Narrative Report of the El Centro de la Causa Library Project, 1973-1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago Public Library, IL.

El Centro de la Causa and the Chicago Public Library cooperated in a program to serve Chicago's Spanish speaking population. The project assessed needs and designed programs to meet those needs by establishing a library in El Centro's community center and some outreach programs. An active acquisitions program for Spanish language materials was…

El Centro College Strategic Plan, 2000-2005.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Centro Coll., Dallas, TX.

This is the 2000-2005 strategic plan at El Centro College (Texas). It discusses the college's mission, vision, and core values, and provides information on goals and success indicators. Goals include: (1) preparing students for careers and for transfer to four-year institutions; (2) providing quality continuing/workforce education to enrich…

Conservacion de truchas del Pacifico

Treesearch

Brooke E. Penaluna

2016-01-01

La historia de las truchas del Pacífico, pertenecientes al género Oncorhynchus, es una historia muy interesante que se basa en la persistencia y diversificación de sus especies debido, en gran parte, al dinamismo propio que existe en su medio ambiente. Desde el oeste de Norteamérica, extendiéndose hasta el este de Asia, las truchas del Pacífico han experimentado la...

Mejoras en el apuntado del telescopio de 2,15 mts de CASLEO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aballay, J. L.; Casagrande, A. R.; Pereyra, P. F.; Marún, A. H.

Con el objeto de optimizar el funcionamiento del telescopio de 2,15 mts. de CASLEO, se están eliminando los motores de calar, de guía y mecánica asociada. Para ésto, se están diseñando dos electrónicas que gobernarán, solamente, el motor de slew y el de tracking. Con el control del motor de slew se realizarán las funciones de slew y calar, controlando desde una PC la placa que maneja las rampas de velocidad. De este modo, el movimiento será programado y por lo tanto, más suave y preciso. Con el control del motor de tracking, a través de un generador de frecuencias programable desde una PC, se proveerá los movimientos necesarios para el tracking y guía.

PubMed

Valero Gaspar, Teresa; Del Pozo de la Calle, Susana; Ruiz Moreno, Emma; Ávila Torres, Osé Manuel; Varela-Moreiras, Gregorio; Cuadrado Vives, Carmen

2016-11-29

Introducción: a finales del siglo xx, no se conocía con precisión si la comida del comedor escolar contribuía adecuadamente a la dieta de la población infantil. Además, este servicio complementario no se contemplaba en el proyecto educativo del centro pese a considerarse fundamental en todas sus dimensiones.Objetivo: describir el origen y desarrollo del programa de comedores escolares de la Comunidad de Madrid (CM) en 15 años desde su implantación.Métodos: se elaboró una normativa a cumplir por las empresas de restauración, y que contemplaba aspectos nutricionales y de composición y variedad de los menús, que se utilizó en los concursos para acceder a la prestación del servicio de comedor escolar, publicados en los años 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 y 2013. Además se realizaron visitas acreditadas a los centros sin previo aviso para verifi car el cumplimiento de la documentación aportada durante el concurso.Resultados: los criterios más actuales sobre programación y elaboración de menús escolares se recogen en el Pliego de Prescripciones Técnicas del año 2013 (C-504/001-2013). Un 92% de las empresas de restauración superaron los cinco concursos habidos en los 15 años de funcionamiento. Hasta el año 2014, se han realizado 755 visitas, revisándose un total de 574 centros.Conclusiones: el programa de comedores escolares de la CM, desde su implementación pionera en España, ha contribuido a la mejora del servicio complementario de comedor. En estos años se han ido incluyendo nuevos requisitos dietéticos y nutricionales que han logrado menús cada vez más ajustados a las recomendaciones de la población escolar.

EST databases and web tools for EST projects.

PubMed

Shen, Yao-Qing; O'Brien, Emmet; Koski, Liisa; Lang, B Franz; Burger, Gertraud

2009-01-01

This chapter outlines key considerations for constructing and implementing an EST database. Instead of showing the technological details step by step, emphasis is put on the design of an EST database suited to the specific needs of EST projects and how to choose the most suitable tools. Using TBestDB as an example, we illustrate the essential factors to be considered for database construction and the steps for data population and annotation. This process employs technologies such as PostgreSQL, Perl, and PHP to build the database and interface, and tools such as AutoFACT for data processing and annotation. We discuss these in comparison to other available technologies and tools, and explain the reasons for our choices.

Estándar para la Protección del Trabajador Agrícola Revisado

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Estas revisiones al Estándar de Protección a los Trabajadores Agrícolas, promulgado en 1992, proporcionarán protecciones de salud a los trabajadores agrícolas similares a las que ya disponen trabajadores en otras industrias.

Determinacion de Caracteristicas Opticas del Telescopio OAN150

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galan, M. J.; Cobos, F. J.

1987-05-01

En el Observatorio de Calar Alto, en Almería, España, está ubicado un telescopio de 15O-cms de diámetro -construído por REOSC- perteneciente al Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, con sede en Madrid, España. La infraestructura técnica del OAN ha sido tradicionalmente débil y actualmente se está haciendo un esfuerzo por fortalecerla. Existe una información muy limitada del telescopio en general; de su óptica en particular se conocían los valores de los parámetros principales pero sin saber si éstos corresponden a valores teóricos ó de construcción. Por ello se consideró necesario iniciar una investigación para conocer en detalle los valores reales de las componentes ópticas del telescopio, obteniéndose algunos resultados de interés. El primario del telescopio OANl5O es aproximadamente F/3 y el siste ma en su conjunto es F/8.2, con su sistema corrector de campo. En términos generales, la imagen es satisfactoria en todo el campo y, sin sistema corrector, la imagen axial también es buena. En un futuro muy cercano se piensa diseñar instrumentación adicional para este telescopio. Conocer con mayor precisión sus características puede ser de gran utilidad para tal fin, pues se efectúan los cálculos considerando conjuntamente al telescopio y al instrumento.

Extensión del Formalismo de Orbitales de Defecto Cuántico al tratamiento del efecto Stark (SQDO).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menéndez, J. M.; Martín, I.; Velasco, A. M.

