PubMed Central

Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.

2009-01-01

Sexual minorities are at increased risk for multiple mental health burdens compared to heterosexuals. The field has identified two distinct determinants of this risk, including group-specific minority stressors and general psychological processes that are common across sexual orientations. The goal of the present paper is to develop a theoretical framework that integrates the important insights from these literatures. The framework postulates that (a) sexual minorities confront increased stress exposure resulting from stigma; (b) this stigma-related stress creates elevations in general emotion dysregulation, social/interpersonal problems, and cognitive processes conferring risk for psychopathology; and (c) these processes in turn mediate the relationship between stigma-related stress and psychopathology. It is argued that this framework can, theoretically, illuminate how stigma adversely affects mental health and, practically, inform clinical interventions. Evidence for the predictive validity of this framework is reviewed, with particular attention paid to illustrative examples from research on depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorders. PMID:19702379

Theory and practice in interprofessional ethics: a framework for understanding ethical issues in health care teams.

PubMed

Clark, Phillip G; Cott, Cheryl; Drinka, Theresa J K

2007-12-01

Interprofessional teamwork is an essential and expanding form of health care practice. While moral issues arising in teamwork relative to the patient have been explored, the analysis of ethical issues regarding the function of the team itself is limited. This paper develops a conceptual framework for organizing and analyzing the different types of ethical issues in interprofessional teamwork. This framework is a matrix that maps the elements of principles, structures, and processes against individual, team, and organizational levels. A case study is presented that illustrates different dimensions of these topics, based on the application of this framework. Finally, a set of conclusions and recommendations is presented to summarize the integration of theory and practice in interprofessional ethics, including: (i) importance of a framework, (ii) interprofessional ethics discourse, and (iii) interprofessional ethics as an emerging field. The goal of this paper is to begin a dialogue and discussion on the ethical issues confronting interprofessional teams and to lay the foundation for an expanding discourse on interprofessional ethics.

Age-Related Deficits in Auditory Confrontation Naming

PubMed Central

Hanna-Pladdy, Brenda; Choi, Hyun

2015-01-01

The naming of manipulable objects in older and younger adults was evaluated across auditory, visual, and multisensory conditions. Older adults were less accurate and slower in naming across conditions, and all subjects were more impaired and slower to name action sounds than pictures or audiovisual combinations. Moreover, there was a sensory by age group interaction, revealing lower accuracy and increased latencies in auditory naming for older adults unrelated to hearing insensitivity but modest improvement to multisensory cues. These findings support age-related deficits in object action naming and suggest that auditory confrontation naming may be more sensitive than visual naming. PMID:20677880

Introduction Part II: Formal Dynamics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephens, Suzanne

1979-01-01

In the current period of questioning of architectural values and directions, the implications of energy use on form must be confronted sooner or later. Efforts by various practitioners at combining art and technology are shown. (Author/MLF)

What happens after prejudice is confronted in the workplace? How mindsets affect minorities' and women's outlook on future social relations.

PubMed

Rattan, Aneeta; Dweck, Carol S

2018-06-01

Organizations are increasingly concerned with fostering successful diversity. Toward this end, diversity research has focused on trying to reduce prejudice and biased behavior. But what happens when prejudice in the workplace inevitably occurs? Research also needs to focus on whether recovery and repair of social relations after expressions of prejudice are possible. To begin investigating this question, we develop a new framework for understanding reactions to prejudice in the workplace. We hypothesized that when women and minorities choose to confront a prejudiced comment in a workplace interaction (vs. remain silent) and hold a growth (vs. fixed) mindset-the belief that others can change-they remain more positive in their subsequent outlook in the workplace. Studies 1a, 1b, and 2 used hypothetical workplace scenarios to expose participants to someone who expressed bias; Study 3 ensured real-world relevance by eliciting retrospective accounts of workplace bias from African American employees. Across studies, women and minorities who confronted the perpetrator of prejudice exhibited more positive subsequent expectations of that coworker when they held a growth mindset. It is important that these more positive expectations were associated with reports of greater workplace belonging (Study 2), ratings of improved relations with coworkers who had displayed bias (Study 3), and greater workplace satisfaction (Studies 2-3). Thus, a growth mindset contributes to successful workplace diversity by protecting women's and minorities' outlook when they opt to confront expressions of bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Bridging complexity theory and resilience to develop surge capacity in health systems.

PubMed

Therrien, Marie-Christine; Normandin, Julie-Maude; Denis, Jean-Louis

2017-03-20

Purpose Health systems are periodically confronted by crises - think of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, H1N1, and Ebola - during which they are called upon to manage exceptional situations without interrupting essential services to the population. The ability to accomplish this dual mandate is at the heart of resilience strategies, which in healthcare systems involve developing surge capacity to manage a sudden influx of patients. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper relates insights from resilience research to the four "S" of surge capacity (staff, stuff, structures and systems) and proposes a framework based on complexity theory to better understand and assess resilience factors that enable the development of surge capacity in complex health systems. Findings Detailed and dynamic complexities manifest in different challenges during a crisis. Resilience factors are classified according to these types of complexity and along their temporal dimensions: proactive factors that improve preparedness to confront both usual and exceptional requirements, and passive factors that enable response to unexpected demands as they arise during a crisis. The framework is completed by further categorizing resilience factors according to their stabilizing or destabilizing impact, drawing on feedback processes described in complexity theory. Favorable order resilience factors create consistency and act as stabilizing forces in systems, while favorable disorder factors such as diversity and complementarity act as destabilizing forces. Originality/value The framework suggests a balanced and innovative process to integrate these factors in a pragmatic approach built around the fours "S" of surge capacity to increase health system resilience.

Neurophysiological processes and functional neuroanatomical structures underlying proactive effects of emotional conflicts.

PubMed

Schreiter, Marie Luise; Chmielewski, Witold; Beste, Christian

2018-07-01

There is a strong inter-relation of cognitive and emotional processes as evidenced by emotional conflict monitoring processes. In the cognitive domain, proactive effects of conflicts have widely been studied; i.e. effects of conflicts in the n-1 trial on trial n. Yet, the neurophysiological processes and associated functional neuroanatomical structures underlying such proactive effects during emotional conflicts have not been investigated. This is done in the current study combining EEG recordings with signal decomposition methods and source localization approaches. We show that an emotional conflict in the n-1 trial differentially influences processing of positive and negative emotions in trial n, but not the processing of conflicts in trial n. The dual competition framework stresses the importance of dissociable 'perceptual' and 'response selection' or cognitive control levels for interactive effects of cognition and emotion. Only once these coding levels were isolated in the neurophysiological data, processes explaining the behavioral effects were detectable. The data show that there is not only a close correspondence between theoretical propositions of the dual competition framework and neurophysiological processes. Rather, processing levels conceptualized in the framework operate in overlapping time windows, but are implemented via distinct functional neuroanatomical structures; the precuneus (BA31) and the insula (BA13). It seems that decoding of information in the precuneus, as well as the integration of information during response selection in the insula is more difficult when confronted with angry facial emotions whenever cognitive control resources have been highly taxed by previous conflicts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustaining the edge: factors influencing strategy selection in academic health centers.

PubMed

Walsh, Anne M; Szabat, Kathryn

2002-01-01

Competition within the acute care sector as well as increased penetration by managed care organizations has influenced the structure and role of academic health centers during the past decade. The market factors confronting academic health centers are not dissimilar from conditions that confront other organizations competing in mature industries characterized by declining profitability and intense rivalry for market share. When confronted with intense competition or adverse external events, organizations in other industries have responded to potential threats by forming alliances, developing joint ventures, or merging with another firm to maintain their competitive advantage. Although mergers and acquisitions dominated the strategic landscape in the healthcare industry during the past decade, recent evidence suggests that other types of strategic ventures may offer similar economic and contracting benefits to member organizations. Academic health centers have traditionally been involved in network relationships with multiple partners via their shared technology, collaborative research, and joint educational endeavors. These quasi-organizational relationships appear to have provided a framework for strategic decisions and allowed executives of academic health centers to select strategies that were competitive yet closely aligned with their organizational mission. The analysis of factors that influenced strategy selection by executives of academic health centers suggests a deliberate and methodical approach to achieving market share objectives, expanding managed care contracts, and developing physician networks.

An Argumentation Framework based on Paraconsistent Logic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umeda, Yuichi; Takahashi, Takehisa; Sawamura, Hajime

Argumentation is the most representative of intelligent activities of humans. Therefore, it is natural to think that it could have many implications for artificial intelligence and computer science as well. Specifically, argumentation may be considered a most primitive capability for interaction among computational agents. In this paper we present an argumentation framework based on the four-valued paraconsistent logic. Tolerance and acceptance of inconsistency that this logic has as its logical feature allow for arguments on inconsistent knowledge bases with which we are often confronted. We introduce various concepts for argumentation, such as arguments, attack relations, argument justification, preferential criteria of arguments based on social norms, and so on, in a way proper to the four-valued paraconsistent logic. Then, we provide the fixpoint semantics and dialectical proof theory for our argumentation framework. We also give the proofs of the soundness and completeness.

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

Greenwald, D.S.; Zeitlin, S.

Based on interviews with families from various ethnic and economic backgrounds, the authors look at the effect of the nuclear threat on family life, exploring such issues as how parents deal with their children's fears about the threat of nuclear war and the difficulty adolescents have committing themselves to the adult community in the nuclear age. Using Erik Erikson's stages of development as a framework, they move from early childhood to old age in their analysis of how families confront the nuclear issue.

Building a North American Spatial Data Infrastructure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, D.J.; Nebert, D.D.

1998-01-01

This paper addresses the state of spatial data infrastructures within North America in late 1997. After providing some background underlying the philosophy and development of the SDI concept, the authors discuss effects of technology, institutions, and standardization that confront the cohesive implementation of a common infrastructure today. The paper concludes with a comparative framework and specific examples of elements and initiatives defining respective spatial data infrastructure initiatives in the United States and Canada.

Sustainability and the health care manager: Part II.

PubMed

Ramirez, Bernardo; Oetjen, Reid M; Malvey, Donna

2011-01-01

Are there additional costs associated with achieving goals of sustainable health care? Will going green enhance or impede financial performance? These are questions that all health care managers should confront, yet there is little evidence to show that health care sustainability is affordable or profitable. This article considers what is presently known and suggests that health care managers use an assessment framework to determine whether they are ready to achieve health care sustainability.

A Stakeholder Analysis of the Navy’s Thirty-Year Shipbuilding Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

new.items/d05183.pdf Mankiw , N. Gregory (2004). Principles of economics (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western. McCaffery, J.L. and Jones, L.R...Shipbuilding Association, 2007). 11 III. LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Stakeholder theory confronts the traditional economic model of the... Mankiw , 2004). By completing these steps, the manager attains answers to basic questions about the stakeholder (Freeman, 1984): Over the long run

Furious passion confronts the cool logic behind a CEO's hospital appointment.

PubMed

Gray, C

1998-06-30

First, Ontario decided it would close or reduce the operations of 3 Ottawa hospitals and combine 2 others. When the board for the combined hospital named a Parti Québécois confidant the new hospital's CEO, it hoped David Levine's background would go unnoticed. As Charlotte Gray reports, it didn't, and Levine became the lightning rod for a lot of anger.

Self-disclosure. Reconciling psychoanalytic psychotherapy and alcoholics anonymous philosophy.

PubMed

Mallow, A J

1998-01-01

Therapists working in the addictions field and practicing from a psychoanalytic psychodynamic framework are often confronted with the patient's need to know, the demand for therapist self-disclosure. Consistent with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) principles, many patients state that they cannot be helped unless the therapist is revealing of their personal background. This paper discusses the theoretical roots of therapist self-disclosure and the AA philosophy and offers suggestions for how the two might be reconciled.

Uncertainty estimation of Intensity-Duration-Frequency relationships: A regional analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mélèse, Victor; Blanchet, Juliette; Molinié, Gilles

2018-03-01

We propose in this article a regional study of uncertainties in IDF curves derived from point-rainfall maxima. We develop two generalized extreme value models based on the simple scaling assumption, first in the frequentist framework and second in the Bayesian framework. Within the frequentist framework, uncertainties are obtained i) from the Gaussian density stemming from the asymptotic normality theorem of the maximum likelihood and ii) with a bootstrap procedure. Within the Bayesian framework, uncertainties are obtained from the posterior densities. We confront these two frameworks on the same database covering a large region of 100, 000 km2 in southern France with contrasted rainfall regime, in order to be able to draw conclusion that are not specific to the data. The two frameworks are applied to 405 hourly stations with data back to the 1980's, accumulated in the range 3 h-120 h. We show that i) the Bayesian framework is more robust than the frequentist one to the starting point of the estimation procedure, ii) the posterior and the bootstrap densities are able to better adjust uncertainty estimation to the data than the Gaussian density, and iii) the bootstrap density give unreasonable confidence intervals, in particular for return levels associated to large return period. Therefore our recommendation goes towards the use of the Bayesian framework to compute uncertainty.

Which health technologies should be funded? A prioritization framework based explicitly on value for money.

PubMed

Golan, Ofra; Hansen, Paul

2012-11-26

Deciding which health technologies to fund involves confronting some of the most difficult choices in medicine. As for other countries, the Israeli health system is faced each year with having to make these difficult decisions. The Public National Advisory Committee, known as 'the Basket Committee', selects new technologies for the basic list of health care that all Israelis are entitled to access, known as the 'health basket'. We introduce a framework for health technology prioritization based explicitly on value for money that enables the main variables considered by decision-makers to be explicitly included. Although the framework's exposition is in terms of the Basket Committee selecting new technologies for Israel's health basket, we believe that the framework would also work well for other countries. Our proposed prioritization framework involves comparing four main variables for each technology: 1. Incremental benefits, including 'equity benefits', to Israel's population; 2. Incremental total cost to Israel's health system; 3. Quality of evidence; and 4. Any additional 'X-factors' not elsewhere included, such as strategic or legal factors, etc. Applying methodology from multi-criteria decision analysis, the multiple dimensions comprising the first variable are aggregated via a points system. The four variables are combined for each technology and compared across the technologies in the 'Value for Money (VfM) Chart'. The VfM Chart can be used to identify technologies that are good value for money, and, given a budget constraint, to select technologies that should be funded. This is demonstrated using 18 illustrative technologies. The VfM Chart is an intuitively appealing decision-support tool for helping decision-makers to focus on the inherent tradeoffs involved in health technology prioritization. Such deliberations can be performed in a systematic and transparent fashion that can also be easily communicated to stakeholders, including the general public. Possible future research includes pilot-testing the VfM Chart using real-world data. Ideally, this would involve working with the Basket Committee. Likewise, the framework could be tested and applied by health technology prioritization agencies in other countries.

Needs and challenges for assessing the environmental impacts of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs)

PubMed Central

Romero-Franco, Michelle; Godwin, Hilary A; Bilal, Muhammad

2017-01-01

The potential environmental impact of nanomaterials is a critical concern and the ability to assess these potential impacts is top priority for the progress of sustainable nanotechnology. Risk assessment tools are needed to enable decision makers to rapidly assess the potential risks that may be imposed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), particularly when confronted by the reality of limited hazard or exposure data. In this review, we examine a range of available risk assessment frameworks considering the contexts in which different stakeholders may need to assess the potential environmental impacts of ENMs. Assessment frameworks and tools that are suitable for the different decision analysis scenarios are then identified. In addition, we identify the gaps that currently exist between the needs of decision makers, for a range of decision scenarios, and the abilities of present frameworks and tools to meet those needs. PMID:28546894

Nonadiabatic effects in electronic and nuclear dynamics

PubMed Central

Bircher, Martin P.; Liberatore, Elisa; Browning, Nicholas J.; Brickel, Sebastian; Hofmann, Cornelia; Patoz, Aurélien; Unke, Oliver T.; Zimmermann, Tomáš; Chergui, Majed; Hamm, Peter; Keller, Ursula; Meuwly, Markus; Woerner, Hans-Jakob; Vaníček, Jiří; Rothlisberger, Ursula

2018-01-01

Due to their very nature, ultrafast phenomena are often accompanied by the occurrence of nonadiabatic effects. From a theoretical perspective, the treatment of nonadiabatic processes makes it necessary to go beyond the (quasi) static picture provided by the time-independent Schrödinger equation within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and to find ways to tackle instead the full time-dependent electronic and nuclear quantum problem. In this review, we give an overview of different nonadiabatic processes that manifest themselves in electronic and nuclear dynamics ranging from the nonadiabatic phenomena taking place during tunnel ionization of atoms in strong laser fields to the radiationless relaxation through conical intersections and the nonadiabatic coupling of vibrational modes and discuss the computational approaches that have been developed to describe such phenomena. These methods range from the full solution of the combined nuclear-electronic quantum problem to a hierarchy of semiclassical approaches and even purely classical frameworks. The power of these simulation tools is illustrated by representative applications and the direct confrontation with experimental measurements performed in the National Centre of Competence for Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology. PMID:29376108

Unification of dark matter-dark energy in generalized Galileon theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutsoumbas, George; Ntrekis, Konstantinos; Papantonopoulos, Eleftherios; Saridakis, Emmanuel N.

2018-02-01

We present a unified description of the dark matter and the dark energy sectors, in the framework of shift-symmetric generalized Galileon theories. Considering a particular combination of terms in the Horndeski Lagrangian in which we have not introduced a cosmological constant or a matter sector, we obtain an effective unified cosmic fluid whose equation of state wU is zero during the whole matter era, namely from redshifts z ~ 3000 up to z ~ 2–3. Then at smaller redshifts it starts decreasing, passing the bound wU = ‑1/3, which marks the onset of acceleration, at around z ~ 0.5. At present times it acquires the value wU = ‑0.7. Finally, it tends toward a de-Sitter phase in the far future. This behaviour is in excellent agreement with observations. Additionally, confrontation with Supernovae type Ia data leads to a very efficient fit. Examining the model at the perturbative level, we show that it is free from pathologies such as ghosts and Laplacian instabilities, at both scalar and tensor sectors, at all times.

[Social trauma: Clinical practice and analysis of subjectivity].

PubMed

Lagos, Mariana; Bekerman, Silvana; Sosa, Noemí

2017-07-01

Clinical and psychosocial assistance demand that we try and understand the complex effect traumatic events have on people and their subjectivity, as well as on our own stance and reference framework. Traumatic situations of social origin affect groups of individuals and the State is to some extent responsible for their genesis and the resolution of their effects. In our professional practice we are faced with problems that concern both the individuals and the relationships they establish. The way highly traumatic events are dealt with is in?uenced by various factors that challenge our therapeutic theories and approaches. The crisis of our time, characterized by uncertainty, violence patterns, intolerance of differences, fracture of social bonds, combined with major technological developments and subjective changes, triggers new and complex ways of connection -even hyperconnectivity- through social media. These vicissitudes of our time confront us with new expressions of discomfort about our own place in the world, deeply affect our identities and reinforce the suffering we experience when faced with the emergency of the devastating power of social trauma. Thus, they become part of our current challenge as professionals.

Managing clinical integration in integrated delivery systems: a framework for action.

PubMed

Young, D W; Barrett, D

1997-01-01

An integrated delivery system (IDS) in healthcare must coordinate patient care across multiple functions, activities, and operating units. To achieve this clinical integration, senior management confronts many challenges. This paper uses a cross-functional-process (CFP) framework to discuss these challenges. There are ten CFPs that fall into three categories: planning processes (strategy formulation, program adaptation, budget formulation), organizational processes (authority and influence, client management, conflict resolution, motivation, and cultural maintenance), and measurement and reporting processes (financial and programmatic). Each process typically spans several functional units. Senior management must consider how to improve both the functioning of each CFP, as well as its "fit" with the other nine. The result can be greater clinical integration, improved cost management, and more coordinated care for enrollees.

Death and caring for dying patients: exploring first-year nursing students' descriptive experiences.

PubMed

Ek, Kristina; Westin, Lars; Prahl, Charlotte; Osterlind, Jane; Strang, Susann; Bergh, Ingrid; Hammarlund, Kina

2014-10-01

To describe first-year nursing students' experiences of witnessing death and providing end-of-life care. This study is part of a larger longitudinal project. Interviews (n=17) were conducted with nursing students at the end of their first year of education. To analyse the interviews (lived-experience descriptions), a thematic analysis, 'a search for meaning' ( Van Manen, 1997 ) was applied. The results are presented within the framework of four separate themes: (1) The thought of death is more frightening than the actual experience, (2) Daring to approach the dying patient and offering something of oneself, (3) The experience of not sufficing in the face of death and (4) Being confronted with one's own feelings. Nursing students require continuous support and opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences about caring for dying patients and confronting death throughout the entirety of their education. In addition, teachers and clinical supervisors need to give support using reflective practice to help students to develop confidence in their capacity for caring for dying patients.

Furious passion confronts the cool logic behind a CEO's hospital appointment

PubMed Central

Gray, C

1998-01-01

First, Ontario decided it would close or reduce the operations of 3 Ottawa hospitals and combine 2 others. When the board for the combined hospital named a Parti Québécois confidant the new hospital's CEO, it hoped David Levine's background would go unnoticed. As Charlotte Gray reports, it didn't, and Levine became the lightning rod for a lot of anger. PMID:9676554

Portfolio Decision Analysis Framework for Value-Focused Ecosystem Management

PubMed Central

Convertino, Matteo; Valverde, L. James

2013-01-01

Management of natural resources in coastal ecosystems is a complex process that is made more challenging by the need for stakeholders to confront the prospect of sea level rise and a host of other environmental stressors. This situation is especially true for coastal military installations, where resource managers need to balance conflicting objectives of environmental conservation against military mission. The development of restoration plans will necessitate incorporating stakeholder preferences, and will, moreover, require compliance with applicable federal/state laws and regulations. To promote the efficient allocation of scarce resources in space and time, we develop a portfolio decision analytic (PDA) framework that integrates models yielding policy-dependent predictions for changes in land cover and species metapopulations in response to restoration plans, under different climate change scenarios. In a manner that is somewhat analogous to financial portfolios, infrastructure and natural resources are classified as human and natural assets requiring management. The predictions serve as inputs to a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis model (MCDA) that is used to measure the benefits of restoration plans, as well as to construct Pareto frontiers that represent optimal portfolio allocations of restoration actions and resources. Optimal plans allow managers to maintain or increase asset values by contrasting the overall degradation of the habitat and possible increased risk of species decline against the benefits of mission success. The optimal combination of restoration actions that emerge from the PDA framework allows decision-makers to achieve higher environmental benefits, with equal or lower costs, than those achievable by adopting the myopic prescriptions of the MCDA model. The analytic framework presented here is generalizable for the selection of optimal management plans in any ecosystem where human use of the environment conflicts with the needs of threatened and endangered species. The PDA approach demonstrates the advantages of integrated, top-down management, versus bottom-up management approaches. PMID:23823331

Portfolio Decision Analysis Framework for Value-Focused Ecosystem Management.

PubMed

Convertino, Matteo; Valverde, L James

2013-01-01

Management of natural resources in coastal ecosystems is a complex process that is made more challenging by the need for stakeholders to confront the prospect of sea level rise and a host of other environmental stressors. This situation is especially true for coastal military installations, where resource managers need to balance conflicting objectives of environmental conservation against military mission. The development of restoration plans will necessitate incorporating stakeholder preferences, and will, moreover, require compliance with applicable federal/state laws and regulations. To promote the efficient allocation of scarce resources in space and time, we develop a portfolio decision analytic (PDA) framework that integrates models yielding policy-dependent predictions for changes in land cover and species metapopulations in response to restoration plans, under different climate change scenarios. In a manner that is somewhat analogous to financial portfolios, infrastructure and natural resources are classified as human and natural assets requiring management. The predictions serve as inputs to a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis model (MCDA) that is used to measure the benefits of restoration plans, as well as to construct Pareto frontiers that represent optimal portfolio allocations of restoration actions and resources. Optimal plans allow managers to maintain or increase asset values by contrasting the overall degradation of the habitat and possible increased risk of species decline against the benefits of mission success. The optimal combination of restoration actions that emerge from the PDA framework allows decision-makers to achieve higher environmental benefits, with equal or lower costs, than those achievable by adopting the myopic prescriptions of the MCDA model. The analytic framework presented here is generalizable for the selection of optimal management plans in any ecosystem where human use of the environment conflicts with the needs of threatened and endangered species. The PDA approach demonstrates the advantages of integrated, top-down management, versus bottom-up management approaches.

Who Receives Confrontation in Recovery Houses and when is it Experienced as Supportive?

PubMed Central

Polcin, Douglas L.

2008-01-01

The Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS) is a 72-item instrument that measures a construct of confrontation defined as warnings about potential harm associated with alcohol and drug use. This analysis describes the characteristics of individuals entering residential recovery homes (N=323) who received confrontation and when it was experienced as supportive. A large proportion reported receiving at least one confrontational statement (80%), most commonly from family/friends (71%). Individuals who did and did not receive confrontation did not differ by demographics, but those receiving confrontation had more recent substance use, higher perceived costs of sobriety and more severe family and psychiatric problems. Differences were noted in confrontation from the criminal justice system versus family/friends. Overall, residents experienced confrontation as supportive regardless of who confronted them. Residents who experienced confrontation the most helpful were those with higher levels of substance use and those who believed maintaining sobriety would be difficult. PMID:20011678

A Confrontation for Coexistence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jen

2003-01-01

A month-long summer camp in Maine combines recreation, sports, and arts activities with daily conflict resolution sessions to help adolescents from regions of conflict (primarily the Middle East) learn the art of coexistence and peace. From its center in East Jerusalem, Seeds of Peace provides regular activities to reinforce the lessons that…

The Performance of IRT Model Selection Methods with Mixed-Format Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Chang, Wanchen; Dodd, Barbara G.

2012-01-01

When tests consist of multiple-choice and constructed-response items, researchers are confronted with the question of which item response theory (IRT) model combination will appropriately represent the data collected from these mixed-format tests. This simulation study examined the performance of six model selection criteria, including the…

Which health technologies should be funded? A prioritization framework based explicitly on value for money

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Deciding which health technologies to fund involves confronting some of the most difficult choices in medicine. As for other countries, the Israeli health system is faced each year with having to make these difficult decisions. The Public National Advisory Committee, known as ‘the Basket Committee’, selects new technologies for the basic list of health care that all Israelis are entitled to access, known as the ‘health basket’. We introduce a framework for health technology prioritization based explicitly on value for money that enables the main variables considered by decision-makers to be explicitly included. Although the framework’s exposition is in terms of the Basket Committee selecting new technologies for Israel’s health basket, we believe that the framework would also work well for other countries. Methods Our proposed prioritization framework involves comparing four main variables for each technology: 1. Incremental benefits, including ‘equity benefits’, to Israel’s population; 2. Incremental total cost to Israel’s health system; 3. Quality of evidence; and 4. Any additional ‘X-factors’ not elsewhere included, such as strategic or legal factors, etc. Applying methodology from multi-criteria decision analysis, the multiple dimensions comprising the first variable are aggregated via a points system. Results The four variables are combined for each technology and compared across the technologies in the ‘Value for Money (VfM) Chart’. The VfM Chart can be used to identify technologies that are good value for money, and, given a budget constraint, to select technologies that should be funded. This is demonstrated using 18 illustrative technologies. Conclusions The VfM Chart is an intuitively appealing decision-support tool for helping decision-makers to focus on the inherent tradeoffs involved in health technology prioritization. Such deliberations can be performed in a systematic and transparent fashion that can also be easily communicated to stakeholders, including the general public. Possible future research includes pilot-testing the VfM Chart using real-world data. Ideally, this would involve working with the Basket Committee. Likewise, the framework could be tested and applied by health technology prioritization agencies in other countries. PMID:23181391

Methodological challenges to human medical study.

PubMed

Zhong, Yixin; Liu, Baoyan; Qu, Hua; Xie, Qi

2014-09-01

With the transformation of modern medicinal pattern, medical studies are confronted with methodological challenges. By analyzing two methodologies existing in the study of physical matter system and information system, the article points out that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially the treatment based on syndrome differentiation, embodies information conception of methodological positions, while western medicine represents matter conception of methodological positions. It proposes a new way of thinking about combination of TCM and western medicine by combinating two kinds of methodological methods.

The dynamic nature of interrogation.

PubMed

Kelly, Christopher E; Miller, Jeaneé C; Redlich, Allison D

2016-06-01

Building on a substantial body of literature examining interrogation methods employed by police investigators and their relationship to suspect behaviors, we analyzed a sample of audio and video interrogation recordings of individuals suspected of serious violent crimes. Existing survey research has focused on the tactics reportedly used, at what rate, and under what conditions; observational studies detail which methods are actually employed. With a few notable exceptions, these foundational studies were static examinations of interrogation methods that documented the absence or presence of various approaches. In the present study, we cast interrogation as a dynamic phenomenon and code the recordings in 5-min intervals to examine how interrogation methods and suspect cooperation change over time. Employing the interrogation taxonomy framework, particularly 4 discrete domains-rapport and relationship building, emotion provocation, presentation of evidence, and confrontation/competition-we found that the emphasis of the domains varied across interrogations and were significantly different when suspects confessed versus when they denied involvement. In regression models, suspect cooperation was positively influenced by the rapport and relationship building domain, though it was negatively impacted by presentation of evidence and confrontation/competition. Moreover, we found that the negative effects of confrontation/competition on suspect cooperation lasted for up to 15 min. The implications of the findings for practice and future research include the benefits of a rapport-based approach, the deleterious effects of accusatorial methods, and the importance of studying when, not just if, certain interrogation techniques are employed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Substance Users’ Perspectives on Helpful and Unhelpful Confrontation: Implications for Recovery

PubMed Central

Polcin, Douglas; Mulia, Nina; Jones, Laura

2011-01-01

Substance users commonly face confrontations about their use from family, friends, peers, and professionals. Yet confrontation is controversial and not well understood. To better understand the effects of confrontation we conducted qualitative interviews with 38 substance users (82% male and 79% white) about their experiences of being confronted. Confrontation was defined as warnings about potential harm related to substance use. Results from coded transcripts indicated that helpful confrontations were those that were perceived as legitimate, offered hope and practical support, and were delivered by persons who were trusted and respected. Unhelpful confrontations were those that were perceived as hypocritical, overtly hostile, or occurring within embattled relationships. Experiences of directive, persistent confrontation varied. Limitations of the study include a small and relatively high functioning sample. We conclude that contextual factors are important in determining how confrontation is experienced. Larger studies with more diverse samples are warranted. PMID:22880542

[Fraud in medicine with the child as victim. Munchausen syndrome by proxy. A review of the literature].

PubMed

Koopman, H M; Feenstra, J

1988-08-01

In a review of the literature on the subject 'Münchhausen syndrome by proxy' the authors try to give an impression of the history of diagnosis and treatment of this special kind of child abuse. Particularly aspects of confrontation are discussed. They consider features of the chief actors in this very dramatic play. The authors point to problems in differential diagnosis in the framework of other subjects like 'non-accidental poisoning', 'doctor-shopping' and 'filicide'. They discuss ethical and legal consequences.

From Les Chevaliers du Ciel to Steely-Eyed Killers: Intersecting Influences of Hollywood and Reality on the Romanticization of Fighter Pilots

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

is critical to establishing his heroic identity . Authority Issues: Whether portrayed via confrontation (e.g., Fighter Squadron, The Dawn Patrol...traits throughout the subject’s cinema history has solidified the archetype into the public’s subconscious. Some combination of youthfulness

[Clinical approach to post-traumatic stress disorders].

PubMed

Boussaud, Marie

2015-01-01

A confrontation with death can lead to acute reactions of stress, followed possibly, after a phase of latency, by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterised by the appearance of a repetition syndrome combining reliving, hypervigilance and avoidance; comorbidities frequently arise, increasingthe risk of suicide. Caregivers have an important role to play in identifying them.

Construction of Narrative Identity Based on Paintings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garwolinska, Katarzyna; Oles, Piotr K.; Gricman, Anna

2018-01-01

This article presents a new method for encouraging clients to articulate and explore their narrative identities. The method combines the advantages of perception of art and of construction of narrative identity. It is inspired by McAdams 'Life Story Interview' and Hermans and Hermans-Jansen's Self-Confrontation Method. The material is a set of 100…

The Area Vocational School and Community Colleges: Cooperation or Confrontation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillie, Angelo C., Sr.

1974-01-01

Some insight is given into the possible use of a universal college in a 6-4-4 school system in the future. The universal college would combine the eleventh and twelth grades with the community college to increase vocational and technical skills needed for occupational opportunities and to reduce educational dropout. (DS)

Framing ethical acceptability: a problem with nuclear waste in Canada.

PubMed

Wilding, Ethan T

2012-06-01

Ethical frameworks are often used in professional fields as a means of providing explicit ethical guidance for individuals and institutions when confronted with ethically important decisions. The notion of an ethical framework has received little critical attention, however, and the concept subsequently lends itself easily to misuse and ambiguous application. This is the case with the 'ethical framework' offered by Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the crown-corporation which owns and is responsible for the long-term management of Canada's high-level nuclear fuel waste. It makes a very specific claim, namely that it is managing Canada's long-lived radioactive nuclear fuel waste in an ethically responsible manner. According to this organization, what it means to behave in an ethically responsible manner is to act and develop policy in accordance with its ethical framework. What, then, is its ethical framework, and can it be satisfied? In this paper I will show that the NWMO's ethical and social framework is deeply flawed in two respects: (a) it fails to meet the minimum requirements of a code of ethic or ethical framework by offering only questions, and no principles or rules of conduct; and (b) if posed as principles or rules of conduct, some of its questions are unsatisfiable. In particular, I will show that one of its claims, namely that it seek informed consent from individuals exposed to risk of harm from nuclear waste, cannot be satisfied as formulated. The result is that the NWMO's ethical framework is not, at present, ethically acceptable.

The four-meter confrontation visual field test.

PubMed Central

Kodsi, S R; Younge, B R

1992-01-01

The 4-m confrontation visual field test has been successfully used at the Mayo Clinic for many years in addition to the standard 0.5-m confrontation visual field test. The 4-m confrontation visual field test is a test of macular function and can identify small central or paracentral scotomas that the examiner may not find when the patient is tested only at 0.5 m. Also, macular sparing in homonymous hemianopias and quadrantanopias may be identified with the 4-m confrontation visual field test. We recommend use of this confrontation visual field test, in addition to the standard 0.5-m confrontation visual field test, on appropriately selected patients to obtain the most information possible by confrontation visual field tests. PMID:1494829

The four-meter confrontation visual field test.

PubMed

Kodsi, S R; Younge, B R

1992-01-01

The 4-m confrontation visual field test has been successfully used at the Mayo Clinic for many years in addition to the standard 0.5-m confrontation visual field test. The 4-m confrontation visual field test is a test of macular function and can identify small central or paracentral scotomas that the examiner may not find when the patient is tested only at 0.5 m. Also, macular sparing in homonymous hemianopias and quadrantanopias may be identified with the 4-m confrontation visual field test. We recommend use of this confrontation visual field test, in addition to the standard 0.5-m confrontation visual field test, on appropriately selected patients to obtain the most information possible by confrontation visual field tests.

Lessons learned from Applications of a Decision Tree for Confronting Climate Change Uncertainty - the Short Term and the Long Term

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, P. A.; Wi, S.; Bonzanigo, L.; Taner, M. U.; Rodriguez, D.; Garcia, L.; Brown, C.

2016-12-01

The Decision Tree for Confronting Climate Change Uncertainty is a hierarchical, staged framework for accomplishing climate change risk management in water resources system investments. Since its development for the World Bank Water Group two years ago, the framework has been applied to pilot demonstration projects in Nepal (hydropower generation), Mexico (water supply), Kenya (multipurpose reservoir operation), and Indonesia (flood risks to dam infrastructure). An important finding of the Decision Tree demonstration projects has been the need to present the risks/opportunities of climate change to stakeholders and investors in proportion to risks/opportunities and hazards of other kinds. This presentation will provide an overview of tools and techniques used to quantify risks/opportunities to each of the project types listed above, with special attention to those found most useful for exploration of the risk space. Careful exploration of the risk/opportunity space shows that some interventions would be better taken now, whereas risks/opportunities of other types would be better instituted incrementally in order to maintain reversibility and flexibility. A number of factors contribute to the robustness/flexibility tradeoff: available capital, magnitude and imminence of potential risk/opportunity, modular (or not) character of investment, and risk aversion of the decision maker, among others. Finally, in each case, nuance was required in the translation of Decision Tree findings into actionable policy recommendations. Though the narrative of stakeholder solicitation, engagement, and ultimate partnership is unique to each case, summary lessons are available from the portfolio that can serve as a guideline to the community of climate change risk managers.

Building health behavior models to guide the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions: A pragmatic framework

PubMed Central

Nahum-Shani, Inbal; Hekler, Eric B.; Spruijt-Metz, Donna

2016-01-01

Advances in wireless devices and mobile technology offer many opportunities for delivering just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs)--suites of interventions that adapt over time to an individual’s changing status and circumstances with the goal to address the individual’s need for support, whenever this need arises. A major challenge confronting behavioral scientists aiming to develop a JITAI concerns the selection and integration of existing empirical, theoretical and practical evidence into a scientific model that can inform the construction of a JITAI and help identify scientific gaps. The purpose of this paper is to establish a pragmatic framework that can be used to organize existing evidence into a useful model for JITAI construction. This framework involves clarifying the conceptual purpose of a JITAI, namely the provision of just-in-time support via adaptation, as well as describing the components of a JITAI and articulating a list of concrete questions to guide the establishment of a useful model for JITAI construction. The proposed framework includes an organizing scheme for translating the relatively static scientific models underlying many health behavior interventions into a more dynamic model that better incorporates the element of time. This framework will help to guide the next generation of empirical work to support the creation of effective JITAIs. PMID:26651462

Virtue ethics: an approach to moral dilemmas in nursing.

PubMed

Arries, E

2005-08-01

Nurses are increasingly confronted with situations of moral difficulty, such as not to feed terminally ill patients, whistle blowing, or participation in termination of pregnancy. Most of these moral dilemmas are often analyzed using the principle-based approach which applies the four moral principles of justice, autonomy, beneficence, and non-malificence. In some instances, consequentialism is considered, but these frameworks have their limitations. Their limitations has to do with a consideration for the interpersonal nature of clinical nursing practice on the one hand, and is not always clear on how to judge which consequences are best on the other hand. When principles are in conflict it is not always easy to decide which principle should dominate. Furthermore, these frameworks do not take into account the importance of the interpersonal and emotional element of human experience. On the contrary, decision-making about moral issues in healthcare demands that nurses exercise rational control over emotions. This clearly focuses the attention on the nurse as moral agent and in particular their character. In this article I argue that virtue ethics as an approach, which focus of the character of a person, might provide a more holistic analysis of moral dilemmas in nursing and might facilitate more flexible and creative solutions when combined with other theories of moral decision-making. Advancing this argument, firstly, I provide the central features of virtue ethics. Secondly I describe a story in which a moral dilemma is evident. Lastly I apply virtue ethics as an approach to this moral dilemma and in particular focusing on the virtues inherent in the nurse as moral agent in the story.

Heat-Passing Framework for Robust Interpretation of Data in Networks

PubMed Central

Fang, Yi; Sun, Mengtian; Ramani, Karthik

2015-01-01

Researchers are regularly interested in interpreting the multipartite structure of data entities according to their functional relationships. Data is often heterogeneous with intricately hidden inner structure. With limited prior knowledge, researchers are likely to confront the problem of transforming this data into knowledge. We develop a new framework, called heat-passing, which exploits intrinsic similarity relationships within noisy and incomplete raw data, and constructs a meaningful map of the data. The proposed framework is able to rank, cluster, and visualize the data all at once. The novelty of this framework is derived from an analogy between the process of data interpretation and that of heat transfer, in which all data points contribute simultaneously and globally to reveal intrinsic similarities between regions of data, meaningful coordinates for embedding the data, and exemplar data points that lie at optimal positions for heat transfer. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the heat-passing framework for robustly partitioning the complex networks, analyzing the globin family of proteins and determining conformational states of macromolecules in the presence of high levels of noise. The results indicate that the methodology is able to reveal functionally consistent relationships in a robust fashion with no reference to prior knowledge. The heat-passing framework is very general and has the potential for applications to a broad range of research fields, for example, biological networks, social networks and semantic analysis of documents. PMID:25668316

Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in the Measurement of Rural Poverty: The Case of Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayati, Dariush; Karami, Ezatollah; Slee, Bill

2006-01-01

Poverty reduction is one of the major challenges confronting mankind and a principal obstacle to well-being for a large proportion of the world's population. New paradigms of development as advocated by Chambers and others focus strongly on poverty reduction. Poverty is increasingly recognised as a multifaceted concept that can be elucidated…

Confronting Disparities in Diabetes Care: The Clinical Effectiveness of Redesigning Care Management for Minority Patients in Rural Primary Care Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bray, Paul; Thompson, Debra; Wynn, Joan D.; Cummings, Doyle M.; Whetstone, Lauren

2005-01-01

Context: Diabetes mellitus and its complications disproportionately affect minority citizens in rural communities, many of whom have limited access to comprehensive diabetes management services. Purpose: To explore the efficacy of combining care management and interdisciplinary group visits for rural African American patients with diabetes…

Positivism, Postmodernism, or Critical Theory? A Case Study of Communications Students' Understandings of Criticism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Christian; Sandoval, Marisol

2008-01-01

Neoliberalism has resulted in a large-scale economization and capitalization of society that has also permeated the academic system. The paper at hand provides the result of a case study that analyzed how students, who are today frequently confronted by the combination of studying and precarious labour and insecure job perspectives, assess the…

Confronting Conceptual Challenges in Thermodynamics by Use of Self-Generated Analogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haglund, Jesper; Jeppsson, Fredrik

2014-01-01

Use of self-generated analogies has been proposed as a method for students to learn about a new subject by reference to what they previously know, in line with a constructivist perspective on learning and a resource perspective on conceptual change. We report on a group exercise on using completion problems in combination with self-generated…

Similarities and Links between Early Childhood Education and Informal Education in Youth Work for Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Burkhard

2006-01-01

This Paper argues that the learning opportunities needed by pre-school children and adolescents beyond school have much in common: both confront what the pioneer of youth work Josephine Brew (1943) named the key problem of the "whole man": combining "social fellowship, recreation and education in one organisation". For both…

Performance improvement: one model to reduce length of stay.

PubMed

Chisari, E; Mele, J A

1994-01-01

Dedicated quality professionals are tired of quick fixes, Band-Aids, and other first-aid strategies that offer only temporary relief of nagging problems rather than a long-term cure. Implementing strategies that can produce permanent solutions to crucial problems is a challenge confronted by organizations striving for continuous performance improvement. One vehicle, driven by data and customer requirements, that can help to solve problems and sustain success over time is the storyboard. This article illustrates the use of the storyboard as the framework for reducing length of stay--one of the most important problems facing healthcare organizations today.

Urban political ecologies of informal recyclers׳ health in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

PubMed

Parizeau, Kate

2015-05-01

Buenos Aires׳ informal recyclers (cartoneros) confront multiple health hazards in their work. Based in a survey with (n=397) informal recyclers, this study establishes that these workers experience uneven health landscapes as evidenced through their health outcomes, the social determinants of their health, and their living and working environments. I argue that the analytical framework of urban political ecology can provide insights to the ways that the urban environments where cartoneros live and work are socially-constructed phenomena, drawing on concepts of crisis, metabolism, and multi-scalar analyses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Agent Many-Objective Robust Decision Making: Supporting Cooperative Regional Water Portfolio Planning in the Eastern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, J. D.; Zeff, H. B.; Reed, P. M.; Characklis, G. W.

2013-12-01

In the Eastern United States, water infrastructure and institutional frameworks have evolved in a historically water-rich environment. However, large regional droughts over the past decade combined with continuing population growth have marked a transition to a state of water scarcity, for which current planning paradigms are ill-suited. Significant opportunities exist to improve the efficiency of water infrastructure via regional coordination, namely, regional 'portfolios' of water-related assets such as reservoirs, conveyance, conservation measures, and transfer agreements. Regional coordination offers the potential to improve reliability, cost, and environmental impact in the expected future state of the world, and, with informed planning, to improve robustness to future uncertainty. In support of this challenge, this study advances a multi-agent many-objective robust decision making (multi-agent MORDM) framework that blends novel computational search and uncertainty analysis tools to discover flexible, robust regional portfolios. Our multi-agent MORDM framework is demonstrated for four water utilities in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, USA. The utilities supply nearly two million customers and have the ability to interact with one another via transfer agreements and shared infrastructure. We show that strategies for this region which are Pareto-optimal in the expected future state of the world remain vulnerable to performance degradation under alternative scenarios of deeply uncertain hydrologic and economic factors. We then apply the Patient Rule Induction Method (PRIM) to identify which of these uncertain factors drives the individual and collective vulnerabilities for the four cooperating utilities. Our results indicate that clear multi-agent tradeoffs emerge for attaining robustness across the utilities. Furthermore, the key factor identified for improving the robustness of the region's water supply is cooperative demand reduction. This type of approach is critically important given the risks and challenges posed by rising supply development costs, limits on new infrastructure, growing water demands and the underlying uncertainties associated with climate change. The proposed framework serves as a planning template for other historically water-rich regions which must now confront the reality of impending water scarcity.