El estudio experimental de las interacciones de átomos Rydberg altamente excitados con campos eléctricos ha experimentado un creciente interés durante las dos últimas décadas debido, en gran medida, al desarrollo de nuevas técnicas para crear y estudiar átomos Rydberg en el laboratorio. Acompañando a estas nuevas técnicas experimentales, es necesario el desarrollo de modelos teóricos que nos permitan contrastar sus medidas y conocer mejor los fundamentos de los mismos. Desde el punto de vista teórico el conocimiento del desdoblamiento de los niveles energéticos de un átomo en función de la magnitud del campo eléctrico aplicado (lo que se conoce como mapa Stark) es el mejor punto de partida para la descripción del sistema y un prerrequisito fundamental para el cálculo de distintas propiedades atómicas en presencia del campo eléctrico tales como intensidades de transición, umbrales de ionización de campo eléctrico, tiempos de vida, posición y anchura de cruces evitados, etc. En este trabajo presentamos la adaptación del método de orbitales de defecto cuántico [1,2,3] al tratamiento del efecto Stark (SQDO) [4] y su aplicación al cálculo de los desdoblamientos energéticos y fuerzas de oscilador de estados Rydberg en los átomos de Li, Na y K. El propósito de este estudio es, por un lado, desarrollar métodos fiables para la determinación de propiedades atómicas en presencia de campos eléctricos y, por otro, mostrar la fiabilidad de las funciones de onda QDO en la descripción del efecto Stark en sistemas atómicos.

EST-PAC a web package for EST annotation and protein sequence prediction

PubMed Central

Strahm, Yvan; Powell, David; Lefèvre, Christophe

2006-01-01

With the decreasing cost of DNA sequencing technology and the vast diversity of biological resources, researchers increasingly face the basic challenge of annotating a larger number of expressed sequences tags (EST) from a variety of species. This typically consists of a series of repetitive tasks, which should be automated and easy to use. The results of these annotation tasks need to be stored and organized in a consistent way. All these operations should be self-installing, platform independent, easy to customize and amenable to using distributed bioinformatics resources available on the Internet. In order to address these issues, we present EST-PAC a web oriented multi-platform software package for expressed sequences tag (EST) annotation. EST-PAC provides a solution for the administration of EST and protein sequence annotations accessible through a web interface. Three aspects of EST annotation are automated: 1) searching local or remote biological databases for sequence similarities using Blast services, 2) predicting protein coding sequence from EST data and, 3) annotating predicted protein sequences with functional domain predictions. In practice, EST-PAC integrates the BLASTALL suite, EST-Scan2 and HMMER in a relational database system accessible through a simple web interface. EST-PAC also takes advantage of the relational database to allow consistent storage, powerful queries of results and, management of the annotation process. The system allows users to customize annotation strategies and provides an open-source data-management environment for research and education in bioinformatics. PMID:17147782

Anticipation of somatosensory and motor events increases centro-parietal functional coupling: an EEG coherence study.

PubMed

Babiloni, Claudio; Brancucci, Alfredo; Vecchio, Fabrizio; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Chen, Andrew C N; Rossini, Paolo M

2006-05-01

Does functional coupling of centro-parietal EEG rhythms selectively increase during the anticipation of sensorimotor events composed by somatosensory stimulation and visuomotor task? EEG data were recorded in (1) 'simultaneous' condition in which the subjects waited for somatosensory stimulation at left hand concomitant with a Go (or NoGo) visual stimulus triggering (50%) right hand movements and in (2) 'sequential' condition where the somatosensory stimulation was followed (+1.5 s) by a visuomotor Go/NoGo task. Centro-parietal functional coupling was modeled by spectral coherence. Spectral coherence was computed from Laplacian-transformed EEG data at delta-theta (2-7 Hz), alpha (8-14 Hz), beta 1 (15-21 Hz), beta 2 (22-33 Hz), and gamma (34-45 Hz) rhythms. Before 'simultaneous' sensorimotor events, centro-parietal coherence regions increased in both hemispheres and at all rhythms. In the 'sequential' condition, right centro-parietal coherence increased before somatosensory event (left hand), whereas left centro-parietal coherence increased before subsequent Go/NoGo event (right hand). Anticipation of somatosensory and visuomotor events enhances contralateral centro-parietal coupling of slow and fast EEG rhythms. Predictable somatosensory and visuomotor events are anticipated not only by synchronization of cortical pyramidal neurons generating EEG power in parietal and primary sensorimotor cortical areas (Babiloni C, Brancucci A, Capotosto P, Arendt-Nielsen L, Chen ACN, Rossini PM. Expectancy of pain is influenced by motor preparation: a high-resolution EEG study of cortical alpha rhythms. Behav. Neurosci. 2005a;119(2):503-511; Babiloni C, Brancucci A, Pizzella V, Romani G.L, Tecchio F, Torquati K, Zappasodi F, Arendt-Nielsen L, Chen ACN, Rossini PM. Contingent negative variation in the parasylvian cortex increases during expectancy of painful sensorimotor events: a magnetoencephalographic study. Behav. Neurosci. 2005b;119(2):491-502) but also by functional

El uso de la neuromodulación para el tratamiento del temblor

PubMed Central

Bendersky, Damián; Ajler, Pablo; Yampolsky, Claudio

2014-01-01

Introducción: El temblor puede ser un desorden incapacitante y el tratamiento de primera línea para estos pacientes es farmacológico. Sin embargo, este tratamiento puede llevar a una reducción satisfactoria del temblor en sólo el 50% de los pacientes con temblor esencial. La talamotomía era el tratamiento de elección para el temblor refractario al tratamiento médico hasta que comenzó a utilizarse la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) del núcleo ventral intermedio (Vim) del tálamo. En la actualidad, raramente se realiza la talamotomía. Métodos: Este artículo es una revisión no sistemática de las indicaciones, resultados, parámetros de programación y técnica quirúrgica de la ECP del Vim para el tratamiento del temblor. Resultados: Aunque los resultados clínicos son similares usando la talamotomía o la ECP del Vim, la primera causa más efectos adversos que la última. Además, la ECP puede ser usada bilateralmente, mientras que la talamotomía tiene un alto riesgo de causar disartria cuando se realiza de ambos lados. La ECP del Vim logró una adecuada mejoría del temblor en varias series de pacientes con temblor causado por temblor esencial, enfermedad de Parkinson o esclerosis múltiple. Además del Vim, hay otros blancos que están siendo usados por varios autores, tales como la zona incerta y las radiaciones prelemniscales. Conclusión: La ECP del Vim es un tratamiento útil para el temblor incapacitante refractario al tratamiento médico. Es esencial realizar una precisa selección de pacientes, así como utilizar una técnica quirúrgica correcta. Aún se desconoce el mejor blanco estereotáctico para el temblor, aunque el Vim es el más usado. PMID:25165613

Digitalización de diapositivas del Sol en H α

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Missio, H.; Montenegro, C.; Montenegro, R.