Guidelines for Teaching Cross-Cultural Clinical Ethics: Critiquing Ideology and Confronting Power in the Service of a Principles-Based Pedagogy.

PubMed

Brunger, Fern

2016-03-01

This paper presents a pedagogical framework for teaching cross-cultural clinical ethics. The approach, offered at the intersection of anthropology and bioethics, is innovative in that it takes on the "social sciences versus bioethics" debate that has been ongoing in North America for three decades. The argument is made that this debate is flawed on both sides and, moreover, that the application of cross-cultural thinking to clinical ethics requires using the tools of the social sciences (such as the critique of the universality of the Euro-American construct of "autonomy") within (rather than in opposition to) a principles-based framework for clinical ethics. This paper introduces the curriculum and provides guidelines for how to teach cross-cultural clinical ethics. The learning points that are introduced emphasize culture in its relation to power and underscore the importance of viewing both biomedicine and bioethics as culturally constructed.

HEALPix: A Framework for High-Resolution Discretization and Fast Analysis of Data Distributed on the Sphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorski, K. M.; Hivon, Eric; Banday, A. J.; Wandelt, Benjamin D.; Hansen, Frode K.; Reinecke, Mstvos; Bartelmann, Matthia

2005-01-01

HEALPix the Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelization is a versatile structure for the pixelization of data on the sphere. An associated library of computational algorithms and visualization software supports fast scientific applications executable directly on discretized spherical maps generated from very large volumes of astronomical data. Originally developed to address the data processing and analysis needs of the present generation of cosmic microwave background experiments (e.g., BOOMERANG, WMAP), HEALPix can be expanded to meet many of the profound challenges that will arise in confrontation with the observational output of future missions and experiments, including, e.g., Planck, Herschel, SAFIR, and the Beyond Einstein inflation probe. In this paper we consider the requirements and implementation constraints on a framework that simultaneously enables an efficient discretization with associated hierarchical indexation and fast analysis/synthesis of functions defined on the sphere. We demonstrate how these are explicitly satisfied by HEALPix.

Productions of η, ρ0 and ϕ at large transverse momentum in Heavy ion Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Wei; Zhang, Ben-Wei

2017-08-01

The suppression of the productions of the η meson in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and its ratio of η /π0 are computed theoretically in the framework of the perturbative QCD(pQCD) to confront the experimental data which matches well. We explore how the hadron production ratios as η /π0 would further disclose the informations of the production suppressions due to the energy loss of the energetic jet that propagating though the QGP medium. Also, we present our further studies on vector mesons such as ρ0 and ϕ within the same framework. The theoretical predictions based on pQCD are thus firstly given which give a decent description on the experimental measurements. It paved the way to the uniformly understanding of the strong suppression of single hadron productions at large transverse momentum which is a convincing evidence of the jet quenching effect.

Comet Kohoutek, The Arab Oil Embargo, and the Jan 1974 AAS Meeting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, D. K.

1999-05-01

An unlikely combination of factors, including Comet Kohoutek and the Arab Oil embargo, combined to make my first AAS Meeting my most memorable. Three young graduate students confronted lack of gas, lack of money, and lack of planning to attend the Jan 1974 meeting in Tucson, AZ. One, Steve Hawley, displayed skills which would later be valuable when he became the astronaut who launched HST. Although we became stranded in the desert, two of the three of us made it to the meeting, and only one didn't....

How do Residents of Recovery Houses Experience Confrontation between Entry and 12-Month Follow-Up?

PubMed Central

Polcin, Douglas L.; Galloway, Gantt P.; Bond, Jason; Korcha, Rachael; Greenfield, Thomas K.

2010-01-01

The role of confrontation in recovery has been vigorously debated. Proponents suggest that confrontation can help break down denial and increase motivation. Critics point to counseling studies showing confrontation harms the therapeutic alliance and increases resistance. Frequently missing in these debates is an operational definition of confrontation that can be reliably measured. The Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS) is a new 72-item measure that defines confrontation as “warnings about potential harm” that might result from substance use. Previous psychometric work using a sample of residents of recovery homes at intake (N=323) indicated the ADCS had acceptable reliability and validity. Confrontation from different sources (e.g., family, friends and professionals) was generally experienced as supportive and helpful. The goals of the current study were twofold: 1) to see if the psychometric properties of the ADCS were maintained at 6 and 12 month follow up, and 2) to see if experiences and perceptions of confrontation changed over time. Despite minor variations in the factor structure between baseline and follow up, the ADCS generally maintained good reliability and validity. At follow up, the amount of confrontation participants received declined, but it continued to be generally experienced as supportive and helpful. PMID:20464806

An Integrated Framework for Multipollutant Air Quality Management and Its Application in Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohan, Daniel S.; Boylan, James W.; Marmur, Amit; Khan, Maudood N.

2007-10-01

Air protection agencies in the United States increasingly confront non-attainment of air quality standards for multiple pollutants sharing interrelated emission origins. Traditional approaches to attainment planning face important limitations that are magnified in the multipollutant context. Recognizing those limitations, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has adopted an integrated framework to address ozone, fine particulate matter, and regional haze in the state. Rather than applying atmospheric modeling merely as a final check of an overall strategy, photochemical sensitivity analysis is conducted upfront to compare the effectiveness of controlling various precursor emission species and source regions. Emerging software enables the modeling of health benefits and associated economic valuations resulting from air pollution control. Photochemical sensitivity and health benefits analyses, applied together with traditional cost and feasibility assessments, provide a more comprehensive characterization of the implications of various control options. The fuller characterization both informs the selection of control options and facilitates the communication of impacts to affected stakeholders and the public. Although the integrated framework represents a clear improvement over previous attainment-planning efforts, key remaining shortcomings are also discussed.

An integrated framework for multipollutant air quality management and its application in Georgia.

PubMed

Cohan, Daniel S; Boylan, James W; Marmur, Amit; Khan, Maudood N

2007-10-01

Air protection agencies in the United States increasingly confront non-attainment of air quality standards for multiple pollutants sharing interrelated emission origins. Traditional approaches to attainment planning face important limitations that are magnified in the multipollutant context. Recognizing those limitations, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has adopted an integrated framework to address ozone, fine particulate matter, and regional haze in the state. Rather than applying atmospheric modeling merely as a final check of an overall strategy, photochemical sensitivity analysis is conducted upfront to compare the effectiveness of controlling various precursor emission species and source regions. Emerging software enables the modeling of health benefits and associated economic valuations resulting from air pollution control. Photochemical sensitivity and health benefits analyses, applied together with traditional cost and feasibility assessments, provide a more comprehensive characterization of the implications of various control options. The fuller characterization both informs the selection of control options and facilitates the communication of impacts to affected stakeholders and the public. Although the integrated framework represents a clear improvement over previous attainment-planning efforts, key remaining shortcomings are also discussed.

Environmental Degradation: Implications for National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-30

national interests, one can readily determine the points of confluencP. When the major security implications have been identified. realistic security...planning can be accomplished effectivelv. The major potential threat of East-West confrontation. characterized by massive conventional and nuclear arsenals...degradation. Economic infrastructures, the relative scarcity of resources, and surging population qrowth can combine to create a world not far removed from

Many-objective Groundwater Monitoring Network Design Using Bias-Aware Ensemble Kalman Filtering and Evolutionary Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kollat, J. B.; Reed, P. M.

2009-12-01

This study contributes the ASSIST (Adaptive Strategies for Sampling in Space and Time) framework for improving long-term groundwater monitoring decisions across space and time while accounting for the influences of systematic model errors (or predictive bias). The ASSIST framework combines contaminant flow-and-transport modeling, bias-aware ensemble Kalman filtering (EnKF) and many-objective evolutionary optimization. Our goal in this work is to provide decision makers with a fuller understanding of the information tradeoffs they must confront when performing long-term groundwater monitoring network design. Our many-objective analysis considers up to 6 design objectives simultaneously and consequently synthesizes prior monitoring network design methodologies into a single, flexible framework. This study demonstrates the ASSIST framework using a tracer study conducted within a physical aquifer transport experimental tank located at the University of Vermont. The tank tracer experiment was extensively sampled to provide high resolution estimates of tracer plume behavior. The simulation component of the ASSIST framework consists of stochastic ensemble flow-and-transport predictions using ParFlow coupled with the Lagrangian SLIM transport model. The ParFlow and SLIM ensemble predictions are conditioned with tracer observations using a bias-aware EnKF. The EnKF allows decision makers to enhance plume transport predictions in space and time in the presence of uncertain and biased model predictions by conditioning them on uncertain measurement data. In this initial demonstration, the position and frequency of sampling were optimized to: (i) minimize monitoring cost, (ii) maximize information provided to the EnKF, (iii) minimize failure to detect the tracer, (iv) maximize the detection of tracer flux, (v) minimize error in quantifying tracer mass, and (vi) minimize error in quantifying the moment of the tracer plume. The results demonstrate that the many-objective problem formulation provides a tremendous amount of information for decision makers. Specifically our many-objective analysis highlights the limitations and potentially negative design consequences of traditional single and two-objective problem formulations. These consequences become apparent through visual exploration of high-dimensional tradeoffs and the identification of regions with interesting compromise solutions. The prediction characteristics of these compromise designs are explored in detail, as well as their implications for subsequent design decisions in both space and time.

Confrontation Naming and Reading Abilities at Primary School: A Longitudinal Study

PubMed Central

Savelli, Enrico; Termine, Cristiano

2015-01-01

Background. Confrontation naming tasks are useful in the assessment of children with learning and language disorders. Objectives. The aims of this study were (1) providing longitudinal data on confrontation naming; (2) investigating the role of socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence, age, and gender in confrontation naming; (3) identifying relationship between confrontation naming and reading abilities (fluency, accuracy, and comprehension). Method. A five-year longitudinal investigation of confrontation naming (i.e., the Boston Naming Test (BNT)) in a nonclinical sample of Italian primary school children was conducted (n = 126), testing them at the end of each school year, to assess nonverbal intelligence, confrontation naming, and reading abilities. Results. Performance on the BNT emerged as a function of IQ and SES. Significant correlations between confrontation naming and reading abilities, especially comprehension, were found; BNT scores correlated better with reading fluency than with reading accuracy. Conclusions. The longitudinal data obtained in this study are discussed with regard to reading abilities, intelligence, age, gender, and socioeconomic status. PMID:26124541

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Test-Retest Reliability of the Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS)

PubMed Central

Polcin, Douglas L.; Galloway, Gantt P.; Bond, Jason; Korcha, Rachael; Greenfield, Thomas K.

2008-01-01

The addiction field lacks an accepted definition and reliable measure of confrontation. The Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS) defines confrontation as warnings about the potential consequences of substance use. To assess psychometric properties, 323 individual entering recovery houses in U.S. urban and suburban areas were interviewed between 2003 and 2005 (20% women, 68% white). Analyses included test-retest reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, and measures of internal consistency. Findings support the ADCS as a reliable way of assessing two factors: Internal Support and External intensity. Confrontation was experienced as supportive, accurate and helpful. Additional studies should assess confrontation in different contexts. PMID:20686635

Activity confrontation methods: A reflexive and metacognitive approach for interprofessional collaboration training.

PubMed

Aiguier, Gregory; Oboeuf, Alexandre; Cobbaut, Jean-Philippe; Vanpee, Dominique

2015-01-01

Integration of interprofessional collaboration into healthcare education and training programmes has become a fundamental issue. Its objective is to learn how to collectively build collaborative care practice that addresses the uniqueness of each context and the specific situation of the patient. It is also about understanding the process of collectively building collaborative care practice in order to be able to apply it in different contexts. This article describes a study that aimed to examine the value of relying on activity confrontation methods to develop training. These methods consist of filming practitioners during an activity and encouraging them to analyse it. It was found that these methods encourage reflexive analysis of the motives for pursuing interprofessional action (identifying constitutive factors) but also a metacognitive approach on the conditions of learning (p < 0.01). In addition to the educational dimensions (methods and leadership positions) and organisational dimensions (frameworks), it was found that the patient's role is essential in developing interprofessional care practice and training (p < 0.01). Given the nature of these findings, this article goes on to suggest that the patient must be considered a "partner" in development and delivery of interprofessional learning and care.

The forgotten dispute: A.I. Oparin and H.J. Muller on the origin of life.

PubMed

Falk, Raphael; Lazcano, Antonio

2012-01-01

The debate between A.I. Oparin's heterotrophic proposal of the origin of life and H.J. Muller's suggestion that what may be considered a posteriori the beginning of life, was an autocatalytic, replicative gene, is analyzed. Although both recognized that what was needed was an interacting system contiguous in space and time, it is now rarely mentioned that this scientific confrontation went on for several decades against the background of intense ideological issues, political tensions, and scientific developments that include the rise and demise of Lysenkoism, on the one hand, and, on the other, the establishment of neoDarwinism and the birth of molecular biology. Whereas for Oparin life was the outcome of the step-wise slow process of precellular evolution in which membrane-bounded polymolecular systems played a key role, Muller argued that life started with the appearance of the first nucleic-acid (DNA) molecule in the primitive oceans. Oparin and Muller came from different scientific backgrounds and almost opposite intellectual traditions, so their common interest in the origin of life did nothing to assuage their opposing views, which as argued soon became part of the debates that took place within the framework of intense ideological confrontations.

Confronting uncertainty in wildlife management: performance of grizzly bear management.

PubMed

Artelle, Kyle A; Anderson, Sean C; Cooper, Andrew B; Paquet, Paul C; Reynolds, John D; Darimont, Chris T

2013-01-01

Scientific management of wildlife requires confronting the complexities of natural and social systems. Uncertainty poses a central problem. Whereas the importance of considering uncertainty has been widely discussed, studies of the effects of unaddressed uncertainty on real management systems have been rare. We examined the effects of outcome uncertainty and components of biological uncertainty on hunt management performance, illustrated with grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in British Columbia, Canada. We found that both forms of uncertainty can have serious impacts on management performance. Outcome uncertainty alone--discrepancy between expected and realized mortality levels--led to excess mortality in 19% of cases (population-years) examined. Accounting for uncertainty around estimated biological parameters (i.e., biological uncertainty) revealed that excess mortality might have occurred in up to 70% of cases. We offer a general method for identifying targets for exploited species that incorporates uncertainty and maintains the probability of exceeding mortality limits below specified thresholds. Setting targets in our focal system using this method at thresholds of 25% and 5% probability of overmortality would require average target mortality reductions of 47% and 81%, respectively. Application of our transparent and generalizable framework to this or other systems could improve management performance in the presence of uncertainty.

Viewing Health Equity through a Legal Lens: Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

PubMed

Rosenbaum, Sara; Schmucker, Sara

2017-10-01

Enacted as part of the watershed Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI prohibits discrimination by federally assisted entities on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Indeed, the law is as broad as federal funding across the full range of programs and services that affect health. Over the years, governmental enforcement efforts have waxed and waned, and private litigants have confronted barriers to directly invoking its protections. But Title VI endures as the formal mechanism by which the nation rejects discrimination within federally funded programs and services. Enforcement efforts confront problems of proof, remedies whose effectiveness may be blunted by underlying residential segregation patterns, and a judiciary closed to legal challenges focusing on discriminatory impact rather than intentional discrimination. But Title VI enforcement has experienced a resurgence, with strategies that seek to use the law as a basic compliance tool across the range of federally assisted programs. This resurgence reflects an enduring commitment to more equitable outcomes in federally funded programs that bear directly on community health, and it stands as a testament to the vital importance of a legal framework designed to move the nation toward greater health equity. Copyright © 2017 by Duke University Press.

The development of a conceptually based nursing curriculum: an international experiment.

PubMed

Meleis, A I

1979-11-01

Nursing programmes in the United States of America are based on a conceptual framework. Not only do faculty and students ascribe to the necessity of such programmes but the national accreditation agency also provides its accreditation approval for the institution only after all criteria are met, including the requirement of a well-defined, operationalized and implemented framework. Can a nursing programme be developed in other nations utilizing the esoteric, American-based idea of the necessity for a conceptually based curriculum? The author answers this question. The manuscript presents both the process utilized in selecting a conceptual framwork for a new junior college programme in Kuwait and discusses the selected framework. The idea of a conceptual framework to guide the curriculum was as foreign in Kuwait as it was to nursing curricula in the United States 15 years ago. Though initially rejected by the faculty in Kuwait, the idea of a conceptual framework was reintroduced after much faculty discussion and questions related to nursing knowledge vis-a-vis medical knowledge, and what should be included in and excluded from the programme. By the end of the second year, a definite framework had been operationalized into courses and content. The selection of the framework evolved from faculty participation in the operationalization of the framework. This point is quite significant particularly in an international assignment, as it is the faculty who are left with the monumental task of supporting and continuing the work which has been done. Strategies used to develop and implement a conceptual framework included confrontation of faculty of the existing situation, lectures, seminars, workshops, and the identification of a critical review board.

Building health behavior models to guide the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions: A pragmatic framework.

PubMed

Nahum-Shani, Inbal; Hekler, Eric B; Spruijt-Metz, Donna

2015-12-01

Advances in wireless devices and mobile technology offer many opportunities for delivering just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs)-suites of interventions that adapt over time to an individual's changing status and circumstances with the goal to address the individual's need for support, whenever this need arises. A major challenge confronting behavioral scientists aiming to develop a JITAI concerns the selection and integration of existing empirical, theoretical and practical evidence into a scientific model that can inform the construction of a JITAI and help identify scientific gaps. The purpose of this paper is to establish a pragmatic framework that can be used to organize existing evidence into a useful model for JITAI construction. This framework involves clarifying the conceptual purpose of a JITAI, namely, the provision of just-in-time support via adaptation, as well as describing the components of a JITAI and articulating a list of concrete questions to guide the establishment of a useful model for JITAI construction. The proposed framework includes an organizing scheme for translating the relatively static scientific models underlying many health behavior interventions into a more dynamic model that better incorporates the element of time. This framework will help to guide the next generation of empirical work to support the creation of effective JITAIs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

A science of integration: frameworks, processes, and products in a place-based, integrative study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kliskey, Andrew; Alessa, Lilian; Wandersee, Sarah; Williams, Paula; Trammell, Jamie; Powell, Jim; Grunblatt, Jess; Wipfli, Mark S.

2017-01-01

Integrative research is increasingly a priority within the scientific community and is a central goal for the evolving field of sustainability science. While it is conceptually attractive, its successful implementation has been challenging and recent work suggests that the move towards interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in sustainability science is being only partially realized. To address this from the perspective of social-ecological systems (SES) research, we examine the process of conducting a science of integration within the Southcentral Alaska Test Case (SCTC) of Alaska-EPSCoR as a test-bed for this approach. The SCTC is part of a large, 5 year, interdisciplinary study investigating changing environments and adaptations to those changes in Alaska. In this paper, we review progress toward a science of integration and present our efforts to confront the practical issues of applying proposed integration frameworks. We: (1) define our integration framework; (2) describe the collaborative processes, including the co-development of science through stakeholder engagement and partnerships; and (3) illustrate potential products of integrative, social-ecological systems research. The approaches we use can also be applied outside of this particular framework. We highlight challenges and propose improvements for integration in sustainability science by addressing the need for common frameworks and improved contextual understanding. These insights may be useful for capacity-building for interdisciplinary projects that address complex real-world social and environmental problems.

The combined use of virtual reality exposure in the treatment of agoraphobia.

PubMed

Pitti, Carmen T; Peñate, Wenceslao; de la Fuente, Juan; Bethencourt, Juan M; Roca-Sánchez, María J; Acosta, Leopoldo; Villaverde, María L; Gracia, Ramón

2015-01-01

This study compares the differential efficacy of three groups of treatments for agoraphobia: paroxetine combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy, paroxetine combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy and virtual reality exposure, and a group with only paroxetine. 99 patients with agoraphobia were finally selected. Both combined treatment groups received 11 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and one of the groups was also exposed to 4 sessions of virtual reality treatment. Treatments were applied in individual sessions once a week for 3 months. The three treatment groups showed statistically significant improvements. In some measures, combined treatment groups showed greater improvements. The virtual reality exposure group showed greater improvement confronting phobic stimuli. Treatments combining psychopharmacological and psychological therapy showed greater efficacy. Although the use of new technologies led to greater improvement, treatment adherence problems still remain.

PC software package to confront multimodality images and a stereotactic atlas in neurosurgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barillot, Christian; Lemoine, Didier; Gibaud, Bernard; Toulemont, P. J.; Scarabin, Jean-Marie

1990-07-01

The aim of this application is to interactively transfer information between CT, MRI or DSA data and a 3D stereotactic atlas digitized on a C. Based on a 3D organization of data, this system is devoted to assist a neurosurgeon in surgical planning by numerically cross-assigning information between heterogeneous data (in-vivo or atlas). All these images can be retrieved in digital form from the PACS central archive (SIRENE PACS system). The basic feature of this confrontation is the Talairach's proportional squaring which consists in dividing the 3D cerebral space in independently deformable sub-parts. This 3D model is based on anatomical structures such as the AC-PC line and its two associated vertical lines VAC and VPC. Based on this proportional squaring, the atlas has been digitized in order to get atlas plates along the three orthogonal directions of this geometrical reference (axial, coronal, sagittal). The registration of in-vivo data to the proportional squaring is done by extracting either external framework landmarks or anatomical reference structures (i.e. AC and PC structures on the MRI sagittal mid-plane image). Geometrical transformations and scaling are then recorded for each modality or acquisition according to the proportional squaring. These transformations make for instance possible the transfer of a 3D point of a MRI examination to its 3D location within the proportional squaring and furthermore to its 3D location within another data set (in-vivo or atlas). From that stage, the application gives the choice to the neurosurgeon to select any confrontation between input data (in-vivo images or atlas) and output data (id).

Interviewing Suspects in Denial: On How Different Evidence Disclosure Modes Affect the Elicitation of New Critical Information

PubMed Central

May, Lennart; Granhag, Pär Anders; Tekin, Serra

2017-01-01

This study examines how different evidence disclosure modes affect the elicitation of new critical information. Two modes derived from the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework were compared against an early disclosure mode (i.e., the evidence was disclosed at the outset of the interview). Participants (N = 88) performed a mock crime consisting of several actions before they were interviewed as suspects. In both SUE conditions the interviewer elicited and disclosed statement-evidence inconsistencies in two phases after an introductory phase. For the SUE-Confrontation (SUE-C) condition, the interview was introduced in a business-like manner, and the interviewer confronted the suspects with the in/consistencies without giving them a chance to comment on these. For the SUE-Introduce-Present-Respond (SUE-IPR) condition, the interviewer introduced the interview in a non-guilt-presumptive way, presented the in/consistencies and allowed the suspects to comment on these, and then responded to their comments; at all times in a non-judgmental manner. Both SUE conditions generated comparatively more statement-evidence inconsistencies. The SUE-IPR condition resulted in more new critical information about the phase of the crime for which the interviewer lacked information, compared to the Early disclosure condition. A likely explanation for this was that (for the SUE-IPR condition) the interviewer used the inconsistencies to create a fostering interview atmosphere and made the suspects overestimate the interviewer's knowledge about the critical phase of the crime. In essence, this study shows that in order to win the game (i.e., obtaining new critical information), the interviewer needs to keep the suspect in the game (i.e., by not being too confrontational and judgmental). PMID:28769829

Interviewing Suspects in Denial: On How Different Evidence Disclosure Modes Affect the Elicitation of New Critical Information.

PubMed

May, Lennart; Granhag, Pär Anders; Tekin, Serra

2017-01-01

This study examines how different evidence disclosure modes affect the elicitation of new critical information. Two modes derived from the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework were compared against an early disclosure mode (i.e., the evidence was disclosed at the outset of the interview). Participants ( N = 88) performed a mock crime consisting of several actions before they were interviewed as suspects. In both SUE conditions the interviewer elicited and disclosed statement-evidence inconsistencies in two phases after an introductory phase. For the SUE-Confrontation (SUE-C) condition, the interview was introduced in a business-like manner, and the interviewer confronted the suspects with the in/consistencies without giving them a chance to comment on these. For the SUE-Introduce-Present-Respond (SUE-IPR) condition, the interviewer introduced the interview in a non-guilt-presumptive way, presented the in/consistencies and allowed the suspects to comment on these, and then responded to their comments; at all times in a non-judgmental manner. Both SUE conditions generated comparatively more statement-evidence inconsistencies. The SUE-IPR condition resulted in more new critical information about the phase of the crime for which the interviewer lacked information, compared to the Early disclosure condition. A likely explanation for this was that (for the SUE-IPR condition) the interviewer used the inconsistencies to create a fostering interview atmosphere and made the suspects overestimate the interviewer's knowledge about the critical phase of the crime. In essence, this study shows that in order to win the game (i.e., obtaining new critical information), the interviewer needs to keep the suspect in the game (i.e., by not being too confrontational and judgmental).

Towards the Integration of Police Psychology Techniques Combined with the Socio-Ecological Psychology Model to Confront Juvenile Delinquency in K-12 Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Gary

2013-01-01

Dealing with students' behavioral problems is one of the most pressing concerns facing educators today, and teachers are feeling inadequately equipped to meet the challenge. The objective of this research was to better understand prevailing delinquency problems in K-12 classrooms, and how teachers address them. Although calls to improve school…

The Impact of Symbolic Speech in Public Schools: A Selective Case Analysis from "Tinker" to "Zamecnik"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waggoner, Charles R.

2013-01-01

The freedom to express the self and the right to a free public education sets the American public school experience apart from those of many other nations. The combination of the two often creates tensions and confrontations that become contentious leading to litigation. For the past fifty years the courts have attempted to balance the symbolic…

Who confronts prejudice?: the role of implicit theories in the motivation to confront prejudice.

PubMed

Rattan, Aneeta; Dweck, Carol S

2010-07-01

Despite the possible costs, confronting prejudice can have important benefits, ranging from the well-being of the target of prejudice to social change. What, then, motivates targets of prejudice to confront people who express explicit bias? In three studies, we tested the hypothesis that targets who hold an incremental theory of personality (i.e., the belief that people can change) are more likely to confront prejudice than targets who hold an entity theory of personality (i.e., the belief that people have fixed traits). In Study 1, targets' beliefs about the malleability of personality predicted whether they spontaneously confronted an individual who expressed bias. In Study 2, targets who held more of an incremental theory reported that they would be more likely to confront prejudice and less likely to withdraw from future interactions with an individual who expressed prejudice. In Study 3, we manipulated implicit theories and replicated these findings. By highlighting the central role that implicit theories of personality play in targets' motivation to confront prejudice, this research has important implications for intergroup relations and social change.

Advancing the adverse outcome pathway framework and its ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Regulatory agencies worldwide are confronted with the challenging task of assessing the risks of thousands of chemicals to protect both human health and the environment. Traditional toxicity testing largely relies on apical endpoints from whole animal studies, which, in addition to ethical concerns, is costly and time prohibitive. As a result, the utility of mechanism-based in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches to support chemical safety evaluations have increasingly been explored. An approach that has gained traction for capturing available knowledge describing the linkage between mechanistic data and apical toxicity endpoints, required for regulatory assessments, is the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework. A number of international workshops and expert meetings have been held over the past years focusing on the AOP framework and its applications to chemical risk assessment. Although, these interactions have illustrated the necessity of expert guidance in moving the science of AOPs and their applications forward, there is also the recognition that a broader survey of the scientific community could be useful in guiding future initiatives in the AOP arena. To that end, a Horizon Scanning exercise was conducted to solicit questions from the global scientific community concerning the challenges or limitations that must be addressed in order to realize the full potential of the AOP framework in research and regulatory decision making. Over a 4 month ques

Science Shaping Sustainable Finance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez Osuna, V.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Koehler, D.; Klop, P.; Spengler, J.; Buonocore, J.; Cak, A. D.; Tessler, Z. D.; Corsi, F.; Green, P. A.; Sánchez, R.

2017-12-01

Sustainable investment is confronting a period of rapid growth and fundamental change. However, the methods used to evaluate corporate sustainability are failing to keep pace with this new reality. In contrast to the 1990s when corporate data on pollution or occupational health were not available in the public domain, today's investors can take advantage of rich data streams, owing to voluntary corporate disclosures of their business practices. Yet, the data companies declare are hardly standardized, difficult to verify, and thus run the risk of creating unreliable assertions, a form of "green-washing". A partnership comprising a pension fund, an asset manager and two research universities has created a science-based approach to quantify context and place it into a decision-making framework for investors. We have tested this framework on US$2.5 billion of assets held by a large European pension fund with an initial focus on four domains—water, climate change, human health and food security. Our standardized metrics enable coherent comparison of individual company and portfolios over time. To place a company's impact on water systems or climate change into context requires geographically co-locating company operations, combining these with estimates of industrial emissions or mitigation potential, baseline Earth system science data and geopolitical and demographic statistics. Recent developments regarding the Paris Accord are a warning that progress toward a sustainable future requires rethinking the roles that the public and private sectors can play in effecting meaningful change. The finance sector, if given the proper guideposts, could rapidly transform fraught public policy challenges like climate adaptation or the global loss of biodiversity into business opportunities. By utilizing a science-based yardstick to evaluate and compare companies on the basis of their impacts, attention could be drawn to companies that are verifiably contributing to sustainability.

International cooperation and amateur meteor work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roggemans, P.

Today, the existing framework for international cooperation among amateur meteor workers offers numerous advantages. However, this is a rather recent situation. Meteor astronomy, although popular among amateurs, was the very last topic within astronomy to benefit from a truly international approach. Anyone attempting long term studies of, for instance, meteor stream structures will be confronted with the systematic lack of usable observations due to the absence of any standards in observing, recording and reporting, any archiving or publishing policy. Visual meteor observations represent the overall majority of amateur efforts, while photographic and radio observing were developed only in recent decades as technological specialties of rather few meteor observing teams.

When Do We Confront? Perceptions of Costs and Benefits Predict Confronting Discrimination on Behalf of the Self and Others

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Good, Jessica J.; Moss-Racusin, Corinne A.; Sanchez, Diana T.

2012-01-01

Across two studies, we tested whether perceived social costs and benefits of confrontation would similarly predict confronting discrimination both when it was experienced and when it was observed as directed at others. Female undergraduate participants were asked to recall past experiences and observations of sexism, as well as their confronting…

Flexible data-management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pelouch, J. J., Jr.

1977-01-01

Combined ASRDI Data-Management and Analysis Technique (CADMAT) is system of computer programs and procedures that can be used to conduct data-management tasks. System was developed specifically for use by scientists and engineers who are confronted with management and analysis of large quantities of data organized into records of events and parametric fields. CADMAT is particularly useful when data are continually accumulated, such as when the need of retrieval and analysis is ongoing.

Therapeutic Change in Group Therapy For Interpersonal Trauma: A Relational Framework for Research and Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Chouliara, Zoë; Karatzias, Thanos; Gullone, Angela; Ferguson, Sandra; Cosgrove, Katie; Burke Draucker, Claire

2017-04-01

Our understanding of therapeutic change processes in group therapy for complex interpersonal trauma has been limited. The present study aimed at addressing this gap by developing a framework of therapeutic change in this field from a survivor and therapist perspective. This is a qualitative study, which utilized semistructured individual interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to identify recurrent themes. A final sample of n = 16 patients and n = 5 facilitators completed the interview. Main change processes identified by survivors were as follows: self versus others, trust versus threat, confrontation versus avoidance, and "patching up" versus true healing. Therapeutic processes identified by therapist facilitators included managing group dynamics, unpredictability and uncertainty, and process versus content. The proposed framework explains therapeutic change in group therapy in relational terms, that is, therapeutic dissonance, the dynamic interaction of self and experience as well as building empathic trusting relations. The importance of managing dissonance to aid personally meaningful recovery was highlighted. These findings have implications for the usefulness of relational and person-centered approaches to clinical practice in the area of interpersonal and complex trauma, especially in the early identification, prevention, and management of dropouts.

Confronting as autonomy promotion: Speaking up against discrimination and psychological well-being in racial minorities.

PubMed

Sanchez, Diana T; Himmelstein, Mary S; Young, Danielle M; Albuja, Analia F; Garcia, Julie A

2016-09-01

Few studies have considered confrontation in the context of coping with discriminatory experiences. These studies test for the first time whether confronting racial discrimination is associated with greater psychological well-being and physical health through the promotion of autonomy. In two separate samples of racial minorities who had experienced racial discrimination, confrontation was associated with greater psychological well-being, and this relationship was mediated by autonomy promotion. These findings did not extend to physical health symptoms. These studies provide preliminary evidence that confrontation may aid in the process of regaining autonomy after experiencing discrimination and therefore promote well-being. © The Author(s) 2015.

Analyzing prospective teachers' images of scientists using positive, negative and stereotypical images of scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan; Esprívalo Harrell, Pamela; Wojnowski, David

2013-04-01

Background and purpose : This study details the use of a conceptual framework to analyze prospective teachers' images of scientists to reveal their context-specific conceptions of scientists. The conceptual framework consists of context-specific conceptions related to positive, stereotypical and negative images of scientists as detailed in the literature on the images, role and work of scientists. Sample, design and method : One hundred and ninety-six drawings of scientists, generated by prospective teachers, were analyzed using the Draw-A-Scientist-Test Checklist (DAST-C), a binary linear regression and the conceptual framework. Results : The results of the binary linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant difference for two DAST-C elements: ethnicity differences with regard to drawing a scientist who was Caucasian and gender differences for indications of danger. Analysis using the conceptual framework helped to categorize the same drawings into positive, stereotypical, negative and composite images of a scientist. Conclusions : The conceptual framework revealed that drawings were focused on the physical appearance of the scientist, and to a lesser extent on the equipment, location and science-related practices that provided the context of a scientist's role and work. Implications for teacher educators include the need to understand that there is a need to provide tools, like the conceptual framework used in this study, to help prospective teachers to confront and engage with their multidimensional perspectives of scientists in light of the current trends on perceiving and valuing scientists. In addition, teacher educators need to use the conceptual framework, which yields qualitative perspectives about drawings, together with the DAST-C, which yields quantitative measure for drawings, to help prospective teachers to gain a holistic outlook on their drawings of scientists.

Evaluate, assess, treat: development and evaluation of the EAT framework to increase effective communication regarding sensitive oral-systemic health issues.

PubMed

DeBate, R D; Cragun, D; Gallentine, A A; Severson, H H; Shaw, T; Cantwell, C; Christiansen, S; Koerber, A; Hendricson, W; Tomar, S L; McCormack Brown, K; Tedesco, L A

2012-11-01

Oral healthcare providers are likely to encounter a number of sensitive oral/systemic health issues whilst interacting with patients. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a framework aimed at oral healthcare providers to engage in active secondary prevention of eating disorders (i.e. early detection of oral manifestations of disordered eating behaviours, patient approach and communication, patient-specific oral treatment, and referral to care) for patients presenting with signs of disordered eating behaviours. The EAT Framework was developed based on the Brief Motivational Interviewing (B-MI) conceptual framework and comprises three continuous steps: Evaluating, Assessing, and Treating. Using a group-randomized control design, 11 dental hygiene (DH) and seven dental (D) classes from eight institutions were randomized to either the intervention or control conditions. Both groups completed pre- and post-intervention assessments. Hierarchical linear models were conducted to measure the effects of the intervention whilst controlling for baseline levels. Statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-intervention were observed in the Intervention group compared with the Control group on knowledge of eating disorders and oral findings, skills-based knowledge, and self-efficacy (all P < 0.01). Effect sizes ranged from 0.57 to 0.95. No statistically significant differences in outcomes were observed by type of student. Although the EAT Framework was developed as part of a larger study on secondary prevention of eating disorders, the procedures and skills presented can be applied to other sensitive oral/systemic health issues. Because the EAT Framework was developed by translating B-MI principles and procedures, the framework can be easily adopted as a non-confrontational method for patient communication. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Evaluate, Assess, Treat: Development and evaluation of the EAT framework to increase effective communication regarding sensitive oral-systemic health issues

PubMed Central

DeBate, Rita D.; Cragun, Deborah; Gallentine, Ashley A.; Severson, Herbert H.; Shaw, Tracey; Cantwell, Carley; Christiansen, Steve; Koerber, Anne; Hendricson, William; Tomar, Scott L.; Brown, Kelli McCormack; Tedesco, Lisa A.

2012-01-01

Oral healthcare providers are likely to encounter a number of sensitive oral/systemic health issues while interacting with patients. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a framework aimed at oral healthcare providers to engage in active secondary prevention of eating disorders (i.e., early detection of oral manifestations of disordered eating behaviors, patient approach and communication, patient-specific oral treatment, and referral to care) for patients presenting with signs of disordered eating behaviors. The EAT Framework was developed based on the Brief Motivational Interviewing (B-MI) conceptual framework and comprises three continuous steps: Evaluating, Assessing, and Treating. Using a group-randomized control design, 11 dental hygiene (DH) and 7 dental (D) classes from 8 institutions were randomized to either the intervention or control conditions. Both groups completed preand post-intervention assessments. Hierarchical linear models were conducted to measure the effects of the intervention while controlling for baseline levels. Statistically significant improvements from pre-to post-intervention were observed in the Intervention group compared with the Control group on knowledge of eating disorders and oral findings, skills-based knowledge, and self-efficacy (all p < .01). Effect sizes ranged from .57–.95. No statistically significant differences in outcomes were observed by type of student. Although the EAT Framework was developed as part of a larger study on secondary prevention of eating disorders, the procedures and skills presented can be applied to other sensitive oral/systemic health issues. Because the EAT Framework was developed by translating B-MI principles and procedures, the framework can be easily adopted as a non-confrontational method for patient communication. PMID:23050505

Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework to integrate and formalize the informal waste and recycling sector: the case of the Philippine National Framework Plan.

PubMed

Serrona, Kevin Roy B; Yu, Jeongsoo; Aguinaldo, Emelita; Florece, Leonardo M

2014-09-01

The Philippines has been making inroads in solid waste management with the enactment and implementation of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000. Said legislation has had tremendous influence in terms of how the national and local government units confront the challenges of waste management in urban and rural areas using the reduce, reuse, recycle and recovery framework or 4Rs. One of the sectors needing assistance is the informal waste sector whose aspiration is legal recognition of their rank and integration of their waste recovery activities in mainstream waste management. To realize this, the Philippine National Solid Waste Management Commission initiated the formulation of the National Framework Plan for the Informal Waste Sector, which stipulates approaches, strategies and methodologies to concretely involve the said sector in different spheres of local waste management, such as collection, recycling and disposal. What needs to be fleshed out is the monitoring and evaluation component in order to gauge qualitative and quantitative achievements vis-a-vis the Framework Plan. In the process of providing an enabling environment for the informal waste sector, progress has to be monitored and verified qualitatively and quantitatively and measured against activities, outputs, objectives and goals. Using the Framework Plan as the reference, this article developed monitoring and evaluation indicators using the logical framework approach in project management. The primary objective is to institutionalize monitoring and evaluation, not just in informal waste sector plans, but in any waste management initiatives to ensure that envisaged goals are achieved. © The Author(s) 2014.

Strengthening the Health System to Better Confront Noncommunicable Diseases in India

PubMed Central

Duran, Antonio; Khot, Anagha

2011-01-01

The paper emphasizes the vital need to address the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in India with a health systems approach. The authors argue that adoption of such approach may soon be imperative. Applying the health systems framework developed by the WHO in 2000 to NCDs means in summary re-examining the planning and organization of the entire health system, from service provision to financing, from information generation to ensuring adequate supply of pharmaceuticals/technologies or human resources, from improving facility management to performance monitoring. Using this framework the authors seek to highlight core issues and identify possible policy actions required. The challenge is to ensure the best implementation of what works, aligning the service provision function with the financial incentives, ensuring leadership/stewardship by the government across local/municipal, state or regional and national level while involving stakeholders. A health system perspective would also ensure that action against NCD goes hand in hand with tackling the remaining burden from communicable diseases, maternal, child health and nutrition issues. PMID:22628908

Scout: high-performance heterogeneous computing made simple

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

Jablin, James; Mc Cormick, Patrick; Herlihy, Maurice

2011-01-26

Researchers must often write their own simulation and analysis software. During this process they simultaneously confront both computational and scientific problems. Current strategies for aiding the generation of performance-oriented programs do not abstract the software development from the science. Furthermore, the problem is becoming increasingly complex and pressing with the continued development of many-core and heterogeneous (CPU-GPU) architectures. To acbieve high performance, scientists must expertly navigate both software and hardware. Co-design between computer scientists and research scientists can alleviate but not solve this problem. The science community requires better tools for developing, optimizing, and future-proofing codes, allowing scientists to focusmore » on their research while still achieving high computational performance. Scout is a parallel programming language and extensible compiler framework targeting heterogeneous architectures. It provides the abstraction required to buffer scientists from the constantly-shifting details of hardware while still realizing higb-performance by encapsulating software and hardware optimization within a compiler framework.« less

A socio-technical analytical framework on the EHR-organizational innovation interplay: Insights from a public hospital in Greece.

PubMed

Emmanouilidou, Maria

2015-01-01

The healthcare sector globally is confronted with increasing internal and external pressures that urge for a radical reform of health systems' status quo. The role of technological innovations such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) is recognized as instrumental in this transition process as it is expected to accelerate organizational innovations. This is why the widespread uptake of EHR systems is a top priority in the global healthcare agenda. The successful co-deployment though of EHR systems and organizational innovations within the context of secondary healthcare institutions is a complex and multifaceted issue. Existing research in the field has made little progress thus emphasizing the need for further research contribution that will incorporate a holistic perspective. This paper presents insights about the EHR-organizational innovation interplay from a public hospital in Greece into a socio-technical analytical framework providing a multilevel set of action points for the eHealth roadmap with worldwide relevance.

Ethical and legal framework and regulation for off-label use: European perspective.

PubMed

Lenk, Christian; Duttge, Gunnar

2014-01-01

For more than 20 years the off-label use of drugs has been an essential part of the ethical and legal considerations regarding the international regulation of drug licensing. Despite a number of regulatory initiatives in the European Union, there seems to remain a largely unsatisfactory situation following a number of critical descriptions and statements from actors in the field. The present article gives an overview of the ethical and legal framework and developments in European countries and identifies existing problems and possible pathways for solutions in this important regulatory area. In addition to the presentation of the ethical and legal foundations, some attention is given to criticisms from medical practitioners to the current handling of off-label drug use. The review also focuses on the situation confronted by patients and physicians when off-label prescriptions are necessary. Through legal descriptions from a number of countries, possible solutions for future discussion of European health care policy are selected and explained.

Factor Analysis of the Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS)

PubMed Central

Polcin, Douglas L.; Galloway, Gantt P.; Bostrom, Alan; Greenfield, Thomas K.

2007-01-01

The Alcohol and Drug Confrontation Scale (ADCS) is a 72-item instrument that defines confrontation as an individual being told “bad things” might happen if they do not make changes to address alcohol or drug problems or maintain sobriety. Preliminary assessment of the ADCS using substance abusers entering SLH's revealed: 1) Scale items were frequently endorsed; 2) Confrontation was often experienced as accurate and helpful; and 3) Confronters' statements were viewed supportive and accurate. This study reports the results of a factor analysis on a larger sample 179 participants using baseline and 6 month follow-up data. Results yielded a clear two factor solution: 1) Internal Support (alpha = 0.80) and 2) External Intensity (alpha = 0.63). The two factors accounted for 58% of the variance. The ADCS offers a fresh and broader view of confrontation that can be reliably measured. PMID:17270360

Possible signals of vacuum dynamics in the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peracaula, Joan Solà; de Cruz Pérez, Javier; Gómez-Valent, Adrià

2018-05-01

We study a generic class of time-evolving vacuum models which can provide a better phenomenological account of the overall cosmological observations as compared to the ΛCDM. Among these models, the running vacuum model (RVM) appears to be the most motivated and favored one, at a confidence level of ˜3σ. We further support these results by computing the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. Our analysis also shows that we can extract fair signals of dynamical dark energy (DDE) by confronting the same set of data to the generic XCDM and CPL parametrizations. In all cases we confirm that the combined triad of modern observations on Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations, Large Scale Structure formation, and the Cosmic Microwave Background, provide the bulk of the signal sustaining a possible vacuum dynamics. In the absence of any of these three crucial data sources, the DDE signal can not be perceived at a significant confidence level. Its possible existence could be a cure for some of the tensions existing in the ΛCDM when confronted to observations.

A model for medical decision making and problem solving.