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido el de obtener imágenes digitalizadas de las diapositivas tomadas del Sol en luz de hidrógeno de la línea correspondiente a Hα, y de esta manera llegar a convertir las mismas a un archivo digital para poder ser tratadas luego por computadora y poder contabilizar con exactitud, mediante un programa adecuado para tal fin, las zonas activas del Sol en la imagen digitalizada. En principio, para llegar a esto se pensó en la utilización de medios accesibles, y como detector se utilizó un fototransistor ubicado dentro de un soporte rectangular sobre dos ejes de desplazamiento X e Y. Se han obtenido con este procedimiento imágenes de buena calidad, construídas a partir de tres datos digitalizados en cada barrido que aportan la posición X e Y y la intensidad del pixel en ese punto indicada en 255 tonos de grises.

Primer registro para Peru del genero Nielsonia Young, 1977 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae: Cicadellini)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

En este articulo se reporta por primera vez para el Peru una especies del genero Nielsonia Young, 1977, de material procedente del Departamento de Tumbes. El genero ha sido reportada anteriormente de Ecuador, como unico registro para Sudamerica, y America Central. El unico especimen hembra encontra...

Annotation of Ehux ESTs

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

Kuo, Alan; Grigoriev, Igor

2009-06-12

22 percent ESTs do no align with scaffolds. EST Pipeleine assembles 17126 consensi from the noaligned ESTs. Annotation Pipeline predicts 8564 ORFS on the consensi. Domain analysis of ORFs reveals missing genes. Cluster analysis reveals missing genes. Expression analysis reveals potential strain specific genes.

Mejoras en la exactitud del reloj de ángulo horario del telescopio de 2,15 mts de CASLEO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aballay, J. L.; Pereyra, P. F.; Marún, A. H.

Para aumentar la exactitud en el control del ángulo horario del telescopio, se está implementando el uso de un reloj con una precisión de 1/100 seg. En conjunto con el encoder que otorga la posición con un acierto de 0,012 seg. de arco, se podrá implementar otro dígito en el reloj de ángulo horario con la posibilidad de ver las décimas. Esto, sumado a la precisión ya lograda en declinación, permitirá realizar offsets con mayor exactitud.

Development and Dissemination of the El Centro Health Disparities Measures Library.

PubMed

Mitrani, Victoria Behar; O'Day, Joanne E; Norris, Timothy B; Adebayo, Oluwamuyiwa Winifred

2017-09-01

This report describes the development and dissemination of a library of English measures, with Spanish translations, on constructs relevant to social determinants of health and behavioral health outcomes. The El Centro Measures Library is a product of the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: El Centro, a program funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The library is aimed at enhancing capacity for minority health and health disparities research, particularly for Hispanics living in the United States and abroad. The open-access library of measures (available through www.miami.edu/sonhs/measureslibrary) contains brief descriptions of each measure, scoring information (where available), links to related peer-reviewed articles, and measure items in both languages. Links to measure websites where commercially available measures can be purchased are included, as is contact information for measures that require author permission. Links to several other measures libraries are hosted on the library website. Other researchers may contribute to the library. El Centro investigators began the library by electing to use a common set of measures across studies to assess demographic information, culture-related variables, proximal outcomes of interest, and major outcomes. The collection was expanded to include other health disparity research studies. In 2012, a formal process was developed to organize, expand, and centralize the library in preparation for a gradual process of dissemination to the national and international community of researchers. The library currently contains 61 measures encompassing 12 categories of constructs. Thus far, the library has been accessed 8,883 times (unique page views as generated by Google Analytics), and responses from constituencies of users and measure authors have been favorable. With the paucity of availability and accessibility of translated

High polymorphism in Est-SSR loci for cellulose synthase and β-amylase of sugarcane varieties (Saccharum spp.) used by the industrial sector for ethanol production.

PubMed

Augusto, Raphael; Maranho, Rone Charles; Mangolin, Claudete Aparecida; Pires da Silva Machado, Maria de Fátima

2015-01-01

High and low polymorphisms in simple sequence repeats of expressed sequence tag (EST-SSR) for specific proteins and enzymes, such as β-amylase, cellulose synthase, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, were used to illustrate the genetic divergence within and between varieties of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and to guide the technological paths to optimize ethanol production from lignocellulose biomass. The varieties RB72454, RB867515, RB92579, and SP813250 on the second stage of cutting, all grown in the state of Paraná (PR), and the varieties RB92579 and SP813250 cultured in the PR state and in Northeastern Brazil, state of Pernambuco (PE), were analyzed using five EST-SSR primers for EstC66, EstC67, EstC68, EstC69, and EstC91 loci. Genetic divergence was evident in the EstC67 and EstC69 loci for β-amylase and cellulose synthase, respectively, among the four sugarcane varieties. An extremely high level of genetic differentiation was also detected in the EstC67 locus from the RB82579 and SP813250 varieties cultured in the PR and PE states. High polymorphism in SSR of the cellulose synthase locus may explain the high variability of substrates used in pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis processes, which has been an obstacle to effective industrial adaptations.

ApiEST-DB: analyzing clustered EST data of the apicomplexan parasites.

PubMed

Li, Li; Crabtree, Jonathan; Fischer, Steve; Pinney, Deborah; Stoeckert, Christian J; Sibley, L David; Roos, David S

2004-01-01

ApiEST-DB (http://www.cbil.upenn.edu/paradbs-servlet/) provides integrated access to publicly available EST data from protozoan parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. The database currently incorporates a total of nearly 100,000 ESTs from several parasite species of clinical and/or veterinary interest, including Eimeria tenella, Neospora caninum, Plasmodium falciparum, Sarcocystis neurona and Toxoplasma gondii. To facilitate analysis of these data, EST sequences were clustered and assembled to form consensus sequences for each organism, and these assemblies were then subjected to automated annotation via similarity searches against protein and domain databases. The underlying relational database infrastructure, Genomics Unified Schema (GUS), enables complex biologically based queries, facilitating validation of gene models, identification of alternative splicing, detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms, identification of stage-specific genes and recognition of phylogenetically conserved and phylogenetically restricted sequences.

The la Plata Astronomical Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marraco, H. G.

1990-11-01

RESUMEN. El Centro de Datos Astron6micos tiene su sede en la Facuitad de Ciencias Astron6micas y Geofisicas d la Universidad Nacional de La Plata y funciona por convenio entre esta facultad y el Centre des Stellaires de la Universite' Louis Pasteur en Estrasburgo (CDS), Francia. La finalidad de este centro es la de proveer a los astr6nomos del area con copias de los alrededor de 500 acumulados y/o preparados por el CDS a la vez que promover la producci6n y/o acumulaci6n de en el rea. Para la realizaci6n de esta tarea se cuenta con el apoyo del Centro Superior para el Procesamiento de la Informaci6n (CESPI) de la UNLP cuyos equipos se describen. Las tareas que se estan realizando incluyen la distribuci6n de SIMBAD a los astr6nomos argentinos y se efectuan ensayos de distribuci6n en linea de CD-ROM TEST DISK del Astronomical Data Center (ADC) de la NASA que contiene los 31 mas solicitados por los astr6nomos de todo el mundo. ABSTRACl The La Plata Astronomical Data Center operates by an agreement between the Facultad de Ciencias Astron6micas y Geofisicas at La Plata University and the Centre des Donnees Stellaires of Louis Pasteur University at Strasbourg (CDS), France. The purpose of the Center is to provide to the area astronomers with copies of the catalogs they need amongst those stored and/or prepared at CDS. At the same time the center will act of the astronomical data produced within its area. K words: DATA ANALYSIS

Comportamiento del Helio en estrellas químicamente peculiares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malaroda, S. M.; López García, Z.; Leone, F.; Catalano, F.

Las estrellas químicamente peculiares (CP) se caracterizan por tener deficiencias y sobreabundancias de algunos elementos químicos de hasta 106 veces la abundancia solar. Además presentan variaciones en las líneas espectrales. Se piensa que ello se debe a que los campos magnéticos presentes en este tipo de estrellas son principalmente dipolares, con un eje de simetría diferente del eje de rotación. La distribución de los elementos sobreabundantes y deficientes no es homogénea sobre la superficie estelar y las variaciones observadas serían una consecuencia directa de la rotación estelar. Entre los elementos con abundancia anómala se encuentra el Helio, cuyas líneas tienen intensidades que no son consistentes con una abundancia normal, que no puede ser determinada del modo usual, o sea, considerando una atmósfera con composición solar. Con el fin de determinar la abundancia de este elemento, se inició un estudio de estrellas anómalas de Helio, Hew y He strong. Además se determinarán las abundancias de otros elementos anómalos como ser el Si, Cr, Mg, Mn y Fe. Las mismas se determinan del modo tradicional, o sea: a) medida de los anchos equivalentes de las líneas de los distintos elementos analizados; b) adopción de la temperatura efectiva, gravedad y abundancia del Helio; c) cálculo del modelo de atmósfera d) comparación con las observaciones y reinicio de un proceso iterativo hasta lograr un acuerdo entre todos los parámetros analizados. Las observaciones se llevaron a cabo en el Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito. Se observaron setenta y ocho estrellas anómalas de Helio. En este momento se está procediendo a calcular las abundancias correspondientes a los distintos elementos químicos. Para ello se hace uso de los modelos de Kurucz, ATLAS9. Los cálculos NLTE de las líneas de Helio se llevan a cabo con el programa MULTI y se compararán con los realizados con el programa WIDTH9 de Kurucz (LTE), con el objeto de resaltar la importancia de

Uso Del Condón en Adolescentes Nahuas, un Modelo Explicativo.

PubMed

Tirado, María de Los Ángeles Meneses; Benavides-Torres, Raquel A; Navarro, Sergio Meneses; de la Colina, Juan Antonio Doncel; Rodríguez, Dora Julia Onofre; Hernández, Francisco Javier Baéz

2018-03-01

En México, la población indígena supera los siete millones de habitantes, en Puebla el grupo más representativo es el Náhuatl. Sin embargo, las condiciones de vida, salud, educación y transporte son precarias para esta población. En los adolescentes, las responsabilidades como el matrimonio, la familia y los compromisos ante la comunidad, favorecen conductas de riesgo sexual que dificultan su desarrollo económico, social y reproductivo. El objetivo fue proponer un modelo explicativo del uso del condón en adolescentes nahuas. Método. Bajo el marco de la teoría social cognitiva, el concepto de valores culturales de Leininger y el proceso de la sustracción teórica, se desarrolló este artículo. Se muestran las relaciones del modelo con las proposiciones y los factores que influyen en el uso del condón para este grupo específico. Finalmente, el modelo explica las variables de interés, los niveles de abstracción y las relaciones entre sí en el contexto náhuatl. El siguiente paso será implementar los indicadores empíricos para conocer el grado de influencia de los factores personales y ambientales hacia el uso del condón en adolescentes nahuas. Resultados que aportarán información para el desarrollo del conocimiento en enfermería y la reducción de riesgo sexual de esta población.