PubMed

Werner, M

1995-08-01

Clinicians confront the classical problem of decision making under uncertainty, but a universal procedure by which they deal with this situation, both in diagnosis and therapy, can be defined. This consists in the choice of a specific course of action from available alternatives so as to reduce uncertainty. Formal analysis evidences that the expected value of this process depends on the a priori probabilities confronted, the discriminatory power of the action chosen, and the values and costs associated with possible outcomes. Clinical problem-solving represents the construction of a systematic strategy from multiple decisional building blocks. Depending on the level of uncertainty the physicians attach to their working hypothesis, they can choose among at least four prototype strategies: pattern recognition, the hypothetico-deductive process, arborization, and exhaustion. However, the resolution of real-life problems can involve a combination of these game plans. Formal analysis of each strategy permits definition of its appropriate a priori probabilities, action characteristics, and cost implications.

A Framework for Integrating Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis

PubMed Central

Nweke, Onyemaechi C.

2011-01-01

With increased interest in integrating environmental justice into the process for developing environmental regulations in the United States, analysts and decision makers are confronted with the question of what methods and data can be used to assess disproportionate environmental health impacts. However, as a first step to identifying data and methods, it is important that analysts understand what information on equity impacts is needed for decision making. Such knowledge originates from clearly stated equity objectives and the reflection of those objectives throughout the analytical activities that characterize Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), a process that is traditionally used to inform decision making. The framework proposed in this paper advocates structuring analyses to explicitly provide pre-defined output on equity impacts. Specifically, the proposed framework emphasizes: (a) defining equity objectives for the proposed regulatory action at the onset of the regulatory process, (b) identifying specific and related sub-objectives for key analytical steps in the RIA process, and (c) developing explicit analytical/research questions to assure that stated sub-objectives and objectives are met. In proposing this framework, it is envisioned that information on equity impacts informs decision-making in regulatory development, and that this is achieved through a systematic and consistent approach that assures linkages between stated equity objectives, regulatory analyses, selection of policy options, and the design of compliance and enforcement activities. PMID:21776235

KNODWAT: A scientific framework application for testing knowledge discovery methods for the biomedical domain

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Professionals in the biomedical domain are confronted with an increasing mass of data. Developing methods to assist professional end users in the field of Knowledge Discovery to identify, extract, visualize and understand useful information from these huge amounts of data is a huge challenge. However, there are so many diverse methods and methodologies available, that for biomedical researchers who are inexperienced in the use of even relatively popular knowledge discovery methods, it can be very difficult to select the most appropriate method for their particular research problem. Results A web application, called KNODWAT (KNOwledge Discovery With Advanced Techniques) has been developed, using Java on Spring framework 3.1. and following a user-centered approach. The software runs on Java 1.6 and above and requires a web server such as Apache Tomcat and a database server such as the MySQL Server. For frontend functionality and styling, Twitter Bootstrap was used as well as jQuery for interactive user interface operations. Conclusions The framework presented is user-centric, highly extensible and flexible. Since it enables methods for testing using existing data to assess suitability and performance, it is especially suitable for inexperienced biomedical researchers, new to the field of knowledge discovery and data mining. For testing purposes two algorithms, CART and C4.5 were implemented using the WEKA data mining framework. PMID:23763826

KNODWAT: a scientific framework application for testing knowledge discovery methods for the biomedical domain.

PubMed

Holzinger, Andreas; Zupan, Mario

2013-06-13

Professionals in the biomedical domain are confronted with an increasing mass of data. Developing methods to assist professional end users in the field of Knowledge Discovery to identify, extract, visualize and understand useful information from these huge amounts of data is a huge challenge. However, there are so many diverse methods and methodologies available, that for biomedical researchers who are inexperienced in the use of even relatively popular knowledge discovery methods, it can be very difficult to select the most appropriate method for their particular research problem. A web application, called KNODWAT (KNOwledge Discovery With Advanced Techniques) has been developed, using Java on Spring framework 3.1. and following a user-centered approach. The software runs on Java 1.6 and above and requires a web server such as Apache Tomcat and a database server such as the MySQL Server. For frontend functionality and styling, Twitter Bootstrap was used as well as jQuery for interactive user interface operations. The framework presented is user-centric, highly extensible and flexible. Since it enables methods for testing using existing data to assess suitability and performance, it is especially suitable for inexperienced biomedical researchers, new to the field of knowledge discovery and data mining. For testing purposes two algorithms, CART and C4.5 were implemented using the WEKA data mining framework.

Helping Counselors Learn to Confront.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamminen, Armas W.; Smaby, Marlowe H.

1981-01-01

Presents a model for training counselors to learn to confront empathetically. Describes a confrontation training scale that includes inadequate responses of acquiescing and scolding and the progressively more effective responses of recognizing ineffective behavior, realizing its negative consequences, and committing to change. Suggests confronting…

Energy decisions reframed as justice and ethical concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Heffron, Raphael J.; McCauley, Darren; Goldthau, Andreas

2016-05-01

All too often, energy policy and technology discussions are limited to the domains of engineering and economics. Many energy consumers, and even analysts and policymakers, confront and frame energy and climate risks in a moral vacuum, rarely incorporating broader social justice concerns. Here, to remedy this gap, we investigate how concepts from justice and ethics can inform energy decision-making by reframing five energy problems — nuclear waste, involuntary resettlement, energy pollution, energy poverty and climate change — as pressing justice concerns. We conclude by proposing an energy justice framework centred on availability, affordability, due process, transparency and accountability, sustainability, equity and responsibility, which highlights the futurity, fairness and equity dimensions of energy production and use.

Vorticity and hyperon polarization at energies available at JINR Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolomeitsev, E. E.; Toneev, V. D.; Voronyuk, V.

2018-06-01

We study the formation of fluid vorticity and the hyperon polarization in heavy-ion collisions at energies available at the JINR Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility in the framework of the parton-hadron-string dynamic model, taking into account both hadronic and quark-gluonic (partonic) degrees of freedom. The vorticity properties in peripheral Au+Au collisions at √{sN N}=7.7 GeV are demonstrated and confronted with other models. The obtained result for the Λ polarization is in agreement with the experimental data by the STAR Collaboration, whereas the model is not able to explain the observed high values of the antihyperon Λ ¯ polarization.

Existentially informed HIV-related psychotherapy.

PubMed

Farber, Eugene W

2009-09-01

This article describes an existentially informed approach to conducting psychotherapy with individuals living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Uses of existential concepts to guide a holistic conceptualization of the individual and illuminate core existential concerns and dilemmas in confronting HIV-related challenges are delineated. Applications of existential ideas regarding psychotherapy process and technique in HIV-related psychotherapy also are illustrated. It is concluded that existential psychotherapy offers a conceptual framework that is especially well suited to the work of psychotherapy with individuals living with HIV disease, although the approach has received only limited attention in the HIV-related psychotherapy literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

[Development of the specialty fields of psychiatry and psychotherapy in East Germany].

PubMed

Eichhorn, H

1988-01-01

The development of psychiatry and/with psychotherapy ever since the beginning of the German Democratic Republic after WW2 is described and analysed. The author's main focus is on the confrontation, addition, and cooperation of both the classical medicine of matters and medicine of mind with conflicting, and at least varying paradigmatic reference. The pro and cons on shock therapy are discussed as a crucial point, here. The author holds that shock therapy interferes with the basics of a therapy where the patient is an integral and responsible part of the work as the mode of such treatment annihilates the Leitmotiv of psychotherapy within the framework of social psychiatry.

Momentum--"Helping Teachers Grow: Confronting Inappropriate Teaching Behavior."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albrecht, Kay

1989-01-01

Discusses confrontations which lead to growth in day care teachers. The steps of confrontation discussed include: (1) identifying the problem; (2) describing the desired behavior and how it will come about; (3) determining how the successfulness of the change will be measured. (RJC)

Social instigation and repeated aggressive confrontations in male Swiss mice: analysis of plasma corticosterone, CRF and BDNF levels in limbic brain areas.

PubMed

Fortes, Paula Madeira; Albrechet-Souza, Lucas; Vasconcelos, Mailton; Ascoli, Bruna Maria; Menegolla, Ana Paula; de Almeida, Rosa Maria M

2017-01-01

Agonistic behaviors help to ensure survival, provide advantage in competition, and communicate social status. The resident-intruder paradigm, an animal model based on male intraspecific confrontations, can be an ethologically relevant tool to investigate the neurobiology of aggressive behavior. To examine behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of aggressive behavior in male Swiss mice exposed to repeated confrontations in the resident intruder paradigm. Behavioral analysis was performed in association with measurements of plasma corticosterone of mice repeatedly exposed to a potential rival nearby, but inaccessible (social instigation), or to 10 sessions of social instigation followed by direct aggressive encounters. Moreover, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) were measured in the brain of these animals. Control mice were exposed to neither social instigation nor aggressive confrontations. Mice exposed to aggressive confrontations exhibited a similar pattern of species-typical aggressive and non-aggressive behaviors on the first and the last session. Moreover, in contrast to social instigation only, repeated aggressive confrontations promoted an increase in plasma corticosterone. After 10 aggressive confrontation sessions, mice presented a non-significant trend toward reducing hippocampal levels of CRF, which inversely correlated with plasma corticosterone levels. Conversely, repeated sessions of social instigation or aggressive confrontation did not alter BDNF concentrations at the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Exposure to repeated episodes of aggressive encounters did not promote habituation over time. Additionally, CRF seems to be involved in physiological responses to social stressors.

"I know it because it happened to me!" Confrontations of children within forensic investigations.

PubMed

Katz, Carmit; Barnetz, Zion

2018-06-06

Confrontations and cross-examination are considered to be a vital stage in forensic investigations; however, laboratory and field studies have systematically shown their adverse effects on children`s testimonies. The current field study aimed to assess the strategies utilized, and the frequency with which they are used, in confrontations within forensic investigations involving children following suspected abuse, and to assess their effects on the children's testimonies. The forensic investigations were conducted using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Protocol. The transcripts of 224 children aged 4-14, who were referred for forensic investigation following suspected physical or sexual abuse, were analyzed. All the cases included external evidence suggesting a high probability of abuse. The results indicated that confrontations of children were utilized in more than 60% of the forensic interviews, regardless of the child`s age. The vast majority of the interviewers' confrontation strategies involved references to the alleged suspects, with the number of confrontations ranging from 1 to 18 per interview. An examination of the children`s responses to the confrontations revealed that most of the children insisted on their initial reported testimonies; however, some of the children displayed confusion or fear, and one child recanted the allegation. The discussion addresses how confrontations and cross-examination, as a necessary stage of forensic investigation, can affect children`s testimonies, and the implications of these effects for the forensic context. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways using Many-Objective Robust Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwakkel, Jan; Haasnoot, Marjolijn

2017-04-01

Dealing with climate risks in water management requires confronting a wide variety of deeply uncertain factors, while navigating a many dimensional space of trade-offs amongst objectives. There is an emerging body of literature on supporting this type of decision problem, under the label of decision making under deep uncertainty. Two approaches within this literature are Many-Objective Robust Decision Making, and Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways. In recent work, these approaches have been compared. One of the main conclusions of this comparison was that they are highly complementary. Many-Objective Robust Decision Making is a model based decision support approach, while Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways is primarily a conceptual framework for the design of flexible strategies that can be adapted over time in response to how the future is actually unfolding. In this research we explore this complementarity in more detail. Specifically, we demonstrate how Many-Objective Robust Decision Making can be used to design adaptation pathways. We demonstrate this combined approach using a water management problem, in the Netherlands. The water level of Lake IJselmeer, the main fresh water resource of the Netherlands, is currently managed through discharge by gravity. Due to climate change, this won't be possible in the future, unless water levels are changed. Changing the water level has undesirable flood risk and spatial planning consequences. The challenge is to find promising adaptation pathways that balance objectives related to fresh water supply, flood risk, and spatial issues, while accounting for uncertain climatic and land use change. We conclude that the combination of Many-Objective Robust Decision Making and Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways is particularly suited for dealing with deeply uncertain climate risks.

Confronting Poor Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Bruce L.

Responsible and effective administrative leadership requires confronting those members of the teaching staff who are a negative influence on the institution. Importantly, the absence of expressed appreciation for good work can have a devastating impact on a principal's image if he or she suddenly begins to confront poor performances. Actually, the…

Trends in Global Nutrition Policy and Implications for Japanese Development Policy.

PubMed

Nomura, Marika; Takahashi, Kenzo; Reich, Michael R

2015-12-01

Although the issue of nutrition was long underrepresented in the global health agenda, it regained international attention with the introduction of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) framework. A historical review of global nutrition policies over 4 decades illustrates the evolution of nutrition policy themes and the challenges confronted by SUN. This study reviews major events in global nutrition policy from the 1970s to the SUN movement around 2010 to illustrate the dynamics of global agenda setting for nutrition policy along with implications for the government of Japan. The events are categorized according to each decade's nutrition paradigm: nutrition and its socioeconomic features in the 1970s, nutrition and community programs in the 1980s, nutrition as a political issue in the 1990s, and nutrition and evidence in the 2000s. This study identified 2 findings: First, the arguments that led to a global consensus on nutrition policy generated paradigm shifts in core ideas, and second, in response to these paradigm shifts, global nutrition policies have changed significantly over time. With regard to Japan, this analysis concludes that the government of Japan can take a greater initiative in the global health community as supporter of SUN by strategically developing a combination of financial, political, and practical approaches to improve global nutrition policy through the concepts of Universal Health Coverage and Human Security. © The Author(s) 2015.

[The concept of identity in relation to motherhood in the discourse of teenagers who attend a pregnancy from a linguistic and psychoanalytical perspective].

PubMed

Pardo, María L

2013-01-01

My aim in this paper is to briefly discuss the notion of identity and how can unify the Psychoanalytical concept with the discursive, in order to carry out multidisciplinary research on this topic. This work is based on life stories collected in the Hospital Larcade, from 2008 to 2011, from teenagers who attend a pregnancy. Through the linguistic analysis of the guarantees, following the model of Toulmin (17), as it has been redefined by Pardo (14) and Molina (12), I intend to give an account of the discursive and psychological bases of what will then form an identity for these young women on maternity. They live in extreme poverty in the Buenos Aires suburbs and are combined with a large dose of family violence that links their identities as mothers to the image (or identities of the other) who have over their own mothers, parents, couples in these contexts of violence. These data are also confronted with domestic violence cases that appear in the media and how they are dealt with discursively at these. Thus realizes the contradictions imposed the cultural identity of a group (the viewers or readers of means, which are a large part of society) against the experience of violence of these mothers. This research has as theoretical framework the Critical Discourse Analysis and the methodology is qualitative.

Forecasting the effects of fertility control on overabundant ungulates: White-tailed deer in the National Capital Region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raiho, Ann M.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Bates, Scott; Hobbs, N. Thompson

2015-01-01

Overabundant populations of ungulates have caused environmental degradation and loss of biological diversity in ecosystems throughout the world. Culling or regulated harvest is often used to control overabundant species. These methods are difficult to implement in national parks, other types of conservation reserves, or in residential areas where public hunting may be forbidden by policy. As a result, fertility control has been recommended as a non-lethal alternative for regulating ungulate populations. We evaluate this alternative using white-tailed deer in national parks in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., USA as a model system. Managers seek to reduce densities of white-tailed deer from the current average (50 deer per km2) to decrease harm to native plant communities caused by deer. We present a Bayesian hierarchical model using 13 years of population estimates from 8 national parks in the National Capital Region Network. We offer a novel way to evaluate management actions relative to goals using short term forecasts. Our approach confirms past analyses that fertility control is incapable of rapidly reducing deer abundance. Fertility control can be combined with culling to maintain a population below carrying capacity with a high probability of success. This gives managers confronted with problematic overabundance a framework for implementing management actions with a realistic assessment of uncertainty.

Forecasting the Effects of Fertility Control on Overabundant Ungulates: White-Tailed Deer in the National Capital Region.

PubMed

Raiho, Ann M; Hooten, Mevin B; Bates, Scott; Hobbs, N Thompson

2015-01-01

Overabundant populations of ungulates have caused environmental degradation and loss of biological diversity in ecosystems throughout the world. Culling or regulated harvest is often used to control overabundant species. These methods are difficult to implement in national parks, other types of conservation reserves, or in residential areas where public hunting may be forbidden by policy. As a result, fertility control has been recommended as a non-lethal alternative for regulating ungulate populations. We evaluate this alternative using white-tailed deer in national parks in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., USA as a model system. Managers seek to reduce densities of white-tailed deer from the current average (50 deer per km2) to decrease harm to native plant communities caused by deer. We present a Bayesian hierarchical model using 13 years of population estimates from 8 national parks in the National Capital Region Network. We offer a novel way to evaluate management actions relative to goals using short term forecasts. Our approach confirms past analyses that fertility control is incapable of rapidly reducing deer abundance. Fertility control can be combined with culling to maintain a population below carrying capacity with a high probability of success. This gives managers confronted with problematic overabundance a framework for implementing management actions with a realistic assessment of uncertainty.

Confrontation--Catalyst for Consensus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Vincent M., Jr.

The main question discussed in this paper is whether the confrontations which have been taking place on college campuses these past few years provide the basis for a new consensus which will enable all to move forward with confidence and a renewed sense of achievement. In discussing these confrontations, however, several fallacies need to be…

Evidence-based librarianship: an overview.

PubMed

Eldredge, J D

2000-10-01

To demonstrate how the core characteristics of both evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based health care (EBHC) can be adapted to health sciences librarianship. Narrative review essay involving development of a conceptual framework. The author describes the central features of EBM and EBHC. Following each description of a central feature, the author then suggests ways that this feature applies to health sciences librarianship. First, the decision-making processes of EBM and EBHC are compatible with health sciences librarianship. Second, the EBM and EBHC values of favoring rigorously produced scientific evidence in decision making are congruent with the core values of librarianship. Third, the hierarchical levels of evidence can be applied to librarianship with some modifications. Library researchers currently favor descriptive-survey and case-study methods over systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, or other higher levels of evidence. The library literature nevertheless contains diverse examples of randomized controlled trials, controlled-comparison studies, and cohort studies conducted by health sciences librarians. Health sciences librarians are confronted with making many practical decisions. Evidence-based librarianship offers a decision-making framework, which integrates the best available research evidence. By employing this framework and the higher levels of research evidence it promotes, health sciences librarians can lay the foundation for more collaborative and scientific endeavors.

Evidence-based librarianship: an overview

PubMed Central

Eldredge, Jonathan D.

2000-01-01

Objective: To demonstrate how the core characteristics of both evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based health care (EBHC) can be adapted to health sciences librarianship. Method: Narrative review essay involving development of a conceptual framework. The author describes the central features of EBM and EBHC. Following each description of a central feature, the author then suggests ways that this feature applies to health sciences librarianship. Results: First, the decision-making processes of EBM and EBHC are compatible with health sciences librarianship. Second, the EBM and EBHC values of favoring rigorously produced scientific evidence in decision making are congruent with the core values of librarianship. Third, the hierarchical levels of evidence can be applied to librarianship with some modifications. Library researchers currently favor descriptive-survey and case-study methods over systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, or other higher levels of evidence. The library literature nevertheless contains diverse examples of randomized controlled trials, controlled-comparison studies, and cohort studies conducted by health sciences librarians. Conclusions: Health sciences librarians are confronted with making many practical decisions. Evidence-based librarianship offers a decision-making framework, which integrates the best available research evidence. By employing this framework and the higher levels of research evidence it promotes, health sciences librarians can lay the foundation for more collaborative and scientific endeavors. PMID:11055296

Confronting Perpetrators of Prejudice: The Inhibitory Effects of Social Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelton, J. Nicole; Stewart, Rebecca E.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which social costs influence whether or not targets of prejudice confront individuals who behave in a prejudiced manner during interpersonal interactions. Consistent with our predictions, we found that although women believe they will confront perpetrators of prejudice regardless of the…

The Vatican & Population Growth Control: Why an American Confrontation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumford, Stephen D.

1983-01-01

The Vatican, because of its position on population growth, threatens the security of all nations. Catholic countries with right-wing dictatorships cannot confront the Vatican on family planning and survive. U.S. Catholics must confront the Vatican on this issue. American lay Catholics must break the American church away from the Vatican control.…

When Professors Confront Themselves: Towards a Theoretical Conceptualization of Video Self-Confrontation in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlberg, Arye

1983-01-01

Two explanations of the underlying process in faculty self-evaluation by videotape recording are outlined and integrated into one conceptualization. One theory is based on affect: self-confrontation, dissonance, stress, distress, and eustress. The second is based on a cognitive and information processing approach and includes feedback,…

Exposure to hazardous substances and male reproductive health: a research framework.

PubMed Central

Moline, J M; Golden, A L; Bar-Chama, N; Smith, E; Rauch, M E; Chapin, R E; Perreault, S D; Schrader, S M; Suk, W A; Landrigan, P J

2000-01-01

The discovery in the mid-1970s that occupational exposures to pesticides could diminish or destroy the fertility of workers sparked concern about the effects of hazardous substances on male reproductive health. More recently, there is evidence that sperm quantity and quality may have declined worldwide, that the incidence of testicular cancer has progressively increased in many countries, and that other disorders of the male reproductive tract such as hypospadias and cryptorchidism may have also increased. There is growing concern that occupational factors and environmental chemical exposures, including in utero and childhood exposures to compounds with estrogenic activity, may be correlated with these observed changes in male reproductive health and fertility. We review the evidence and methodologies that have contributed to our current understanding of environmental effects on male reproductive health and fertility and discuss the methodologic issues which confront investigators in this area. One of the greatest challenges confronting researchers in this area is assessing and comparing results from existing studies. We elaborate recommendations for future research. Researchers in the field of male reproductive health should continue working to prioritize hazardous substances; elucidate the magnitude of male reproductive health effects, particularly in the areas of testicular cancer, hypospadias, and cryptorchidism; develop biomarkers of exposure to reproductive toxins and of reproductive health effects for research and clinical use; foster collaborative interdisciplinary research; and recognize the importance of standardized laboratory methods and sample archiving. PMID:11017884

Korean Reunification: The Implications for Regional Security

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

But this conflict was caused by external factors. In reality it is a combined internal and external problem. 10 Ibid., pp. 208-209, King Sejong and...was Ancient Chosen which was led by the legendary founder King Tan’gun- Wanggom. He established a tribal country called Kochoson in 4 Han, Woo-Keun...During the Warring period in China, between the 6th century and 221 B.C., Kochoson confronted several ancient Chinese states, such as Yen( King Chao 312-279

Impact of cosmic inhomogeneities on SNe observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kainulainen, Kimmo; Marra, Valerio

2010-06-01

We study the impact of cosmic inhomogeneities on the interpretation of SNe observations. We build an inhomogeneous universe model that can confront supernova data and yet is reasonably well compatible with the Copernican Principle. Our model combines a relatively small local void, that gives apparent acceleration at low redshifts, with a meatball model that gives sizeable lensing (dimming) at high redshifts. Together these two elements, which focus on different effects of voids on the data, allow the model to mimic the concordance model.

Supernovae observations in a ``meatball'' universe with a local void

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kainulainen, Kimmo; Marra, Valerio

2009-12-01

We study the impact of cosmic inhomogeneities on the interpretation of observations. We build an inhomogeneous universe model without dark energy that can confront supernova data and yet is reasonably well compatible with the Copernican principle. Our model combines a relatively small local void, that gives apparent acceleration at low redshifts, with a meatball model that gives sizable lensing (dimming) at high redshifts. Together these two elements, which focus on different effects of voids on the data, allow the model to mimic the concordance model.

Transforming practice into clinical scholarship.

PubMed

Limoges, Jacqueline; Acorn, Sonia

2016-04-01

The aims of this paper were to explicate clinical scholarship as synonymous with the scholarship of application and to explore the evolution of scholarly practice to clinical scholarship. Boyer contributed an expanded view of scholarship that recognized various approaches to knowledge production beyond pure research (discovery) to include the scholarship of integration, application and teaching. There is growing interest in using Boyer's framework to advance knowledge production in nursing but the discussion of clinical scholarship in relation to Boyer's framework is sparse. Discussion paper. Literature from 1983-2015 and Boyer's framework. When clinical scholarship is viewed as a synonym for Boyer's scholarship of application, it can be aligned to this well established framework to support knowledge generated in clinical practice. For instance, applying the three criteria for scholarship (documentation, peer review and dissemination) can ensure that the knowledge produced is rigorous, available for critique and used by others to advance nursing practice and patient care. Understanding the differences between scholarly practice and clinical scholarship can promote the development of clinical scholarship. Supporting clinical leaders to identify issues confronting nursing practice can enable scholarly practice to be transformed into clinical scholarship. Expanding the understanding of clinical scholarship and linking it to Boyer's scholarship of application can assist nurses to generate knowledge that addresses clinical concerns. Further dialogue about how clinical scholarship can address the theory-practice gap and how publication of clinical scholarship could be expanded given the goals of clinical scholarship is warranted. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Professional recommendations: disclosing facts and values

PubMed Central

Baylis, F.; Downie, J.

2001-01-01

It is not unusual for patients and their families, when confronted with difficult medical choices, to ask their physicians for advice. This paper outlines the shades of meaning of two questions frequently put to physicians: "What should I do?" and "What would you do?" It is argued that these are not questions about objective matters of fact. Hence, any response to such questions requires an understanding, appreciation, and disclosure of the personal context and values that inform the recommendation. A framework for considering and articulating a response to these questions is suggested, using as a heuristic the phrasing "If I were you.../If it were me..." Journal of Medical Ethics Key Words: Professional-patient relations • informed consent • truth disclosure • ethics, medical PMID:11233372

Aging in Place vs. Relocation for Older Adults with a Neurocognitive Disorder: Applications of Wiseman’s Behavioral Model

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Daniel; Andersen, Troy; Lehning, Amanda; Perry, Tam Elisabeth

2015-01-01

Some older adults are more vulnerable to housing concerns due to physical and cognitive challenges, including those with a neurocognitive disorder who need extensive support. Environmental gerontology frameworks, including Wiseman’s (1980) Behavioral Model of Elderly Migration, have informed scholarship on aging in place and relocation. It remains unclear, however, the extent to which this conceptual work informs services and supports for older adults, and the Wiseman model has not been applied to people with a neurocognitive disorder. Understanding Wiseman’s model, including considerations for working with families confronting a neurocognitive disorder, can help practitioners ensure that older clients live in settings that best meet their wants and needs. PMID:26016530

Managing the whole landscape: Historical, hybrid, and novel ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hobbs, Richard J.; Higgs, Eric S.; Hall, Carol M.; Bridgewater, Peter; Chapin, F. Stuart; Ewel, John J.; Hallett, Lauren M.; Ellis, Erle C.; Harris, James; Hulvey, Kristen B.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Kennedy, Patricia L.; Kueffer, Christoph; Lach, Lori; Lantz, Trevor C.; Lugo, Ariel E.; Mascaro, Joseph; Murphy, Stephen D.; Nelson, Cara; Perring, Michael P.; Richardson, David M.; Seastedt, Timothy; Standish, Rachel J.; Starzomski, Brian M.; Suding, Katharine N.; Tognetti, Pedro M.; Yakob, Laith; Yung, Laurie

2014-01-01

The reality confronting ecosystem managers today is one of heterogeneous, rapidly transforming landscapes, particularly in the areas more affected by urban and agricultural development. A landscape management framework that incorporates all systems, across the spectrum of degrees of alteration, provides a fuller set of options for how and when to intervene, uses limited resources more effectively, and increases the chances of achieving management goals. That many ecosystems have departed so substantially from their historical trajectory that they defy conventional restoration is not in dispute. Acknowledging novel ecosystems need not constitute a threat to existing policy and management approaches. Rather, the development of an integrated approach to management interventions can provide options that are in tune with the current reality of rapid ecosystem change.

Confronting Violence through the Arts: A Thematic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Alice

2005-01-01

When art, music, and poetry are integrated into the art room, children can confront difficult themes in works of art and process information in highly personal ways (Jewitt & Kress, 2003). An arts classroom gives children the time and place to confront images of war and violence and decode the multiple levels of meaning (Arnold, 1997) found within…

Achieving Affective Competencies through the Teacher Concerns-Self Confrontation Model of Personalized Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, Frances F.

A three-level model was derived from the literature on motivation and behavior change processes and from specific research on teacher concerns and self-confrontation. Teacher concerns comprise the first level of the model: concerns about self, task, and pupils. Self-confrontation feedback and behavior change procedures comprise the second level:…

Beyond regulatory compression: confronting the liminal spaces of health research regulation

PubMed Central

Taylor-Alexander, Samuel; Dove, Edward S.; Fletcher, Isabel; Ganguli Mitra, Agomoni; McMillan, Catriona; Laurie, Graeme

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Biomedicine and the life sciences continuously rearrange the relationship between culture and biology. In consequence, we increasingly look for a suitable regulatory response to reduce perceived uncertainty and instability. This article examines the full implications of this ‘regulatory turn’ by drawing on the anthropological concept of liminality. We offer the term ‘regulatory compression’ to characterise the effects of extant regulatory approaches on health research practices. With its focus on transformation and the ‘in-between’, liminality allows us to see how regulatory frameworks rely on a silo-based approach to classifying and regulating research objects such that they: (1) limit the flexibility necessary in clinical and laboratory research; (2) result in the emergence of unregulated spaces that lie between the bounded regulatory spheres; and (3) curtail modes of public participation in the health research enterprise. We suggest there is a need to develop the notion of ‘processual regulation’, a novel framework that requires a temporal-spatial examination of regulatory spaces and practices as these are experienced by all actors, including the relationship of actors with the objects of regulation. PMID:28058061

Prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections among adolescents: the importance of a socio-ecological perspective--a commentary.

PubMed

DiClemente, R J; Salazar, L F; Crosby, R A; Rosenthal, S L

2005-09-01

The sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemic among adolescents in the USA is inextricably tied to individual, psychosocial and cultural phenomena. Reconceptualizing the epidemic within an expanded socio-ecological framework may provide an opportunity to better confront its challenges. In this article, we use a socio-ecological framework to identify determinants of adolescents' sexual risk and protective behaviours as well as antecedents of their STI acquisition. The goal is to provide a synthesis of several discrete categories of research. Subsequently, we propose an integrated strategy that addresses the STI epidemic among adolescents by promoting a socio-ecological perspective in both basic research and intervention design. This approach may expand the knowledge base and facilitate the development of a broader array of intervention strategies, such as community-level interventions, policy initiatives, institutionally based programmes, and macro-level societal changes. Although there are inherent challenges associated with such an approach, the end result may have reciprocal and reinforcing effects designed to enhance the adoption and maintenance of STI-preventive practices among adolescents, and further reduce the rate of STIs.

Elder abuse and neglect: challenges and directions for legal reform.

PubMed

Breedon, Laura

2010-09-01

The last two decades have heralded an increased community and professional awareness of the phenomenon of elder abuse and the challenges it poses to the enjoyment of the human rights of some older people. The contemporary Australian legal system provides many of the components of a framework required to assist in the promotion of the rights of the elderly and in the prevention and remedy of elder abuse. This framework acts in concert with health and community services dedicated to the advancement of health and wellbeing into old age. In the future, the acknowledgment and adoption of international legal principles which are directed to the needs of the elderly, the reform of existing domestic legislation and the development of new elder-specific statutes may all impact upon the incidence and consequences of elder abuse. To date, no Australian jurisdiction has adopted a legislative regime targeted specifically at the issues confronting older Australians who may be vulnerable to abuse and neglect. This column looks at some of the options for legal reform in this area.

Opting out or denying discrimination? How the framework of free choice in American society influences perceptions of gender inequality.

PubMed

Stephens, Nicole M; Levine, Cynthia S

2011-10-01

American women still confront workplace barriers (e.g., bias against mothers, inflexible policies) that hinder their advancement at the upper levels of organizations. However, most Americans fail to recognize that such gender barriers still exist. Focusing on mothers who have left the workforce, we propose that the prevalent American assumption that actions are a product of choice conceals workplace barriers by communicating that opportunities are equal and that behavior is free from contextual influence. Study 1 reveals that stay-at-home mothers who view their own workplace departure as an individual choice experience greater well-being but less often recognize workplace barriers and discrimination as a source of inequality than do mothers who do not view their workplace departure as an individual choice. Study 2 shows that merely exposing participants to a message that frames actions in terms of individual choice increases participants' belief that society provides equal opportunities and that gender discrimination no longer exists. By concealing the barriers that women still face in the workplace, this choice framework may hinder women's long-term advancement in society.

Processes of recovery through routine or specialist treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD): a qualitative study.

PubMed

Katsakou, Christina; Pistrang, Nancy; Barnicot, Kirsten; White, Hayley; Priebe, Stefan

2017-07-04

Recovery processes in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are poorly understood. This study explored how recovery in BPD occurs through routine or specialist treatment, as perceived by service users (SUs) and therapists. SUs were recruited from two specialist BPD services, three community mental health teams, and one psychological therapies service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 SUs and 15 therapists. The "framework" approach was used to analyse the data. The findings were organized into two domains of themes. The first domain described three parallel processes that constituted SUs' recovery journey: fighting ambivalence and committing to taking action; moving from shame to self-acceptance and compassion; and moving from distrust and defensiveness to opening up to others. The second domain described four therapeutic challenges that needed to be addressed to support this journey: balancing self-exploration and finding solutions; balancing structure and flexibility; confronting interpersonal difficulties and practicing new ways of relating; and balancing support and independence. Therapies facilitating the identified processes may promote recovery. The recovery processes and therapeutic challenges identified in this study could provide a framework to guide future research.

Value self-confrontation as a method to aid in weight loss.

PubMed

Schwartz, S H; Inbar-Saban, N

1988-03-01

The impact on weight loss of an adaptation of the Rokeach (1973) value self-confrontation method was investigated in a field experiment. This method confronts people who have ranked their own values with information about the value priorities that discriminate between a positive and a negative reference group. A preliminary study revealed that successful weight losers differ from unsuccessful weight losers in valuing "wisdom" more than "happiness." Eighty-seven overweight adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: value self-confrontation, group discussion, or non-treatment control. Value self-confrontation subjects lost more weight than the other subjects over 2 months, and this weight loss persisted for an additional year. Changes in value priorities during the first 2 months suggest that weight loss was mediated by an increase in the importance attributed to wisdom relative to happiness. Implications for the theory of value-behavior relations and for practical application in weight loss programs are discussed.

Knowledge-guided golf course detection using a convolutional neural network fine-tuned on temporally augmented data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jingbo; Wang, Chengyi; Yue, Anzhi; Chen, Jiansheng; He, Dongxu; Zhang, Xiuyan

2017-10-01

The tremendous success of deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in computer vision provides a method for similar problems in the field of remote sensing. Although research on repurposing pretrained CNN to remote sensing tasks is emerging, the scarcity of labeled samples and the complexity of remote sensing imagery still pose challenges. We developed a knowledge-guided golf course detection approach using a CNN fine-tuned on temporally augmented data. The proposed approach is a combination of knowledge-driven region proposal, data-driven detection based on CNN, and knowledge-driven postprocessing. To confront data complexity, knowledge-derived cooccurrence, composition, and area-based rules are applied sequentially to propose candidate golf regions. To confront sample scarcity, we employed data augmentation in the temporal domain, which extracts samples from multitemporal images. The augmented samples were then used to fine-tune a pretrained CNN for golf detection. Finally, commission error was further suppressed by postprocessing. Experiments conducted on GF-1 imagery prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The dilemma of the golden age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Press, Frank

These are confused and troubling times for science and the scientific community. Limits on resources have made visible serious differences within our community, differences that may weaken the nation's scientific enterprise if they are not resolved without acrimony.We face the dilemma of living in both the best and worst of times. In all fields of science, the journals and professional meetings are filled with exciting and challenging reports of new discoveries, new ideas, new applications. At the same time, President Reagan's proposed budget for 1989 is the strongest budget in support of science and technology in recent history. Yet that budget is in difficulty with an essentially proscience Congress, and it has divided the scientific community. The United States supports more scientific research than Western Europe and Japan combined, and our system of universities and national and industrial laboratories is the envy of the world. Why then is our community in an unprecedented state of stress and internal dissension? That is the issue I want to confront. That is the issue that we as an academy must confront.

Inhibitory ability of children with developmental dyscalculia.

PubMed

Zhang, Huaiying; Wu, Hanrong

2011-02-01

Inhibitory ability of children with developmental dyscalculia (DD) was investigated to explore the cognitive mechanism underlying DD. According to the definition of developmental dyscalculia, 19 children with DD-only and 10 children with DD&RD (DD combined with reading disability) were selected step by step, children in two control groups were matched with children in case groups by gender and age, and the match ratio was 1:1. Psychological testing software named DMDX was used to measure inhibitory ability of the subjects. The differences of reaction time in number Stroop tasks and differences of accuracy in incongruent condition of color-word Stroop tasks and object inhibition tasks between DD-only children and their controls reached significant levels (P<0.05), and the differences of reaction time in number Stroop tasks between dyscalculic and normal children did not disappear after controlling the non-executive components. The difference of accuracy in color-word incongruent tasks between children with DD&RD and normal children reached significant levels (P<0.05). Children with DD-only confronted with general inhibitory deficits, while children with DD&RD confronted with word inhibitory deficits only.

Defensive repertoire of Drosophila larvae in response to toxic fungi.

PubMed

Trienens, Monika; Kraaijeveld, Ken; Wertheim, Bregje

2017-10-01

Chemical warfare including insecticidal secondary metabolites is a well-known strategy for environmental microbes to monopolize a food source. Insects in turn have evolved behavioural and physiological defences to eradicate or neutralize the harmful microorganisms. We studied the defensive repertoire of insects in this interference competition by combining behavioural and developmental assays with whole-transcriptome time-series analysis. Confrontation with the toxic filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans severely reduced the survival of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Nonetheless, the larvae did not behaviourally avoid the fungus, but aggregated at it. Confrontation with fungi strongly affected larval gene expression, including many genes involved in detoxification (e.g., CYP, GST and UGT genes) and the formation of the insect cuticle (e.g., Tweedle genes). The most strongly upregulated genes were several members of the insect-specific gene family Osiris, and CHK-kinase-like domains were over-represented. Immune responses were not activated, reflecting the competitive rather than pathogenic nature of the antagonistic interaction. While internal microbes are widely acknowledged as important, our study emphasizes the underappreciated role of environmental microbes as fierce competitors. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Children as scientists: Adding, connecting and elaborating ideas on the way to conceptual development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmundson, Ellen

In this study, I explored how children develop and construct their ideas and alternative frameworks in science. Prior work in this area suggested that changes from alternative conceptions to understandings that more closely resemble scientists' models do not occur in a sequential, linear fashion, nor are they easily accomplished. By employing a constructivist framework grounded in dynamic systems to look at learning, alternative conceptions were viewed not as ideas that need to be "confronted and replaced" but rather as pieces of an intricate puzzle of understanding that when combined create a more complete, functional, continuous understanding of science. Specifically, the study examined students' understandings and conceptualizations of light as they studied it formally for eight weeks. Understandings were measured through interviews, student-generated concept maps, classroom interactions and by examining student work samples. The central questions guiding the investigation were: What were children's (ages 9 and 10) conceptions of light? Did children's ideas about light develop during their eight week study of it? If so, what was the nature of these changes? Results from the study indicated that children had numerous ideas about light before their formal study of it based on their experiences with the world. As children studied light, they learned about it in the dynamic, synergistic and interactive processes of adding new ideas, connecting ideas to one another and elaborating understandings to arrive at progressively more complex and scientific understandings of light. Alternative conceptions, served as both productive and non-productive resources for learning. Further, alternative conceptions and prior understandings did not disappear as children developed their ideas about light. Rather "old" ideas were used and reused to provide support the gradual process of cognitive development of children's ideas about light. Findings from this study can be used to provide science instruction that is both rich in content and rich in opportunities to experience the recursive and dynamic nature of science learning.

Ethical hot spots of combined individual and group therapy: applying four ethical systems.

PubMed

Brabender, Virginia M; Fallon, April

2009-01-01

Abstract Combined therapy presents ethical quandaries that occur in individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy, and dilemmas specifically associated with their integration. This paper examines two types of ethical frameworks (a classical principle-based framework and a set of context-based frameworks) for addressing the ethical hot spots of combined therapy: self-referral, transfer of information, and termination. The principle-based approach enables the practitioner to see what core values may be served or violated by different courses of action in combined therapy dilemmas. Yet, the therapist is more likely to do justice to the complexity and richness of the combined therapy situation by supplementing a principle analysis with three additional ethical frameworks. These approaches are: virtue ethics, feminist ethics, and casuistry. An analysis of three vignettes illustrates how these contrasting ethical models not only expand the range of features to which the therapist attends but also the array of solutions the therapist generates.

A Framework for Remediating Number Combination Deficits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Lynn S.; Powell, Sarah R.; Seethaler, Pamela M.; Fuchs, Douglas; Hamlett, Carol L.; Cirino, Paul T.; Fletcher, Jack M.

2010-01-01

This article introduces a framework for the remediation of number combination (NC) deficits. Research on the remediation of NC deficits is summarized, and research program studies are used to illustrate the 3 approaches to remediation. The Framework comprises a 2-stage system of remediation. The less intensive stage implementing 1 of 3…

[Organ donation after active euthanasia in a patient with a neurodegenerative disease].

PubMed

van Dijk, Gert; Giezeman, Ariane; Ultee, Fred; Hamers, Raoul

2013-01-01

In countries where active euthanasia by a physician is allowed under law - Belgium and the Netherlands - physicians are sometimes confronted with patients who want to donate organs after active euthanasia has been performed. This combination of procedures has been reported in Belgium, and this article is the first description of such a case in the Netherlands. It concerns a patient with a neurodegenerative disease who donated organs after euthanasia. The combination of two complex and controversial procedures - active euthanasia and organ donation - raises important ethical, legal and practical issues. It is suggested that with a thorough preparation and a strict separation of both procedures, organ donation after active euthanasia can strengthen patient autonomy and increase the number of donated organs.

La Grippe and World War I: conflict participation and pandemic confrontation.

PubMed

Steele, B J; Collins, C D

2009-01-01

This paper assesses whether a nation-state's participation in conflict influences its ability to confront global pandemic or disease. Two alternative hypotheses are proposed. First, increased levels of conflict participation lead to increased abilities of states to confront pandemics. A second and alternative hypothesis is that increased conflict participation decreases the ability of states to confront pandemics. The hypotheses are tested through the ultimate case of war and pandemic: the 1918 Influenza pandemic (Spanish Flu or 'La Grippe') that killed 20-100 million people worldwide. Using simple correlation and case illustrations, we test these hypotheses with special focus upon the ability of the participant countries to confront the pandemic. The findings suggest, in a limited and varied fashion, that while neutral countries enjoyed the lowest levels of pandemic deaths, of the participant countries greater levels of conflict participation correlate with lower levels of pandemic deaths. The paper concludes with some propositions regarding the relationship between the current 'war on terror' and prospective pandemics such as avian flu.

Confronting quasi-exponential inflation with WMAP seven

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

Pal, Barun Kumar; Pal, Supratik; Basu, B., E-mail: barunp1985@rediffmail.com, E-mail: pal@th.physik.uni-bonn.de, E-mail: banasri@isical.ac.in

2012-04-01

We confront quasi-exponential models of inflation with WMAP seven years dataset using Hamilton Jacobi formalism. With a phenomenological Hubble parameter, representing quasi exponential inflation, we develop the formalism and subject the analysis to confrontation with WMAP seven using the publicly available code CAMB. The observable parameters are found to fair extremely well with WMAP seven. We also obtain a ratio of tensor to scalar amplitudes which may be detectable in PLANCK.

Meta-Design and the Triple Learning Organization in Architectural Design Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barelkowski, Robert

2017-10-01

The paper delves into the improvement of Meta-Design methodology being the result of implementation of triple learning organization. Grown from the concept of reflective practice, it offers an opportunity to segregate and hierarchize both criteria and knowledge management and at least twofold application. It induces constant feedback loops recharging the basic level of “design” with second level of “learning from design” and third level of “learning from learning”. While learning from design reflects the absorption of knowledge, structuralization of skills, management of information, learning from learning gives deeper understanding and provides axiological perspective which is necessary when combining cultural, social, and abstract conceptual problems. The second level involves multidisciplinary applications imported from many engineering disciplines, technical sciences, but also psychological background, or social environment. The third level confronts these applications with their respective sciences (wide extra-architectural knowledge) and axiological issues. This distinction may be represented in difference between e.g. purposeful, systemic use of participatory design which again generates experience-by-doing versus use of disciplinary knowledge starting from its theoretical framework, then narrowed down to be relevant to particular design task. The paper discusses the application in two cases: awarded competition proposal of Digital Arts Museum in Madrid and BAIRI university building. Both cases summarize the effects of implementation and expose the impact of triple-loop knowledge circles onto design, teaching the architect or helping them to learn how to manage information flows and how to accommodate paradigm shifts in the architectural design process.

The Importance of the Nothofagus Forest on Snowmelt Process linked to floods in Mountain Basins of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina as Input for Land Use Policies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iturraspe, R. J.; Urciuolo, A. B.; Lofiego, R.