Moléculas orgánicas obtenidas en simulaciones experimentales del medio interestelar.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Caro, Guillermo Manuel

Las nubes moleculares son regiones de formación de estrellas, con temperaturas cinéticas entre 10-50 K y densidades de 103-106 átomos cm-3. Su materia está formada por gas y polvo interestelar. Estas partículas de polvo están cubiertas por una fina capa de hielo, de unos 0.01 μm, que contiene H2O y a menudo CO, CO2, CH3OH y NH3. El hielo es presumiblemente irradiado por fotones ultravioleta y rayos cósmicos en las zonas poco profundas de las nubes moleculares y las regiones circunestelares. En un sistema de vacío, P ˜ 10-7 mbar, simulamos la deposición de hielo a partir de 10 K y la irradiación ultravioleta por medio de una lámpara de descarga de hidrógeno activada con microondas. La evolución del hielo se observa por medio de un espectrómetro infrarrojo. De este modo es posible determinar la composición del hielo observado en el medio interestelar y predecir la presencia de moléculas aún no detectadas en el espacio, que han sido producto del procesamiento del hielo en nuestros experimentos. También es posible calentar el sistema hasta temperatura ambiente para sublimar el hielo depositado. Cuando el hielo ha sido previamente irradiado, se observa un residuo compuesto por moléculas orgánicas complejas, algunas prebióticas, como varios ácidos carboxílicos, aminas, amidas, ésteres y en menor proporción moléculas heterocíclicas y aminoácidos. Algunas de estas moléculas podrían detectarse en estado gaseoso por medio de observaciones milimétricas y de radio. También podrían estar presentes en el polvo cometario, cuyo análisis químico está planeado por las misiones Stardust y Rosetta. Mientras tanto, nuestro grupo está llevando a cabo el análisis de partículas de polvo interplanetario (IDPs), algunas de las cuales pueden ser de origen cometario. Al igual que ocurre con los productos obtenidos por irradiación del hielo en nuestros experimentos, algunas IDPs son ricas en material orgánico que contiene oxígeno.

Bases para la elaboracion de unidades didacticas de calidad en el area de ciencias (Fisica y Quimica 3 deg ESO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maccioni, Elena Lucia

Este Trabajo Fin de Master tiene como objeto, el estudio previo de la educacion de la ciencia en la actualidad y mas destacable, del diseno de las unidades didacticas segun las metodologias mas frecuentes aplicadas por los diferentes sistemas educativos en el area de las Ciencias teniendo en cuenta la importancia y el efecto de la psicologia del alumnado y todo ello como no puede ser de otro modo bajo el corse de la Legislacion aplicable, Estatal, Autonomica y europea. Con estos antecedentes, se extrae cuales son las preguntas que deben contestarse en la elaboracion de una unidad didactica de calidad en el contexto, generacional (edad y sexo), del Proyecto Educativo de Centro, y de la Programacion del Departamento, discutiendo y justificando cada uno de los apartados en que estructuradamente dividiremos dicha Unidad, con un formato manejable, util, y dinamico en el tiempo que sea un verdadero instrumento educativo de aula. Teniendo en cuenta estas premisas, se procede a hacer una recopilacion de una misma unidad didactica publicada por diferentes editoriales, elegidas no al azar, sino en funcion de su penetracion editorial en nuestros centros de ESO, siendo las elegidas (SM y Oxford). Las diferentes unidades seleccionadas son analizadas de forma critica, atendiendo a los criterios generales de calidad bajo parametros cientificos y normativos, concluyendo con la aportacion final que es la redaccion de unas pautas cientifico-pedagogicas, para redactar unidades didacticas de calidad en el area de la Ciencias, en concreto en la Asignatura de Fisica y Quimica de 3º de ESO.

Three Dimensional Sector Design with Optimal Number of Sectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xue, Min

2010-01-01

In the national airspace system, sectors get overloaded due to high traffic demand and inefficient airspace designs. Overloads can be eliminated in some cases by redesigning sector boundaries. This paper extends the Voronoi-based sector design method by automatically selecting the number of sectors, allowing three-dimensional partitions, and enforcing traffic pattern conformance. The method was used to design sectors at Fort-Worth and Indianapolis centers for current traffic scenarios. Results show that new designs can eliminate overloaded sectors, although not in all cases, reduce the number of necessary sectors, and conform to major traffic patterns. Overall, the new methodology produces enhanced and efficient sector designs.

Argentine gas system underway for Gas del Estado

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

Bosch, H.

Gas del Estado's giant 1074-mile Centro-Oeste pipeline project - designed to ultimately transport over 350 million CF/day of natural gas from the Neuquen basin to the Campo Duran-Buenos Aires pipeline system - is now underway. The COGASCO consortium of Dutch and Argentine companies awarded the construction project will also operate and maintain the system for 15 years after its completion. In addition to the 30-in. pipelines, the agreement calls for a major compressor station at the gas field, three intermediate compressor stations, a gas-treatment plant, liquids-recovery facilities, and the metering, control, communications, and maintenance equipment for the system. Fabricated inmore » Holland, the internally and externally coated pipe will be double-jointed to 80-ft lengths after shipment to Argentina; welders will use conventional manual-arc techniques to weld the pipeline in the field.« less

Conserved tyrosine 182 residue in hyperthermophilic esterase EstE1 plays a critical role in stabilizing the active site.

PubMed

Truongvan, Ngoc; Chung, Hye-Shin; Jang, Sei-Heon; Lee, ChangWoo

2016-03-01

An aromatic amino acid, Tyr or Trp, located in the esterase active site wall, is highly conserved, with hyperthermophilic esterases showing preference for Tyr and lower temperature esterases showing preference for Trp. In this study, we investigated the role of Tyr(182) in the active site wall of hyperthermophilic esterase EstE1. Mutation of Tyr to Phe or Ala had a moderate effect on EstE1 thermal stability. However, a small-to-large mutation such as Tyr to His or Trp had a devastating effect on thermal stability. All mutant EstE1 enzymes showed reduced catalytic rates and enhanced substrate affinities as compared with wild-type EstE1. Hydrogen bond formation involving Tyr(182) was unimportant for maintaining EstE1 thermal stability, as the EstE1 structure is already adapted to high temperatures via increased intramolecular interactions. However, removal of hydrogen bond from Tyr(182) significantly decreased EstE1 catalytic activity, suggesting its role in stabilization of the active site. These results suggest that Tyr is preferred over a similarly sized Phe residue or bulky His or Trp residue in the active site walls of hyperthermophilic esterases for stabilizing the active site and regulating catalytic activity at high temperatures.

Characterization of EST-derived and non-EST simple sequence repeats in an F₁ hybrid population of Vitis vinifera L.