2007-05-01

The conception and application of policies and best practices for the appropriate land use from the view point of extreme floods attenuation, must be based on scientist acknowledge of the basin response, reaching each one of the hydrological cycle's components. That condition is necessary as a start point for an integrated intersectoral management of water and forest resources at the basin scale, especially when forest logging or forest urbanization appear as land use alternatives with socioeconomic importance, confronting the natural roll of the forest in the basin. Within this framework, this article analyzes the forest importance on the seasonal snow-pack and snow-melting process in the mountain basin environment of Tierra del Fuego Island, Argentina, where a mixed rain-snow hydrological regimen and a canopy of native Nothofagus forest are basic features considered. Extreme floods events are related to heavy rain and snow-melting combination. In theory, the worst scenario is the exceptional rain occurrence at the moment of the maximum snow storage, air temperature higher than 0ºC in the whole basin, and previous wet conditions. On this scenario we analyze aspects that indicate forest influences on the snow pack distribution and evolution which are favorable to the attenuation of the intensity of melting process which are induced by rain and temperate air mass. Results were obtained in the context of the EPIC FORCE (EU) Project.

1977-2017: Nursing research in Spain after 40 years in the University.

PubMed

Morales Asencio, José Miguel; Hueso Montoro, César; de Pedro-Gómez, Joan Ernest; Bennasar-Veny, Miquel

Nursing research in Spain cannot be understood without analyzing the development of this profession over the last 40 years. The social, political and economic context has determined the evolution of nursing research, and an analysis of the current situation is necessary to confront the immediate challenges the nursing profession has to handle. To offer a global perspective of care research in Spain as a framework for reflection and discussion on possible short and medium-term strategies that guide the planning and decision making of the different stakeholders involved in nursing research in Spain. A multi-method study combining documentary analysis with bibliometric methods was carried out. Some isolated policies to promote nursing research have been identified, a significant increase in doctoral training (49 doctoral programs) and 89 nurse research groups (1.92 groups per million inhabitants) responsible for a scientific production that puts Spain in seventh place in the world ranking of scientific production in the area of nursing. The increase in public expenditure on R & D &I and the growth in bibliometric impact are associated with a higher density of nursing research groups. Nursing research in Spain is sensitive to research promotion policies and resources, although there is no consolidated and uniform strategy that overcomes current barriers. The impact of the academic development of Spanish nNursing in scientific production is still unknown. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A nonlinear cointegration approach with applications to structural health monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, H.; Worden, K.; Cross, E. J.

2016-09-01

One major obstacle to the implementation of structural health monitoring (SHM) is the effect of operational and environmental variabilities, which may corrupt the signal of structural degradation. Recently, an approach inspired from the community of econometrics, called cointegration, has been employed to eliminate the adverse influence from operational and environmental changes and still maintain sensitivity to structural damage. However, the linear nature of cointegration may limit its application when confronting nonlinear relations between system responses. This paper proposes a nonlinear cointegration method based on Gaussian process regression (GPR); the method is constructed under the Engle-Granger framework, and tests for unit root processes are conducted both before and after the GPR is applied. The proposed approach is examined with real engineering data from the monitoring of the Z24 Bridge.

A Survey of Techniques for Approximate Computing

DOE PAGES

Mittal, Sparsh

2016-03-18

Approximate computing trades off computation quality with the effort expended and as rising performance demands confront with plateauing resource budgets, approximate computing has become, not merely attractive, but even imperative. Here, we present a survey of techniques for approximate computing (AC). We discuss strategies for finding approximable program portions and monitoring output quality, techniques for using AC in different processing units (e.g., CPU, GPU and FPGA), processor components, memory technologies etc., and programming frameworks for AC. Moreover, we classify these techniques based on several key characteristics to emphasize their similarities and differences. Finally, the aim of this paper is tomore » provide insights to researchers into working of AC techniques and inspire more efforts in this area to make AC the mainstream computing approach in future systems.« less

Forced migration, adolescence, and identity formation.

PubMed

Anagnostopoulos, Dimitris C; Vlassopoulos, Maria; Lazaratou, Helen

2006-09-01

Adolescence is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon. All the inner-subjective changes in adolescents take place within the context of a specific social environment, which offers the necessary ideological setting that adolescents must confront in the course of their identity formation. Forced migration creates conditions under which the adolescent Ego may be traumatized more easily, resulting in the development of defensive mechanisms, which may interfere with the natural process of identity formation. The aim of this paper is to investigate how a traumatic situation such as forced migration may affect the mechanisms of identity formation in adolescence. For this purpose, clinical material, consisting of two cases of psychoanalytical psychotherapy of adolescents who were forced to immigrate to Greece, is presented and discussed in a psychoanalytical theoretical framework, along with the historical-sociological background.

Longitudinale und Transversale Impulsverteilungen der Hadronen im Endzustand der Tiefinelastischen Myon-Nukleon-Streuung (in german)

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

Ecker, Uwe

1991-01-01

The Fermilab experiment E665 took its first data during the period 1987 /1988. 490 GeV and 100 GeV muons are scattered off various nuclear targets. In this analysis a study of the longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions of charged final state hadrons produced in muon-deuterium-interactions is performed. Semi inclusive muoproduction data are presented in a kinematic regime up to a previously unreached invariant mass ofmore » $$\\sim$$30 GeV. The data are discussed in the framework of the quark parton model and quantum chromodynamics. A comparison to various leptoproduction and $e^+e^-$ -annihilation experiments is shown. Subsequently the data are confronted with predictions from the Lund model. The data agree well with a QCD based parton model picture.« less

Soul mate: exploring the concept of soul.

PubMed

Fenske, Joan M

2011-09-01

This article describes an "advanced practice" registered nurse's skill in using multiple theoretical frameworks to make meaning of her severely developmentally disabled son's untimely death. Aspects of religion, spirituality, and philosophy are presented plus how related practices, such as used within Alcoholics Anonymous, are incorporated into everyday life are referenced. Creating unique rituals and ceremonies demonstrates the power of the mind as a partner in the healing process when grief seems insurmountable. This article, titled "Soul Mate" discusses how individuals create their own healing narratives when confronted with grief and tragedy. Nursing interventions, sensitive to this process, support and promote the grief process. Eliciting, recognizing, and accepting a patient's unique self-made rituals and ceremonies as they cope with a beloved's death and dying enhances their nursing interventions. © 2011 The Author(s)

Numerical algebraic geometry for model selection and its application to the life sciences

PubMed Central

Gross, Elizabeth; Davis, Brent; Ho, Kenneth L.; Bates, Daniel J.

2016-01-01

Researchers working with mathematical models are often confronted by the related problems of parameter estimation, model validation and model selection. These are all optimization problems, well known to be challenging due to nonlinearity, non-convexity and multiple local optima. Furthermore, the challenges are compounded when only partial data are available. Here, we consider polynomial models (e.g. mass-action chemical reaction networks at steady state) and describe a framework for their analysis based on optimization using numerical algebraic geometry. Specifically, we use probability-one polynomial homotopy continuation methods to compute all critical points of the objective function, then filter to recover the global optima. Our approach exploits the geometrical structures relating models and data, and we demonstrate its utility on examples from cell signalling, synthetic biology and epidemiology. PMID:27733697

Pedagogy of the Privileged: Review of Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom.

PubMed

Toporek, Rebecca L

2014-08-11

As scholarship and research in multicultural psychology evolves to a multilayered and complex discipline, increased attention to the role of larger structural forces of privilege has come to the forefront. Intersectionality of sociopolitical identities and the role those with privilege have in confronting oppression becomes a critical component of multicultural education. The edited volume, Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom (Case, 2013) provides concrete guidance and examples for educators seeking to enhance their approach to teaching privilege as a necessary mirror of oppression. This review highlights strengths of the book for educators in psychology and suggests recommendations for more complex discussion of the integration of privilege within the framework of structural oppression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Texture Analysis of Chaotic Coupled Map Lattices Based Image Encryption Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Majid; Shah, Tariq; Batool, Syeda Iram

2014-09-01

As of late, data security is key in different enclosures like web correspondence, media frameworks, therapeutic imaging, telemedicine and military correspondence. In any case, a large portion of them confronted with a few issues, for example, the absence of heartiness and security. In this letter, in the wake of exploring the fundamental purposes of the chaotic trigonometric maps and the coupled map lattices, we have presented the algorithm of chaos-based image encryption based on coupled map lattices. The proposed mechanism diminishes intermittent impact of the ergodic dynamical systems in the chaos-based image encryption. To assess the security of the encoded image of this scheme, the association of two nearby pixels and composition peculiarities were performed. This algorithm tries to minimize the problems arises in image encryption.

The use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms): agricultural biotechnology or agricultural biopolitics?

PubMed

Nuti, Marco; Felici, Cristiana; Agnolucci, Monica

2007-01-01

Agricultural biotechnologies embrace a large array of conventional and modern technologies, spanning from composting organic by-products of agriculture to innovative improvement of quality traits of about twenty out of the mostly cultivated plants. In EU a rather restrictive legislative framework has been installed for GMOs, requiring a risk assessment disproportionate with respect to conventional agriculture and organic farming products. The latter are far from being proved safe for human and animal health, and for the environment. Biotechnology of GMOs has been overtaken by biopolitics. On one side there are biotechnological challenges to be tackled, on another side there is plenty of ground for biopolitical decisions about GMOs. Perhaps the era of harsh confrontation could be fruitfully replaced by sensible cooperation, in order to get a sustainable agricultural development.

Making Choices: Ethical Decisions in a Global Context.

PubMed

Bonde, Sheila; Briant, Clyde; Firenze, Paul; Hanavan, Julianne; Huang, Amy; Li, Min; Narayanan, N C; Parthasarathy, D; Zhao, Hongqin

2016-04-01

The changing milieu of research--increasingly global, interdisciplinary and collaborative--prompts greater emphasis on cultural context and upon partnership with international scholars and diverse community groups. Ethics training, however, tends to ignore the cross-cultural challenges of making ethical choices. This paper confronts those challenges by presenting a new curricular model developed by an international team. It examines ethics across a very broad range of situations, using case studies and employing the perspectives of social science, humanities and the sciences. The course has been developed and taught in a highly collaborative way, involving researchers and students at Zhejiang University, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Brown University. The article presents the curricular modules of the course, learning outcomes, an assessment framework developed for the project, and a discussion of evaluation findings.

Cyber Security: Assessing Our Vulnerabilities and Developing an Effective Defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spafford, Eugene H.

The number and sophistication of cyberattacks continues to increase, but no national policy is in place to confront them. Critical systems need to be built on secure foundations, rather than the cheapest general-purpose platform. A program that combines education in cyber security, increasing resources for law enforcement, development of reliable systems for critical applications, and expanding research support in multiple areas of security and reliability is essential to combat risks that are far beyond the nuisances of spam email and viruses, and involve widespread espionage, theft, and attacks on essential services.

[Clinicopathological confrontation. Was the skin cancer eradicated?].

PubMed

Arrese, J E; Piérard, G E; Ruiz Ballon, M; Quatresooz, P

2007-09-01

Distinguishing complete removal of a skin cancer and its partial destruction is frequently requested by the clinicians and their patients. The information is awaited from the laboratory, but it is not always correctly interpreted by the information-seekers. The factors influencing this assessment include the combination of the nature of the antineoplastic therapy, the sampling modality of the area to be examined, and the quality of the dermatopathology procedure. In addition, the possibility of neoplastic regression linked to scarring or, conversely, the existence of a possible field cancerisation should be taken into consideration.

Semantic feature analysis treatment for anomia in two fluent aphasia syndromes.

PubMed

Boyle, Mary

2004-08-01

The effect of semantic feature analysis (SFA) treatment on confrontation naming and discourse production was examined in 2 persons, 1 with anomic aphasia and 1 with Wernicke's aphasia. Results indicated that confrontation naming of treated nouns improved and generalized to untreated nouns for both participants, who appeared to have different lexical access impairments. Both participants demonstrated improvement in some aspects of discourse production associated with the confrontation naming SFA treatment. However, there was no change in most manifestations of lexical retrieval difficulty during discourse for either participant. These findings support previous work regarding improved and generalized naming associated with SFA treatment and indicate a need to examine effects of improved confrontation naming on more natural speaking situations.

Choice is not the issue. The misrepresentation of healthcare in bioethical discourse

PubMed Central

Førde, Reidun; Wifstad, Åge

2010-01-01

The principle of respect for autonomy has shaped much of the bioethics' discourse over the last 50 years, and is now most commonly used in the meaning of respecting autonomous choice. This is probably related to the influential concept of informed consent, which originated in research ethics and was soon also applied to the field of clinical medicine. But while available choices in medical research are well defined, this is rarely the case in healthcare. Consideration of ordinary medical practice reveals that the focus on patient choice does not properly grasp the moral aspects involved in healthcare. Medical decisions are often portrayed as if doctors and patients in confidence confront specific decisions about examinations or treatment, yet the reality often involves many different participants, with decisions being made over time and space. Indeed, most of the decisions are never even presented to patients, as it would be unethical to suggest something that is not medically justifiable. The options patients do confront are somewhat arbitrarily constructed within the narrow framework of both what is deemed to be medically appropriate and how the healthcare system is organised practically. While the autonomy discourse has proven valuable, a failure to distinguish between the fields of medical research and clinical medicine has generated a focus on patient choice that does not reflect what is really at stake in healthcare settings. This is alarming, because the current discourse misrepresents medical practice in a way that actually contributes to bioethical self-delusion. PMID:21131609

Exploring end-of-life interaction in dyads of parents and adult children: a protocol for a mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Stiel, Stephanie; Stelzer, Eva-Maria; Schneider, Nils; Herbst, Franziska A

2018-04-27

A considerable number of terminally-ill adult children are outlived by at least one parent and receive palliative care prior to their death. At the same time, adult children continue to be confronted with their parents' terminal illnesses and end-of-life situations. The current study explores the specifics of dyadic interaction at the end of life between a) adult children suffering from a life-threatening disease and their parents, and b) terminally ill parents and their adult children. This prospective observational study aims at filling the existing gap on adult child-parent interaction specifics at the end of life using an exploratory mixed-methods framework. The mixed-methods framework combines a qualitative face-to face interview and quantitative self-report questionnaires to study the topic at hand. The qualitative interview will focus on experiences, expectations, and wishes with regard to dyadic communication, information about illness and prognosis, expressed and perceived burden and support as well as caregiving role at the end of life. The questionnaires will cover socio-demographics, loneliness, attachment style, social support, and emotional closeness. The research group is currently adjusting a semi-structured interview guide and questionnaire instructions based on the results of a multiprofessional scientific advisory board meeting (Jan. 2018). In a next step, and prior to qualitative and quantitative data collection, the questionnaires will be piloted on patients and their family members in a palliative care setting. The main expected results are i) a description of the specifics of the interaction within and between both dyads, ii) the development of hypotheses and a theoretical framework on the specifics, similarities, and differences for both study groups, and iii) clinical conclusions on specific psychosocial care needs of both groups. The study was registered prospectively in the Health Services Research Germany register (Versorgungsforschung Deutschland - Datenbank) (Registration N° VfD_Dy@EoL_17_003897; date of registration: November 22, 2017) and in the German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien) (Registration N° DRKS00013206 ; date of registration: October 27, 2017). The study is visible in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal of the World Health Organization under the German Clinical Trials Register number.

Predicting Nurses' Turnover: The Aversive Effects of Decreased Identity, Poor Interpersonal Communication, and Learned Helplessness.

PubMed

Moreland, Jennifer J; Ewoldsen, David R; Albert, Nancy M; Kosicki, Gerald M; Clayton, Margaret F

2015-01-01

Through a social identity theoretical lens, this study examines how nurses' identification with their working small group, unit, or floor, nursing role (e.g., staff ER nurse, nurse practitioner), and nursing profession relate to nurses' interaction involvement, willingness to confront conflict, feelings of learned helplessness, and tenure (employment turnover) intentions. A cross-sectional survey (N = 466) was conducted at a large, quaternary care hospital system. Structural equation modeling uncovered direct and indirect effects between the five primary variables. Findings demonstrate direct relationships between nurse identity (as a latent variable) and interaction involvement, willingness to confront conflict, and tenure intentions. Feelings of learned helplessness are attenuated by increased nurse identity through interaction involvement and willingness to confront conflict. In addition, willingness to confront conflict and learned helplessness mediate the relationship between interaction involvement and nurses' tenure intentions. Theoretical extensions include indirect links between nurse identity and learned helplessness via interaction involvement and willingness to confront conflict. Implications for interpersonal communication theory development, health communication, and the nursing profession are discussed.

The interaction between lived experiences of older patients and their family caregivers confronted with a cancer diagnosis and treatment: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Senden, Cynthia; Vandecasteele, Tina; Vandenberghe, Evy; Versluys, Karen; Piers, Ruth; Grypdonck, Mieke; Van Den Noortgate, Nele

2015-01-01

Despite the growing incidence of cancer among older people, little is understood about how older patients and their family caregivers experience receiving a cancer diagnosis and treatment and how their experiences mutually influence each other. Such knowledge is needed to provide meaningful support for both the older person and family caregivers. Exploring lived experiences of older cancer patients, family caregivers and their interaction. Qualitative interview design. Six outpatient oncology departments at a University Hospital. Thirty-two patients (age range 70-86) and 19 family caregivers (age range 42-83). Semi-structured interviews with a fairly open framework were conducted and analyzed using the constant comparative method inspired by a grounded theory approach. Older patients and family caregivers experience important demands when confronted with cancer. Patients feel the inherent need to search for hope, and the majority are able to do so by employing coping strategies. Because of their older age, patients anticipate getting a serious illness such as a cancer diagnosis. Family caregivers become 'a family member of an older person with cancer' and feel responsible for the patient's well-being and for providing care. If patients are able to maintain a 'positive' story, family caregivers support this ability. If not, they search for a 'positive' story and point this out to the patient. Most family caregivers perceive their care-giving as a normal process and find it difficult to request professional help for themselves. Nevertheless, knowing that professional help is available whenever they need it reassures them. Overall, life continues during the illness experience: the interaction between patients and family caregivers goes on, their relationship proceeds, the coping and care patterns continue. The cancer diagnosis has a major impact on patients and family caregivers. This study offers a framework for understanding what is it like to have cancer in old age and outlines the importance of listening actively to the life stories of patients and family caregivers in order to comprehend coping strategies. This may result in better tailored patient-family centered care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unraveling care integration: Assessing its dimensions and antecedents in the Italian Health System.

PubMed

Calciolari, Stefano; Ilinca, Stefania

2016-01-01

In recent decades, consensus has grown on the need to organize health systems around the concept of care integration to better confront the challenges associated with demographic trends and financial sustainability. However, care integration remains an imprecise umbrella term in both the academic and policy arenas. In addition, little substantive knowledge exists on the success factors for integration initiatives. We propose a composite measure of care integration and a conceptual framework suggesting its relationships with three types of antecedents: contextual, cultural, and organizational factors. Our framework was tested using data from the Italian National Health System (NHS). We administered an ad-hoc questionnaire to all Italian local health units (LHUs), with a 60.4% response rate, and used structural equation modeling to assess the relationships between the relevant latent constructs. The results validated our measure of care integration and supported the hypothesized relationships. In particular, integration was found to be fostered by results-oriented institutional settings, a professional culture conducive to inclusiveness and shared goals, and organizational arrangements promoting clear expectations among providers. Thus, integration improves care and mediates the effects of specific operating means on care enhancement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rational Design of High-Loading Sulfur Cathodes with a Poached-Egg-Shaped Architecture for Long-Cycle Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

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

Luo, Liu; Manthiram, Arumugam

A high-loading electrode is essential for establishing high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, but it is confronted with critical challenges. Here in this paper, we present a freestanding poached-egg-shaped architecture through a facile template supported vacuum-filtration strategy and employ it as an efficient sulfur host for Li-S batteries. This unique architecture guarantees an effective encapsulation of the “sulfur yolk” inside the fully vacuum sealed framework, effectively limiting the active material loss and polysulfide diffusion. Also, the conductive and porous framework serves as an interlinked electron pathway and electrolyte channel, greatly facilitating fast electric/ionic transport along with active material reactivation and reutilization duringmore » cycling. A high peak discharge capacity (1200 mA h g -1), a low capacity-fade rate (0.09% cycle-1) for 500 cycles, and excellent rate capability (C/5-1C rates) are accomplished. Moreover, with such an advantageous architecture, the sulfur loading is successfully increased to 32 mg cm -2 to achieve an areal capacity of up to 16 mA h cm -2. This work provides guidelines for realizing optimized highloading Li-S batteries.« less

Paradigm shifts and the interplay between state, business and civil sectors.

PubMed

Encarnação, Sara; Santos, Fernando P; Santos, Francisco C; Blass, Vered; Pacheco, Jorge M; Portugali, Juval

2016-12-01

The recent rise of the civil sector as a main player of socio-political actions, next to public and private sectors, has largely increased the complexity underlying the interplay between different sectors of our society. From urban planning to global governance, analysis of these complex interactions requires new mathematical and computational approaches. Here, we develop a novel framework, grounded on evolutionary game theory, to envisage situations in which each of these sectors is confronted with the dilemma of deciding between maintaining a status quo scenario or shifting towards a new paradigm. We consider multisector conflicts regarding environmentally friendly policies as an example of application, but the framework developed here has a considerably broader scope. We show that the public sector is crucial in initiating the shift, and determine explicitly under which conditions the civil sector-reflecting the emergent reality of civil society organizations playing an active role in modern societies-may influence the decision-making processes accruing to other sectors, while fostering new routes towards a paradigm shift of the society as a whole. Our results are shown to be robust to a wide variety of assumptions and model parametrizations.

Paradigm shifts and the interplay between state, business and civil sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Encarnação, Sara; Santos, Fernando P.; Santos, Francisco C.; Blass, Vered; Pacheco, Jorge M.; Portugali, Juval

2016-12-01

The recent rise of the civil sector as a main player of socio-political actions, next to public and private sectors, has largely increased the complexity underlying the interplay between different sectors of our society. From urban planning to global governance, analysis of these complex interactions requires new mathematical and computational approaches. Here, we develop a novel framework, grounded on evolutionary game theory, to envisage situations in which each of these sectors is confronted with the dilemma of deciding between maintaining a status quo scenario or shifting towards a new paradigm. We consider multisector conflicts regarding environmentally friendly policies as an example of application, but the framework developed here has a considerably broader scope. We show that the public sector is crucial in initiating the shift, and determine explicitly under which conditions the civil sector-reflecting the emergent reality of civil society organizations playing an active role in modern societies-may influence the decision-making processes accruing to other sectors, while fostering new routes towards a paradigm shift of the society as a whole. Our results are shown to be robust to a wide variety of assumptions and model parametrizations.

Rational Design of High-Loading Sulfur Cathodes with a Poached-Egg-Shaped Architecture for Long-Cycle Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

DOE PAGES

Luo, Liu; Manthiram, Arumugam

2017-08-31

A high-loading electrode is essential for establishing high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, but it is confronted with critical challenges. Here in this paper, we present a freestanding poached-egg-shaped architecture through a facile template supported vacuum-filtration strategy and employ it as an efficient sulfur host for Li-S batteries. This unique architecture guarantees an effective encapsulation of the “sulfur yolk” inside the fully vacuum sealed framework, effectively limiting the active material loss and polysulfide diffusion. Also, the conductive and porous framework serves as an interlinked electron pathway and electrolyte channel, greatly facilitating fast electric/ionic transport along with active material reactivation and reutilization duringmore » cycling. A high peak discharge capacity (1200 mA h g -1), a low capacity-fade rate (0.09% cycle-1) for 500 cycles, and excellent rate capability (C/5-1C rates) are accomplished. Moreover, with such an advantageous architecture, the sulfur loading is successfully increased to 32 mg cm -2 to achieve an areal capacity of up to 16 mA h cm -2. This work provides guidelines for realizing optimized highloading Li-S batteries.« less

High School Students’ Perceptions of Motivations for Cyberbullying: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Varjas, Kris; Talley, Jasmaine; Meyers, Joel; Parris, Leandra; Cutts, Hayley

2010-01-01

Objectives: Internet usage has increased in recent years resulting in a growing number of documented reports of cyberbullying. Despite the rise in cyberbullying incidents, there is a dearth of research regarding high school students’ motivations for cyberbullying. The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students’ perceptions of the motivations for cyberbullying. Method: We undertook an exploratory qualitative study with 20 high school students, conducting individual interviews using a semi-structured interview protocol. Data were analyzed using Grounded Theory. Results: The developed coding hierarchy provides a framework to conceptualize motivations, which can be used to facilitate future research about motivations and to develop preventive interventions designed to thwart the negative effects of cyberbullying. The findings revealed that high school students more often identified internally motivated reasons for cyberbullying (e.g., redirect feelings) than externally motivated (no consequences, non-confrontational, target was different). Conclusion: Uncovering the motivations for cyberbullying should promote greater understanding of this phenomenon and potentially reduce the interpersonal violence that can result from it. By providing a framework that begins to clarify the internal and external factors motivating the behavior, there is enhanced potential to develop effective preventive interventions to prevent cyberbullying and its negative effects. PMID:20882148

Novel Integration of Frame Rate Up Conversion and HEVC Coding Based on Rate-Distortion Optimization.

PubMed

Guo Lu; Xiaoyun Zhang; Li Chen; Zhiyong Gao

2018-02-01

Frame rate up conversion (FRUC) can improve the visual quality by interpolating new intermediate frames. However, high frame rate videos by FRUC are confronted with more bitrate consumption or annoying artifacts of interpolated frames. In this paper, a novel integration framework of FRUC and high efficiency video coding (HEVC) is proposed based on rate-distortion optimization, and the interpolated frames can be reconstructed at encoder side with low bitrate cost and high visual quality. First, joint motion estimation (JME) algorithm is proposed to obtain robust motion vectors, which are shared between FRUC and video coding. What's more, JME is embedded into the coding loop and employs the original motion search strategy in HEVC coding. Then, the frame interpolation is formulated as a rate-distortion optimization problem, where both the coding bitrate consumption and visual quality are taken into account. Due to the absence of original frames, the distortion model for interpolated frames is established according to the motion vector reliability and coding quantization error. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework can achieve 21% ~ 42% reduction in BDBR, when compared with the traditional methods of FRUC cascaded with coding.

Confrontational scavenging as a possible source for language and cooperation

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The emergence of language and the high degree of cooperation found among humans seems to require more than a straightforward enhancement of primate traits. Some triggering episode unique to human ancestors was likely necessary. Here it is argued that confrontational scavenging was such an episode. Arguments for and against an established confrontational scavenging niche are discussed, as well as the probable effects of such a niche on language and co-operation. Finally, several possible directions for future research are suggested. PMID:21933413

Evaluation of a large scale implementation of disease management programmes in various Dutch regions: a study protocol

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Disease management programmes (DMPs) have been developed to improve effectiveness and economic efficiency within chronic care delivery by combining patient-related, professional-directed, and organisational interventions. The benefits of DMPs within different settings, patient groups, and versions remain unclear. In this article we propose a protocol to evaluate a range of current DMPs by capturing them in a single conceptual framework, employing comparable structure, process, and outcome measures, and combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. Methods To assess DMP effectiveness a practical clinical trial will be conducted. Twenty-two disease management experiments will be studied in various Dutch regions consisting of a variety of collaborations between organisations and/or professionals. Patient cohorts include those with cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, stroke, depression, psychotic diseases, and eating disorders. Our methodological approach combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to enable a comprehensive evaluation of complex programmes. Process indicators will be collected from health care providers' data registries and measured via physician and staff questionnaires. Patient questionnaires include health care experiences, health care utilisation, and quality of life. Qualitative data will be gathered by means of interviews and document analysis for an in depth description of project interventions and the contexts in which DMPs are embedded, and an ethnographic process evaluation in five DMPs. Such a design will provide insight into ongoing DMPs and demonstrate which elements of the intervention are potentially (cost)-effective for which patient populations. It will also enable sound comparison of the results of the different programmes. Discussion The study will lead to a better understanding of (1) the mechanisms of disease management, (2) the feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of a disease management approach to improving health care, and (3) the factors that determine success and failure of DMPs. Our study results will be relevant to decision makers and managers who confront the challenge of implementing and integrating DMPs into the health care system. Moreover, it will contribute to the search for methods to evaluate complex healthcare interventions. PMID:21219620

Evaluation of a large scale implementation of disease management programmes in various Dutch regions: a study protocol.

PubMed

Lemmens, Karin M M; Rutten-Van Mölken, Maureen P M H; Cramm, Jane M; Huijsman, Robbert; Bal, Roland A; Nieboer, Anna P

2011-01-10

Disease management programmes (DMPs) have been developed to improve effectiveness and economic efficiency within chronic care delivery by combining patient-related, professional-directed, and organisational interventions. The benefits of DMPs within different settings, patient groups, and versions remain unclear. In this article we propose a protocol to evaluate a range of current DMPs by capturing them in a single conceptual framework, employing comparable structure, process, and outcome measures, and combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. To assess DMP effectiveness a practical clinical trial will be conducted. Twenty-two disease management experiments will be studied in various Dutch regions consisting of a variety of collaborations between organisations and/or professionals. Patient cohorts include those with cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, stroke, depression, psychotic diseases, and eating disorders. Our methodological approach combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to enable a comprehensive evaluation of complex programmes. Process indicators will be collected from health care providers' data registries and measured via physician and staff questionnaires. Patient questionnaires include health care experiences, health care utilisation, and quality of life. Qualitative data will be gathered by means of interviews and document analysis for an in depth description of project interventions and the contexts in which DMPs are embedded, and an ethnographic process evaluation in five DMPs. Such a design will provide insight into ongoing DMPs and demonstrate which elements of the intervention are potentially (cost)-effective for which patient populations. It will also enable sound comparison of the results of the different programmes. The study will lead to a better understanding of (1) the mechanisms of disease management, (2) the feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of a disease management approach to improving health care, and (3) the factors that determine success and failure of DMPs. Our study results will be relevant to decision makers and managers who confront the challenge of implementing and integrating DMPs into the health care system. Moreover, it will contribute to the search for methods to evaluate complex healthcare interventions.

Hamburger hazards and emotions.

PubMed

Olsen, Nina Veflen; Røssvoll, Elin; Langsrud, Solveig; Scholderer, Joachim

2014-07-01

Previous studies indicate that many consumers eat rare hamburgers and that information about microbiological hazards related to undercooked meat not necessarily leads to more responsible behavior. With this study we aim to investigate whether consumers' willingness to eat hamburgers depends on the emotions they experience when confronted with the food. A representative sample of 1046 Norwegian consumers participated in an online experiment. In the first part, participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group was confronted with a picture of a rare hamburger, whereas the other group was confronted with a picture of a well-done hamburger. The respondents were instructed to imagine that they were served the hamburger on the picture and then to indicate which emotions they experienced: fear, disgust, surprise, interest, pleasure, or none of these. In part two, all respondents were confronted with four pictures of hamburgers cooked to different degrees of doneness (rare, medium rare, medium well-done, well-done), and were asked to state their likelihood of eating. We analyzed the data by means of a multivariate probit model and two linear fixed-effect models. The results show that confrontation with rare hamburgers evokes more fear and disgust than confrontation with well-done hamburgers, that all hamburgers trigger pleasure and interest, and that a consumer's willingness to eat rare hamburgers depends on the particular type of emotion evoked. These findings indicate that emotions play an important role in a consumer's likelihood of eating risky food, and should be considered when developing food safety strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Meaning of family confrontation for nurses of intensive care units for adult people - Medellín 2013].

PubMed

Montoya Tamayo, D P; Monsalve Ospina, T P; Forero Pulido, C

2015-01-01

To comprehend the meaning nurses give to family confrontation, from their experiences while patients are in adult intensive care units in Medellin 2013. A qualitative research study was carried out using a phenomenological approach and theoretical convenience sampling of subjects was used. Interviews with open questions were conducted with nurses that worked in different intensive care units in the city of Medellin, with more than one year of experience in these units. The information was coded and categorised to perform the analysis, and some concept maps were created for the final report. This study showed that nurses focus their care on the critical patient and not on the patient's family. They considered that there is family confrontation when its members comprehend the processes that are carried out in the intensive care unit, and can contribute to the patient's care, while if families do not have confrontations, it is because they do not understand the process, or feel desperate or are absent. The interventions that nurses consider must be done to help in the family confrontation are: information, interdisciplinary support, visits, and companionship. For the nurses, family confrontation means that family members understand, comprehend, accept, know, bear and go on with the situation; therefore, they can make good decisions regarding the patient's care in the adult intensive care units. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

Retrodiction for Bayesian multiple-hypothesis/multiple-target tracking in densely cluttered environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Wolfgang

1996-05-01

Sensor data processing in a dense target/dense clutter environment is inevitably confronted with data association conflicts which correspond with the multiple hypothesis character of many modern approaches (MHT: multiple hypothesis tracking). In this paper we analyze the efficiency of retrodictive techniques that generalize standard fixed interval smoothing to MHT applications. 'Delayed estimation' based on retrodiction provides uniquely interpretable and accurate trajectories from ambiguous MHT output if a certain time delay is tolerated. In a Bayesian framework the theoretical background of retrodiction and its intimate relation to Bayesian MHT is sketched. By a simulated example with two closely-spaced targets, relatively low detection probabilities, and rather high false return densities, we demonstrate the benefits of retrodiction and quantitatively discuss the achievable track accuracies and the time delays involved for typical radar parameters.

Stakeholder involvement in water management: necessity or luxury?

PubMed

Morrison, K

2003-01-01

Stakeholder involvement in water management is widely recognized as an important component of the design and implementation of sustainable water management initiatives. Despite this, there remains a deep-rooted resistance to the widespread implementation of programs to prioritize such involvement (as witnessed by, for example, the low priority given to the public involvement element of the European Union Water Framework Directive). This paper addresses the issue of stakeholder involvement by first confronting the fact that it is not a water issue, per se. Such diverse fields as economics, agriculture, public health, pollution prevention, business and education have also identified stakeholder involvement as a difficult but necessary component of successful action in their fields. For the water sector, the issue of stakeholder involvement as either a necessity for sustainable water management, or a luxury to be used to complement traditional approaches, is discussed.

Competence-Based Curricula in the Context of Bologna and EU Higher Education Policy

PubMed Central

Davies, Howard

2017-01-01

At the turn of the century European higher education policy became twin-track. The Bologna Process was launched and ran alongside developments in European legislation. Both tracks displayed a preoccupation with competences, in relation both to citizenship and to labour market needs. Scrutiny of important policy texts (Key Competences, the European Qualifications Framework, ECTS, the Bologna three-cycle degree structure) shows that ‘competence’ has never been given a precise and secure definition. Only very recently has the term entered the discourse of EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications. Current work on competence-based curricula in sectoral professions, including pharmacy, has helped bring the two policy tracks into closer alignment. The examples of competences identified in specific professional contexts can assist EU and Bologna policy-makers as they confront future challenges. PMID:28970429

Health and safety strategies in a changing Europe.

PubMed

Walters, D

1998-01-01

This article presents a synthesis of some of the more significant findings from two recent surveys on working conditions and national strategies for their improvement in the European Union in the 1990s. As patterns and organization of employment have changed in the past decade, the consequences for health and safety present new challenges for legislators, the social partners, the regulatory agencies, and the specialists. These challenges are only partially met in most European member states. Because of the continued deregulation of employment, reduced public expenditure, and reduced trade union presence, the operation of strategies to implement a common framework of E.U. legislation is limited and often incomplete. This issue must be confronted if systems for promoting the well-being of people at work in Europe are to keep up with the rapidly changing nature of the risks that they face.

The sexuality connection in reproductive health.

PubMed

Dixon-Mueller, R

1993-01-01

Sexuality and power relations based on gender are relevant to researchers, policymakers, and service providers in the reproductive health field, because they underlie virtually all of the behaviors and conditions that their programs address. Yet, a review of conventional treatments in the demographic and family planning literature reveals that, when they consider these topics at all, researchers typically adopt narrow definitions of sexual behavior and focus almost exclusively on risks of pregnancy and disease. This article proposes an analytic framework as a guide to researchers and family planning providers. It relates four dimensions of sexuality to reproductive health outcomes and concludes that family planning policies and programs should address a broader spectrum of sexual behaviors and meanings, consider questions of sexual enjoyment as well as risk, and confront ideologies of male entitlement that threaten women's sexual and reproductive rights and health.

Breath of hospitality.

PubMed

Škof, Lenart

2016-12-01

In this paper we outline the possibilities of an ethic of care based on our self-affection and subjectivity in the ethical spaces between-two. In this we first refer to three Irigarayan concepts - breath, silence and listening from the third phase of her philosophy, and discuss them within the methodological framework of an ethics of intersubjectivity and interiority. Together with attentiveness, we analyse them as four categories of our ethical becoming. Furthermore, we argue that self-affection is based on our inchoate receptivity for the needs of the other(s) and is thus dialectical in its character. In this we critically confront some epistemological views of our ethical becoming. We wind up this paper with a proposal for an ethics towards two autonomous subjects, based on care and our shared ethical becoming - both as signs of our deepest hospitality towards the other.

Developing a Rational Approach to Tobacco Use Treatment in Pulmonary Practice: A Review of the Biological Basis of Nicotine Addiction

PubMed Central

Leone, Frank T.; Evers-Casey, Sarah

2012-01-01

The toll of tobacco use on a pulmonary practice is severe. Physicians, patients, and their families experience frustration, hopelessness and even anger when confronted with a seemingly irrational decision to keep smoking despite morbid lung disease. This paper examines the biological basis of this behavior and seeks to integrate this insight into a rational approach to the problem in practice. Smoking is reexamined within the framework of an irrational compulsion to seek nicotine, despite a rational desire to stop. Control over the compulsion to smoke is established as an important clinical outcome, and the rationale for treating tobacco dependence as a chronic illness is examined. Finally, practical insights into managing ambivalence, including an aggressive pharmacotheapeutic approach based on the neurobiology, are presented. PMID:22707873

Us, them, and others: reflections on Canadian multiculturalism and national identity at the turn of the twenty-first century.

PubMed

Winter, Elke

2014-05-01

The John Porter Lecture at the annual meeting of the Canadian Sociological Association in Victoria 2013 draws upon my book Us, Them, and Others: Pluralism and National Identity in Diverse Societies. Incorporating the findings from an analysis of Canadian English-language newspaper discourses during the 1990s into a theoretical framework inspired by Weberian sociology, the book argues that pluralism is best understood as a dynamic set of triangular relations where the compromise between unequal groups--"us" and "others"--is rendered meaningful through the confrontation with real or imagined outsiders ("them"). The lecture summarizes the theoretical contribution and explains how multiculturalism became consolidated in dominant Canadian discourses in the late 1990s. The lecture then discusses changes to Canadian multicultural identity at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

An overview of the Hadoop/MapReduce/HBase framework and its current applications in bioinformatics

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

Taylor, Ronald C.

Bioinformatics researchers are increasingly confronted with analysis of ultra large-scale data sets, a problem that will only increase at an alarming rate in coming years. Recent developments in open source software, that is, the Hadoop project and associated software, provide a foundation for scaling to petabyte scale data warehouses on Linux clusters, providing fault-tolerant parallelized analysis on such data using a programming style named MapReduce. An overview is given of the current usage within the bioinformatics community of Hadoop, a top-level Apache Software Foundation project, and of associated open source software projects. The concepts behind Hadoop and the associated HBasemore » project are defined, and current bioinformatics software that employ Hadoop is described. The focus is on next-generation sequencing, as the leading application area to date.« less

USEEIO Framework Demo

EPA Science Inventory

The code base for creating versions of the USEEIO model and USEEIO-like models is called the USEEIO Modeling Framework. The framework is built in a combination of R and Python languages.This demonstration provides a brief overview and introduction into the framework.

Special Topic Interoperability and EHR: Combining openEHR, SNOMED, IHE, and Continua as approaches to interoperability on national eHealth.

PubMed

Beštek, Mate; Stanimirović, Dalibor

2017-08-09

The main aims of the paper comprise the characterization and examination of the potential approaches regarding interoperability. This includes openEHR, SNOMED, IHE, and Continua as combined interoperability approaches, possibilities for their incorporation into the eHealth environment, and identification of the main success factors in the field, which are necessary for achieving required interoperability, and consequently, for the successful implementation of eHealth projects in general. The paper represents an in-depth analysis regarding the potential application of openEHR, SNOMED, IHE and Continua approaches in the development and implementation process of eHealth in Slovenia. The research method used is both exploratory and deductive in nature. The methodological framework is grounded on information retrieval with a special focus on research and charting of existing experience in the field, and sources, both electronic and written, which include interoperability concepts and related implementation issues. The paper will try to answer the following inquiries that are complementing each other: 1. Scrutiny of the potential approaches, which could alleviate the pertinent interoperability issues in the Slovenian eHealth context. 2. Analyzing the possibilities (requirements) for their inclusion in the construction process for individual eHealth solutions. 3. Identification and charting the main success factors in the interoperability field that critically influence development and implementation of eHealth projects in an efficient manner. Provided insights and identified success factors could serve as a constituent of the strategic starting points for continuous integration of interoperability principles into the healthcare domain. Moreover, the general implementation of the identified success factors could facilitate better penetration of ICT into the healthcare environment and enable the eHealth-based transformation of the health system especially in the countries which are still in an early phase of eHealth planning and development and are often confronted with differing interests, requirements, and contending strategies.

A Therapeutic Confrontation Approach to Treating Patients with Factitious Illness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wedel, Kenneth R.

1971-01-01

Patients suffering from factitious illness present complex problems for themselves and hospital personnel. This article describes a multidisciplinary intervention through confrontation approach that has proved to be successful with such patients. (Author)

28 CFR 552.23 - Confrontation avoidance procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... MANAGEMENT CUSTODY Use of Force and Application of Restraints on Inmates § 552.23 Confrontation avoidance... knowledge they have gained about the inmate and the incident, determine if use of force is necessary. [59 FR...

Having Both a Family and a Future in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, Laurie

1997-11-01

This session, sponsored by the APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP), will consist of a panel discussion in which men and women who have faced the challenges of combining physics with family will share their experiences and discuss the issues they confront. The panelists will be asked to respond to questions such as: "Is this an issue that only affects women?" "Can you have tenure and children too?" "Daycare vs. homecare: does it harm the children?" "Can I bring my children to my workplace?" Audience participation in the disscussion will be encouraged.

Nursing informatics: the trend of the future.

PubMed

Nagelkerk, J; Ritola, P M; Vandort, P J

1998-01-01

Nursing informatics is a combination of computer, information, and nursing sciences. This new and expanding field addresses the efficient and effective use of information for nurses. Preparing nurses for computerization is essential to confront an explosion of sophisticated computerized technology in the workplace. It is critical in a competitive health care market for preparing nurses to use the most cost-effective methods. A model is presented that identifies six essential factors for preparing nurses for computerization. Strong leadership, effective communication, organized training sessions, established time frames, planned change, and tailored software are the essential factors to consider for development of a successful educational program.

Probing the primordial universe with gravitational waves detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yu-Tong; Cai, Yong; Liu, Zhi-Guo; Piao, Yun-Song

2017-01-01

The spectrum of primordial gravitational waves (GWs), especially its tilt nT, carries significant information about the primordial universe. Combining recent aLIGO and Planck2015+BK14 data, we find that the current limit is nT=0.016+0.614-0.989 at 95% C.L. We also estimate the impacts of Einstein Telescope and LISA on constraining nT. Moreover, based on the effective field theory of cosmological perturbations, we make an attempt to confront some models of early universe scenarios, which produce blue-tilted GWs spectrum (nT>0), with the corresponding datasets.

A framework to enhance security of physically unclonable functions using chaotic circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lanxiang

2018-05-01

As a new technique for authentication and key generation, physically unclonable function (PUF) has attracted considerable attentions, with extensive research results achieved already. To resist the popular machine learning modeling attacks, a framework to enhance the security of PUFs is proposed. The basic idea is to combine PUFs with a chaotic system of which the response is highly sensitive to initial conditions. For this framework, a specific construction which combines the common arbiter PUF circuit, a converter, and the Chua's circuit is given to implement a more secure PUF. Simulation experiments are presented to further validate the framework. Finally, some practical suggestions for the framework and specific construction are also discussed.