PubMed

Kayesh, E; Bilkish, N; Liu, G S; Chen, W; Leng, X P; Fang, J G

2014-03-31

Among different classes of molecular markers, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are a new resource for developing simple sequence repeat (SSR) functional markers for genotyping and genetic mapping in F1 hybrid populations of Vitis vinifera L. Recently, because of the availability of an enormous amount of data for ESTs in the public domain, the emphasis has shifted from genomic SSRs to EST-SSRs, which belong to transcribed regions of the genome and may have a role in gene expression or function. The objective of this study was to assess the polymorphisms among 94 F1 hybrids from "Early Rose" and "Red Globe" using 25 EST-derived and 25 non-EST SSR markers. A total collection of 362,375 grape ESTs that were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and 2522 EST-SSR sequences were identified. From them, 205 primer pairs were randomly selected, including 176 pairs that were EST-derived and 29 non-EST SSR primer pairs, for polymerase chain reaction amplification. A total of 131 alleles were amplified using 50 pairs of primers; 78 alleles were amplified using EST-derived SSR primers and 53 were from non-EST SSR primers. At most, 6 and 5 alleles were amplified by EST-derived and non-EST SSR primers, respectively. The EST-derived SSR markers showed a maximum polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 1 and a minimum of 0.33 while non-EST SSR markers had maximum and minimum PIC values of 1 and 0.25, respectively. The average PIC value was 0.56 for EST-derived SSR markers and 0.45 for non-EST SSR markers.

Estrategia innovadora enfocada en parejas del mismo sexo para disminuir la infección del VIH en hombres Latinos

PubMed Central

Martinez, Omar; Wu, Elwin; Sandfort, Theo; Shultz, Andrew Z.; Capote, Jonathan; Chávez, Silvia; Moya, Eva; Dodge, Brian; Morales, Gabriel; Porras, Antonio; Ovejero, Hugo

2014-01-01

Resumen El VIH es un problema de salud importante dentro de la comunidad latina de los Estados Unidos. Gracias a los esfuerzos de prevención, los niveles de contagio entre los latinos se han mantenido estables por más de una década. Sin embargo, esta población sigue siendo afectada a niveles muy altos, en particular entre hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), de origen latino y que hablan principalmente el idioma español. Existen varios factores que contribuyen a la transmisión del VIH entre esta población, como son: el uso de drogas; la violencia dentro de la pareja; la presencia de infecciones de transmisión sexual; relaciones sexuales sin protección, dentro y fuera de la pareja; el evadir la búsqueda de recursos (prueba y tratamiento adecuado) por temor a ser discriminado o por su estatus migratorio; la escasez de recursos económicos o estado de pobreza y los patrones relacionados a la migración. En particular, Investigaciones Epidemiológicas de Comportamientos han determinado: cómo algunas dinámicas en parejas están directamente asociadas a los comportamientos sexuales de riesgos. En consecuencia, es necesaria mayor investigación para identificar esas dinámicas, y a su vez, realizar intervenciones dirigidas a la reducción de conductas de riesgo enfocadas en parejas de hombres del mismo sexo. En este escrito, se describe la importancia del uso de las relaciones de pareja como estrategia en la reducción de la trasmisión del VIH/SIDA en HSH de origen latino y que hablan principalmente el idioma español en los Estados Unidos. PMID:25580466

Cirugía de los trastornos del comportamiento: el estado del arte

PubMed Central

Yampolsky, Claudio; Bendersky, Damián

2014-01-01

Introducción: La cirugía de los trastornos del comportamiento (CTC) se está convirtiendo en un tratamiento más común desde el desarrollo de la neuromodulación. Métodos: Este artículo es una revisión no sistemática de la historia, indicaciones actuales, técnicas y blancos quirúrgicos de la CTC. Dividimos su historia en 3 eras: la primera comienza en los inicios de la psicocirugía y termina con el desarrollo de las tícnicas estereotácticas, cuando comienza la segunda era. Ésta se caracteriza por la realización de lesiones estereotácticas. Nos encontramos transitando la tercera era, que comienza cuando la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) comienza a ser usada en CTC. Resultados: A pesar de los errores graves cometidos en el pasado, hoy en día, la CTC está renaciendo. Los trastornos psiquiátricos que se más frecuentemente se tratan con cirugía son: depresión refractaria, trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo y síndrome de Tourette. Además, algunos pacientes con agresividad fueron tratados quirúrgicamente. Hay varios blancos estereotácticos descriptos para estos trastornos. La estimulación vagal puede ser usada también para depresión. Conclusión: Los resultados de la ECP en estos trastornos parecen alentadores. Sin embargo, se necesitan más estudios randomizados para establecer la efectividad de la CTC. Debe tenerse en cuenta que una apropiada selección de pacientes nos ayudará a realizar un procedimiento más seguro así como también a lograr mejores resultados quirúrgicos, conduciendo a la CTC a ser más aceptada por psiquiatras, pacientes y sus familias. Se necesita mayor investigación en varios temas como: fisiopatología de los trastornos del comportamiento, indicaciones de CTC y nuevos blancos quirúrgicos. PMID:25165612

Left centro-parieto-temporal response to tool-gesture incongruity: an ERP study.

PubMed

Chang, Yi-Tzu; Chen, Hsiang-Yu; Huang, Yuan-Chieh; Shih, Wan-Yu; Chan, Hsiao-Lung; Wu, Ping-Yi; Meng, Ling-Fu; Chen, Chen-Chi; Wang, Ching-I

2018-03-13

Action semantics have been investigated in relation to context violation but remain less examined in relation to the meaning of gestures. In the present study, we examined tool-gesture incongruity by event-related potentials (ERPs) and hypothesized that the component N400, a neural index which has been widely used in both linguistic and action semantic congruence, is significant for conditions of incongruence. Twenty participants performed a tool-gesture judgment task, in which they were asked to judge whether the tool-gesture pairs were correct or incorrect, for the purpose of conveying functional expression of the tools. Online electroencephalograms and behavioral performances (the accuracy rate and reaction time) were recorded. The ERP analysis showed a left centro-parieto-temporal N300 effect (220-360 ms) for the correct condition. However, the expected N400 (400-550 ms) could not be differentiated between correct/incorrect conditions. After 700 ms, a prominent late negative complex for the correct condition was also found in the left centro-parieto-temporal area. The neurophysiological findings indicated that the left centro-parieto-temporal area is the predominant region contributing to neural processing for tool-gesture incongruity in right-handers. The temporal dynamics of tool-gesture incongruity are: (1) firstly enhanced for recognizable tool-gesture using patterns, (2) and require a secondary reanalysis for further examination of the highly complicated visual structures of gestures and tools. The evidence from the tool-gesture incongruity indicated altered brain activities attributable to the N400 in relation to lexical and action semantics. The online interaction between gesture and tool processing provided minimal context violation or anticipation effect, which may explain the missing N400.

Estudio del CH interestelar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olano, C.; Lemarchand, G.; Sanz, A. J.; Bava, J. A.

El objetivo principal de este proyecto consiste en el estudio de la distribución y abundancia del CH en nubes interestelares a través de la observación de las líneas hiperfinas del CH en 3,3 GHz. El CH es una molécula de amplia distribución en el espacio interestelar y una de las pocas especies que han sido observadas tanto con técnicas de radio como ópticas. Desde el punto de vista tecnológico se ha desarrollado un cabezal de receptor que permitirá la realización de observaciones polarimétricas en la frecuencia de 3,3 GHz, con una temperatura del sistema de 60 K y un ancho de banda de 140 MHz, y que será instalado en el foco primario de la antena parabólica del IAR. El cabezal del receptor es capaz de detectar señales polarizadas, separando las componentes de polarización circular derecha e izquierda. Para tal fin el cabezal consta de dos ramas receptoras que amplificarán la señal y la trasladarán a una frecuencia más baja (frecuencia intermedia), permitiendo de esa forma un mejor transporte de la señal a la sala de control para su posterior procesamiento. El receptor además de tener características polarimétricas, podrá ser usado en el continuo y en la línea, utilizando las ventajas observacionales y de procesamiento de señal que actualmente posee el IAR.

Eight years of bioethics

PubMed Central

Moreno-Exebio, Luis

2012-01-01

Este trabajo presenta la experiencia que significó el paso por el Programa Internacional de Formación en Ética de la investigación biomédica y psicosocial del Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios en Bioética de la Universidad de Chile (2003–2004) y algunas reflexiones respecto de la integración de lo aprendido en mi posterior labor en comités de ética y programas académicos de ética de investigación. Asimismo, en la elaboración de regulaciones que permitan una mejor evaluación ética y científica. PMID:23172984

Efecto del Programa de Entrenamiento “Manejo del Dolor” en la Documentación de Enfermería en el Expediente Electrónico

PubMed Central

Monsiváis, María Guadalupe Moreno; Guzmán, Ma. Guadalupe Interial; Flores, Paz Francisco Sauceda; Arreola, Leticia Vázquez

2012-01-01

Resumen En el presente trabajo se muestra la importancia de entrenar al personal de enfermería para mejorar la documentación en el expediente electrónico. Se eligió el manejo del dolor por ser un área prioritaria; una alta proporción de pacientes en período post operatorio cursa con dolor, por lo tanto, la documentación debe ser útil para la toma de decisiones clínicas. Se implementó un programa de entrenamiento denominado “Manejo del Dolor” dirigido al personal de enfermería. Se utilizó la tecnología de la información como herramienta para fortalecer el conocimiento con base en la revisión sistemática de la literatura; el personal de enfermería participante seleccionó la mejor evidencia; posteriormente se trabajó en la transferencia de este conocimiento a la práctica a través del diseño de un protocolo para el manejo del dolor. Se concluye que el conocimiento del manejo del dolor es fundamental para que enfermería documente con mayor precisión sus intervenciones. PMID:24199106

Indicators of Success in Achieving the El Centro College Goals, 1997-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Centro Coll., Dallas, TX.

This is a report on indicators of success in achieving community college goals at El Centro College (Texas). The report provides statistics from 1997-2000 and focuses on the progress of nine goals: (1) institutionalizing service beyond expectation--according to student satisfaction surveys, campus changes that have occurred between 1996 and 1999…

Manual del McVCO 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

McChesney, P.J.

1999-01-01

El McVCO es un generador de frecuencias basado en un microcontrolador que reemplaza al oscilador controlado por voltaje (VCO) utilizado en telemetría analógica de datos sísmicas. Acepta señales de baja potencia desde un sismómetro y produce una señal subportadora modulada en frecuencia adecuada para enlaces telefónicos o vía radio a un lugar remoto de recolección de datos. La frecuencia de la subportadora y la ganancia pueden ser seleccionadas mediante un interruptor. Tiene la opción de poder operar con dos canales para la observación con ganancia alta y baja. El McVCO fue diseñado con el propósito de mejorar la telemetría analógica de las señales dentro de la Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) (Red Sismográfica del Noroeste del Pacífico). Su desarrollo recibió el respaldo del Programa de Geofísica de la Universidad de Washington y del "Volcano Hazards and Earthquake Hazards programs of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (Programa de Investigaciones de Riesgos Volcánicos y Programa de Investigaciones de Riesgos Sísmicos de los EEUU). Cientos de instrumentos se han construido e instalado. Además de utilizarlo el PNSN, el McVCO es usado por el Observatorio Vulcanológico de Alaska para monitorear los volcanes aleutianos y por el USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (Programa de Ayuda en las Catástrofes Volcánicas del USGS) para responder a crisis volcánicas en otros países. Este manual cubre el funcionamiento del McVCO, es una referencia técnica para aquellos que necesitan saber con más detalle cómo funciona el McVCO, y cubre una serie de temas que requieren un trato explícito o que derivan del despliegue del instrumento.

The Human EST Ontology Explorer: a tissue-oriented visualization system for ontologies distribution in human EST collections.