What are the assets and weaknesses of HFO detectors? A benchmark framework based on realistic simulations

PubMed Central

Pizzo, Francesca; Bartolomei, Fabrice; Wendling, Fabrice; Bénar, Christian-George

2017-01-01

High-frequency oscillations (HFO) have been suggested as biomarkers of epileptic tissues. While visual marking of these short and small oscillations is tedious and time-consuming, automatic HFO detectors have not yet met a large consensus. Even though detectors have been shown to perform well when validated against visual marking, the large number of false detections due to their lack of robustness hinder their clinical application. In this study, we developed a validation framework based on realistic and controlled simulations to quantify precisely the assets and weaknesses of current detectors. We constructed a dictionary of synthesized elements—HFOs and epileptic spikes—from different patients and brain areas by extracting these elements from the original data using discrete wavelet transform coefficients. These elements were then added to their corresponding simulated background activity (preserving patient- and region- specific spectra). We tested five existing detectors against this benchmark. Compared to other studies confronting detectors, we did not only ranked them according their performance but we investigated the reasons leading to these results. Our simulations, thanks to their realism and their variability, enabled us to highlight unreported issues of current detectors: (1) the lack of robust estimation of the background activity, (2) the underestimated impact of the 1/f spectrum, and (3) the inadequate criteria defining an HFO. We believe that our benchmark framework could be a valuable tool to translate HFOs into a clinical environment. PMID:28406919

Nonlocal sparse model with adaptive structural clustering for feature extraction of aero-engine bearings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Han; Chen, Xuefeng; Du, Zhaohui; Li, Xiang; Yan, Ruqiang

2016-04-01

Fault information of aero-engine bearings presents two particular phenomena, i.e., waveform distortion and impulsive feature frequency band dispersion, which leads to a challenging problem for current techniques of bearing fault diagnosis. Moreover, although many progresses of sparse representation theory have been made in feature extraction of fault information, the theory also confronts inevitable performance degradation due to the fact that relatively weak fault information has not sufficiently prominent and sparse representations. Therefore, a novel nonlocal sparse model (coined NLSM) and its algorithm framework has been proposed in this paper, which goes beyond simple sparsity by introducing more intrinsic structures of feature information. This work adequately exploits the underlying prior information that feature information exhibits nonlocal self-similarity through clustering similar signal fragments and stacking them together into groups. Within this framework, the prior information is transformed into a regularization term and a sparse optimization problem, which could be solved through block coordinate descent method (BCD), is formulated. Additionally, the adaptive structural clustering sparse dictionary learning technique, which utilizes k-Nearest-Neighbor (kNN) clustering and principal component analysis (PCA) learning, is adopted to further enable sufficient sparsity of feature information. Moreover, the selection rule of regularization parameter and computational complexity are described in detail. The performance of the proposed framework is evaluated through numerical experiment and its superiority with respect to the state-of-the-art method in the field is demonstrated through the vibration signals of experimental rig of aircraft engine bearings.

Stress responses and decision making in child protection workers faced with high conflict situations.

PubMed

LeBlanc, Vicki R; Regehr, Cheryl; Shlonsky, Aron; Bogo, Marion

2012-05-01

The assessment of children at risk of abuse and neglect is a critical societal function performed by child protection workers in situations of acute stress and conflict. Despite efforts to improve the reliability of risk assessments through standardized measures, available tools continue to rely on subjective judgment. The goal of this study was to assess the stress responses of child protection workers and their assessments of risk in high conflict situations. Ninety-six child protection workers participated in 2 simulated scenarios, 1 non-confrontational and 1 confrontational. In each scenario, participants conducted a 15-minute interview with a mother played by a specially trained actor. Following the interview, the workers completed 2 risk assessment measures used in the field at the time of the study. Anxiety was measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at baseline and immediately following the completion of each interview. Physiological stress as measured by salivary cortisol was obtained at baseline as well as 20 and 30 minutes after the start of each interview. Participants demonstrated significant stress responses during the 1st scenario, regardless of whether the interview was confrontational or not. During the second scenario, the participants did not exhibit significant cortisol responses, however the confrontational interview elicited greater subjective anxiety than the non-confrontational scenario. In the first scenario, in which the workers demonstrated greater stress responses, risk assessment scores were higher on one risk assessment tool for the confrontational scenario than for the non-confrontational scenario. The results suggest that stress responses in child protection workers appear to be influenced by the novelty of a situation and by a parent's demeanor during interviews. Some forms of risk assessment tools appear to be more strongly associated than other with the workers' subjective and physiological stress responses. This merits further research to determine which aspects of risk assessment tools are susceptible to the emotional elements of intake interviews. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

OSHA Confronts Carcinogens in the Workplace as Inflation Fighters Confront OSHA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Ilene

1978-01-01

Discusses the apparently opposing forces of worker safety, as represented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and economic inflation spawned by expensive industrial processes needed to limit the emission of carcinogens. (CP)

Perceptions of racial confrontation: the role of color blindness and comment ambiguity.

PubMed

Zou, Linda X; Dickter, Cheryl L

2013-01-01

Because of its emphasis on diminishing race and avoiding racial discourse, color-blind racial ideology has been suggested to have negative consequences for modern day race relations. The current research examined the influence of color blindness and the ambiguity of a prejudiced remark on perceptions of a racial minority group member who confronts the remark. One hundred thirteen White participants responded to a vignette depicting a White character making a prejudiced comment of variable ambiguity, after which a Black target character confronted the comment. Results demonstrated that the target confronter was perceived more negatively and as responding less appropriately by participants high in color blindness, and that this effect was particularly pronounced when participants responded to the ambiguous comment. Implications for the ways in which color blindness, as an accepted norm that is endorsed across legal and educational settings, can facilitate Whites' complicity in racial inequality are discussed.

Preoperative assessment of confrontation naming ability and interictal paraphasia production in unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Schefft, Bruce K; Testa, S Marc; Dulay, Mario F; Privitera, Michael D; Yeh, Hwa-Shain

2003-04-01

The present study examined the diagnostic utility of confrontation naming tasks and phonemic paraphasia production in lateralizing the epileptogenic region in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Further, the role of intelligence in moderating the diagnostic utility of confrontation naming tasks was assessed. Eighty patients with medically intractable complex partial seizures (40 left TLE, 40 right TLE) received the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the Visual Naming subtest (VNT) of the Multilingual Aphasia Examination. The BNT was diagnostically more sensitive than the VNT in identifying left TLE (77.5% vs 17.5%, respectively). The utility of BNT performance and paraphasias was maximal in patients with Full Scale IQs >or=90 who were 6.8 times more likely to have left TLE than patients without paraphasias. Preoperative assessment of confrontation naming ability and phonemic paraphasia production using the BNT provided diagnostically useful information in lateralizing the epileptogenic region in left TLE.

Autonomic regulation in response to stress: The influence of anticipatory emotion regulation strategies and trait rumination.

PubMed

Nasso, Selene; Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; Demeyer, Ineke; De Raedt, Rudi

2018-05-21

According to the neurocognitive framework for regulation expectation, adaptively regulating emotions in anticipation of a stressful event should help individuals deal with the stressor itself. The goal of this study was twofold: first, the authors compared the influence of adaptive versus maladaptive anticipatory emotion regulation (ER) on the autonomic system during anticipation of, confrontation with, and recovery from a stressor; second, they explored whether trait rumination moderated this relationship. The authors collected data from 56 healthy female undergraduates during a public speaking task. The task involved 4 phases: baseline, anticipatory ER, stressor, and recovery. Participants were assigned to 1 of 2 anticipatory ER instructions (reappraisal or catastrophizing). Heart rate variability (HRV) indexed autonomic regulation. Results confirmed that HRV was higher in the reappraisal than in the catastrophizing group (over all time points, except for baseline). Trait rumination levels moderated the effect of anticipatory ER strategy on HRV during the stressor phase. Specifically, whereas for low ruminators reappraisal (versus catastrophizing) in the anticipation phase led to higher HRV when confronted to the stressor, high ruminators demonstrated lower HRV in that same condition. To conclude, over all participants, using reappraisal during the anticipation phase allowed participants to better cope with stress. However, only low, but not high ruminators could profit from the beneficial effect of anticipatory reappraisal on autonomic regulation. Even though further research is needed, this study suggests that, in female undergraduates, the tendency to ruminate is associated with abnormal anticipatory ER that might hinder an adaptive response to a stressor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

JSEM: A Framework for Identifying and Evaluating Indicators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyman, Jeffrey B.; Leibowitz, Scott G.

2001-01-01

Presents an approach to identifying and evaluating combinations of indicators when the mathematical relationships between the indicators and an endpoint may not be quantified, a limitation common to many ecological assessments. Uses the framework of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), which combines path analysis with measurement model, to…

Issues on combining human and non-human intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Statler, Irving C.; Connors, Mary M.

1991-01-01

The purpose here is to call attention to some of the issues confronting the designer of a system that combines human and non-human intelligence. We do not know how to design a non-human intelligence in such a way that it will fit naturally into a human organization. The author's concern is that, without adequate understanding and consideration of the behavioral and psychological limitations and requirements of the human member(s) of the system, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) subsystems can exacerbate operational problems. We have seen that, when these technologies are not properly applied, an overall degradation of performance at the system level can occur. Only by understanding how human and automated systems work together can we be sure that the problems introduced by automation are not more serious than the problems solved.

Major workforce challenges confronting New York City Transit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-05-01

The purpose of this research was to identify the pressing workforce issues confronted by transit authorities : nationwide and promising ways in which they are being addressed. The study also included a closer : examination of New York City Transit (N...

Ethical Tensions in the Pain Management of an End-Stage Cancer Patient with Evidence of Opioid Medication Diversion.

PubMed

Venkat, Arvind; Kim, David

2016-06-01

At the end of life, pain management is commonly a fundamental part of the treatment plan for patients where curative measures are no longer possible. However, the increased recognition of opioid diversion for secondary gain coupled with efforts to treat patients in the home environment towards the end of life creates the potential for ethical dilemmas in the palliative care management of terminal patients in need of continuous pain management. We present the case of an end-stage patient with rectal cancer who required a continuous residential narcotic infusion of fentanyl for pain control due to metastatic disease. His functional status was such that he had poor oral intake and ability to perform other activities of daily living, but was able to live at home with health agency nursing care. The patient presented to this institution with a highly suspect history of having lost his fentanyl infusion in a residential accident and asking for a refill to continue home therapy. The treating physicians had concerns of diversion of the infusion medication by caregivers and were reluctant to continue the therapeutic relationship with the patient. This case exemplifies the tension that can exist between wanting to continue with palliative care management of an end-stage patient and the fear of providers when confronted by evidence of potential diversion of opioid analgesic medications. We elucidate how an ethical framework based on a combination of virtue and narrative/relationship theories with reference to proportionality can guide physicians to a pragmatic resolution of these difficult situations.

Characterising Extrinsic Challenges Linked to the Design and Implementation of Inquiry-Based Practical Work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akuma, Fru Vitalis; Callaghan, Ronel

2017-11-01

Inquiry-based science education has been incorporated in science curricula internationally. In this regard, however, many teachers encounter challenges. The challenges have been characterised into those linked to the personal characteristics of these teachers (intrinsic challenges) and others associated with contextual factors (extrinsic challenges). However, this level of characterisation is inadequate in terms of appreciating the complexity of the challenges, tracking of their development, and discovering knowledge within specific categories. Against this background, the purpose of the research presented here was to characterise extrinsic challenges linked to the design and implementation of inquiry-based practical work. In order to do so, we used a conceptual framework of teaching challenges based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human development. The data gathered using a multi-method case study of practical work in two South African high schools, was analysed by combining the data-driven inductive approach and the deductive a priori template of codes approach in thematic analysis. On this basis, the extrinsic challenges linked to the design and implementation of inquiry-based practical work that participants are confronted with, were found to consist of macrosystem challenges (such as a restrictive curriculum) and microsystem challenges. At the latter level, the challenges are material-related (e.g., lack of science education equipment and materials) or non-material-related (such as time constraints and the lack of access to interactive computer simulations). We have discussed the theory-, practice- and research-based implications of these results in relation to the design and implementation of inquiry-based practical work in South Africa and internationally.

Introducing a multivariate model for predicting driving performance: the role of driving anger and personal characteristics.

PubMed

Roidl, Ernst; Siebert, Felix Wilhelm; Oehl, Michael; Höger, Rainer

2013-12-01

Maladaptive driving is an important source of self-inflicted accidents and this driving style could include high speeds, speeding violations, and poor lateral control of the vehicle. The literature suggests that certain groups of drivers, such as novice drivers, males, highly motivated drivers, and those who frequently experience anger in traffic, tend to exhibit more maladaptive driving patterns compared to other drivers. Remarkably, no coherent framework is currently available to describe the relationships and distinct influences of these factors. We conducted two studies with the aim of creating a multivariate model that combines the aforementioned factors, describes their relationships, and predicts driving performance more precisely. The studies employed different techniques to elicit emotion and different tracks designed to explore the driving behaviors of participants in potentially anger-provoking situations. Study 1 induced emotions with short film clips. Study 2 confronted the participants with potentially anger-inducing traffic situations during the simulated drive. In both studies, participants who experienced high levels of anger drove faster and exhibited greater longitudinal and lateral acceleration. Furthermore, multiple linear regressions and path-models revealed that highly motivated male drivers displayed the same behavior independent of their emotional state. The results indicate that anger and specific risk characteristics lead to maladaptive changes in important driving parameters and that drivers with these specific risk factors are prone to experience more anger while driving, which further worsens their driving performance. Driver trainings and anger management courses will profit from these findings because they help to improve the validity of assessments of anger related driving behavior. © 2013.

Integration of information and volume visualization for analysis of cell lineage and gene expression during embryogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cedilnik, Andrej; Baumes, Jeffrey; Ibanez, Luis; Megason, Sean; Wylie, Brian

2008-01-01

Dramatic technological advances in the field of genomics have made it possible to sequence the complete genomes of many different organisms. With this overwhelming amount of data at hand, biologists are now confronted with the challenge of understanding the function of the many different elements of the genome. One of the best places to start gaining insight on the mechanisms by which the genome controls an organism is the study of embryogenesis. There are multiple and inter-related layers of information that must be established in order to understand how the genome controls the formation of an organism. One is cell lineage which describes how patterns of cell division give rise to different parts of an organism. Another is gene expression which describes when and where different genes are turned on. Both of these data types can now be acquired using fluorescent laser-scanning (confocal or 2-photon) microscopy of embryos tagged with fluorescent proteins to generate 3D movies of developing embryos. However, analyzing the wealth of resulting images requires tools capable of interactively visualizing several different types of information as well as being scalable to terabytes of data. This paper describes how the combination of existing large data volume visualization and the new Titan information visualization framework of the Visualization Toolkit (VTK) can be applied to the problem of studying the cell lineage of an organism. In particular, by linking the visualization of spatial and temporal gene expression data with novel ways of visualizing cell lineage data, users can study how the genome regulates different aspects of embryonic development.

Perceiving and Confronting Sexism: The Causal Role of Gender Identity Salience.

PubMed

Wang, Katie; Dovidio, John F

2017-03-01

Although many researchers have explored the relations among gender identification, discriminatory attributions, and intentions to challenge discrimination, few have examined the causal impact of gender identity salience on women's actual responses to a sexist encounter. In the current study, we addressed this question by experimentally manipulating the salience of gender identity and assessing its impact on women's decision to confront a sexist comment in a simulated online interaction. Female participants ( N = 114) were randomly assigned to complete a short measure of either personal or collective self-esteem, which was designed to increase the salience of personal versus gender identity. They were then given the opportunity to confront a male interaction partner who expressed sexist views. Compared to those who were primed to focus on their personal identity, participants who were primed to focus on their gender identity perceived the interaction partner's remarks as more sexist and were more likely to engage in confrontation. By highlighting the powerful role of subtle contextual cues in shaping women's perceptions of, and responses to, sexism, our findings have important implications for the understanding of gender identity salience as an antecedent of prejudice confrontation. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index.

A framework for characterizing eHealth literacy demands and barriers.

PubMed

Chan, Connie V; Kaufman, David R

2011-11-17

Consumer eHealth interventions are of a growing importance in the individual management of health and health behaviors. However, a range of access, resources, and skills barriers prevent health care consumers from fully engaging in and benefiting from the spectrum of eHealth interventions. Consumers may engage in a range of eHealth tasks, such as participating in health discussion forums and entering information into a personal health record. eHealth literacy names a set of skills and knowledge that are essential for productive interactions with technology-based health tools, such as proficiency in information retrieval strategies, and communicating health concepts effectively. We propose a theoretical and methodological framework for characterizing complexity of eHealth tasks, which can be used to diagnose and describe literacy barriers and inform the development of solution strategies. We adapted and integrated two existing theoretical models relevant to the analysis of eHealth literacy into a single framework to systematically categorize and describe task demands and user performance on tasks needed by health care consumers in the information age. The method derived from the framework is applied to (1) code task demands using a cognitive task analysis, and (2) code user performance on tasks. The framework and method are applied to the analysis of a Web-based consumer eHealth task with information-seeking and decision-making demands. We present the results from the in-depth analysis of the task performance of a single user as well as of 20 users on the same task to illustrate both the detailed analysis and the aggregate measures obtained and potential analyses that can be performed using this method. The analysis shows that the framework can be used to classify task demands as well as the barriers encountered in user performance of the tasks. Our approach can be used to (1) characterize the challenges confronted by participants in performing the tasks, (2) determine the extent to which application of the framework to the cognitive task analysis can predict and explain the problems encountered by participants, and (3) inform revisions to the framework to increase accuracy of predictions. The results of this illustrative application suggest that the framework is useful for characterizing task complexity and for diagnosing and explaining barriers encountered in task completion. The framework and analytic approach can be a potentially powerful generative research platform to inform development of rigorous eHealth examination and design instruments, such as to assess eHealth competence, to design and evaluate consumer eHealth tools, and to develop an eHealth curriculum.

A Framework for Characterizing eHealth Literacy Demands and Barriers

PubMed Central

Chan, Connie V

2011-01-01

Background Consumer eHealth interventions are of a growing importance in the individual management of health and health behaviors. However, a range of access, resources, and skills barriers prevent health care consumers from fully engaging in and benefiting from the spectrum of eHealth interventions. Consumers may engage in a range of eHealth tasks, such as participating in health discussion forums and entering information into a personal health record. eHealth literacy names a set of skills and knowledge that are essential for productive interactions with technology-based health tools, such as proficiency in information retrieval strategies, and communicating health concepts effectively. Objective We propose a theoretical and methodological framework for characterizing complexity of eHealth tasks, which can be used to diagnose and describe literacy barriers and inform the development of solution strategies. Methods We adapted and integrated two existing theoretical models relevant to the analysis of eHealth literacy into a single framework to systematically categorize and describe task demands and user performance on tasks needed by health care consumers in the information age. The method derived from the framework is applied to (1) code task demands using a cognitive task analysis, and (2) code user performance on tasks. The framework and method are applied to the analysis of a Web-based consumer eHealth task with information-seeking and decision-making demands. We present the results from the in-depth analysis of the task performance of a single user as well as of 20 users on the same task to illustrate both the detailed analysis and the aggregate measures obtained and potential analyses that can be performed using this method. Results The analysis shows that the framework can be used to classify task demands as well as the barriers encountered in user performance of the tasks. Our approach can be used to (1) characterize the challenges confronted by participants in performing the tasks, (2) determine the extent to which application of the framework to the cognitive task analysis can predict and explain the problems encountered by participants, and (3) inform revisions to the framework to increase accuracy of predictions. Conclusions The results of this illustrative application suggest that the framework is useful for characterizing task complexity and for diagnosing and explaining barriers encountered in task completion. The framework and analytic approach can be a potentially powerful generative research platform to inform development of rigorous eHealth examination and design instruments, such as to assess eHealth competence, to design and evaluate consumer eHealth tools, and to develop an eHealth curriculum. PMID:22094891

The influence of environmental conditions on safety management in hospitals: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Alingh, Carien W; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen D H; Huijsman, Robbert; Paauwe, Jaap

2018-05-02

Hospitals are confronted with increasing safety demands from a diverse set of stakeholders, including governmental organisations, professional associations, health insurance companies, patient associations and the media. However, little is known about the effects of these institutional and competitive pressures on hospital safety management. Previous research has shown that organisations generally shape their safety management approach along the lines of control- or commitment-based management. Using a heuristic framework, based on the contextually-based human resource theory, we analysed how environmental pressures affect the safety management approach used by hospitals. A qualitative study was conducted into hospital care in the Netherlands. Five hospitals were selected for participation, based on organisational characteristics as well as variation in their reputation for patient safety. We interviewed hospital managers and staff with a central role in safety management. A total of 43 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 respondents. The heuristic framework was used as an initial model for analysing the data, though new codes emerged from the data as well. In order to ensure safe care delivery, institutional and competitive stakeholders often impose detailed safety requirements, strong forces for compliance and growing demands for accountability. As a consequence, hospitals experience a decrease in the room to manoeuvre. Hence, organisations increasingly choose a control-based management approach to make sure that safety demands are met. In contrast, in case of more abstract safety demands and an organisational culture which favours patient safety, hospitals generally experience more leeway. This often results in a stronger focus on commitment-based management. Institutional and competitive conditions as well as strategic choices that hospitals make have resulted in various combinations of control- and commitment-based safety management. A balanced approach is required. A strong focus on control-based management generates extrinsic motivation in employees but may, at the same time, undermine or even diminish intrinsic motivation to work on patient safety. Emphasising commitment-based management may, in contrast, strengthen intrinsic motivation but increases the risk of priorities being set elsewhere. Currently, external pressures frequently lead to the adoption of control-based management. A balanced approach requires a shift towards more trust-based safety demands.

A Neural Mechanism for Time-Window Separation Resolves Ambiguity of Adaptive Coding

PubMed Central

Hildebrandt, K. Jannis; Ronacher, Bernhard; Hennig, R. Matthias; Benda, Jan

2015-01-01

The senses of animals are confronted with changing environments and different contexts. Neural adaptation is one important tool to adjust sensitivity to varying intensity ranges. For instance, in a quiet night outdoors, our hearing is more sensitive than when we are confronted with the plurality of sounds in a large city during the day. However, adaptation also removes available information on absolute sound levels and may thus cause ambiguity. Experimental data on the trade-off between benefits and loss through adaptation is scarce and very few mechanisms have been proposed to resolve it. We present an example where adaptation is beneficial for one task—namely, the reliable encoding of the pattern of an acoustic signal—but detrimental for another—the localization of the same acoustic stimulus. With a combination of neurophysiological data, modeling, and behavioral tests, we show that adaptation in the periphery of the auditory pathway of grasshoppers enables intensity-invariant coding of amplitude modulations, but at the same time, degrades information available for sound localization. We demonstrate how focusing the response of localization neurons to the onset of relevant signals separates processing of localization and pattern information temporally. In this way, the ambiguity of adaptive coding can be circumvented and both absolute and relative levels can be processed using the same set of peripheral neurons. PMID:25761097

Macroeconomic Issues Confronting the Next President.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solow, Robert M.

1988-01-01

Identifies economic issues that confronted the United States in the late 1980's and discusses how the president might deal with them. Highlights the following issues: recession, rising price levels, the budget deficit, international trade imbalance, and revival of U.S. long-term growth. (GEA)

The Hegemony Handbook: Exploiting the Space between War and Peace

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

2015/11/02/china-lassen-destroyer-spratly-islands- south-china-sea-andrew- erickson -naval-war-college-militia-coast-guard-navy-confrontation...china-lassen-destroyer-spratly-islands-south-china-sea-andrew- erickson -naval-war- college-militia-coast-guard-navy-confrontation-territorial-dispute

S/M/Othering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClure, Marissa

2014-01-01

Recent scholarship in art education has introduced complex discourses of mothering, m/othering curriculum, (m)others), m(other)work, family structures that confront myths of the nuclear family, non-Western motherhoods, and disability. Feminist artists and activists have long confronted cultural constructions of motherhood and the pregnant,…

Notification: Key Management Challenges Confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

June 9, 2014. The OIG is beginning work to update the fiscal year 2014 list of areas we consider to be the key management challenges confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

Confronting Islamophobia in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramarajan, Dhaya; Runell, Marcella

2007-01-01

The "Religion and Diversity Education" program of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding includes innovative training for elementary and high school educators on addressing religious pluralism in school. This paper highlights the program and its curricula which confront Islamophobia by teaching students concrete skills for living in…

Image Enhancement for Astronomical Scenes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

address this problem in the context of natural scenes. However, these techniques often misbehave when confronted with low-SNR scenes that are also...scenes. However, these techniques often misbehave when confronted with low-SNR scenes that are also mostly empty space. We compare two classes of

Self-Confrontation of Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmuck, Richard A.

Simply presenting teachers with information about discrepancies between their ideal and their actual classroom performances does not, in itself, lead to constructive change. In part, this is because teachers confronted with such discrepancies experience dissonance which often gives rise to anxiety. This paper discusses the psychological processes…

Depression in children.

PubMed

Charles, Julian; Fazeli, Mandana

2017-12-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) in children (5-12 years of age) is a confronting and serious psychiatric illness. MDD has significant ramifications for the psychosocial development of the child, yet it remains under-recognised and undertreated. General practice is where these children and their parents will first present. The aim of this article is to provide general practitioners (GPs) with a framework for considering MDD in a child and recommendations for treatment. Children with MDD have the same core features as adolescents and adults, taking into account the child's capacities for cognition and language, and developmental stage. Earlier onset of illness is associated with poorer outcomes and greater psychiatric morbidity persisting into adulthood. MDD is more common than anticipated, and should be considered for any child presenting with depressive symptoms and/or impaired psychosocial functioning. Despite limited evidence, numerous interventions exist that will, ideally, significantly affect the child's developmental trajectory. GPs are in an important position to initiate these interventions.

Integrating information literacy across a BSN curriculum.

PubMed

Flood, Lisa Sue; Gasiewicz, Nanci; Delpier, Terry

2010-02-01

Although research regarding effective informatics teaching strategies is sparse and informatics competencies have not yet been finalized, nurse educators have been challenged to include informatics throughout the curriculum. Nurse educators are confronted with how best to incorporate informatics into an already burgeoning curriculum. This article offers a systematic approach to incorporating information literacy, a vital component of informatics, across a baccalaureate of science in nursing curriculum. Motivated by the Institute of Medicine report, guided by the initial Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform competency framework, and using the specific Quality and Safety Education for Nurses informatics competencies, the proposed integrated approach emphasizes clinical applications. The five assignments are designed to incrementally increase students' abilities to recognize the need for information (i.e., knowledge); advance students' abilities to locate, evaluate, and use information (i.e., skills); and foster a positive appreciation for information literacy (i.e., attitudes) when planning safe, effective patient care. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

The New Left and Public Health The Health Policy Advisory Center, Community Organizing, and the Big Business of Health, 1967–1975

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Soon after its founding in the politically tumultuous late 1960s, the Health Policy Advisory Center (Health/PAC) and its Health/PAC Bulletin became the strategic hub of an intense urban social movement around health care equality in New York City. I discuss its early formation, its intellectual influences, and the analytical framework that it devised to interpret power relations in municipal health care. I also describe Health/PAC's interpretation of health activism, focusing in particular on a protracted struggle regarding Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Over the years, the organization's stance toward community-oriented health politics evolved considerably, from enthusiastically promoting its potential to later confronting its limits. I conclude with a discussion of Health/PAC's major theoretical contributions, often taken for granted today, and its book American Health Empire. PMID:21228287

Health education and multimedia learning: educational psychology and health behavior theory (Part 1).

PubMed

Mas, Francisco G Soto; Plass, Jan; Kane, William M; Papenfuss, Richard L

2003-07-01

When health education researchers began to investigate how individuals make decisions related to health and the factors that influence health behaviors, they referred to frameworks shared by educational and learning research. Health education adopted the basic principles of the cognitive revolution, which were instrumental in advancing the field. There is currently a new challenge to confront: the widespread use of new technologies for health education. To better overcome this challenge, educational psychology and instructional technology theory should be considered. Unfortunately, the passion to incorporate new technologies too often overshadows how people learn or, in particular, how people learn through computer technologies. This two-part article explains how educational theory contributed to the early development of health behavior theory, describes the most relevant multimedia learning theories and constructs, and provides recommendations for developing multimedia health education programs and connecting theory and practice.

Principles for high-quality, high-value testing.

PubMed

Power, Michael; Fell, Greg; Wright, Michael

2013-02-01

A survey of doctors working in two large NHS hospitals identified over 120 laboratory tests, imaging investigations and investigational procedures that they considered not to be overused. A common suggestion in this survey was that more training was required. And, this prompted the development of a list of core principles for high-quality, high-value testing. The list can be used as a framework for training and as a reference source. The core principles are: (1) Base testing practices on the best available evidence. (2) Apply the evidence on test performance with careful judgement. (3) Test efficiently. (4) Consider the value (and affordability) of a test before requesting it. (5) Be aware of the downsides and drivers of overdiagnosis. (6) Confront uncertainties. (7) Be patient-centred in your approach. (8) Consider ethical issues. (9) Be aware of normal cognitive limitations and biases when testing. (10) Follow the 'knowledge journey' when teaching and learning these core principles.

The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment.

PubMed

Will, Clifford M

2006-01-01

The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical frameworks for analyzing them is reviewed. Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the Eötvös experiment, tests of special relativity, and the gravitational redshift experiment. Ongoing tests of EEP and of the inverse square law are searching for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light deflection, the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, and the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion. Gravitational wave damping has been detected in an amount that agrees with general relativity to better than half a percent using the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, and other binary pulsar systems have yielded other tests, especially of strong-field effects. When direct observation of gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources begins, new tests of general relativity will be possible.

Vive la résistance: reviving resistance for 21st century conservation.

PubMed

Nimmo, D G; Mac Nally, R; Cunningham, S C; Haslem, A; Bennett, A F

2015-09-01

Confronted with increasing anthropogenic change, conservation in the 21st century requires a sound understanding of how ecological systems change during disturbance. We highlight the benefits of recognizing two distinct components of change in an ecological unit (i.e., ecosystem, community, population): 'resistance', the ability to withstand disturbance; and 'resilience', the capacity to recover following disturbance. By adopting a 'resistance-resilience' framework, important insights for conservation can be gained into: (i) the key role of resistance in response to persistent disturbance, (ii) the intrinsic attributes of an ecological unit associated with resistance and resilience, (iii) the extrinsic environmental factors that influence resistance and resilience, (iv) mechanisms that confer resistance and resilience, (v) the post-disturbance status of an ecological unit, (vi) the nature of long-term ecological changes, and (vii) policy-relevant ways of communicating the ecological impacts of disturbance processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

End-of-life ethics and disability: differing perspectives on case-based teaching.

PubMed

Kaufert, Joseph; Wiebe, Rhonda; Schwartz, Karen; Labine, Lisa; Lutfiyya, Zana Marie; Pearse, Catherine

2010-05-01

The way in which medical professionals engage in bioethical issues ultimately reflects the type of care such patients are likely to receive. It is therefore critical for doctors and other health care professionals to have a broad understanding of disability. Our purpose in this paper is to explore ways of teaching bioethical issues to first year medical students by integrating alternative approaches. Such approaches include (a) the use of the narrative format, (b) the inclusion of a disability perspective, and (c) the presentation and facilitation of classes by people with disabilities. We consider how these new kinds of presentations are evaluated by students, faculty, people with disabilities and professional ethicists. We hope new knowledge may provide health care professionals with a greater understanding of the perspectives of patients with disabilities, who are confronted by conflicting ethical values and frameworks for decision-making in their interaction with such professionals.

Statistical properties of single-mode fiber coupling of satellite-to-ground laser links partially corrected by adaptive optics.

PubMed

Canuet, Lucien; Védrenne, Nicolas; Conan, Jean-Marc; Petit, Cyril; Artaud, Geraldine; Rissons, Angelique; Lacan, Jerome

2018-01-01

In the framework of satellite-to-ground laser downlinks, an analytical model describing the variations of the instantaneous coupled flux into a single-mode fiber after correction of the incoming wavefront by partial adaptive optics (AO) is presented. Expressions for the probability density function and the cumulative distribution function as well as for the average fading duration and fading duration distribution of the corrected coupled flux are given. These results are of prime interest for the computation of metrics related to coded transmissions over correlated channels, and they are confronted by end-to-end wave-optics simulations in the case of a geosynchronous satellite (GEO)-to-ground and a low earth orbit satellite (LEO)-to-ground scenario. Eventually, the impact of different AO performances on the aforementioned fading duration distribution is analytically investigated for both scenarios.

Methodological convergence of program evaluation designs.

PubMed

Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Anguera, M Teresa; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Sánchez-Martín, Milagrosa

2014-01-01

Nowadays, the confronting dichotomous view between experimental/quasi-experimental and non-experimental/ethnographic studies still exists but, despite the extensive use of non-experimental/ethnographic studies, the most systematic work on methodological quality has been developed based on experimental and quasi-experimental studies. This hinders evaluators and planners' practice of empirical program evaluation, a sphere in which the distinction between types of study is changing continually and is less clear. Based on the classical validity framework of experimental/quasi-experimental studies, we carry out a review of the literature in order to analyze the convergence of design elements in methodological quality in primary studies in systematic reviews and ethnographic research. We specify the relevant design elements that should be taken into account in order to improve validity and generalization in program evaluation practice in different methodologies from a practical methodological and complementary view. We recommend ways to improve design elements so as to enhance validity and generalization in program evaluation practice.

Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action for Counseling Psychology Leaders.

PubMed

Crowell, Candice; Mosley, Della; Falconer, Jameca; Faloughi, Reuben; Singh, Anneliese; Stevens-Watkins, Danelle; Cokley, Kevin

2017-08-01

Police brutality and widespread systemic racism represent historical and current sources of trauma in Black communities. Both the Black Lives Matter movement and counseling psychology propose to confront these realities at multiple levels. Black Lives Matter seeks to increase awareness about systemic racism and promote resilience among Black people. Counseling psychology states values of multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy. Executive leadership in counseling psychology may seek to promote racial justice, yet struggle with how to participate in Black Lives Matter movements and address racial discrimination within larger systems spontaneously and consistently. However, counseling psychology trainees and professionals are actively involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, leading the way forward. Through the framework of spontaneity in social movements, this manuscript highlights what counseling psychologists are currently contributing to Black Lives Matter and makes recommendations that build on the opportunity counseling psychologists have for further involvement in the movement.

The new left and public health the Health Policy Advisory Center, community organizing, and the big business of health, 1967-1975.

PubMed

Chowkwanyun, Merlin

2011-02-01

Soon after its founding in the politically tumultuous late 1960s, the Health Policy Advisory Center (Health/PAC) and its Health/PAC Bulletin became the strategic hub of an intense urban social movement around health care equality in New York City. I discuss its early formation, its intellectual influences, and the analytical framework that it devised to interpret power relations in municipal health care. I also describe Health/PAC's interpretation of health activism, focusing in particular on a protracted struggle regarding Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Over the years, the organization's stance toward community-oriented health politics evolved considerably, from enthusiastically promoting its potential to later confronting its limits. I conclude with a discussion of Health/PAC's major theoretical contributions, often taken for granted today, and its book American Health Empire.

Inner-City Youth Development Organizations: Strengthening Programs for Adolescent Girls

PubMed Central

Hirsch, Barton J.; Roffman, Jennifer G.; Deutsch, Nancy L.; Flynn, Cathy A.; Loder, Tondra L.; Pagano, Maria E.

2012-01-01

The challenges of early adolescence are intensified for girls of color who live in disadvantaged urban communities. One response to the needs of these girls comes from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), a youth development organization that has a long-standing presence in inner-city neighborhoods. A gender equity initiative designed to strengthen programming for minority girls at a BGCA affiliate in a major urban center was examined. Drawing on initial qualitative findings, a conceptual framework is presented for understanding the ways in which the clubs can affect urban early adolescent girls’ self-esteem. Several strategic choices confronting this initiative then are considered. The authors emphasize the creation of a “home place” that enables the development of self via organizational responsiveness to girls’ voices, strong bonds between girls and staff, adaptive peer friendship cliques, and the development of programs that fuse the interests of girls and adult staff. PMID:23565020

The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment.

PubMed

Will, Clifford M

2001-01-01

The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical frameworks for analysing them are reviewed. Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the Eötvös experiment, tests of special relativity, and the gravitational redshift experiment. Future tests of EEP and of the inverse square law will search for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light defl ection the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, and the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion. Gravitational wave damping has been detected in an amount that agrees with general relativity to half a percent using the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, and new binary pulsar systems may yield further improvements. When direct observation of gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources begins, new tests of general relativity will be possible.

Health 2.0 and Implications for Nursing Education

PubMed Central

Nelson, Ramona

2012-01-01

Over the last 20 years the evolution of web browsers providing easy access to the Internet has initiated a revolution in access to healthcare related information for both healthcare providers and patients. This access has changed both the process used to deliver education and the content of the nursing education curriculum worldwide. Our amazing ability to access information around the world is referred as to Web 1.0. Web 2.0 moves beyond access to a world where users are interactively creating information. With the advent of Health 2.0 we are confronting a second revolution that is challenging all aspects of healthcare including all aspects of nursing. This paper explores the concept of Health 2.0, discusses a conceptual framework approach for integrating Health 2.0 content into the nursing curriculum, outlines examples of key concepts required in today’s nursing curriculum and identifies selected issues arising from the impact of Health 2.0. PMID:24199108

Compounds in different aphasia categories: a study on picture naming.

PubMed

Semenza, Carlo; De Pellegrin, Serena; Battel, Irene; Garzon, Martina; Meneghello, Francesca; Chiarelli, Valentina

2011-12-01

This study investigated the production of compounds in Italian-speaking patients affected by different aphasia categories (i.e., Broca's, Wernicke's, and anomic aphasia) in a confrontation naming task. Questions of theoretical interest concerning the processing of compounds within the framework of the "lemma theory" as well as the role of morphological productivity in compound processing are addressed. Results indicate that all persons with aphasia retain knowledge of the morphological status of words, even when they fail to retrieve the corresponding phonological form (the "compound effect"). A difference was found among aphasia categories in the type of errors produced (omission vs. substitution) and in the position (first or second) of these errors within the compound words. In Broca's aphasia, the first component is omitted more frequently than the second one, but only in verb-noun compounds. Anomic and Wernicke's aphasia, unlike in Broca's aphasia, seem to retain sensitivity to morphological productivity.

The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment.

PubMed

Will, Clifford M

2014-01-01

The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical frameworks for analyzing them is reviewed and updated. Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the Eötvös experiment, tests of local Lorentz invariance and clock experiments. Ongoing tests of EEP and of the inverse square law are searching for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light deflection, the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion, and frame-dragging. Gravitational wave damping has been detected in an amount that agrees with general relativity to better than half a percent using the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, and a growing family of other binary pulsar systems is yielding new tests, especially of strong-field effects. Current and future tests of relativity will center on strong gravity and gravitational waves.

Governance of environmental risk: new approaches to managing stakeholder involvement.

PubMed

Benn, Suzanne; Dunphy, Dexter; Martin, Andrew

2009-04-01

Disputes concerning industrial legacies such as the disposal of toxic wastes illustrate changing pressures on corporations and governments. Business and governments are now confronted with managing the expectations of a society increasingly aware of the social and environmental impacts and risks associated with economic development and demanding more equitable distribution and democratic management of such risks. The closed managerialist decision-making of the powerful bureaucracies and corporations of the industrial era is informed by traditional management theory which cannot provide a framework for the adequate governance of these risks. Recent socio-political theories have conceptualised some key themes that must be addressed in a more fitting approach to governance. We identify more recent management and governance theory which addresses these themes and develop a process-based approach to governance of environmental disputes that allows for the evolving nature of stakeholder relations in a highly complex multiple stakeholder arena.

Conceptual frameworks and methods for advancing invasion ecology.

PubMed

Heger, Tina; Pahl, Anna T; Botta-Dukát, Zoltan; Gherardi, Francesca; Hoppe, Christina; Hoste, Ivan; Jax, Kurt; Lindström, Leena; Boets, Pieter; Haider, Sylvia; Kollmann, Johannes; Wittmann, Meike J; Jeschke, Jonathan M

2013-09-01

Invasion ecology has much advanced since its early beginnings. Nevertheless, explanation, prediction, and management of biological invasions remain difficult. We argue that progress in invasion research can be accelerated by, first, pointing out difficulties this field is currently facing and, second, looking for measures to overcome them. We see basic and applied research in invasion ecology confronted with difficulties arising from (A) societal issues, e.g., disparate perceptions of invasive species; (B) the peculiarity of the invasion process, e.g., its complexity and context dependency; and (C) the scientific methodology, e.g., imprecise hypotheses. To overcome these difficulties, we propose three key measures: (1) a checklist for definitions to encourage explicit definitions; (2) implementation of a hierarchy of hypotheses (HoH), where general hypotheses branch into specific and precisely testable hypotheses; and (3) platforms for improved communication. These measures may significantly increase conceptual clarity and enhance communication, thus advancing invasion ecology.

Pavlov and the mind-body problem.

PubMed

Windholz, G

1997-01-01

I. P. Pavlov claimed that the mind-body problem would ultimately be resolved by empirical methods, rather than by rational arguments. A committed monist, Pavlov was confronted by dualism in the case of an hysterical person. Under normal conditions, her body's left side was insensitive to pain, but when she was hypnotized, there was a reversal of her sensitivity to pain, with the right side becoming insensitive. Pavlov acknowledged that the divergence between stimulation and response suggested dualism, yet condemned his disciple G.P. Zelenyĭ as well as Charles S. Sherrington, for their dualistic tendencies. Pavlov's continuous adherence to monism it attributed to the influence of popular scientific books that he read during his adolescence. The books maintained that science was based upon monism. Pavlov proposed that by introducing the concept of emotions, an hysterical person's condition could be explained within the framework of his theory of higher nervous activity, thereby obviating the need to change his paradigm.

Faculty Experiences of Merger and Organizational Change in a Social Work Program.

PubMed

Adedoyin, A Christson; Miller, Monte; Jackson, Mary S; Dodor, Bernice; Hall, Kristen

2016-01-01

Social work programs are experiencing unprecedented organizational changes due to budget cuts, dwindling resources, global, and technological challenges. However, there is limited information in the literature about the merger experiences of faculty in social work programs. On one hand undergoing merger and reorganization provides the opportunity to reorganize, reprioritize, re-assess, develop strategies, and explore previously untapped opportunities for social work programs. Conversely, merger experiences have caused frustration, intention to quit, confusion, and loss of professional identity for social work faculty. In this article the authors utilize a journaling method and sense-making approach of the merger experiences of some of the faculty members of a social work program in the United States. The authors suggest a framework to understand how the faculty confronted the challenges, overcame the pitfalls, and maximized the opportunities offered during the merger and organizational change process.

Home noninvasive ventilation: what does the anesthesiologist need to know?

PubMed

Brown, Karen A; Bertolizio, Gianluca; Leone, Marisa; Dain, Steven L

2012-09-01

Treatment of chronic respiratory failure with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is standard pediatric practice, and NIV systems are commonly used in the home setting. Although practice guidelines on the perioperative management of children supported with home NIV systems have yet to be published, increasingly these patients are referred for consultation regarding perioperative management. Just as knowledge of pharmacology underlies the safe prescription of medication, so too knowledge of biomedical design is necessary for the safe prescription of NIV therapy. The medical device design requirements developed by the Organization for International Standardization provide a framework to rationalize the safe prescription of NIV for hospitalized patients supported at home with NIV systems. This review article provides an overview of the indications for home NIV therapy, an overview of the medical devices currently available to deliver it, and a specific discussion of the management conundrums confronting anesthesiologists.

Students' Thinking Process in Solving Combination Problems Considered from Assimilation and Accommodation Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jalan, Sukoriyanto; Nusantara, Toto; Subanji, Subanji; Chandra, Tjang Daniel

2016-01-01

This study aims to explain the thinking process of students in solving combination problems considered from assimilation and accommodation frameworks. This research used a case study approach by classifying students into three categories of capabilities namely high, medium and low capabilities. From each of the ability categories, one student was…

Standardized mappings--a framework to combine different semantic mappers into a standardized web-API.

PubMed

Neuhaus, Philipp; Doods, Justin; Dugas, Martin

2015-01-01

Automatic coding of medical terms is an important, but highly complicated and laborious task. To compare and evaluate different strategies a framework with a standardized web-interface was created. Two UMLS mapping strategies are compared to demonstrate the interface. The framework is a Java Spring application running on a Tomcat application server. It accepts different parameters and returns results in JSON format. To demonstrate the framework, a list of medical data items was mapped by two different methods: similarity search in a large table of terminology codes versus search in a manually curated repository. These mappings were reviewed by a specialist. The evaluation shows that the framework is flexible (due to standardized interfaces like HTTP and JSON), performant and reliable. Accuracy of automatically assigned codes is limited (up to 40%). Combining different semantic mappers into a standardized Web-API is feasible. This framework can be easily enhanced due to its modular design.

Parameters of Institutional Change: Chicano Experience in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santana, Ray; And Others

During the 1960's, the Chicano movement directed considerable attention, energy, and resources toward educational change. The predominant mood was optimism and anticipation of major institutional change; the predominant tactic used was militant confrontation. Countless confrontations occurred and numerous plans and strategies for educational…

Year of the Family.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Agriculture, 1994

1994-01-01

This special issue focuses on problems and challenges confronting the California family and on research and extension efforts to provide at least partial answers. Research briefs by staff include "Challenges Confront the California Family" (state trends in poverty, divorce, single-parent families, child abuse, delinquency, teen births,…

Notification: Key Management Challenges Confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board - FY2016

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

January 21, 2016. The EPA OIG is beginning work to update for fiscal year 2016 its list of proposed key management challenges and internal control weaknesses confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

28 CFR 552.23 - Confrontation avoidance procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... MANAGEMENT CUSTODY Use of Force and Application of Restraints on Inmates § 552.23 Confrontation avoidance... shift Lieutenant), a designated mental health professional, and others shall confer and gather pertinent information about the inmate and the immediate situation. Based on their assessment of that information, they...

28 CFR 552.23 - Confrontation avoidance procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... MANAGEMENT CUSTODY Use of Force and Application of Restraints on Inmates § 552.23 Confrontation avoidance... shift Lieutenant), a designated mental health professional, and others shall confer and gather pertinent information about the inmate and the immediate situation. Based on their assessment of that information, they...

28 CFR 552.23 - Confrontation avoidance procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... MANAGEMENT CUSTODY Use of Force and Application of Restraints on Inmates § 552.23 Confrontation avoidance... shift Lieutenant), a designated mental health professional, and others shall confer and gather pertinent information about the inmate and the immediate situation. Based on their assessment of that information, they...

28 CFR 552.23 - Confrontation avoidance procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... MANAGEMENT CUSTODY Use of Force and Application of Restraints on Inmates § 552.23 Confrontation avoidance... shift Lieutenant), a designated mental health professional, and others shall confer and gather pertinent information about the inmate and the immediate situation. Based on their assessment of that information, they...

Self-Confrontation of Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmuck, Richard A.

Simply presenting information that displays clearly any discrepancy between a teacher's ideal and actual classroom performance does not, in itself, promise constructive change. This is true in part because teachers confronted with such discrepancies often experience anxiety. Teachers who wish to change often find it difficult to behave differently…

Trophic interaction modifications: an empirical and theoretical framework.

PubMed

Terry, J Christopher D; Morris, Rebecca J; Bonsall, Michael B

2017-10-01

Consumer-resource interactions are often influenced by other species in the community. At present these 'trophic interaction modifications' are rarely included in ecological models despite demonstrations that they can drive system dynamics. Here, we advocate and extend an approach that has the potential to unite and represent this key group of non-trophic interactions by emphasising the change to trophic interactions induced by modifying species. We highlight the opportunities this approach brings in comparison to frameworks that coerce trophic interaction modifications into pairwise relationships. To establish common frames of reference and explore the value of the approach, we set out a range of metrics for the 'strength' of an interaction modification which incorporate increasing levels of contextual information about the system. Through demonstrations in three-species model systems, we establish that these metrics capture complimentary aspects of interaction modifications. We show how the approach can be used in a range of empirical contexts; we identify as specific gaps in current understanding experiments with multiple levels of modifier species and the distributions of modifications in networks. The trophic interaction modification approach we propose can motivate and unite empirical and theoretical studies of system dynamics, providing a route to confront ecological complexity. © 2017 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Collaborative Communication in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Foundation for Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Feudtner, Chris

2007-01-01

Summary In an ideal world, all of us – patients, parents, family members, nurses, physicians, social workers, therapists, pastoral care workers, and others – would always work together in a collaborative manner to provide the best care possible to the patient: this article is committed to this ideal. The chapter will base the frameworks and suggestions in part upon studies of communication between patients, families, and clinicians, as well as more general works on communication, collaboration, decision-making, mediation, and ethics. This article unfolds in four parts. In Part I, we will explore what we mean by collaborative communication. In Part II, we will examine key concepts that influence how we frame the situations that children with life-threatening conditions confront and how these frameworks shape the care we provide. In Part III, we will consider a few general topics that are quite important to the task of collaborative communication, specifically how we use little “habits of thought”– called heuristics – when we set about to solve complicated problems; how emotion affects the exchange of information between people; and how we can avoid certain pitfalls when engaging in difficult conversations. In Part IV, we will proceed through three common tasks of collaborative communication offering practical advice for patient care. PMID:17933613

Problems Confronting the Higher Education Assistance Foundation. Hearing on Examining the Financial Difficulties Confronting the Higher Education Assistance Foundation and the Impact That Situation Has on the Guaranteed Student Loan Programs of the Department of Education before the Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities.

This document reports oral testimony and prepared statements of persons who testified at hearings on the financial difficulties confronting the Higher Education Assistance Foundation (HEAF) and the impact that situation has on the Stafford Student Loan Program of the Department of Education. Witnesses included: Lauro F. Cavazos, U.S. Department of…

Let's not, and say we would: imagined and actual responses to witnessing homophobia.

PubMed

Crosby, Jennifer Randall; Wilson, Johannes

2015-01-01

We compared imagined versus actual affective and behavioral responses to witnessing a homophobic slur. Participants (N = 72) witnessed a confederate using a homophobic slur, imagined the same scenario, or were not exposed to the slur. Those who imagined hearing the slur reported significantly higher levels of negative affect than those who actually witnessed the slur, and nearly one half of them reported that they would confront the slur, whereas no participants who actually heard the slur confronted it. These findings reveal a discrepancy between imagined and real responses to homophobic remarks, and they have implications for the likelihood that heterosexuals will actually confront homophobic remarks.

Probing the primordial universe with gravitational waves detectors

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

Wang, Yu-Tong; Cai, Yong; Liu, Zhi-Guo

The spectrum of primordial gravitational waves (GWs), especially its tilt n {sub T} , carries significant information about the primordial universe. Combining recent aLIGO and Planck2015+BK14 data, we find that the current limit is n {sub T} =0.016{sup +0.614}{sub −0.989} at 95% C.L. We also estimate the impacts of Einstein Telescope and LISA on constraining n {sub T} . Moreover, based on the effective field theory of cosmological perturbations, we make an attempt to confront some models of early universe scenarios, which produce blue-tilted GWs spectrum ( n {sub T} {sub >0}), with the corresponding datasets.

Attention and driving in traumatic brain injury: a question of coping with time-pressure.

PubMed

Brouwer, Wiebo H; Withaar, Frederiec K; Tant, Mark L M; van Zomeren, Adriaan H

2002-02-01

Diffuse and focal traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in perceptual, cognitive, and motor dysfunction possibly leading to activity limitations in driving. Characteristic dysfunctions for severe diffuse TBI are confronted with function requirements derived from the hierarchical task analysis of driving skill. Specifically, we focus on slow information processing, divided attention, and the development of procedural knowledge. Also the effects of a combination of diffuse and focal dysfunctions, specifically homonymous hemianopia and the dysexecutive syndrome, are discussed. Finally, we turn to problems and challenges with regard to assessment and rehabilitation methods in the areas of driving and fitness to drive.

Confronting Bias through Teaching: Insights from Social Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crittle, Chelsea; Maddox, Keith B.

2017-01-01

Research in social psychology has the potential to address real-world issues involving racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Literature on confrontation suggests that addressing racism can be seen as a persuasive act that will allow for more effective interpersonal interactions. In this article, we explore the persuasive…

Disclosure of Traumas and Immune Function: Health Implications for Psychotherapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennebaker, James W.; And Others

1988-01-01

Assigned 50 healthy undergraduates the task of writing about either traumatic experiences or superficial topics for four consecutive days. Examination of cellular-immune system function and health center visits suggests that confronting traumatic experiences was physically beneficial. Discusses implications of such active confrontation of…

Confronting Stereotypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buswell, Carol

2011-01-01

People confront stereotypes every day, both in and out of the classroom. Some ideas have been carried in the collective memory and classroom textbooks for so long they are generally recognized as fact. Many are constantly being reinforced by personal experiences, family discussions, and Hollywood productions as well. The distinct advantage to…

The Middle East Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caradon, Hugh

1982-01-01

Some factors are common to the confrontation of Cypriot Greeks and Turks and the confrontation of Palestinians and Israelis. An independent international initiative is necessary to solve these disputes. If the Europeans revive their Venice initiative at the United Nations, the Palestinians and Israelis will obtain peace and security. (AM)

Facilitating Personality Change with Audiovisual Self-confrontation and Interviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alker, Henry A.; And Others

Two studies are reported, each of which achieves personality change with both audiovisual self-confrontation (AVSC) and supportive, nondirective interviews. The first study used Ericksonian identity achievement as a dependent variable. Sixty-one male subjects were measured using Anne Constantinople's inventory. The results of this study…

Widening Participation: Challenges Confronting a Research-Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuthill, Michael; Schmidt, Christopher

2011-01-01

This article explores the challenges confronting a research-intensive Australian university in responding to the "widening participation" agenda outlined in the recent "Review of Higher Education". The university argued that it is not possible to respond effectively to this agenda without having a clear understanding of the…

Perceiving and Confronting Sexism: The Causal Role of Gender Identity Salience

PubMed Central

Wang, Katie; Dovidio, John F.

2017-01-01

Although many researchers have explored the relations among gender identification, discriminatory attributions, and intentions to challenge discrimination, few have examined the causal impact of gender identity salience on women’s actual responses to a sexist encounter. In the current study, we addressed this question by experimentally manipulating the salience of gender identity and assessing its impact on women’s decision to confront a sexist comment in a simulated online interaction. Female participants (N = 114) were randomly assigned to complete a short measure of either personal or collective self-esteem, which was designed to increase the salience of personal versus gender identity. They were then given the opportunity to confront a male interaction partner who expressed sexist views. Compared to those who were primed to focus on their personal identity, participants who were primed to focus on their gender identity perceived the interaction partner’s remarks as more sexist and were more likely to engage in confrontation. By highlighting the powerful role of subtle contextual cues in shaping women’s perceptions of, and responses to, sexism, our findings have important implications for the understanding of gender identity salience as an antecedent of prejudice confrontation. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index. PMID:29051685

Challenges to Reducing Discrimination and Health Inequity Through Existing Civil Rights Laws

PubMed Central

Chandra, Amitabh; Frakes, Michael; Malani, Anup

2017-01-01

Fifty years after the passage of Civil Rights Act, minority healthcare remains separate and unequal. We combine insights from Civil Rights Law and research on racial-disparities to understand whether stronger enforcement of existing Civil Rights laws would improve minority healthcare today, or whether complementary approaches are also necessary. Despite earlier success, modern challenges to improving minority healthcare are different than those confronted during de jure segregation. We review these challenges and the potential effectiveness of existing Civil Rights legislation in overcoming them. We conclude that enforcement could be strengthened by executive orders that strengthen existing laws, but Congressional action would be required to allow private individuals to bring suits against discriminatory providers. We contrast the relative benefits of this approach to wider non-litigation-based solutions. We conclude that a combination of the two approaches would better address the challenge of improving minority healthcare in the 21st century. PMID:28583962

Comparison of different two-pathway models for describing the combined effect of DO and nitrite on the nitrous oxide production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

PubMed

Lang, Longqi; Pocquet, Mathieu; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yuan, Zhiguo; Spérandio, Mathieu

2017-02-01

The aim of this work is to compare the capability of two recently proposed two-pathway models for predicting nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for varying ranges of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrite. The first model includes the electron carriers whereas the second model is based on direct coupling of electron donors and acceptors. Simulations are confronted to extensive sets of experiments (43 batches) from different studies with three different microbial systems. Despite their different mathematical structures, both models could well and similarly describe the combined effect of DO and nitrite on N 2 O production rate and emission factor. The model-predicted contributions for nitrifier denitrification pathway and hydroxylamine pathway also matched well with the available isotopic measurements. Based on sensitivity analysis, calibration procedures are described and discussed for facilitating the future use of those models.

U.S. Army Human Capital Enterprise (HCE) ARFORGEN Data Management, Correlation, Integration and Synchronization Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-15

system must, at a minimum, include  design and configuration  framework  supporting:  Part 1.   Net  Ready. The system must support  net ‐ centric operations...Analyze, evaluate and incorporate relevant DoD Architecture Framework . 5) Document standards for each task / condition combination. 6) Prepare final FAA...task  Analyze, evaluate and incorporate relevant Army Architecture Framework  Document standards for each task/condition combination forming

Structural precaution: the application of premarket approval schemes in EU food legislation.

PubMed

van der Meulen, Bernd M J; Bremmers, Harry J; Wijnands, Jo H M; Poppe, Krijn J

2012-01-01

Structural precaution refers to legal requirements by which food products (whether as ingredients, additives, genetically modified or innovative in some other form) are only admitted to the market after authorization by public authorities and till then are presumed unsafe. In the EU such authorization is granted after provision of conclusive scientific evidence of the product's safety by the applicant. The objective of this article is to critically evaluate structural precaution in the EU against the general principles of European and international law. Moreover, it addresses the positive and negative side-effects of structural precaution for food businesses. The methods which are applied are legal-systematic and empirical. Legal-systematic research shows that the European system of structural precaution may come into conflict with the principles of free trade. Empirical research on the effects of structural precaution shows that the barriers to market access impede food innovations, negatively impact competitiveness, and induce opportunistic strategic responses by food businesses. Among the opportunistic strategic responses that were identified are window-dressing, trespassing and circumventing. These may have adverse effects on food safety. This is remarkable since food safety is the key driving force behind the application of structural precaution. The article advocates an overhaul of the present European risk prevention framework. It argues that the newly proposed European legal framework for innovative foods only partly addresses the identified problems with which the food industry is confronted. Supplementary to legal-systematic overhaul, authorities should invest in accessibility and transparency of the legal framework and provide compliance assistance to reduce regulatory burdens.

Improving the quality of the surgical morbidity and mortality conference: a prospective intervention study.

PubMed

Mitchell, Erica L; Lee, Dae Y; Arora, Sonal; Kenney-Moore, Pat; Liem, Timothy K; Landry, Gregory J; Moneta, Gregory L; Sevdalis, Nick

2013-06-01

Surgical morbidity and mortality conferences (M&MCs) provide surgeons with an opportunity to confront medical errors, discuss adverse events, and learn from their mistakes. Yet, no standardized format for these conferences exists. The authors hypothesized that introducing a standardized presentation format using a validated framework would improve presentation quality and educational outcomes for all attendees. Following a review of the literature and the solicitation of experts' opinions, the authors adapted a validated communication tool-the SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendations) framework. In 2010, they then introduced this novel standardized presentation format into the surgical M&MCs at the Oregon Health & Science University. The authors assessed three outcome measures--user satisfaction, presentation quality, and education outcomes--before and after implementation of their standardized presentation format. Over the six-month study period, residents delivered 66 presentations to 197 faculty, resident, and medical student attendees. Attendees' performance on the multiple-choice questionnaires improved after the intervention, indicating an improvement in their knowledge. Presentation quality also improved significantly after the intervention, according to evaluations by trained faculty assessors. They noted specific improvements in the quality of the Background, Assessment, and Recommendation sections. The M&MC plays a pivotal role in educating residents and improving patient safety. Standardizing the M&MC presentation format using an adapted SBAR framework improved the quality of residents' presentations and attendees' educational outcomes. The authors recommend using such a standardized presentation format to enhance the educational value of M&MCs, with the goal of improving surgeons' knowledge, skills, and patient care practices.

Confrontation and Support in Group Therapy in the Residential Treatment of Severely Disturbed Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Leonard Israel

1987-01-01

Focuses on various forms of group therapy for severely emotionally and behaviorally disturbed adolescents. Discusses eclectic theoretical frame of reference including elements of psychodynamic, object relations, and structural and strategic family therapy theory. Identifies precedents for confrontational-supportive approach to be encounter group…

Differentiating between Confrontive and Coercive Kinds of Parental Power-Assertive Disciplinary Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumrind, Diana

2012-01-01

In this essay, I differentiate between coercive and confrontive kinds of power assertion to elucidate the significantly different effects on children's well-being of authoritarian and authoritative styles of parental authority. Although both parenting styles (in contrast to the permissive style) are equally demanding, forceful, and…

Opening Spaces for Confrontive Encounters with Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunner, Diane D.

A literature class can be successfully taught and organized around content that confronts oppressions (subtle, moral and intellectual forms of discrimination) and empowers students to critique their conceived worlds which are often at odds with their perceived realities. First, selected writings for examination illuminate life in a resistant world…

Responsive Management: Practical Strategies for Avoiding Overreaction to Minor Misbehavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allday, R. Allan

2011-01-01

Minor misbehavior causes frustration for many teachers and can serve as the catalyst for escalating into a public confrontation between student and teacher. This confrontation can be caused by teacher overreaction to minor misbehavior. When teachers take the initiative and predetermine their response to misbehavior, they reduce and possibly…

Multichannel fNIRS Assessment of Overt and Covert Confrontation Naming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moriai-Izawa, Ayano; Dan, Haruka; Dan, Ippeita; Sano, Toshifumi; Oguro, Keiji; Yokota, Hidenori; Tsuzuki, Daisuke; Watanabe, Eiju

2012-01-01

Confrontation naming tasks assess cognitive processes involved in the main stage of word production. However, in fMRI, the occurrence of movement artifacts necessitates the use of covert paradigms, which has limited clinical applications. Thus, we explored the feasibility of adopting multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to…

People and Technology Today: Some Educational Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez-Sedano, Alfredo; Paris, Ana Costa; Mut, Maite Dassoy

2011-01-01

The present article approaches some of the educational implications borne by humanity with technological progress. We begin by pointing out significant data that classify what is considered relevant. Then, confronting the future is discussed by analyzing the attitudes necessary to promote the goals. Confronted with these challenges, three possible…

Confrontation and Alienation: Education's Flawed Response to Religious Textbook Objections.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balajthy, Ernest

Recent controversies over textbooks illustrate objections held by Evangelicals to "secular humanism" in the schools. Educators automatically tend to assume that all religious objections to curricula are clear-cut attempts at censorship. This confrontational attitude on the part of educators can lead to alienation of minority religious…

Confronting an Augmented Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munnerley, Danny; Bacon, Matt; Wilson, Anna; Steele, James; Hedberg, John; Fitzgerald, Robert

2012-01-01

How can educators make use of augmented reality technologies and practices to enhance learning and why would we want to embrace such technologies anyway? How can an augmented reality help a learner confront, interpret and ultimately comprehend reality itself ? In this article, we seek to initiate a discussion that focuses on these questions, and…

Confronting Ambiguity in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emery, Katherine; Harlow, Danielle; Whitmer, Ali; Gaines, Steven

2015-01-01

People are regularly confronted with environmental and science-related issues presented to them in newspapers, on television, or even in their own doctor's office. Often the information they use to inform their decisions on matters of science may be ambiguous and contradictory. This article presents an activity that investigates how students deal…

Confronting Unsuccessful Practices: Repositioning Teacher Identities in English Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vetter, Amy; Hartman, Shana V.; Reynolds, Jeanie M.

2016-01-01

Teacher education programs attempt to prepare preservice teachers for the various challenges faced in the classroom. One particular challenge new teachers face is how to handle unsuccessful practices. This paper argues that confronting ineffective practices require that teachers respond to complex and dynamic challenges, making change difficult…

Post Stereotypes: Deconstructing Racial Assumptions and Biases through Visual Culture and Confrontational Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Yuha

2015-01-01

The Post Stereotypes project embodies confrontational pedagogy and involves postcard artmaking designed to both solicit expression of and deconstruct students' racial, ethnic, and cultural stereotypes and assumptions. As part of the Cultural Diversity in American Art course, students created postcard art that visually represented their personal…

Challenges Confronting Female Intercollegiate Athletic Directors of NCAA Member Institutions by Division

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quarterman, Jerome; DuPree, Aimee D.; Willis, Kimberly Pettaway

2006-01-01

This study examined the major challenges confronting female intercollegiate athletic directors and directors of women's intercollegiate athletics programs of NCAA member institutions. A 34-item questionnaire was mailed to 169 female intercollegiate athletic directors and directors of women's intercollegiate athletics programs. Of the 169 directors…

Managing Confrontations Safely and Effectively

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moriarty, Anthony

2009-01-01

Most Monday mornings are noisy affairs where students and staff members are catching up on the events of the weekend. Sometimes these events are disputes that have festered over the weekend and are now ready to get settled. When a confrontation between students occurs, noise levels accelerate, students begin running, and an unnerving combination…

The Application of Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis to the Ioland Water Treatment Plant in Lusaka, Zambia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucharski, John; Tkach, Mark; Olszewski, Jennifer; Chaudhry, Rabia; Mendoza, Guillermo

2016-04-01

This presentation demonstrates the application of Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) at Zambia's principal water treatment facility, The Iolanda Water Treatment Plant. The water treatment plant is prone to unacceptable failures during periods of low hydropower production at the Kafue Gorge Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant. The case study explores approaches of increasing the water treatment plant's ability to deliver acceptable levels of service under the range of current and potential future climate states. The objective of the study is to investigate alternative investments to build system resilience that might have been informed by the CRIDA process, and to evaluate the extra resource requirements by a bilateral donor agency to implement the CRIDA process. The case study begins with an assessment of the water treatment plant's vulnerability to climate change. It does so by following general principals described in "Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resource Planning and Project Design: the Decision Tree Framework". By utilizing relatively simple bootstrapping methods a range of possible future climate states is generated while avoiding the use of more complex and costly downscaling methodologies; that are beyond the budget and technical capacity of many teams. The resulting climate vulnerabilities and uncertainty in the climate states that produce them are analyzed as part of a "Level of Concern" analysis. CRIDA principals are then applied to this Level of Concern analysis in order to arrive at a set of actionable water management decisions. The principal goals of water resource management is to transform variable, uncertain hydrology into dependable services (e.g. water supply, flood risk reduction, ecosystem benefits, hydropower production, etc…). Traditional approaches to climate adaptation require the generation of predicted future climate states but do little guide decision makers how this information should impact decision making. In this context it is not surprising that the increased hydrologic variability and uncertainty produced by many climate risk analyses bedevil water resource decision making. The Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) approach builds on work found in "Confronting Climate Uncertainty in Water Resource Planning and Project Design: the Decision Tree Framework" which provide guidance of vulnerability assessments. It guides practitioners through a "Level of Concern" analysis where climate vulnerabilities are analyzed to produce actionable alternatives and decisions.

Clarifying values, risk perceptions, and attitudes to resolve or avoid social conflicts in invasive species management.

PubMed

Estévez, Rodrigo A; Anderson, Christopher B; Pizarro, J Cristobal; Burgman, Mark A

2015-02-01

Decision makers and researchers recognize the need to effectively confront the social dimensions and conflicts inherent to invasive species research and management. Yet, despite numerous contentious situations that have arisen, no systematic evaluation of the literature has examined the commonalities in the patterns and types of these emergent social issues. Using social and ecological keywords, we reviewed trends in the social dimensions of invasive species research and management and the sources and potential solutions to problems and conflicts that arise around invasive species. We integrated components of cognitive hierarchy theory and risk perceptions theory to provide a conceptual framework to identify, distinguish, and provide understanding of the driving factors underlying disputes associated with invasive species. In the ISI Web of Science database, we found 15,915 peer-reviewed publications on biological invasions, 124 of which included social dimensions of this phenomenon. Of these 124, 28 studies described specific contentious situations. Social approaches to biological invasions have emerged largely in the last decade and have focused on both environmental social sciences and resource management. Despite being distributed in a range of journals, these 124 articles were concentrated mostly in ecology and conservation-oriented outlets. We found that conflicts surrounding invasive species arose based largely on differences in value systems and to a lesser extent stakeholder and decision maker's risk perceptions. To confront or avoid such situations, we suggest integrating the plurality of environmental values into invasive species research and management via structured decision making techniques, which enhance effective risk communication that promotes trust and confidence between stakeholders and decision makers. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Assessing benefits, costs, and disparate racial impacts of confrontational proactive policing

PubMed Central

Manski, Charles F.; Nagin, Daniel S.

2017-01-01

Effective policing in a democratic society must balance the sometime conflicting objectives of public safety and community trust. This paper uses a formal model of optimal policing to explore how society might reasonably resolve the tension between these two objectives as well as evaluate disparate racial impacts. We do so by considering the social benefits and costs of confrontational types of proactive policing, such as stop, question, and frisk. Three features of the optimum that are particularly relevant to policy choices are explored: (i) the cost of enforcement against the innocent, (ii) the baseline level of crime rate without confrontational enforcement, and (iii) differences across demographic groups in the optimal rate of enforcement. PMID:28739928

Pore Breathing of Metal-Organic Frameworks by Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Parent, Lucas R; Pham, C Huy; Patterson, Joseph P; Denny, Michael S; Cohen, Seth M; Gianneschi, Nathan C; Paesani, Francesco

2017-10-11

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a versatile platform for the rational design of multifunctional materials, combining large specific surface areas with flexible, periodic frameworks that can undergo reversible structural transitions, or "breathing", upon temperature and pressure changes, and through gas adsorption/desorption processes. Although MOF breathing can be inferred from the analysis of adsorption isotherms, direct observation of the structural transitions has been lacking, and the underlying processes of framework reorganization in individual MOF nanocrystals is largely unknown. In this study, we describe the characterization and elucidation of these processes through the combination of in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) and computer simulations. This combined approach enables the direct monitoring of the breathing behavior of individual MIL-53(Cr) nanocrystals upon reversible water adsorption and temperature changes. The ability to characterize structural changes in single nanocrystals and extract lattice level information through in silico correlation provides fundamental insights into the relationship between pore size/shape and host-guest interactions.

Phonological outcome of laryngeal framework surgery by different anesthesia protocols: a single-surgeon experience.

PubMed

Kanazawa, Takeharu; Watanabe, Yusuke; Komazawa, Daigo; Indo, Kanako; Misawa, Kiyoshi; Nagatomo, Takafumi; Shimada, Mari; Iino, Yukiko; Ichimura, Keiichi

2014-02-01

Similar to combined arytenoid adduction and medialization laryngoplasty (i.e. combined surgery) under local anesthesia, general anesthesia by intubation or by the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) method significantly improves phonological outcome. Thus, laryngeal framework surgery under general anesthesia is a promising surgical approach for selected patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP). The advantages of laryngeal framework surgery under local anesthesia have been described, but no studies exist concerning the difference in phonological outcome of laryngeal framework surgery performed under general anesthesia. To add new information, we retrospectively investigated the phonological outcome of the combined surgery performed under three different anesthesia protocols. Thirty-nine consecutive patients with severe UVCP underwent the combined surgery under three anesthesia protocols performed by a single surgeon: (1) under general anesthesia by intubation, (2) under general anesthesia using LMA, and (3) under local anesthesia. Under all anesthesia protocols, the vocal cords of most patients could be positioned such that the best vocal outcome could be expected. Statistical analyses demonstrated improved maximum phonation time and mean airflow rate, and grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain (GRBAS) scale in all patients, regardless of their anesthesia protocol. Furthermore, of the three protocols, local anesthesia had the shortest operation time.

What Are the Issues Confronting Infertile Women? A Qualitative and Quantitative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammerli, Katja; Znoj, Hansjorg; Berger, Thomas

2010-01-01

Infertility is a stressful experience, yet little is known about the specific issues confronting infertile women. In the present study, researchers sought to identify themes important to infertile women and examine possible associations with mental health levels. Using qualitative content analysis, researchers analyzed the email messages of 57…

Current Issues: Critical Issues Confronting the Nation and the World. 1990 Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Close Up Foundation, Arlington, VA.

This annual publication seeks to inform interested readers about issues currently confronting the United States. The introductory section briefly discusses the 101st Congress, members of the Bush administration, and the Supreme Court. The federal budget process is also discussed in this section. The section on domestic policy issues contains the…

Decreasing Confrontational Behavior amongst African American Females at an Urban, Non-Traditional Alternative High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigler, Susan

This applied dissertation was designed to decrease confrontation among African American females at an alternative evening school for high school students who were at least 2 years behind grade level academically. The program involved developing a small group guidance curriculum, creating and videotaping role playing scenarios, arranging for…

Multiple Marginality and Urban Education: Community and School Socialization among Low-Income Mexican-Descent Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conchas, Gilberto Q.; Vigil, James Diego

2010-01-01

This article conceptualizes the crucial social and developmental features impacting Mexican-descent youth and adolescents in low-income communities in southern California. All youth in these neighborhoods must confront and come to grips with the many environmental, socioeconomic, racial, and cultural forces they confront. However, it is the…

Beyond the Myth of Confrontation: A Comparative Study of African and African-American Female Protagonists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eko, Ebele

1986-01-01

Describes mother-daughter relations in four American and African literary works: Ama Ata Aidoo's "Anowa," Gloria Naylor's "Women of Brewster Place," Bessie Head's "Maru," and Paule Marshall's "Brown Girl Brownstones." Argues that the myth of Black mother-daughter confrontations camouflages deep-seated frustrations associated with racial and sexual…

Identity Pole: Confronting Issues of Personal and Cultural Meaning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciminero, Sandra Elser

2011-01-01

The purpose of the "Identity Pole" was to explore the big idea of identity. Students would confront issues of personal and cultural meaning, and draw upon interdisciplinary connections for inspiration. The author chose to present totem poles of the Northwest Coast Native Americans/First Nations of Canada, as well as school, state and national…

An Integrative Verbal and Visual Analysis of the Carter-Reagan Debate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiemens, Robert K.; And Others

Noting that confrontation is a fundamental element of debate, a study examined the confrontational nature of a 1980 presidential debate between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan by analyzing its verbal and visual context as presented through television. By means of videotapes, still photographs, and a typed transcript, each instance of a verbal…

The School as a Social System--Stress and Distress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broudy, Harry S.

Three major areas of confrontation within the educational system stem from power shifts taking place within the social system as a whole. The taxpayer's revolt against increased school expenditures as juxtaposed to teachers' collective demands for salary increases forms the nucleus of one major confrontation area. Secondly, urban schools face a…

Educating Women Students in the Academy to Confront Gender Discrimination and Contribute to Equity Afterward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentkowski, Marcia; Rogers, Glen

2010-01-01

We argue that (1) faculty and other academic professionals who educate undergraduate women in capabilities such as effective communication, teamwork, and leadership that are integrated with the disciplines (e.g., biology, history, fine arts) and professions (e.g., education, nursing, management) indirectly assist their students to confront gender…

Confronting Delinquency: Probations Officers' Use of Coercion and Client-Centered Tactics to Foster Youth Compliance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwalbe, Craig S.; Maschi, Tina

2011-01-01

Youthful compliance with juvenile court mandates is a cornerstone of effective probation practice. Despite this, research has not examined probation strategies for encouraging and enforcing youthful compliance with probation conditions. This study describes the use of confrontational tactics and client-centered approaches reported by probation…

The Dilemmas of Peer Relationships Confronting Mathematically Gifted Female Adolescents: Nine Cases in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kao, Chen-Yao

2011-01-01

There has been a scarcity of research studies addressing the dilemmas of peer relationships confronting gifted adolescent females. In this study, the peer relationships of nine mathematically gifted adolescent females living in Taiwan are explored using a qualitative multicase study. Data analysis revealed six compelling themes: a proclivity for…

Understanding and Confronting Alcohol-Induced Risky Behavior among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dornier, Lucien J.; Fauquier, Katharine J.; Field, April R.; Budden, Michael C.

2010-01-01

Confronting alcohol abuse is a challenge for most higher education institutions. Each year, students are admitted to hospitals for issues arising from the misuse of alcohol. The deaths of some engaged in alcohol related activities is especially worrisome. Factors such as age and financial standing could impact the likelihood of abuse. So-called…

Notification: FY 2017 Update of Proposed Key Management Challenges and Internal Control Weaknesses Confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Jan 5, 2017. The EPA OIG is beginning work to update for fiscal year 2017 its list of proposed key management challenges and internal control weaknesses confronting the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

Self Confrontation Counseling: A Selective Review With Implications for Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, Frances F.; And Others

This report reviews relevant educational literature and current practices to discover the relationship between personal change and self confrontation. Five areas of study include a) outcomes, b) help for whom, c) the helpful situation, d) the helpful treatment, and e) the helpful helper. The first section briefly describes the outcomes of self…

What to Do When a Bad Teacher Doesn't Get Better.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Bruce L.

1990-01-01

Responsible administrators are obligated to confront poor teacher performance. Guides principals through 12 steps to take in the confrontation process that include the following: gathering information, waiting for a specific incident, developing a file, meeting with the teacher, helping the teacher to improve, and working with the teacher union.…

A Future-Oriented Retirement Transition Adjustment Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hesketh, Beryl; Griffin, Barbara; Loh, Vanessa

2011-01-01

This theoretical paper presents a person-environment fit framework that extends the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment to retirement transition and adjustment. The proposed Retirement Transition and Adjustment Framework (RTAF) also accommodates dynamic intra-individual and environment change over time, configural combinations of variables, and an…

Intercultural Historical Learning: A Conceptual Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordgren, Kenneth; Johansson, Maria

2015-01-01

This paper outlines a conceptual framework in order to systematically discuss the meaning of intercultural learning in history education and how it could be advanced. We do so by bringing together theories of historical consciousness, intercultural competence and postcolonial thinking. By combining these theories into one framework, we identify…

Institutional design and organizational practice for universal coverage in lesser-developed countries: challenges facing the Lao PDR.

PubMed

Ahmed, Shakil; Annear, Peter Leslie; Phonvisay, Bouaphat; Phommavong, Chansaly; Cruz, Valeria de Oliveira; Hammerich, Asmus; Jacobs, Bart

2013-11-01

There is now widespread acceptance of the universal coverage approach, presented in the 2010 World Health Report. There are more and more voices for the benefit of creating a single national risk pool. Now, a body of literature is emerging on institutional design and organizational practice for universal coverage, related to management of the three health-financing functions: collection, pooling and purchasing. While all countries can move towards universal coverage, lower-income countries face particular challenges, including scarce resources and limited capacity. Recently, the Lao PDR has been preparing options for moving to a single national health insurance scheme. The aim is to combine four different social health protection schemes into a national health insurance authority (NHIA) with a single national fund- and risk-pool. This paper investigates the main institutional and organizational challenges related to the creation of the NHIA. The paper uses a qualitative approach, drawing on the World Health Organization's institutional and Organizational Assessment for Improving and Strengthening health financing (OASIS) conceptual framework for data analysis. Data were collected from a review of key health financing policy documents and from 17 semi-structured key informant interviews. Policy makers and advisors are confronting issues related to institutional arrangements, funding sources for the authority and government support for subsidies to the demand-side health financing schemes. Compulsory membership is proposed, but the means for covering the informal sector have not been resolved. While unification of existing schemes may be the basis for creating a single risk pool, challenges related to administrative capacity and cross-subsidies remain. The example of Lao PDR illustrates the need to include consideration of national context, the sequencing of reforms and the time-scale appropriate for achieving universal coverage. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined quality function deployment and logical framework analysis to improve quality of emergency care in Malta.

PubMed

Buttigieg, Sandra Catherine; Dey, Prasanta Kumar; Cassar, Mary Rose

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated patient-focused analytical framework to improve quality of care in accident and emergency (A & E) unit of a Maltese hospital. The study adopts a case study approach. First, a thorough literature review has been undertaken to study the various methods of healthcare quality management. Second, a healthcare quality management framework is developed using combined quality function deployment (QFD) and logical framework approach (LFA). Third, the proposed framework is applied to a Maltese hospital to demonstrate its effectiveness. The proposed framework has six steps, commencing with identifying patients' requirements and concluding with implementing improvement projects. All the steps have been undertaken with the involvement of the concerned stakeholders in the A & E unit of the hospital. The major and related problems being faced by the hospital under study were overcrowding at A & E and shortage of beds, respectively. The combined framework ensures better A & E services and patient flow. QFD identifies and analyses the issues and challenges of A & E and LFA helps develop project plans for healthcare quality improvement. The important outcomes of implementing the proposed quality improvement programme are fewer hospital admissions, faster patient flow, expert triage and shorter waiting times at the A & E unit. Increased emergency consultant cover and faster first significant medical encounter were required to start addressing the problems effectively. Overall, the combined QFD and LFA method is effective to address quality of care in A & E unit. PRACTICAL/IMPLICATIONS: The proposed framework can be easily integrated within any healthcare unit, as well as within entire healthcare systems, due to its flexible and user-friendly approach. It could be part of Six Sigma and other quality initiatives. Although QFD has been extensively deployed in healthcare setup to improve quality of care, very little has been researched on combining QFD and LFA in order to identify issues, prioritise them, derive improvement measures and implement improvement projects. Additionally, there is no research on QFD application in A & E. This paper bridges these gaps. Moreover, very little has been written on the Maltese health care system. Therefore, this study contributes demonstration of quality of emergency care in Malta.

The Impact of Divorce on Career Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Susan W.; Brincko, Jean; Krichiver, Tami; Swan, Daisy

With over 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce, career counselors need to be aware of the special issues that confront partners who are contemplating, in the throes of, or in the aftermath of a divorce. This chapter explores the unique career issues individuals confront when involved in a divorce including issues related to: 1) divorce laws…

Confronting Challenges to the Liberal Arts Curriculum: Perspectives of Developing and Transitional Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Patti McGill

2012-01-01

Comparative research on higher education in developing and transitional countries is often focused on such issues as access, finance, student mobility and the impact of globalization, but there has been little attention to curriculum and the forces that shape it. Confronting Challenges to the Liberal Arts Curriculum fills an important gap in the…

The Ship of Classics: The Ark, the Titanic, or the Good Ship Lollipop?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolverton, Robert E.

Various problems confronting teachers of the classics are explored through frequent reference to the metaphor of the classics viewed as a sailing ship in a sea of troubled waters. Several of the difficulties confronting classics teachers are seen to be related to an anti-intellectual mood prevailing in academe, scheduling problems, shifting school…

"Do You Remember": Confronting Post-9/11 Censorship through Critical Questioning and Poetic Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staples, Jeanine M.

2008-01-01

Jeanine M. Staples led a group of students, ages fourteen to eighteen, in developing a critical stance about words and images found in 9/11 media. Through questions, comments, and declarations toward these texts, the students labeled as "disengaged" actively participated in constructing a collaborative poem to confront repressive thinking.…

Confronting Pedagogy in "Confronting Globalization": The Use of Role-Play Simulations to Foster Interdisciplinary/Global Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeNardis, Lesley A.

2015-01-01

With the increasing emphasis on global learning as part of the redesigned institutional mission of American higher education, there will arguably be a need for a variety of global learning experiences across the undergraduate curriculum. Efforts to incorporate global learning in course content at home by globalizing or internationalizing the…

Markets, Equality and Democratic Education: Confronting the Neoliberal and Libertarian Reconceptualisations of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Youl-Kwan

2010-01-01

The global emergence of market liberalism marks an effort to decouple the link between citizenship and the welfare state and to rearticulate people's identity as homo economicus, as independent citizens having the right to property and the freedom to choose in the marketplace. Confronting this phenomenon, this paper reviews neoliberal and…

Current Issues: Critical Issues Confronting the Nation and the World. 1987 Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carwile, John; Zack, David R.

This annual publication seeks to inform interested readers about important concerns of currently confronting the United States. An introduction provides: a brief discussion of individuals in the Reagan Administration; a list of the leadership positions and committees in the 100th Congress--the reader must fill in the person for each position; a…

Breaking the Bonds: Women School Leaders Confront the Effects of Socialization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Ronald D.; Hudson, Martha B.

Demand for school reform continues to be characterized by a cry to adopt new leadership behaviors and change the preparation of school leaders. Once hired, new school leaders are confronted by the weight of tradition and history in their new jobs. This paper reports on an investigation of the impact of these socialization practices on new…

Business Education Students' Evaluation of the Benefits and Challenges Confronting Student Industrial Works Experience Scheme in Edo and Delta States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olumese, H. A.; Ediagbonya, Kennedy

2016-01-01

This research paper specifically investigated Business Education students' evaluation of the benefits and challenges confronting Student Industrial Works Experience Scheme (SIWES) in Edo and Delta States. Two research questions were raised to guide the study and were answered descriptively. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for…

The Effects of Value Confrontation and Reinforcement Counseling on the Career Planning Attitudes and Behavior of Adolescent Males.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Richard A.

1979-01-01

Post-tests show that the value confrontation procedure resulted in significantly greater frequency of information seeking for internally controlled subjects when compared to the reinforcement counseling and control procedures. Examines two procedures designed to enhance the career planning attitudes and behavior of rural adolescent males.…

Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Practices of Superintendents Confronted by District Dilemmas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noppe, Rene; Yager, Stuart; Webb, Carol; Sheng, Bridget

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the decision-making and problem-solving approaches most frequently used by school superintendents in two mid-western states when confronted with district dilemmas. The research replicated a study conducted by Polka, Litchka, Caizi, Denig and Mete (2011) in five Mid-Atlantic states. The survey used in both…

An Experience-Based Learning Framework: Activities for the Initial Development of Sustainability Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caniglia, Guido; John, Beatrice; Kohler, Martin; Bellina, Leonie; Wiek, Arnim; Rojas, Christopher; Laubichler, Manfred D.; Lang, Daniel

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present an experience-based learning framework that provides a bottom-up, student-centered entrance point for the development of systems thinking, normative and collaborative competencies in sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: The framework combines mental mapping with exploratory walking. It interweaves…

Expert consensus on best evaluative practices in community-based rehabilitation.

PubMed

Grandisson, Marie; Thibeault, Rachel; Hébert, Michèle; Cameron, Debra

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to generate expert consensus on best evaluative practices for community-based rehabilitation (CBR). This consensus includes key features of the evaluation process and methods, and discussion of whether a shared framework should be used to report findings and, if so, which framework should play this role. A Delphi study with two predefined rounds was conducted. Experts in CBR from a wide range of geographical areas and disciplinary backgrounds were recruited to complete the questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to generate the recommendations for best practices in CBR evaluation. A panel of 42 experts reached consensus on 13 recommendations for best evaluative practices in CBR. In regard to the critical qualities of sound CBR evaluation processes, panellists emphasized that these processes should be inclusive, participatory, empowering and respectful of local cultures and languages. The group agreed that evaluators should consider the use of mixed methods and participatory tools, and should combine indicators from a universal list of CBR indicators with locally generated ones. The group also agreed that a common framework should guide CBR evaluations, and that this framework should be a flexible combination between the CBR Matrix and the CBR Principles. An expert panel reached consensus on key features of best evaluative practices in CBR. Knowledge transfer initiatives are now required to develop guidelines, tools and training opportunities to facilitate CBR program evaluations. CBR evaluation processes should strive to be inclusive, participatory, empowering and respectful of local cultures and languages. CBR evaluators should strongly consider using mixed methods, participatory tools, a combination of indicators generated with the local community and with others from a bank of CBR indicators. CBR evaluations should be situated within a shared, but flexible, framework. This shared framework could combine the CBR Matrix and the CBR Principles.

Sensitivity of Precipitation in Coupled Land-Atmosphere Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neelin, David; Zeng, N.; Suarez, M.; Koster, R.

2004-01-01

The project objective was to understand mechanisms by which atmosphere-land-ocean processes impact precipitation in the mean climate and interannual variations, focusing on tropical and subtropical regions. A combination of modeling tools was used: an intermediate complexity land-atmosphere model developed at UCLA known as the QTCM and the NASA Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Program general circulation model (NSIPP GCM). The intermediate complexity model was used to develop hypotheses regarding the physical mechanisms and theory for the interplay of large-scale dynamics, convective heating, cloud radiative effects and land surface feedbacks. The theoretical developments were to be confronted with diagnostics from the more complex GCM to validate or modify the theory.

Fast reconstruction of a bounded ultrasonic beam using acoustically induced piezo-luminescence

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

Kersemans, Mathias, E-mail: Mathias.Kersemans@UGent.be; Lammens, Nicolas; Degrieck, Joris

2015-12-07

We report on the conversion of ultrasound into light by the process of piezo-luminescence in epoxy with embedded BaSi{sub 2}O{sub 2}N{sub 2}:Eu as active component. We exploit this acoustically induced piezo-luminescence to visualize several cross-sectional slices of the radiation field of an ultrasonic piston transducer (f = 3.3 MHz) in both the near-field and the far-field. Simply combining multiple slices then leads to a fast representation of the 3D spatial radiation field. We have confronted the luminescent results with both scanning hydrophone experiments and digital acoustic holography results, and obtained a good correlation between the different approaches.

A modified theoretical framework to assess implementation fidelity of adaptive public health interventions.

PubMed

Pérez, Dennis; Van der Stuyft, Patrick; Zabala, Maríadel Carmen; Castro, Marta; Lefèvre, Pierre

2016-07-08

One of the major debates in implementation research turns around fidelity and adaptation. Fidelity is the degree to which an intervention is implemented as intended by its developers. It is meant to ensure that the intervention maintains its intended effects. Adaptation is the process of implementers or users bringing changes to the original design of an intervention. Depending on the nature of the modifications brought, adaptation could either be potentially positive or could carry the risk of threatening the theoretical basis of the intervention, resulting in a negative effect on expected outcomes. Adaptive interventions are those for which adaptation is allowed or even encouraged. Classical fidelity dimensions and conceptual frameworks do not address the issue of how to adapt an intervention while still maintaining its effectiveness. We support the idea that fidelity and adaptation co-exist and that adaptations can impact either positively or negatively on the intervention's effectiveness. For adaptive interventions, research should answer the question how an adequate fidelity-adaptation balance can be reached. One way to address this issue is by looking systematically at the aspects of an intervention that are being adapted. We conducted fidelity research on the implementation of an empowerment strategy for dengue prevention in Cuba. In view of the adaptive nature of the strategy, we anticipated that the classical fidelity dimensions would be of limited use for assessing adaptations. The typology we used in the assessment-implemented, not-implemented, modified, or added components of the strategy-also had limitations. It did not allow us to answer the question which of the modifications introduced in the strategy contributed to or distracted from outcomes. We confronted our empirical research with existing literature on fidelity, and as a result, considered that the framework for implementation fidelity proposed by Carroll et al. in 2007 could potentially meet our concerns. We propose modifications to the framework to assess both fidelity and adaptation. The modified Carroll et al.'s framework we propose may permit a comprehensive assessment of the implementation fidelity-adaptation balance required when implementing adaptive interventions, but more empirical research is needed to validate it.

Emotional preferences and goals and emotion dysregulation in children with Asperger's syndrome and typically developing children.

PubMed

López-Pérez, Belén; Ambrona, Tamara; Gummerum, Michaela

2018-02-05

Emotion goals lie at the heart of emotion regulation, as people have to first decide what emotions they want to feel before engaging in emotion regulation. Given that children with Asperger's syndrome (AS) are characterized by exhibiting difficulties in emotion regulation, studying whether they display similar or different emotion goals compared to typically developing (TD) children may provide insightful information. Thirty AS and 30 TD children (10-12 years) reported about their general (i.e., how they want to feel in general) and contextualized (i.e., how they want to feel when confronting vs. collaborating with someone) emotion goals, and about their difficulties in emotion regulation through questionnaires. Results showed that both groups did not differ in their general emotional goals and in their contextualized emotion goals for happiness for collaboration and anger for confrontation. AS children only differed from TD children in a higher preference for sadness for collaboration and happiness for confrontation. These emotion goals predicted their difficulties to engage in goal-directed behaviour. The obtained results support the need to further study emotion goals as an aspect of emotion dysregulation, namely the difficulties to engage in goal-directed behaviour when experiencing different emotions. AS and TD children did not differ in their general emotion goals. AS and TD children did not vary in their preferences for happiness for collaboration and anger for confrontation. AS children only differed in a higher preference for sadness for collaboration and happiness for confrontation. Understanding emotion goals might help practitioners to develop better interventions. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Towards a common framework of grounded action cognition: Relating motor control, perception and cognition.

PubMed

Gentsch, Antje; Weber, Arne; Synofzik, Matthis; Vosgerau, Gottfried; Schütz-Bosbach, Simone

2016-01-01

The relation between motor control and action cognition - including action-related thoughts and action-related perception - has been subject to controversial discussions in the last three decades. During these decades, cognitive neuroscience has been increasingly confronted with a huge variety of different accounts trying to understand and explain the relation between these systems, their interdependencies and the mediating mechanisms by establishing notions such as "internal models", "simulation" or "shared representation". These accounts, however, include a large array of partly overlapping, partly contradictory theories using similar terms for different mechanisms and different terms for similar mechanisms. In the absence of a systematic work-up and comparison, this array of accounts and theories leads to confusion in the field, duplication of experimental work, and unconnected parallelism of theory formation within and between different disciplines. Here we provide a systematic comparison of current models and prospective theories that deal with the relation between cognition, perception and motor control mechanisms. In a second step, we propose "grounded action cognition" as a comprehensive metatheoretical framework which defines different hypothetical possibilities of the relations between these domains, offers systematic insights into current models and theories and last but not least may help to increase comparability of empirical research in the domain of action and action cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

No risk, no gain: invest in women and girls by funding advocacy, organizing, litigation and work to shift culture.

PubMed

McGovern, Theresa

2013-11-01

The new development framework aspires to merge long-term hopes for environmental, political and financial sustainability with international poverty eradication goals. Central to this agenda is the promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls. Yet national mechanisms, donors and international development agencies often do not fully tackle these issues or confront the accompanying politically sensitive, complex issues intermingling religion, socioeconomic status, social, cultural and family life. The increasing reliance on private investment may further weaken a women's rights approach. The proposed framework described in the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons Report could further systematize this problem, even though it improves on the MDGs by expanding targets related to women. Success will require support for a potent mix of advocacy, movement building and a complex set of ground-based strategies that shift cultural practices, laws and policies that harm women and girls. Funding for advocacy and interventions that hold firm on human rights is imperative, but given the conflicting loyalties of governments and public-private partnerships, reliance on either sector may be risky. An analysis of the status of women's rights work, infrastructure and donor support in Bangladesh and South Africa shows the need for vigilance and long-term investment in effective work. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sharing privacy-sensitive access to neuroimaging and genetics data: a review and preliminary validation

PubMed Central

Sarwate, Anand D.; Plis, Sergey M.; Turner, Jessica A.; Arbabshirani, Mohammad R.; Calhoun, Vince D.

2014-01-01

The growth of data sharing initiatives for neuroimaging and genomics represents an exciting opportunity to confront the “small N” problem that plagues contemporary neuroimaging studies while further understanding the role genetic markers play in the function of the brain. When it is possible, open data sharing provides the most benefits. However, some data cannot be shared at all due to privacy concerns and/or risk of re-identification. Sharing other data sets is hampered by the proliferation of complex data use agreements (DUAs) which preclude truly automated data mining. These DUAs arise because of concerns about the privacy and confidentiality for subjects; though many do permit direct access to data, they often require a cumbersome approval process that can take months. An alternative approach is to only share data derivatives such as statistical summaries—the challenges here are to reformulate computational methods to quantify the privacy risks associated with sharing the results of those computations. For example, a derived map of gray matter is often as identifiable as a fingerprint. Thus alternative approaches to accessing data are needed. This paper reviews the relevant literature on differential privacy, a framework for measuring and tracking privacy loss in these settings, and demonstrates the feasibility of using this framework to calculate statistics on data distributed at many sites while still providing privacy. PMID:24778614

Sharing privacy-sensitive access to neuroimaging and genetics data: a review and preliminary validation.

PubMed

Sarwate, Anand D; Plis, Sergey M; Turner, Jessica A; Arbabshirani, Mohammad R; Calhoun, Vince D

2014-01-01

The growth of data sharing initiatives for neuroimaging and genomics represents an exciting opportunity to confront the "small N" problem that plagues contemporary neuroimaging studies while further understanding the role genetic markers play in the function of the brain. When it is possible, open data sharing provides the most benefits. However, some data cannot be shared at all due to privacy concerns and/or risk of re-identification. Sharing other data sets is hampered by the proliferation of complex data use agreements (DUAs) which preclude truly automated data mining. These DUAs arise because of concerns about the privacy and confidentiality for subjects; though many do permit direct access to data, they often require a cumbersome approval process that can take months. An alternative approach is to only share data derivatives such as statistical summaries-the challenges here are to reformulate computational methods to quantify the privacy risks associated with sharing the results of those computations. For example, a derived map of gray matter is often as identifiable as a fingerprint. Thus alternative approaches to accessing data are needed. This paper reviews the relevant literature on differential privacy, a framework for measuring and tracking privacy loss in these settings, and demonstrates the feasibility of using this framework to calculate statistics on data distributed at many sites while still providing privacy.

College Perspective '77: Confrontation or Collegiality. Proceedings, Annual International Institute on the Community College (8th, Lambton College, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, June 13-16, 1977).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgrosso, George M., Ed.; And Others

Papers and addresses on aspects of confrontation affecting community college productivity and viability are presented. Keynote speeches include: "Learning to Live While Learning to Make a Living" by George J. Bullied; "Communication and Collegiality" by Charles M. Galloway; "Is Education the One Profession Immune to…

Using Performance Ethnography to Confront Issues of Privilege, Race, and Institutional Racism: An Account of an Arts-Based Teacher Education Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fierros, Edward Garcia

2009-01-01

Preservice student teachers engaged in a collaborative research initiative to examine the memory of the 1954 "Brown v. Topeka Board of Education" decision that culminated in a public performance. Ethnographic data were translated into performance texts through students' performances that confronted issues of privilege, race, and institutional…

Lonely Courage, Commemorative Confrontation, and Communal Therapy: William James Remembers the Massachusetts 54th

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stob, Paul

2012-01-01

On May 31, 1897, William James, one of America's most influential philosophers and psychologists, delivered the first civic oration of his career. The principal orator at the dedication of the Robert Gould Shaw memorial in Boston, James did what commemorative speakers are not supposed to do. He chose to be confrontational and divisive in a…

Rethinking Critically Reflective Research Practice: Beyond Popper's Critical Rationalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulrich, Werner

2006-01-01

We all know that ships are safest in the harbor; but alas, that is not what ships are built for. They are destined to leave the harbor and to confront the challenges that are waiting beyond the harbor mole. A similar challenge confronts the practice of research. Research at work cannot play it safe and stay in whatever theoretical and…

Laughing with and at Patients: The Roles of Laughter in Confrontations in Addiction Group Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arminen, Ilkka; Halonen, Mia

2007-01-01

In Minnesota treatment, the therapists aim at breaking clients' denial to encourage them to accept their addiction. However, the confrontation is risky since, instead of making the patient ready for a change, it may strengthen resistance against the diagnosis of addiction and the treatment recommendations. We will explore the role of laughter in…

Three Misconceptions about Radiation--And What We Teachers Can Do to Confront Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Susanne

2014-01-01

During the last few years teaching physics, I have noticed that my students are becoming more and more interested in the topic of radiation. Mobile phones, modern game consoles, and WiFi--all of these devices involving some kind of radiation are part of our students' everyday lives. Students are also frequently confronted in the media with…

One-Minute Readings: Issues in Science, Technology, and Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinckerhoff, Richard F.

Many people feel that the purpose of an education is to prepare students for life outside of school. To help reach this desire it has been suggested that students be allowed to experience and confront issues that they will experience later in their lives. This book confronts students with major issues in science that in many instances have created…

Students' Alternative Conceptions about the Lotus Effect: To Confront or to Ignore?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubisch, Franziska; Heyne, Thomas

2016-01-01

At the botanical garden of the University of Würzburg, we conducted practical lessons on bionics, focused on the lotus effect, with 260 students. Those approx. 14 years old, 8th-grade mid-level students were divided into two groups. During an instructional discussion about the topic, one group was confronted with their alternative conceptions…

[Veterinarians of Waadt confronted with the "war of cows"].

PubMed

Leresche, E

2006-01-01

During spring 1966 the veterinary practitioners of the canton Waadt were confronted with the illegal import of bovine semen and cattle from France. The Société Vaudoise des Vétérinaires wrote an "open letter" to the former Federal Councillor Schaffner. This letter achieved a partially liberalization of the importation of bovine semen of foreign breeds.

The effects of confrontation and avoidance coping in response to workplace incivility.

PubMed

Hershcovis, M Sandy; Cameron, Ann-Frances; Gervais, Loie; Bozeman, Jennifer

2018-04-01

Workplace incivility has significant adverse consequences for targets. However, we know remarkably little about how targets of incivility cope and even less about which coping strategies are effective. Drawing on the coping process of the transactional model of stress, we examine confrontation as a form of problem-focused coping and avoidance as a form of emotion-focused coping in response to incivility. We examine the effects of these coping strategies on reoccurrence of incivility, incivility enacted by targets, psychological forgiveness, and emotional exhaustion. Focusing on the target's perspective of a series of uncivil interactions between a target and perpetrator, we conducted a 3-wave study of employees from various occupations. Employing the critical incident technique, participants reported on an incident of workplace incivility, and then answered a series of questions over 3 waves of data collection regarding their interactions with this perpetrator. Our findings suggest that confrontation and avoidance are ineffective in preventing reoccurrence of incivility. Avoidance can additionally lead to increased emotional exhaustion, target-enacted incivility, and lower psychological forgiveness. However, confrontation coping has promise with regards to eliciting positive outcomes such as psychological forgiveness that are beneficial to interpersonal workplace relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Women's dreaming: women, sexuality and development.

PubMed

Reid, E

1996-01-01

This essay opens by invoking the dreams of women that arise from their life experiences and lead women, despite their powerlessness, to desire to create a different kind of society. The essay continues by exploring the relationship between analysis and practice and the contention that analysis of a problem shapes development practice, social policy, research priorities, and activism. Poverty provides an example of a complex, chaotic phenomenon that is often reduced to simplistic, measurable variables such as income or consumption deprivation. Attention is then paid to the population debate where linkages between the analytical framework and program development are clear. These simplified linkages led to macro analysis of events played out on the micro level and to the choice of women rather than men as the most effective change agents. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, however, gave rise to a new analytical framework emphasizing women's empowerment, women's health, women's rights, and men's participation and responsibility. This approach embraces the complexity of the situation and, thus, provides a road map for effective programs and policies. The next section of the essay considers gender analysis and how this concept leads to a demand on the part of women for access to men's privileges and a climate of confrontation arising from this demand. The inadequacies of using a woman-centered gender analysis as a framework for understanding male behavior are also discussed. Alternative concepts from the feminist movement are explored for their usefulness in generating social change, and the efforts of the Bangladesh Rural Achievement Committee to improve female literacy are used as an example of the value of cooperative, consciousness-raising groups. It is concluded that radical changes will be required to realize women's dreams of social changes.

Heterothermy in two mole-rat species subjected to interacting thermoregulatory challenges.

PubMed

Boyles, Justin G; Verburgt, Luke; McKechnie, Andrew E; Bennett, Nigel C

2012-02-01

Maintaining a high and constant body temperature (T(b) ) is often viewed as a fundamental benefit of endothermy, but variation in T(b) is likely the norm rather than an exception among endotherms. Thus, attempts to elucidate which factors cause T(b) of endotherms to deviate away from the T(b) that maximizes performance are becoming more common. One approach relies on an adaptive framework of thermoregulation, used for a long time to predict variation in T(b) of ectotherms, as a starting point to make predictions about the factors that should lead to thermoregulatory variation in endotherms. Here we test the predictions that when confronted with thermoregulatory challenges endotherms should (1) become more heterothermic, (2) lower their T(b) setpoint, and/or (3) increase behavioral thermoregulation (e.g., activity levels or social thermoregulation). We exposed two species of relatively homeothermic mole-rats to two such challenges: (a) ambient temperatures (T(a)) well below the thermoneutral zone and (b) increased heat loss caused by the removal of dorsal fur. In general, our results support the adaptive framework of endothermic thermoregulation with each species conforming to some of the predictions. For example, Mashona mole-rats (Fukomys darlingi) increased heterothermy as T(a) decreased, highveld mole-rats (Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae) displayed lower T(b) 's after shaving, and both species increased behavioral thermoregulation as T(a) decreased. This suggests that there is some merit in extending the adaptive framework to endotherms. However, none of the three predictions we tested was supported under all experimental conditions, reiterating that attempts to determine universal factors causing variation in T(b) of endotherms may prove challenging. © 2011 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

A Titanium–Organic Framework as an Exemplar of Combining the Chemistry of Metal– and Covalent–Organic Frameworks

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

Nguyen, Ha L.; Gándara, Felipe; Furukawa, Hiroyasu

A crystalline material with a two-dimensional structure, termed metal–organic framework-901 (MOF-901), was prepared using a strategy that combines the chemistry of MOFs and covalent–organic frameworks (COFs). This strategy involves in situ generation of an amine-functionalized titanium oxo cluster, Ti6O6(OCH3)6(AB)6 (AB = 4-aminobenzoate), which was linked with benzene-1,4-dialdehyde using imine condensation reactions, typical of COFs. The crystal structure of MOF-901 is composed of hexagonal porous layers that are likely stacked in staggered conformation (hxl topology). This MOF represents the first example of combining metal cluster chemistry with dynamic organic covalent bond formation to give a new crystalline, extended framework of titaniummore » metal, which is rarely used in MOFs. The incorporation of Ti(IV) units made MOF-901 useful in the photocatalyzed polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). The resulting polyMMA product was obtained with a high-number-average molar mass (26 850 g mol–1) and low polydispersity index (1.6), which in many respects are better than those achieved by the commercially available photocatalyst (P-25 TiO2). Additionally, the catalyst can be isolated, reused, and recycled with no loss in performance.« less

Combining Monte Carlo methods with coherent wave optics for the simulation of phase-sensitive X-ray imaging

PubMed Central

Peter, Silvia; Modregger, Peter; Fix, Michael K.; Volken, Werner; Frei, Daniel; Manser, Peter; Stampanoni, Marco

2014-01-01

Phase-sensitive X-ray imaging shows a high sensitivity towards electron density variations, making it well suited for imaging of soft tissue matter. However, there are still open questions about the details of the image formation process. Here, a framework for numerical simulations of phase-sensitive X-ray imaging is presented, which takes both particle- and wave-like properties of X-rays into consideration. A split approach is presented where we combine a Monte Carlo method (MC) based sample part with a wave optics simulation based propagation part, leading to a framework that takes both particle- and wave-like properties into account. The framework can be adapted to different phase-sensitive imaging methods and has been validated through comparisons with experiments for grating interferometry and propagation-based imaging. The validation of the framework shows that the combination of wave optics and MC has been successfully implemented and yields good agreement between measurements and simulations. This demonstrates that the physical processes relevant for developing a deeper understanding of scattering in the context of phase-sensitive imaging are modelled in a sufficiently accurate manner. The framework can be used for the simulation of phase-sensitive X-ray imaging, for instance for the simulation of grating interferometry or propagation-based imaging. PMID:24763652

A Framework for Studying Minority Youths' Transitions to Fatherhood: The Case of Puerto Rican Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkut, Sumru; Szalacha, Laura A.; Coll, Cynthia Garcia

2005-01-01

A theoretical framework is proposed for studying minority young men's involvement with their babies that combines the integrative model of minority youth development and a life course developmental perspective with Lamb's revised four-factor model of father involvement. This framework posits a relationship between demographic and family background…

Understanding Teachers' Pedagogical Choice: A Sociological Framework Combining the Work of Bourdieu and Giddens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burridge, Peter

2014-01-01

Understanding teachers' pedagogical choice provides a new insight into the influences on student achievement. This paper presents a sociological framework developed from the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens that identify the complex social interactions which surround teacher's work. The framework examines teachers' potential to act…

Assessing Students' Understandings of Biological Models and Their Use in Science to Evaluate a Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grünkorn, Juliane; Upmeier zu Belzen, Annette; Krüger, Dirk

2014-01-01

Research in the field of students' understandings of models and their use in science describes different frameworks concerning these understandings. Currently, there is no conjoint framework that combines these structures and so far, no investigation has focused on whether it reflects students' understandings sufficiently (empirical evaluation).…

The MIXED framework: A novel approach to evaluating mixed-methods rigor.

PubMed

Eckhardt, Ann L; DeVon, Holli A

2017-10-01

Evaluation of rigor in mixed-methods (MM) research is a persistent challenge due to the combination of inconsistent philosophical paradigms, the use of multiple research methods which require different skill sets, and the need to combine research at different points in the research process. Researchers have proposed a variety of ways to thoroughly evaluate MM research, but each method fails to provide a framework that is useful for the consumer of research. In contrast, the MIXED framework is meant to bridge the gap between an academic exercise and practical assessment of a published work. The MIXED framework (methods, inference, expertise, evaluation, and design) borrows from previously published frameworks to create a useful tool for the evaluation of a published study. The MIXED framework uses an experimental eight-item scale that allows for comprehensive integrated assessment of MM rigor in published manuscripts. Mixed methods are becoming increasingly prevalent in nursing and healthcare research requiring researchers and consumers to address issues unique to MM such as evaluation of rigor. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CHILD WITNESSES AND THE CONFRONTATION CLAUSE.

PubMed

Lyon, Thomas D; Dente, Julia A

2012-01-01

After the Supreme Court's ruling in Crawford v. Washington that a criminal defendant's right to confront the witnesses against him is violated by the admission of testimonial hearsay that has not been cross-examined, lower courts have overturned convictions in which hearsay from children was admitted after child witnesses were either unwilling or unable to testify. A review of social scientific evidence regarding the dynamics of child sexual abuse suggests a means for facilitating the fair receipt of children's evidence. Courts should hold that defendants have forfeited their confrontation rights if they exploited a child's vulnerabilities such that they could reasonably anticipate that the child would be unavailable to testify. Exploitation includes choosing victims on the basis of their filial dependency, their vulnerability, or their immaturity, as well as taking actions that create or accentuate those vulnerabilities.

Confronting structural violence in sex work: lessons from a community-led HIV prevention project in Mysore, India.

PubMed

Argento, Elena; Reza-Paul, Sushena; Lorway, Robert; Jain, Jinendra; Bhagya, M; Fathima, Mary; Sreeram, S V; Hafeezur, Rahman Syed; O'Neil, John

2011-01-01

Evidence from community-led HIV prevention projects suggests that structural interventions may result in reduced rates of HIV and STIs. The complex relationship between empowerment and confronting stigma, discrimination and physical abuse necessitates further investigation into the impact that such interventions have on the personal risks for sex workers. This article aims to describe lived experiences of members from a sex worker's collective in Mysore, India and how they have confronted structural violence. The narratives highlight experiences of violence and the development and implementation of strategies that have altered the social, physical, and emotional environment for sex workers. Building an enabling environment was key to reducing personal risks inherent to sex work, emphasizing the importance of community-led structural interventions for sex workers in India.

Combined mining: discovering informative knowledge in complex data.

PubMed

Cao, Longbing; Zhang, Huaifeng; Zhao, Yanchang; Luo, Dan; Zhang, Chengqi

2011-06-01

Enterprise data mining applications often involve complex data such as multiple large heterogeneous data sources, user preferences, and business impact. In such situations, a single method or one-step mining is often limited in discovering informative knowledge. It would also be very time and space consuming, if not impossible, to join relevant large data sources for mining patterns consisting of multiple aspects of information. It is crucial to develop effective approaches for mining patterns combining necessary information from multiple relevant business lines, catering for real business settings and decision-making actions rather than just providing a single line of patterns. The recent years have seen increasing efforts on mining more informative patterns, e.g., integrating frequent pattern mining with classifications to generate frequent pattern-based classifiers. Rather than presenting a specific algorithm, this paper builds on our existing works and proposes combined mining as a general approach to mining for informative patterns combining components from either multiple data sets or multiple features or by multiple methods on demand. We summarize general frameworks, paradigms, and basic processes for multifeature combined mining, multisource combined mining, and multimethod combined mining. Novel types of combined patterns, such as incremental cluster patterns, can result from such frameworks, which cannot be directly produced by the existing methods. A set of real-world case studies has been conducted to test the frameworks, with some of them briefed in this paper. They identify combined patterns for informing government debt prevention and improving government service objectives, which show the flexibility and instantiation capability of combined mining in discovering informative knowledge in complex data.

Scalable large format 3D displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Nelson L.; Damera-Venkata, Niranjan

2010-02-01

We present a general framework for the modeling and optimization of scalable large format 3-D displays using multiple projectors. Based on this framework, we derive algorithms that can robustly optimize the visual quality of an arbitrary combination of projectors (e.g. tiled, superimposed, combinations of the two) without manual adjustment. The framework creates for the first time a new unified paradigm that is agnostic to a particular configuration of projectors yet robustly optimizes for the brightness, contrast, and resolution of that configuration. In addition, we demonstrate that our algorithms support high resolution stereoscopic video at real-time interactive frame rates achieved on commodity graphics hardware. Through complementary polarization, the framework creates high quality multi-projector 3-D displays at low hardware and operational cost for a variety of applications including digital cinema, visualization, and command-and-control walls.

Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: a general analytical framework using moderated path analysis.

PubMed

Edwards, Jeffrey R; Lambert, Lisa Schurer

2007-03-01

Studies that combine moderation and mediation are prevalent in basic and applied psychology research. Typically, these studies are framed in terms of moderated mediation or mediated moderation, both of which involve similar analytical approaches. Unfortunately, these approaches have important shortcomings that conceal the nature of the moderated and the mediated effects under investigation. This article presents a general analytical framework for combining moderation and mediation that integrates moderated regression analysis and path analysis. This framework clarifies how moderator variables influence the paths that constitute the direct, indirect, and total effects of mediated models. The authors empirically illustrate this framework and give step-by-step instructions for estimation and interpretation. They summarize the advantages of their framework over current approaches, explain how it subsumes moderated mediation and mediated moderation, and describe how it can accommodate additional moderator and mediator variables, curvilinear relationships, and structural equation models with latent variables. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Regulating sex work: subjectivity and stigma in Senegal.

PubMed

Foley, Ellen E

2017-01-01

Senegal provides a unique example of a sub-Saharan African country with a legal framework for the regulation of commercial sex work. While registering as a legal sex worker affords women access to valuable social and medical resources, sex work is condemned by Senegalese society. Women who engage in sex work occupy a socially marginal status and confront a variety of stigmatising discourses and practices that legitimate their marginality. This paper examines two institutions that provide social and medical services to registered sex workers in Dakar: a medical clinic and a non-governmental organisation. It highlights the discourses about sex work that women encounter within these institutions and in their everyday lives. Women's accounts reveal a variety of strategies for managing stigma, from discretion and deception to asserting self-worth. As registered sex workers negotiate their precarious social position, their strategies both reproduce and challenge stigmatising representations of sex work. Their experiences demonstrate the contradictory outcomes of the Senegalese approach to regulating sex work.

Supersymmetric quantum mechanics of the flux tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belitsky, A. V.

2016-12-01

The Operator Product Expansion approach to scattering amplitudes in maximally supersymmetric gauge theory operates in terms of pentagon transitions for excitations propagating on a color flux tube. These obey a set of axioms which allow one to determine them to all orders in 't Hooft coupling and confront against explicit calculations. One of the simplifying features of the formalism is the factorizability of multiparticle transitions in terms of single-particle ones. In this paper we extend an earlier consideration of a sector populated by one kind of excitations to the case of a system with fermionic as well as bosonic degrees of freedom to address the origin of the factorization. While the purely bosonic case was analyzed within an integrable noncompact open-spin chain model, the current case is solved in the framework of a supersymmetric sl (2 | 1) magnet. We find the eigenfunctions for the multiparticle system making use of the R-matrix approach. Constructing resulting pentagon transitions, we prove their factorized form. The discussion corresponds to leading order of perturbation theory.

Caring for one and all - Exploring ethical challenges in an ICU.

PubMed

Jones, Jennifer; Mitchell, Marion; Milligan, Eleanor

2016-08-01

This discussion paper explores some of the complex ethical and moral issues confronting contemporary critical care nurses. In contemporary healthcare discussions, there is an increased appreciation of the complexity of ethical challenges, the multiplicity of stakeholders and that a broad range of possible and practical outcomes exist. Furthermore, many scholars also acknowledge the limitations of principle based ethical frameworks. In seeking to build critical care nurses' capacity to negotiate the complex - and often conflicting - ethical challenges, the authors have adopted a person-centred, values-based approach in this case study. Furthermore, by exploring these complex issues, this paper supports and builds upon critical care nurses' decision making capacities in the clinical area. This case study has been purposefully left open-ended with the aim of inviting the reader to consider the questions posed in a collegial, collaborative manner within the particular context in which she/he is embedded. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The International Legal Framework for Marine Mammal Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea.

PubMed

Scovazzi, T

The paper reviews the international treaties that are today applicable for the protection of marine mammals in the Mediterranean Sea. They include instruments applicable at the world or the regional level. Emphasis is put on the International Whaling Commission, which is today affected by a confrontation between the two opposing groups of nonwhaling and whaling parties, the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and its implementation through the resolutions adopted by the Meeting of the Parties, as well as the subregional Agreement between France, Italy and Monaco for the establishment of a sanctuary for the protection of marine mammals (Pelagos Sanctuary). While several treaty provisions are in place to ensure the protection of marine mammals in the Mediterranean, specific mandatory provisions are still lacking for certain subjects, such as underwater noise, collisions with ships, by catch in fishing gear and ingestion of plastic litter. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecologic and symbiotic approaches to animal welfare, animal rights, and human responsibility.

PubMed

Kronfeld, D S; Parr, C P

1987-09-15

Veterinarians confronted with situations involving animal welfare, animal rights, and human responsibility assume practical importance in the relationships of veterinarians with clients and other constituencies. To help resolve these situations, the authors briefly compare economics and ethics and discuss the types of rights. An attempt is made to bring animal welfare and animal rights into the same conceptual framework, using an ecologic approach. This reaches the thesis that the less human beings allow animals the right of self-determination, the more we should exercise responsibility in their care and welfare. Actively exercised human responsibility in all uses of animals is offered as a practical and valid alternative to the extreme of abolitionism. This alternative also is applied in a cautionary way to the role of veterinary medicine in specieism. The veterinary profession is urged to be active in the middle ground of the field of animal rights and to firmly establish its relationships to animal welfare and human responsibility.

Pharma Opportunities and Risks Multiply as Regulatory Reform Remakes APAC: Expanded Accelerated Pathways Challenge Developer Value Story, Evidence Collection, and Market Access Strategies.

PubMed

Grignolo, Alberto; Mingping, Zhang

2018-01-01

Sweeping reforms in the largest markets of the Asia-Pacific region are transforming the regulatory and commercial landscape for foreign pharmaceutical companies. Japan, South Korea, and China are leading the charge, establishing mechanisms and infrastructure that both reflect and help drive international regulatory convergence and accelerate delivery of needed, innovative products to patients. In this rapidly evolving regulatory and commercial environment, drug developers can benefit from reforms and proliferating accelerated pathway (AP) frameworks, but only with regulatory and evidence-generation strategies tailored to the region. Otherwise, they will confront significant pricing and reimbursement headwinds. Although APAC economies are at different stages of development, they share a common imperative: to balance pharmaceutical innovation with affordability. Despite the complexity of meeting these sometimes conflicting demands, companies that focus on demonstrating and delivering value for money, and that price new treatments reasonably and sustainably, can succeed both for their shareholders and the region's patient population.

Understanding egorrhea from cultural-clinical psychology

PubMed Central

Sasaki, Jun; Wada, Kaori; Tanno, Yoshihiko

2013-01-01

Based on his observations in Japanese clinical settings, Fujinawa (1972) conceptualized egorrhea syndrome, which includes symptoms such as erythrophobia, fear of eye-to-eye confrontation, olfactory reference syndrome, delusions of soliloquy, delusions of sleep talking, and thought broadcasting. The key feature of this syndrome is self-leakage, a perceived sense that one's personal internal information, such as feelings and thoughts, are leaking out. To reach a more comprehensive understanding of egorrhea, this paper aims to present general overview and reconsider the phenomenon of self-leakage using cultural-clinical psychology as a framework. First, the symptoms of egorrhea are reviewed in relation to other related psychopathologies such as social anxiety disorder (SAD) and taijin kyofusho (TKS), as well as schizophrenia. Second, a series of empirical studies conducted using Japanese non-clinical samples are summarized. The results of these studies form the basis for subsequent discussions, which incorporates the cultural-clinical psychology perspective proposed by Ryder et al. (2011). This paper ends with a general discussion regarding implications for research and clinical practice. PMID:24348445

The integrative future of taxonomy

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Taxonomy is the biological discipline that identifies, describes, classifies and names extant and extinct species and other taxa. Nowadays, species taxonomy is confronted with the challenge to fully incorporate new theory, methods and data from disciplines that study the origin, limits and evolution of species. Results Integrative taxonomy has been proposed as a framework to bring together these conceptual and methodological developments. Here we review perspectives for an integrative taxonomy that directly bear on what species are, how they can be discovered, and how much diversity is on Earth. Conclusions We conclude that taxonomy needs to be pluralistic to improve species discovery and description, and to develop novel protocols to produce the much-needed inventory of life in a reasonable time. To cope with the large number of candidate species revealed by molecular studies of eukaryotes, we propose a classification scheme for those units that will facilitate the subsequent assembly of data sets for the formal description of new species under the Linnaean system, and will ultimately integrate the activities of taxonomists and molecular biologists. PMID:20500846

Chinese and South Asian Religious Institutions and HIV Prevention in New York City

PubMed Central

Chin, John J.; Mantell, Joanne; Weiss, Linda; Bhagavan, Mamatha; Luo, Xiaoting

2012-01-01

Religious institutions in Asian immigrant communities are in a unique position to confront the challenges of the HIV epidemic for the populations they serve. However, there has been little research on whether these institutions are willing or able to take a role in HIV prevention. This article reports on findings from a qualitative study of three Asian immigrant religious institutions in New York City (a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, an Islamic center/mosque) that are part of a larger study of Asian immigrant community institutions and their response to the HIV epidemic. Several prominent themes arose that formed the basis of a preliminary theoretical framework describing the way Asian immigrant religious institutions may evaluate their role in HIV prevention. The interview data indicate that the institutions take a stance of “conservative innovation,” weighing their role as keepers of morality and religious tradition against the changing needs of their communities and then adjusting their practices or positions incrementally (to varying degrees) to stay responsive and relevant. PMID:16255643

Opposite Trends in the Regulation of Pornography? Policy Differentiation and Policy Convergence Across 26 Countries Between 1960 and 2010.

PubMed

Person, Christian; Hurka, Steffen; Knill, Christoph

2016-09-01

In recent decades, the regulation of pornography has been confronted with challenges emerging from cultural change, economic interests, and technological progress. As a result, the respective regulatory frameworks have changed substantially in many countries. These changes have been accompanied by fierce political struggles and societal value conflicts. However, there are few comparative studies on the reactions of national governments to these problems. In this article, we present new empirical data on the regulation of pornography in 26 countries between 1960 and 2010. To assess regulatory change, we rely on a new measurement approach that considers the extent to which governments intervene into individual freedoms and the degree to which noncompliance with these rules is actually sanctioned. Our analysis reveals a trend toward more permissive styles of pornography regulation. However, this trend is accompanied by growing regulatory specialization and a convergence toward more interventionist regimes for special types of pornography.

Trapped in a Moral Order: Moral Identity, Positioning and Reflexivity in Stories of Confrontation among Latin American Teenage School Girls in Madrid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patiño-Santos, Adriana

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the forms of reflexivity that emerge in the conversational narratives of Latin American teenage school girls co-produced during sociolinguistic interviews, in a multicultural school in the centre of Madrid. The narratives about confrontation at school portray the girls' actions and ways of making sense of such behaviours, in…

The Field Guide to ADHD: What They Don't Want You to Know. Psychiatry--Theory, Applications and Treatments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Blake

2017-01-01

In "The Field Guide to ADHD: What They Don't Want You to Know," Harding confronts with unusual candor and painstaking effort one of the most alarming and perilous crises of our time: ADHD. In confronting this crisis, Harding forces us to reconsider the assumptions underlying ADHD and how we think about medical diagnoses, disability,…

The Guiding Effects of a Critical Reading Program on the Use of External Reading Strategies When Confronting an Ironical Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karabay, Aysegul

2015-01-01

This study employed a sample of 60 pre-service teachers to examine the guiding effects of understanding critical reading theories on using external reading strategies such as note-taking and underlining when confronting an ironical literary text. The study broke down the teachers into one control group of 30 teachers and one experimental group of…

The Application of Hermeneutical Analysis to Research on the Cold War in Soviet Animation Media Texts from the Second Half of the 1940s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fedorov, A. V.

2015-01-01

The Cold War era, which spawned a mutual ideological confrontation between communist and capitalist countries, left its mark on all categories of media texts, including cartoons and animations. Cartoons were used by the authorities as tools for delivering the necessary confrontational ideological content in an attractive folkloric, fairy-tale…

Confronting the Challenges of the Digital Era. Proceedings of the Membership Meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (133rd, Washington, DC, October 14-16, 1998).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhalla, Nicole, Ed.; Barrett, Jaia, Ed.; Wetzel, Karen A., Ed.

The 133rd meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on strategies for confronting critical challenges associated with the digital era and for fostering understanding from university leaders and supporters regarding the resources needed to perform successfully in this print plus digital environment. Program Session I,…

Kathy: A Case of Innovative Mathematics Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom. Teaching Cases in Cross-Cultural Education Series, No. 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDiarmid, G. Williamson; Kleinfeld, Judith, Ed.

Teaching cases have been utilized in professional training and can offer dramatic accounts of problems teachers may confront in the classroom. This case study examines a fact-based story of a third-grade teacher's confrontation with the mother of an African-American child who disagrees with the innovative approach utilized in her child's…

Combined Case of Blood-Injury-Injection Phobia and Social Phobia: Behavior Therapy Management and Effectiveness through Tilt Test

PubMed Central

Ferenidou, Fotini; Chalimourdas, Theodoros; Antonakis, Velissarios; Vaidakis, Nikolaos; Papadimitriou, Georgios

2012-01-01

The efficacy of behavior therapy based mainly on real-life exposure situations as well as applied tension was examined for a combined case of blood-injury-injection (BII) phobia and social anxiety disorder. Treatment involved 28 behavior therapy sessions, while applied tension technique was also described and practiced. The specific contribution of social skills techniques, fantasy, and real-life situations exposure was examined in a single case design. The subject was a 39-year-old male with anxiety symptoms when confronting an audience, as well as symptoms of the autonomic nervous system (bradycardia and syncope), which were better explained by BII. All self-report measures regarding fear, social phobia, and anxiety were reduced after behavior therapy and remained maintained at followup, while BII decreased further after applied tension techniques. The contribution of behavior therapy to the overall outcome of the case is considered significant for many reasons that are discussed in the pape. PMID:23304602

A synergistic approach to protein crystallization: Combination of a fixed-arm carrier with surface entropy reduction

PubMed Central

Moon, Andrea F; Mueller, Geoffrey A; Zhong, Xuejun; Pedersen, Lars C

2010-01-01

Protein crystallographers are often confronted with recalcitrant proteins not readily crystallizable, or which crystallize in problematic forms. A variety of techniques have been used to surmount such obstacles: crystallization using carrier proteins or antibody complexes, chemical modification, surface entropy reduction, proteolytic digestion, and additive screening. Here we present a synergistic approach for successful crystallization of proteins that do not form diffraction quality crystals using conventional methods. This approach combines favorable aspects of carrier-driven crystallization with surface entropy reduction. We have generated a series of maltose binding protein (MBP) fusion constructs containing different surface mutations designed to reduce surface entropy and encourage crystal lattice formation. The MBP advantageously increases protein expression and solubility, and provides a streamlined purification protocol. Using this technique, we have successfully solved the structures of three unrelated proteins that were previously unattainable. This crystallization technique represents a valuable rescue strategy for protein structure solution when conventional methods fail. PMID:20196072

Differentiation of death-row murderers and life-sentence murderers by antisociality and intelligence measures.

PubMed

Heilbrun, A B

1990-01-01

Prior studies of dangerousness have confirmed that the combination of high antisociality and low IQ is associated with male criminal violence and that the same combination can discriminate within a group of violent male criminals by level of severity. My study continued the validation of this two-component measure by showing that men convicted of murder and given the death sentence for their more heinous crimes were more dangerous than murderers who received life sentences. Men who had been extended the death penalty, who selected female victims, and whose murders were judged to have been especially cruel received extraordinarily high dangerousness scores relative to all other murderers. The assumption that high antisociality and low IQ would lead to serious violence because of the criminal's inability to deal with complications that arise in confronting the victim received some support. The murders of more dangerous men followed stronger victim resistance than the murders committed by less dangerous men.

[Midazolam sedation in the general dental practice].

PubMed

Bertens, J; Abraham-Inpijn, L; Meuwissen, P J

1994-03-01

The general dental practitioner is occasionally confronted with patients who, on the basis of psychological--and often somatic--criteria, are difficult to treat. Medicinal sedation in combination with anxiety reduction may be deemed appropriate for such patients. In the Netherlands inhalation sedation by means of a combination of oxygen and nitrous oxide is generally used. The limitations and disadvantages of this method have directed attention towards sedation by means of midazolam, a quick-acting benzodiazepine. In view of the complications which may accompany the administration of midazolam, the general practitioner working alone or in a group practice is advised against using midazolam sedation. Such use should be reserved for a dentist working in a hospital setting, who is able to consult with a physician regarding the advisability of administering midazolam. Even then, the safety of the patient requires that the practitioners have a proper insight into the physical state of the patient, work according to a protocol and in accordance with clearly defined responsibilities, and provide adequate accommodation during and after treatment.

The effect of perceptual reasoning abilities on confrontation naming performance: An examination of three naming tests.

PubMed

Soble, Jason R; Marceaux, Janice C; Galindo, Juliette; Sordahl, Jeffrey A; Highsmith, Jonathan M; O'Rourke, Justin J F; González, David Andrés; Critchfield, Edan A; McCoy, Karin J M

2016-01-01

Confrontation naming tests are a common neuropsychological method of assessing language and a critical diagnostic tool in identifying certain neurodegenerative diseases; however, there is limited literature examining the visual-perceptual demands of these tasks. This study investigated the effect of perceptual reasoning abilities on three confrontation naming tests, the Boston Naming Test (BNT), Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Naming Test, and Visual Naming Test (VNT) to elucidate the diverse cognitive functions underlying these tasks to assist with test selection procedures and increase diagnostic accuracy. A mixed clinical sample of 121 veterans were administered the BNT, NAB, VNT, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-4th Edition (WAIS-IV) Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Multiple regression indicated that PRI accounted for 23%, 13%, and 15% of the variance in BNT, VNT, and NAB scores, respectively, but dropped out as a significant predictor once VCI was added. Follow-up bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that PRI had a significant indirect effect on naming performance after controlling education, primary language, and severity of cognitive impairment, as well as the mediating effect of general verbal abilities for the BNT (B = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, CI [.07, .20]), VNT (B = 0.01; 95% CI [.002, .03]), and NAB (B = 0.03; 95% CI [.01, .06]). Findings revealed a complex relationship between perceptual reasoning abilities and confrontation naming that is mediated by general verbal abilities. However, when verbal abilities were statistically controlled, perceptual reasoning abilities were found to have a significant indirect effect on performance across all three confrontation naming measures with the largest effect noted with the BNT relative to the VNT and NAB Naming Test.

Framework Programmable Platform for the advanced software development workstation: Framework processor design document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayer, Richard J.; Blinn, Thomas M.; Mayer, Paula S. D.; Ackley, Keith A.; Crump, Wes; Sanders, Les

1991-01-01

The design of the Framework Processor (FP) component of the Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FFP) is described. The FFP is a project aimed at combining effective tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process in an intelligent integrated software development environment. Guided by the model, this Framework Processor will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to provide automated support for the management and control of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated.

CHILD WITNESSES AND THE CONFRONTATION CLAUSE

PubMed Central

LYON, THOMAS D.; DENTE, JULIA A.

2014-01-01

After the Supreme Court’s ruling in Crawford v. Washington that a criminal defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him is violated by the admission of testimonial hearsay that has not been cross-examined, lower courts have overturned convictions in which hearsay from children was admitted after child witnesses were either unwilling or unable to testify. A review of social scientific evidence regarding the dynamics of child sexual abuse suggests a means for facilitating the fair receipt of children’s evidence. Courts should hold that defendants have forfeited their confrontation rights if they exploited a child’s vulnerabilities such that they could reasonably anticipate that the child would be unavailable to testify. Exploitation includes choosing victims on the basis of their filial dependency, their vulnerability, or their immaturity, as well as taking actions that create or accentuate those vulnerabilities. PMID:25364063

Combined use of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF): a systematic review.

PubMed

Birken, Sarah A; Powell, Byron J; Presseau, Justin; Kirk, M Alexis; Lorencatto, Fabiana; Gould, Natalie J; Shea, Christopher M; Weiner, Bryan J; Francis, Jill J; Yu, Yan; Haines, Emily; Damschroder, Laura J

2017-01-05

Over 60 implementation frameworks exist. Using multiple frameworks may help researchers to address multiple study purposes, levels, and degrees of theoretical heritage and operationalizability; however, using multiple frameworks may result in unnecessary complexity and redundancy if doing so does not address study needs. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) are both well-operationalized, multi-level implementation determinant frameworks derived from theory. As such, the rationale for using the frameworks in combination (i.e., CFIR + TDF) is unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to elucidate the rationale for using CFIR + TDF by (1) describing studies that have used CFIR + TDF, (2) how they used CFIR + TDF, and (2) their stated rationale for using CFIR + TDF. We undertook a systematic review to identify studies that mentioned both the CFIR and the TDF, were written in English, were peer-reviewed, and reported either a protocol or results of an empirical study in MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, or Google Scholar. We then abstracted data into a matrix and analyzed it qualitatively, identifying salient themes. We identified five protocols and seven completed studies that used CFIR + TDF. CFIR + TDF was applied to studies in several countries, to a range of healthcare interventions, and at multiple intervention phases; used many designs, methods, and units of analysis; and assessed a variety of outcomes. Three studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple study purposes. Six studies indicated that using CFIR + TDF addressed multiple conceptual levels. Four studies did not explicitly state their rationale for using CFIR + TDF. Differences in the purposes that authors of the CFIR (e.g., comprehensive set of implementation determinants) and the TDF (e.g., intervention development) propose help to justify the use of CFIR + TDF. Given that the CFIR and the TDF are both multi-level frameworks, the rationale that using CFIR + TDF is needed to address multiple conceptual levels may reflect potentially misleading conventional wisdom. On the other hand, using CFIR + TDF may more fully define the multi-level nature of implementation. To avoid concerns about unnecessary complexity and redundancy, scholars who use CFIR + TDF and combinations of other frameworks should specify how the frameworks contribute to their study. PROSPERO CRD42015027615.

Child Health, Medicaid, and Welfare "Reform." Report III, Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamerman, Sheila B., Ed.; Kahn, Alfred J., Ed.

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local government, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle, aside from exploratory and analytic work, is a…

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Information Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

information confrontation operations across the elec- tromagnetic spectrum. In doing so, as Dr. Wortzel’s monograph explains, the PLA used innovative means...and in- formation confrontation operations across the electro- magnetic spectrum. As this monograph explains, the PLA used innovative means to...depend on information technology. Naviga- tion and positioning is no longer done with compasses or sextants, maps , or charts; it is done with satellite

The Politics of Knowledge and the Revitalization of American Democracy: A Response to Henry Giroux's "The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Cary

2009-01-01

This article presents the author's response to Henry Giroux's "The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex." Henry Giroux has written a provocative assessment of the contemporary challenges facing the United States as a society, which over the course of the 20th century had assumed the role of leader and exemplar…

Child Welfare in the Context of Welfare "Reform." Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States. Report V.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamerman, Sheila B., Ed.; Kahn, Alfred J., Ed.

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local governments, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle, aside from exploratory and analytic work, is a…

Confrontation (A Human Relations Training Unit and Simulation Game for Teacher and Administrators in a Multi-Ethnic Elementary and High School). Description of Teacher Inservice Education Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Education Association, Washington, DC. Project on Utilization of Inservice Education R & D Outcomes.

The inservice teacher and administrator education program described here is intended to make teachers aware of the problems they may encounter in a multicultural, multiethnic school setting. The inservice topic is human relations, with the subject of black/white confrontation the main focus. This descriptive report provides additional information…

Predictors of workplace violence among ambulance personnel: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

van der Velden, Peter G; Bosmans, Mark W G; van der Meulen, Erik

2016-04-01

To examine predictors of repeated confrontations with workplace violence among ambulance personnel, the proportion of exposure to potentially traumatic events that are aggression-related and to what extent personnel was able to prevent escalations. Although previous research assessed the prevalences among this group, little is known about predictors, to what extent PTE's are WPV-related and their abilities to prevent escalations. A longitudinal study with a 6 months' time interval ( N  =   103). At T1 demographics, workplace violence and potentially traumatic events in the past year, mental health, personality, handling of rules, coping and social organizational stressors were assessed. Confrontations with aggression were also examined at T2. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that only problems with superiors independently predicted repeated verbal aggression and that only the (absence of the) ability to compromise very easily predicted repeatedly being on guard and repeatedly confronted with any form of aggression. Due to very low prevalences, we could not examine predictors of repeated confrontations with physical aggression ( N  =   5) and serious threat ( N  =   7). A large majority reported that in most workplace violence cases they could prevent further escalations. About 2% reported a potentially traumatic event in the year before T1 that was WPV related and perceived as very stressful.

The ‘mystery’ of opioid-induced diarrhea

PubMed Central

Bril, Silviu; Shoham, Yoav; Marcus, Jeremy

2011-01-01

Bowel dysfunction, mainly constipation, is a well-known and anticipated side effect of opioids. The physician prescribing an opioid frequently confronts the challenge of preventing and treating bowel dysfunction. Different strategies have emerged for managing opioid-induced constipation. These strategies include physical activity, maintaining adequate fluid intake, adhering to regular daily bowel habits, using laxatives and other anticonstipation medications and, recently, using a peripheral opioid antagonist, either as a separate drug or in the form of an opioid agonist-antagonist combination pill. What options exist for the physician when a patient receiving opioids complains of diarrhea, cramps and bloating, rather than the expected constipation? The present article describes a possible cause of opioid-induced diarrhea and strategies for management. PMID:21766071

Theoretical motivation for gravitation experiments on ultra-low energy antiprotons and antihydrogen

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

Nieto, M.M.

1995-12-31

It is known that the generally accepted theories of gravity and quantum mechanics are fundamentally incompatible. Thus, when one tries to combine these theories, one must beware of physical pitfalls. Modern theories of quantum gravity are trying to overcome these problems. Any ideas must confront the present agreement with general relativity, but yet be free to wonder about not understood phenomena, such as the dark matter problem. This all has led some {open_quotes}intrepid{close_quotes} theorists to consider a new gravitational regime, that of antimatter. Even more {open_quotes}daring{close_quotes} experimentalists are attempting, or considering attempting, the measurement of the gravitational force on antimatter,more » including low-energy antiprotons and, perhaps most enticing, antihydrogen.« less

Fluid lubricated bearing construction

DOEpatents

Dunning, John R.; Boorse, Henry A.; Boeker, Gilbert F.

1976-01-01

1. A fluid lubricated thrust bearing assembly comprising, in combination, a first bearing member having a plain bearing surface, a second bearing member having a bearing surface confronting the bearing surface of said first bearing member and provided with at least one spiral groove extending inwardly from the periphery of said second bearing member, one of said bearing members having an axial fluid-tight well, a source of fluid lubricant adjacent to the periphery of said second bearing member, and means for relatively rotating said bearing members to cause said lubricant to be drawn through said groove and to flow between said bearing surfaces, whereby a sufficient pressure is built up between said bearing surfaces and in said well to tend to separate said bearing surfaces.

Toward Development of Enhanced Preventive Interventions for HIV Sexual Risk among Alcohol-Using Populations: Confronting the 'Mere Pause from Thinking'.

PubMed

Freeman, Robert C

2016-01-01

The papers in this issue detail state-of-the science knowledge regarding the role of alcohol use in HIV/AIDS risk, as well as offer suggestions for ways forward for behavioral HIV prevention for at-risk alcohol-using populations. In light of recent evidence suggesting that the anticipated uptake of the newer biomedical HIV prevention approaches, prominently including pre-exposure prophylaxis, has been stalled owing to a host of barriers, it has become ever more clear that behavioral prevention avenues must continue to receive due consideration as a viable HIV/AIDS prevention approach. The papers collected here make a valuable contribution to "combination prevention" efforts to curb HIV spread.

[Integration of psychodynamic imaginative trauma therapy in a modified psychoanalytic concept of a inpatient psychotherapy unit].

PubMed

Beckrath-Wilking, Ulrike

2004-11-01

Results of latest neurobiological trauma-research suggest that many psychic disorders like personality disorders with complex traumatisation in patient's history and co-morbidities should better be treated as posttraumatic disorders. This is important for any therapy planning: should a modified psychoanalytic approach (like TFP by Kernberg) with emphasis on interpreting the transference-relation be preferred for patients with Borderline personality disorder or - diagnosing the same patients as complex posttraumatic stress disorder - a phase oriented trauma-specific approach. As such PITT combines psychodynamic understanding with hypnotherapeutic and imaginative methods. Crucial points are an active and supporting therapeutic relation, safety and reduction of stress, focus on all individual resources and use of imaginative ways for stabilization and later trauma-confrontation work.

Comments on airborne ISR radar utilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doerry, A. W.

2016-05-01

A sensor/payload operator for modern multi-sensor multi-mode Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms is often confronted with a plethora of options in sensors and sensor modes. This often leads an over-worked operator to down-select to favorite sensors and modes; for example a justifiably favorite Full Motion Video (FMV) sensor at the expense of radar modes, even if radar modes can offer unique and advantageous information. At best, sensors might be used in a serial monogamous fashion with some cross-cueing. The challenge is then to increase the utilization of the radar modes in a manner attractive to the sensor/payload operator. We propose that this is best accomplished by combining sensor modes and displays into `super-modes'.

Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care

PubMed Central

Valentijn, Pim P.; Schepman, Sanneke M.; Opheij, Wilfrid; Bruijnzeels, Marc A.

2013-01-01

Introduction Primary care has a central role in integrating care within a health system. However, conceptual ambiguity regarding integrated care hampers a systematic understanding. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that combines the concepts of primary care and integrated care, in order to understand the complexity of integrated care. Methods The search method involved a combination of electronic database searches, hand searches of reference lists (snowball method) and contacting researchers in the field. The process of synthesizing the literature was iterative, to relate the concepts of primary care and integrated care. First, we identified the general principles of primary care and integrated care. Second, we connected the dimensions of integrated care and the principles of primary care. Finally, to improve content validity we held several meetings with researchers in the field to develop and refine our conceptual framework. Results The conceptual framework combines the functions of primary care with the dimensions of integrated care. Person-focused and population-based care serve as guiding principles for achieving integration across the care continuum. Integration plays complementary roles on the micro (clinical integration), meso (professional and organisational integration) and macro (system integration) level. Functional and normative integration ensure connectivity between the levels. Discussion The presented conceptual framework is a first step to achieve a better understanding of the inter-relationships among the dimensions of integrated care from a primary care perspective. PMID:23687482

Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care.

PubMed

Valentijn, Pim P; Schepman, Sanneke M; Opheij, Wilfrid; Bruijnzeels, Marc A

2013-01-01

Primary care has a central role in integrating care within a health system. However, conceptual ambiguity regarding integrated care hampers a systematic understanding. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that combines the concepts of primary care and integrated care, in order to understand the complexity of integrated care. The search method involved a combination of electronic database searches, hand searches of reference lists (snowball method) and contacting researchers in the field. The process of synthesizing the literature was iterative, to relate the concepts of primary care and integrated care. First, we identified the general principles of primary care and integrated care. Second, we connected the dimensions of integrated care and the principles of primary care. Finally, to improve content validity we held several meetings with researchers in the field to develop and refine our conceptual framework. The conceptual framework combines the functions of primary care with the dimensions of integrated care. Person-focused and population-based care serve as guiding principles for achieving integration across the care continuum. Integration plays complementary roles on the micro (clinical integration), meso (professional and organisational integration) and macro (system integration) level. Functional and normative integration ensure connectivity between the levels. The presented conceptual framework is a first step to achieve a better understanding of the inter-relationships among the dimensions of integrated care from a primary care perspective.

Chinese medicines and bioactive compounds for treatment of stroke.

PubMed

Jayakumar, Thanasekaran; Elizebeth, Antoinet Ramola; Yen, Ting-lin; Sheu, Joen-rong

2015-02-01

Stroke is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide but effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of brain injury in patients with cerebral ischemia is lacking. Although tissue plasminogen activator has been used to treat stroke patients, this therapeutic strategy is confronted with ill side effects and is limited to patients within 3 h of a stroke. Due to the complexity of the events and the disappointing results from single agent trials, the combination of thrombolytic therapy and effective neural protection therapy may be an alternative strategy for patients with cerebral ischemia. Chinese medicine (CM) is the most widely practiced form of herbalism worldwide, as it is a sophisticated system of medical theory and practice that is specifically different from Western medicine. Most traditional therapeutic formulations consist of a combination of several drugs. The combination of multiple drugs is thought to maximize therapeutic efficacy by facilitating synergistic actions and preventing possible adverse effects while at the same time marking at multiple targets. CM has been labeled in ancient medicine systems as a treatment for various diseases associated with stroke. This review summarizes various CMs, bioactive compounds and their effects on cerebral ischemia.

Towards the Development of a Comprehensive Pedagogical Framework for Pronunciation Training Based on Adapted Automatic Speech Recognition Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Saandia

2016-01-01

This paper reports on the early stages of a locally funded research and development project taking place at Rennes 2 university. It aims at developing a comprehensive pedagogical framework for pronunciation training for adult learners of English. This framework will combine a direct approach to pronunciation training (face-to-face teaching) with…

A comprehensive combined experimental and computational framework for pre-clinical wear simulation of total knee replacements.

PubMed

Abdelgaied, A; Fisher, J; Jennings, L M

2018-02-01

A more robust pre-clinical wear simulation framework is required in order to simulate wider and higher ranges of activities, observed in different patient populations such as younger more active patients. Such a framework will help to understand and address the reported higher failure rates for younger and more active patients (National_Joint_Registry, 2016). The current study has developed and validated a comprehensive combined experimental and computational framework for pre-clinical wear simulation of total knee replacements (TKR). The input mechanical (elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio) and wear parameters of the moderately cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing material were independently measured from experimental studies under realistic test conditions, similar to the loading conditions found in the total knee replacements. The wear predictions from the computational wear simulation were validated against the direct experimental wear measurements for size 3 Sigma curved total knee replacements (DePuy, UK) in an independent experimental wear simulation study under three different daily activities; walking, deep squat, and stairs ascending kinematic conditions. The measured compressive mechanical properties of the moderately cross-linked UHMWPE material were more than 20% lower than that reported in the literature under tensile test conditions. The pin-on-plate wear coefficient of moderately cross-linked UHMWPE was significantly dependant of the contact stress and the degree of cross-shear at the articulating surfaces. The computational wear predictions for the TKR from the current framework were consistent and in a good agreement with the independent full TKR experimental wear simulation measurements, with 0.94 coefficient of determination of the framework. In addition, the comprehensive combined experimental and computational framework was able to explain the complex experimental wear trends from the three different daily activities investigated. Therefore, such a framework can be adopted as a pre-clinical simulation approach to optimise different designs, materials, as well as patient's specific total knee replacements for a range of activities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ligand combination strategy for the preparation of novel low-dimensional and open-framework metal cluster materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anokhina, Ekaterina V.

Low-dimensional and open-framework materials containing transition metals have a wide range of applications in redox catalysis, solid-state batteries, and electronic and magnetic devices. This dissertation reports on research carried out with the goal to develop a strategy for the preparation of low-dimensional and open-framework materials using octahedral metal clusters as building blocks. Our approach takes its roots from crystal engineering principles where the desired framework topologies are achieved through building block design. The key idea of this work is to induce directional bonding preferences in the cluster units using a combination of ligands with a large difference in charge density. This investigation led to the preparation and characterization of a new family of niobium oxychloride cluster compounds with original structure types exhibiting 1ow-dimensional or open-framework character. Most of these materials have framework topologies unprecedented in compounds containing octahedral clusters. Comparative analysis of their structural features indicates that the novel cluster connectivity patterns in these systems are the result of complex interplay between the effects of anisotropic ligand arrangement in the cluster unit and optimization of ligand-counterion electrostatic interactions. The important role played by these factors sets niobium oxychloride systems apart from cluster compounds with one ligand type or statistical ligand distribution where the main structure-determining factor is the total number of ligands. These results provide a blueprint for expanding the ligand combination strategy to other transition metal cluster systems and for the future rational design of cluster-based materials.

Reconstructing Population Exposures to Environmental Chemicals from Biomarkers: Challenges and Opportunities

EPA Science Inventory

A conceptual/computational framework for exposure reconstruction from biomarker data combined with auxiliary exposure-related data is presented, evaluated with example applications, and examined in the context of future needs and opportunities. This framework employs Physiologica...

Dental implant suprastructures using cobalt-chromium alloy compared with gold alloy framework veneered with ceramic or acrylic resin: a retrospective cohort study up to 18 years.

PubMed

Teigen, Kyrre; Jokstad, Asbjørn

2012-07-01

An association between the long-term success and survival of implant-supported prostheses as a function of biomaterial combinations has not been established. The use of cast cobalt-chromium for the suprastructure framework may be an alternative to the conventional approach of using type 3 gold alloys. A retrospective chart audit of all patients who had received implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDP) before 1996 was identified in a private practice clinic. Data were recorded for FDPs made from four combinations of alloy frameworks and veneering material, i.e. type 3 gold and cobalt-chromium with ceramic or prefabricated acrylic teeth. The extracted data from the charts were subjected to explorative statistical tests including Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Patients (n=198) with 270 short and extensive FDPs supported entirely by 1117 implants were identified. The average follow-up observation periods varied between 4 and 220 months, with an average of 120 months. The success and survival, as well as event rates and types of biological and technical complications, were similar for implant-supported FDPs using cobalt-chromium and type 3 gold alloy frameworks veneered with ceramics or prefabricated acrylic teeth. An influence of the suprastructure biomaterial combination on the clinical performance of the individual supporting implants could not be established. Implant-supported FDPs made from type 3 gold or cobalt-chromium frameworks and veneered with ceramic or prefabricated acrylic teeth demonstrate comparable clinical performance. The biomaterial combinations do not appear to influence the success or survival of the individual implants. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Looking for trouble: revenge-planning and preattentive vigilance for angry facial expressions.

PubMed

Crowe, Sarah E; Wilkowski, Benjamin M

2013-08-01

Revenge-planning refers to individual differences in the tendency to actively seek out hostile confrontations with others. Building on past theory, we hypothesized that revenge-planning would be related to preattentive vigilance for angry facial expressions. By being vigilant for such expressions, individuals could more readily notice and prepare to confront social challenges. We conducted 2 studies to test this prediction. Across studies, results indicated that participants high in revenge-planning had significantly longer color-naming latencies for masked angry expressions presented in a subliminal Stroop task, regardless of whether the expression was presented inside or outside participants' attentional focus. This phenomenon was specific to revenge-planning and did not extend to the related construct of angry rumination. Such results suggest that preattentive vigilance for angry expressions supports a confrontational social style in which a person actively seeks out hostile social encounters. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Motivational versus confrontational interviewing: a comparison of substance abuse assessment practices at employee assistance programs.

PubMed

Schneider, R J; Casey, J; Kohn, R

2000-02-01

The aim of this study was to conduct a quasi-experimental comparison of two employee assistance program (EAP) assessment approaches with substance abusers: confrontational interviewing (CI) and motivational interviewing (MI). A total of 176 EAP clients from 14 study sites met the study criteria, and 89 (51%) agreed to participate in the study. At three and nine months postassessment, both the MI and CI groups showed similar changes in readiness for change, completion of initial treatment plans, and subsequent treatment. Most important, both the MI and CI participants showed significant and comparable improvement on all of the substance abuse baseline measures as well as measures of family-social well-being and effects of drinking/drugging on work performance. The results open the door for EAP counselors to use an empirically supported assessment style that is at least as effective as the traditional confrontational approach.

Goal preference shapes confrontations of sexism.

PubMed

Mallett, Robyn K; Melchiori, Kala J

2014-05-01

Although most women assume they would confront sexism, assertive responses are rare. We test whether women's preference for respect or liking during interpersonal interactions explains this surprising tendency. Women report preferring respect relative to liking after being asked sexist, compared with inappropriate, questions during a virtual job interview (Study 1, n = 149). Women's responses to sexism increase in assertiveness along with their preference for being respected, and a respect-preference mediates the relation between the type of questions and response assertiveness (Studies 1 and 2). In Study 2 (n = 105), women's responses to sexist questions are more assertive when the sense of belonging is enhanced with a belonging manipulation. Moreover, preference for respect mediates the effect of the type of questions on response assertiveness, but only when belonging needs are met. Thus the likelihood of confrontation depends on the goal to be respected outweighing the goal to be liked.

Sex therapy and mastectomy.

PubMed

Witkin, M H

1975-01-01

Because the emotional trauma associated with a mastectomy exceeds the physical trauma, the recovery of the woman is greatly affected by the response of her husband or lover. Sex therapy, therefore, involves the couple. The approach described here is aimed at assisting the couple to confront and intergrate the mastectomy experience. The use of a prosthesis is discouraged during intercourse because it delays such confrontation; certain sex therapy exercises (body imagery and sensate focus) are usually recommended because they facilitate confrontation and acceptance. These, modified for the circumstances, are described. It is suggested that intercourse be attempted as early as possible, and that if physical weakness or psychological trepidation intervenes, the physical desire and caring of the husband be expressed nonetheless. The "professional" attitudes that psychotherapy is always indicated for mastectomy patients and that the proper role of the husband is matter-of-fact denial are rejected; emphasis is placed on the beneficial consequences of sharing of all emotions.

Effects of bupropion, alone or coadministered with nicotine, on social behavior in mice.

PubMed

Gómez, Carmen; Carrasco, Carmen; Redolat, Rosa

2008-09-01

Bupropion, administered alone or combined with nicotine, is presently used to treat nicotine dependence. Despite experimental evidence of the complex behavioral actions of this drug, there have been little data reported about its effects on social behavior. Our main aim was to investigate the effects of acute administration of bupropion, alone or plus nicotine, on social interaction in mice. OF1 group-housed male mice were confronted in a neutral cage with an anosmic opponent during a 10 minutes encounter. Time allocated to body care and digging was reduced by administration of bupropion (40 mg/kg) both when administered alone and with nicotine (1 and 0.5 mg/kg). The lowest dose of bupropion (10 mg/kg) also reduced digging when combined with 1 mg/kg of nicotine. Time spent on non-social exploration and exploration from a distance was significantly higher in mice treated with bupropion (40 mg/kg) alone or combined with nicotine (1 and 0.5 mg/kg). The lowest dose of bupropion (10 mg/kg) increased non-social exploration when combined with 0.5 mg/kg of nicotine and exploration from a distance when combined with 1 mg/kg of nicotine. Ethopharmacological assessment of the behavior of groups of mice treated with different combinations of the two drugs indicates that nicotine can potentiate some of the behavioral effects of low doses of bupropion. Results also indicate that bupropion, either alone or combined with nicotine, has no significant effects on social investigation, suggesting that this drug does not induce a clear anxiolytic profile in OF1 mice.

Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet@metal-organic framework core-shell nanoparticles for photo-chemo combination therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Rui; Zhang, Jinfeng; Wang, Yu; Chen, Xianfeng; Zapien, J. Antonio; Lee, Chun-Sing

2015-10-01

Recently, nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) have started to be developed as a promising platform for bioimaging and drug delivery. On the other hand, combination therapies using multiple approaches are demonstrated to achieve much enhanced efficacy. Herein, we report, for the first time, core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) agent and a MOF shell while simultaneously carrying a chemotherapeutic drug for effective combination therapy. In this work, core-shell nanoparticles of zeolitic-imadazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as shell embedded with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets as core are fabricated by growing ZIF-8 in the presence of g-C3N4 nanosheets. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is then loaded into the ZIF-8 shell of the core-shell nanoparticles. The combination of the chemotherapeutic effects of DOX and the PDT effect of g-C3N4 nanosheets can lead to considerably enhanced efficacy. Furthermore, the red fluorescence of DOX and the blue fluorescence of g-C3N4 nanosheets provide the additional function of dual-color imaging for monitoring the drug release process.Recently, nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) have started to be developed as a promising platform for bioimaging and drug delivery. On the other hand, combination therapies using multiple approaches are demonstrated to achieve much enhanced efficacy. Herein, we report, for the first time, core-shell nanoparticles consisting of a photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) agent and a MOF shell while simultaneously carrying a chemotherapeutic drug for effective combination therapy. In this work, core-shell nanoparticles of zeolitic-imadazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as shell embedded with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets as core are fabricated by growing ZIF-8 in the presence of g-C3N4 nanosheets. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is then loaded into the ZIF-8 shell of the core-shell nanoparticles. The combination of the chemotherapeutic effects of DOX and the PDT effect of g-C3N4 nanosheets can lead to considerably enhanced efficacy. Furthermore, the red fluorescence of DOX and the blue fluorescence of g-C3N4 nanosheets provide the additional function of dual-color imaging for monitoring the drug release process. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04436g

A Framework for Analyzing Biometric Template Aging and Renewal Prediction

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

databases has sufficient data to support template aging over an extended period of time. Another assumption is that there is significant variance to...mentioned above for enrollment also apply to verification. When combining enrollment and verification, there is a significant amount of variance that... significant advancement in the biometrics body of knowledge. This research presents the CTARP Framework, a novel foundational framework for methods of

Virtual Workshop Environment (VWE): A Taxonomy and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework for Modularized Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)--Applying the Learning Object Concept to the VLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulsson, Fredrik; Naeve, Ambjorn

2006-01-01

Based on existing Learning Object taxonomies, this article suggests an alternative Learning Object taxonomy, combined with a general Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework, aiming to transfer the modularized concept of Learning Objects to modularized Virtual Learning Environments. The taxonomy and SOA-framework exposes a need for a clearer…

Fast and Efficient Feature Engineering for Multi-Cohort Analysis of EHR Data.

PubMed

Ozery-Flato, Michal; Yanover, Chen; Gottlieb, Assaf; Weissbrod, Omer; Parush Shear-Yashuv, Naama; Goldschmidt, Yaara

2017-01-01

We present a framework for feature engineering, tailored for longitudinal structured data, such as electronic health records (EHRs). To fast-track feature engineering and extraction, the framework combines general-use plug-in extractors, a multi-cohort management mechanism, and modular memoization. Using this framework, we rapidly extracted thousands of features from diverse and large healthcare data sources in multiple projects.

Building a Student-Centred Learning Framework Using Social Software in the Middle Years Classroom: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Gail

2013-01-01

This article discusses the development of the online spaces that were used to create a learning framework: a student-centred framework that combined face-to-face teaching with online social and participatory media. The author, as part of her Doctoral research study, used action research as a mechanism for continual improvement as she redesigned…

A framework for understanding moral distress among palliative care clinicians.

PubMed

Rushton, Cynda H; Kaszniak, Alfred W; Halifax, Joan S

2013-09-01

Palliative care clinicians confront suffering as they care for people living with life-limiting conditions. When the degree of suffering becomes unjustified, moral distress can ensue. Promising work from neuroscience and social psychology has yet to be applied to clinical practice. Our objective was to expand a social psychology model focusing on empathy and compassion in response to suffering to include an ethical dimension and to examine how the interrelationships of its proposed components can assist clinicians in understanding their responses to morally distressing situations. In the clinical context, responses to distressing events are thought to include four dimensions: empathy (emotional attunement), perspective taking (cognitive attunement), memory (personal experience), and moral sensitivity (ethical attunement). These dynamically intertwined dimensions create the preconditions for how clinicians respond to a triggering event instigated by an ethical conflict or dilemma. We postulate that if the four dimensions are highly aligned, the intensity and valence of emotional arousal will influence ethical appraisal and discernment by engaging a robust view of the ethical issues, conflicts, and possible solutions and cultivating compassionate action and resilience. In contrast, if they are not, ethical appraisal and discernment will be deficient, creating emotional disregulation and potentially leading to personal and moral distress, self-focused behaviors, unregulated moral outrage, burnout, and secondary stress. The adaptation and expansion of a conceptual framework offers a promising approach to designing interventions that help clinicians mitigate the detrimental consequences of unregulated moral distress and to build the resilience necessary to sustain themselves in clinical service.

Feminist theory and the study of gender and education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acker, Sandra

1987-12-01

This paper considers the three main Western feminist theoretical frameworks — liberal, socialist and radical — and their educational applications. Examples of studies using each approach are discussed. Liberal feminists writing about education use concepts of equal opportunities, socialization, sex roles and discrimination. Their strategies involve altering socialization practices, changing attitudes and making use of relevant legislation. Critics of the liberal school point to conceptual limitations and the liberal reluctance to confront power and patriarchy. Socialist feminists analyze the role of the school in the perpetuation of gender divisions under capitalism. Major concepts are socio-cultural reproduction and to a lesser extent acceptance of and resistance to gender-based patterns of behaviour. So far socialist-feminist educational writing is mainly theoretical rather than practical and has therefore been criticized for its over-determinism and insufficient empiric foundation. Radical feminists in education have concentrated mainly on the male monopolization of knowledge and culture and on sexual politics in schools. Strategies involve putting women's and girls' concerns first, through separate-sex groups when necessary. Critics argue that radical feminism tends towards biological reductionism, description rather than explanation and also contains methodological weaknesses. Mutual criticism of perspectives seems less destructive in educational writing than in some other categories of feminist scholarship. All the theoretical frameworks are subject to the same pressures including the oppressive power of structures, the resilience of individuals, and the tension between universality (how women are the same) and diversity (how women differ on attributes like class and race).

Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo

PubMed Central

Bohomol, Elena; Cunha, Isabel Cristina Kowal Olm

2015-01-01

Objective To analyze the Educational Project of the undergraduate medical course to verify what is taught regarding Patient Safety and to enable reflections on the educational practice. Methods A descriptive study, using document research as strategy. The document of investigation was the Educational Project of the medical course, in 2006, at the Escola Paulista de Medicina of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. The theoretical framework adopted was the Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide of the World Health Organization, which led to the preparation of a list with 153 tracking terms. Results We identified 65 syllabus units in the Educational Project of the course, in which 40 (61.5%) addressed topics related to Patient Safety. Themes on the topic “Infection prevention and control” were found in 19 (47.5%) units and teaching of “Interaction with patients and caregivers” in 12 (32.5%); however content related to “Learning from errors to prevent harm” were not found. None of the framework topics had their proposed themes entirely taught during the period of education of the future physicians. Conclusion Patient safety is taught in a fragmented manner, which values clinical skills such as the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, post-treatment, surgical procedures, and follow-up. Since it is a recent movement, the teaching of patient safety confronts informative proposals based on traditional structures centered on subjects and on specific education, and it is still poorly valued. PMID:25993062

Relationships between stress, coping and depressive symptoms among overseas university preparatory Chinese students: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Mental health problems in young people are an important public health issue. Students leaving their hometown and family at a young age to pursue better educational opportunities overseas are confronted with life adjustment stress, which in turn affects their mental health and academic performance. This study aimed to examine the relationships among stress, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms using the stress coping framework in overseas Chinese university preparatory students in Taiwan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at an overseas Chinese university preparatory institute in Taiwan. Of enrolled overseas Chinese university preparatory students at 2009, 756 completed a structured questionnaire measuring stress, strategies for coping with it, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results High levels of stress significantly predicted the adoption of active, problem-focused coping strategies (R2 = 0.13, p < .01) and passive, emotion-focused coping strategies (R2 = 0.24, p < .01). Acceptable CFI, SRMR, and RMSEA values from the structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that the model satisfactorily fits the stress coping framework, after active coping strategies were eliminated from the model. Results from the Sobel test revealed that passive coping strategies mediated the relation between stress and depressive symptoms (z = 8.06, p < .001). Conclusion Our study results suggested that stress is associated with coping strategies and depressive symptoms and passive strategies mediate the relation between stress and depressive symptoms in overseas Chinese university preparatory students. PMID:21595974

Teaching patient safety in the medical undergraduate program at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo.

PubMed

Bohomol, Elena; Cunha, Isabel Cristina Kowal Olm

2015-01-01

To analyze the Educational Project of the undergraduate medical course to verify what is taught regarding Patient Safety and to enable reflections on the educational practice. A descriptive study, using document research as strategy. The document of investigation was the Educational Project of the medical course, in 2006, at the Escola Paulista de Medicina of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. The theoretical framework adopted was the Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide of the World Health Organization, which led to the preparation of a list with 153 tracking terms. We identified 65 syllabus units in the Educational Project of the course, in which 40 (61.5%) addressed topics related to Patient Safety. Themes on the topic "Infection prevention and control" were found in 19 (47.5%) units and teaching of "Interaction with patients and caregivers" in 12 (32.5%); however content related to "Learning from errors to prevent harm" were not found. None of the framework topics had their proposed themes entirely taught during the period of education of the future physicians. Patient safety is taught in a fragmented manner, which values clinical skills such as the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, post-treatment, surgical procedures, and follow-up. Since it is a recent movement, the teaching of patient safety confronts informative proposals based on traditional structures centered on subjects and on specific education, and it is still poorly valued.

How to Assess Vulnerabilities of Water Policies to Global Change?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, A.; Haasnoot, M.; Weijs, S.

2017-12-01

Water managers are confronted with uncertainties arising from hydrological, societal, economical and political drivers. To manage these uncertainties two paradigms have been identified: top-down and bottom-up approaches. Top-down or prediction-based approaches use socio-economic scenarios together with a discrete set of GCM projections (often downscaled) to assess the expected impact of drivers and policies on water resource system through various hydrological and social systems models. Adaptation strategies to alleviate these impacts are then identified and tested against the scenarios. To address GCM and downscaling uncertainties, these approaches put more focus on climate predictions, rather than the decision problem itself. Triggered by the wish to have a more scenario-neutral approach and address downscaling uncertainties, recent analyses have been shifted towards vulnerability-based (bottom-up or decision-centric) approaches. They begin at the local scale by addressing socio-economic responses to climate, often involving stakeholder's input; identify vulnerabilities under a larger sample of plausible futures and evaluate sensitivity and robustness of possible adaptation options. Several bottom-up approaches have emerged so far and are increasingly recommended. Fundamentally they share several core ideas, however, subtle differences exist in vulnerability assessment, visualization tools for exploring vulnerabilities and computational methods used for identifying robust water policies. Through this study, we try to identify how these approaches are progressing, how the climate and non-climate uncertainties are being confronted and how to integrate existing and new tools. We find that choice of a method may depend on the number of vulnerability drivers identified and type of threshold levels (environmental conditions or policy objectives) defined. Certain approaches are suited well for assessing adaptive capacities, tipping points and sequencing of decisions. However, visualization of the vulnerability domain is still challenging if multiple drivers are present. New emerging tools are focused on generating synthetic scenarios, addressing multiple objectives, linking decision-making frameworks to adaptation pathways and communicating risks to the stakeholders.

Preparation of fluorescent mesoporous hollow silica-fullerene nanoparticles via selective etching for combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yannan; Yu, Meihua; Song, Hao; Wang, Yue; Yu, Chengzhong

2015-07-01

Well-dispersed mesoporous hollow silica-fullerene nanoparticles with particle sizes of ~50 nm have been successfully prepared by incorporating fullerene molecules into the silica framework followed by a selective etching method. The fabricated fluorescent silica-fullerene composite with high porosity demonstrates excellent performance in combined chemo/photodynamic therapy.Well-dispersed mesoporous hollow silica-fullerene nanoparticles with particle sizes of ~50 nm have been successfully prepared by incorporating fullerene molecules into the silica framework followed by a selective etching method. The fabricated fluorescent silica-fullerene composite with high porosity demonstrates excellent performance in combined chemo/photodynamic therapy. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02769a

An automated tuberculosis screening strategy combining X-ray-based computer-aided detection and clinical information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melendez, Jaime; Sánchez, Clara I.; Philipsen, Rick H. H. M.; Maduskar, Pragnya; Dawson, Rodney; Theron, Grant; Dheda, Keertan; van Ginneken, Bram

2016-04-01

Lack of human resources and radiological interpretation expertise impair tuberculosis (TB) screening programmes in TB-endemic countries. Computer-aided detection (CAD) constitutes a viable alternative for chest radiograph (CXR) reading. However, no automated techniques that exploit the additional clinical information typically available during screening exist. To address this issue and optimally exploit this information, a machine learning-based combination framework is introduced. We have evaluated this framework on a database containing 392 patient records from suspected TB subjects prospectively recruited in Cape Town, South Africa. Each record comprised a CAD score, automatically computed from a CXR, and 12 clinical features. Comparisons with strategies relying on either CAD scores or clinical information alone were performed. Our results indicate that the combination framework outperforms the individual strategies in terms of the area under the receiving operating characteristic curve (0.84 versus 0.78 and 0.72), specificity at 95% sensitivity (49% versus 24% and 31%) and negative predictive value (98% versus 95% and 96%). Thus, it is believed that combining CAD and clinical information to estimate the risk of active disease is a promising tool for TB screening.

The Role of Social Networking Sites in Creating Moral Crisis and the Role of the University in Confronting It from the View Point of Qassim University Faculty Members

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Smadi, Hend Sam'an Ibrahim

2017-01-01

The study aimed at recognizing the effect of the social networking sites (henceforth snss) in creating moral crisis and the role of the university in its confrontation from the view point of faculty members at Qassim University. Two tests were constructed; the first included (29 items) developed to identify the role of snss in creating moral…

Seeking Shadows in the Sky: The Strategy of Air Guerrilla Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-11-01

Structuring Air Power for the Small Air Force,” in Air Power Confronts an Unstable World, ed. Richard P. Hallion (London: Brassey’s, 1997), 181. 12...Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND, 1997), 207. 6. Air Commodore Andrew G. B. Vallance , “The Changing Nature of Air Warfare,” in Air Power Confronts an...Unstable World, ed. Richard P. Hallion (London: Brassey’s, 1997), xv; and Alan Stephens, The Implications of Modern Airpower for Defence Strategy, Air

Confronting Space Debris: Strategies and Warnings from Comparable Examples Including Deepwater Horizon

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Horizon (DH) was an ultra deepwater , semisubmers- ible offshore drilling rig contracted to BP by its owner, Transocean. The rig was capable of...Warnings from Comparable Examples Including Deepwater Horizon 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT...research quality and objectivity. StrategieS and WarningS from Comparable exampleS inCluding deepWater Horizon Confronting SpaCe DebriS dave baiocchi

Study of Managerial Challenges Confronting a New Agency: The Case of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government . IRB Protocol number ____N...maximum 200 words) The government of Malaysia decided to establish a new dedicated agency for law enforcement in the Malaysian Maritime Zone, in...CONFRONTING A NEW AGENCY: THE CASE OF THE MALAYSIAN MARITIME ENFORCEMENT AGENCY ABSTRACT The government of Malaysia decided to establish a

Special Relationship What are the Strategic Choices available to the UK after the US Pivot to Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-14

Emergency’ see Jones, Matthew, Conflict and Confrontation in South East Asia , 1961 – 1965, (Cambridge: CUP, 2002). 7 A spokesman at the Bureau of Asian...Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010. Jones, Matthew. Conflict and Confrontation in South East Asia , 1961 – 1965. Cambridge: CUP, 2002...greater role in influencing events in the Asia -Pacific region. This strategic decision is complicated by the fact that the United States is trying to

Latent Growth Curve Analysis of Fear during a Speech Task before and after Treatment for Social Phobia

PubMed Central

Price, Matthew; Anderson, Page L.

2011-01-01

Models of social phobia highlight the importance of anticipatory anxiety in the experience of fear during a social situation. Anticipatory anxiety has been shown to be highly correlated with performance anxiety for a variety of social situations. A few studies show that average ratings of anxiety during the anticipation and performance phases of a social situation decline following treatment. Evidence also suggests that the point of confrontation with the feared stimulus is the peak level of fear. No study to date has evaluated the pattern of anxious responding across the anticipation, confrontation, and performance phases before and after treatment, which is the focus of the current study. Socially phobic individuals (N=51) completed a behavioral avoidance task before and after two types of manualized cognitive behavioral therapy, and gave ratings of fear during the anticipation and performance phases. Results from latent growth curve analysis were the same for the two treatments and suggest that before treatment, anxiety sharply increased during the anticipation phase, was highly elevated at the confrontation, and, to a gradually increased during the performance phase. After treatment, anxiety increased during the anticipation phase, although at a much slower rate than at pretreatment, peaking at confrontation, and declined at the performance phase. The findings suggest that anticipatory experiences are critical to the experience of fear for public speaking and should be incorporated into exposures. PMID:21907972

Effects of nutritional and psychological status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer on physical performance status.

PubMed

Tian, Jun; Chen, Zhen-chun; Hang, Li-Fang

2009-10-01

The aim of this study was to assess the associations between coping mode, nutritional status, and psychological status and performance status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer. An epidemiological survey was conducted among 233 patients with advanced stomach cancer in Fujian, China. In-person interviews were performed for the participants with respect to information of psychological status prior to chemotherapy, nutritional status during chemotherapy, and physical performance status after chemotherapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the level of hemoglobin (HB), level of daily calorie intake, score of Depression Status Inventory (DSI), and score of confrontation subscale of Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire had a significant influence on performance status (P < 0.05). The relative risks (95% confidence interval) were 2.06 (1.12-3.79) for low level of hemoglobin versus normal level of hemoglobin, 1.16 (1.02-1.32) for low level of daily calorie intake versus normal level of daily calorie intake, 5.89 (2.00-17.31) for DSI score > or =40 versus DSI score <40, and 3.17 (1.73-5.78) for low score of confrontation versus high score of confrontation, respectively. Depression, low score of "Confrontation", low levels of HB, and low level of daily calorie intake may be the risk factors of poor performance status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer.

Strategies for resolving conflict: their functional and dysfunctional sides.

PubMed

Stimac, M

1982-01-01

Conflict in the workplace can have a beneficial effect. That is if appropriately resolved, it plays an important part in effective problem solving, according to author Michele Stimac, associate dean, curriculum and instruction, and professor at Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She advocates confrontation--by way of negotiation rather than brute force--as the best way to resolve conflict, heal wounds, reconcile the parties involved, and give the resolution long life. But she adds that if a person who has though through when, where, and how to confront someone foresees only disaster, avoidance is the best path to take. The emphasis here is on strategy. Avoiding confrontation, for example, is not a strategic move unless it is backed by considered judgment. Stimac lays out these basic tenets for engaging in sound negotiation: (1) The confrontation should take place in neutral territory. (2) The parties should actively listen to each other. (3) Each should assert his or her right to fair treatment. (4) Each must allow the other to retain his or her dignity. (5) The parties should seek a consensus on the issues inconflict, their resolution, and the means of reducing any tension that results from the resolution. (6) The parties should exhibit a spirit of give and take--that is, of compromise. (7) They should seek satisfaction for all involved.

Critical neuropsychobiological analysis of panic attack- and anticipatory anxiety-like behaviors in rodents confronted with snakes in polygonal arenas and complex labyrinths: a comparison to the elevated plus- and T-maze behavioral tests.

PubMed

Coimbra, Norberto C; Paschoalin-Maurin, Tatiana; Bassi, Gabriel S; Kanashiro, Alexandre; Biagioni, Audrey F; Felippotti, Tatiana T; Elias-Filho, Daoud H; Mendes-Gomes, Joyce; Cysne-Coimbra, Jade P; Almada, Rafael C; Lobão-Soares, Bruno

2017-01-01

To compare prey and snake paradigms performed in complex environments to the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and T-maze (ETM) tests for the study of panic attack- and anticipatory anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. PubMed was reviewed in search of articles focusing on the plus maze test, EPM, and ETM, as well as on defensive behaviors displayed by threatened rodents. In addition, the authors' research with polygonal arenas and complex labyrinth (designed by the first author for confrontation between snakes and small rodents) was examined. The EPM and ETM tests evoke anxiety/fear-related defensive responses that are pharmacologically validated, whereas the confrontation between rodents and snakes in polygonal arenas with or without shelters or in the complex labyrinth offers ethological conditions for studying more complex defensive behaviors and the effects of anxiolytic and panicolytic drugs. Prey vs. predator paradigms also allow discrimination between non-oriented and oriented escape behavior. Both EPM and ETM simple labyrinths are excellent apparatuses for the study of anxiety- and instinctive fear-related responses, respectively. The confrontation between rodents and snakes in polygonal arenas, however, offers a more ethological environment for addressing both unconditioned and conditioned fear-induced behaviors and the effects of anxiolytic and panicolytic drugs.

On accommodating spatial interactions in a Generalized Heterogeneous Data Model (GHDM) of mixed types of dependent variables.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

We develop an econometric framework for incorporating spatial dependence in integrated model systems of latent variables and multidimensional mixed data outcomes. The framework combines Bhats Generalized Heterogeneous Data Model (GHDM) with a spat...

Parameterization models for pesticide exposure via crop consumption.

PubMed

Fantke, Peter; Wieland, Peter; Juraske, Ronnie; Shaddick, Gavin; Itoiz, Eva Sevigné; Friedrich, Rainer; Jolliet, Olivier

2012-12-04

An approach for estimating human exposure to pesticides via consumption of six important food crops is presented that can be used to extend multimedia models applied in health risk and life cycle impact assessment. We first assessed the variation of model output (pesticide residues per kg applied) as a function of model input variables (substance, crop, and environmental properties) including their possible correlations using matrix algebra. We identified five key parameters responsible for between 80% and 93% of the variation in pesticide residues, namely time between substance application and crop harvest, degradation half-lives in crops and on crop surfaces, overall residence times in soil, and substance molecular weight. Partition coefficients also play an important role for fruit trees and tomato (Kow), potato (Koc), and lettuce (Kaw, Kow). Focusing on these parameters, we develop crop-specific models by parametrizing a complex fate and exposure assessment framework. The parametric models thereby reflect the framework's physical and chemical mechanisms and predict pesticide residues in harvest using linear combinations of crop, crop surface, and soil compartments. Parametric model results correspond well with results from the complex framework for 1540 substance-crop combinations with total deviations between a factor 4 (potato) and a factor 66 (lettuce). Predicted residues also correspond well with experimental data previously used to evaluate the complex framework. Pesticide mass in harvest can finally be combined with reduction factors accounting for food processing to estimate human exposure from crop consumption. All parametric models can be easily implemented into existing assessment frameworks.