PubMed

Merelli, Ivan; Caprera, Andrea; Stella, Alessandra; Del Corvo, Marcello; Milanesi, Luciano; Lazzari, Barbara

2009-10-15

The NCBI dbEST currently contains more than eight million human Expressed Sequenced Tags (ESTs). This wide collection represents an important source of information for gene expression studies, provided it can be inspected according to biologically relevant criteria. EST data can be browsed using different dedicated web resources, which allow to investigate library specific gene expression levels and to make comparisons among libraries, highlighting significant differences in gene expression. Nonetheless, no tool is available to examine distributions of quantitative EST collections in Gene Ontology (GO) categories, nor to retrieve information concerning library-dependent EST involvement in metabolic pathways. In this work we present the Human EST Ontology Explorer (HEOE) http://www.itb.cnr.it/ptp/human_est_explorer, a web facility for comparison of expression levels among libraries from several healthy and diseased tissues. The HEOE provides library-dependent statistics on the distribution of sequences in the GO Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG) that can be browsed at each GO hierarchical level. The tool is based on large-scale BLAST annotation of EST sequences. Due to the huge number of input sequences, this BLAST analysis was performed with the aid of grid computing technology, which is particularly suitable to address data parallel task. Relying on the achieved annotation, library-specific distributions of ESTs in the GO Graph were inferred. A pathway-based search interface was also implemented, for a quick evaluation of the representation of libraries in metabolic pathways. EST processing steps were integrated in a semi-automatic procedure that relies on Perl scripts and stores results in a MySQL database. A PHP-based web interface offers the possibility to simultaneously visualize, retrieve and compare data from the different libraries. Statistically significant differences in GO categories among user selected libraries can also be computed. The HEOE provides an

Salud mental en desastres naturales: estrategias interventivas con adultos mayores en sectores rurales de Chile.

PubMed

Osorio-Parraguez, Paulina; Espinoza, Adriana

2016-06-01

En el presente artículo se da a conocer una estrategia de intervención llevada a cabo con adultos mayores en la comuna de Paredones, sexta región de Chile, con posterioridad al terremoto y tsunami del 27 de febrero 2010 en Chile, en el contexto de una investigación sobre fortalezas y vulnerabilidades desplegadas por este grupo etario, con posterioridad a un desastre natural. Se presenta una descripción del desarrollo metodológico de la intervención y de los sustentos teóricos y conceptuales en los que se basa. Como resultado de este proceso, se propone una estrategia que trabaje a través de la identificación de las propias experiencias y fortalezas de los sujetos. De tal forma se minimizan los efectos negativos de los determinantes sociales de la salud (como la edad y el lugar de residencia) en contexto de crisis; permitiendo a los adultos mayores fortalecer sus recursos individuales y colectivos, en pro de su bienestar psicosocial. © The Author(s) 2015.

Calidad de Imagen del Telescopio UNAM212

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobos, F. J.; Teiada de Vargas, C.

1987-05-01

El telescopio UNAM2l2, del Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, situado en la Sierra de San Pedro Mártir (Baja California, México), cumplira en un futuro muy cercano siete años de uso para fines de investigación astronómica. Aunque en este tiempo no se ha efectuado un estudio sistemático acerca de su comportamiento óptico y de los factores que influyen en la calidad de las imágenes, se han realizado pruebas diversas, estudios parciales y reuniones especificas, cuyos resultados no siempre se han difundido ampliamente y generalmente no se han presentado por escrito. Es por ello que hemos creido necesario intentar una recopilación de la información existente para poder con ella establecer un diagnóstjco que, aunque no sea definitivo, sirva de base para futuros trabajos tendientes a optimizar el comportamiento óptico del telescopio. Es evidente que un buen número de las conclusiones que se presentan son resultado del trabajo de muchas personas ó de esfuerzos colectivos. Asimismo, hemos tratado de localizar información bibliográfica que pueda ser de utilidad. Nuestro objetivo primordial ha consistido en centrarnos en la óptica del telescopio y su calidad, pero también se han considerado otros aspectos que puedan afectar las imágenes obtenidas tales como: celda del primario, `seeing' local y externo, flexiones posibles en la estructura mecánica del telescopio, etc.

La implantacion del enfoque constructivista en el aula de ciencia: Estudio de caso multiple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arroyo Betancourt, Luz I.

participantes basado en lo que estas manifestaron en su practica didactica. Dos maestras coinciden en una vision constructivista social de la construccion del conocimiento, del aprendizaje y de los metodos didacticos. La otra manifesto una vision constructivista piagetiana en el aprendizaje, los metodos didacticos y en la construccion del conocimiento. Se espera que este trabajo, ademas de promover los estudios de caso sobre el enfoque constructivista de ensenanza en el contexto puertorriqueno, sirva para que los maestros, que estan transformando su enfoque educativo de uno tradicional a uno constructivista, tengan una vision mas clara de la implantacion de este enfoque. Se espera ademas que sirva para que el Departamento de Educacion y sus programas de adiestramiento y readiestramiento en servicio, asi como las universidades y sus programas de preparacion de maestros, tomen en cuenta los resultados y recomendaciones de este estudio al revisar sus programas.

Short Summary European Reports on Retail Sector, Motor Vehicle Repair and Sales Sector, Food and Beverages Sector.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Berlin (Germany).

This document is composed of European synthesis reports on retail trade, the agro-food sector, and the motor vehicle sales and repair sector. They are based on the most important findings of the European report and the 12 national reports for each sector. Section 1, "Retail Sector," deals in part 1 with the structure of retailing in the…

ESTs and EST-linked polymorphisms for genetic mapping and phylogenetic reconstruction in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata

PubMed Central

Dreyer, Christine; Hoffmann, Margarete; Lanz, Christa; Willing, Eva-Maria; Riester, Markus; Warthmann, Norman; Sprecher, Andrea; Tripathi, Namita; Henz, Stefan R; Weigel, Detlef

2007-01-01

Background The guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a well-known model organism for studying inheritance and variation of male ornamental traits as well as adaptation to different river habitats. However, genomic resources for studying this important model were not previously widely available. Results With the aim of generating molecular markers for genetic mapping of the guppy, cDNA libraries were constructed from embryos and different adult organs to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs). About 18,000 ESTs were annotated according to BLASTN and BLASTX results and the sequence information from the 3' UTRs was exploited to generate PCR primers for re-sequencing of genomic DNA from different wild type strains. By comparison of EST-linked genomic sequences from at least four different ecotypes, about 1,700 polymorphisms were identified, representing about 400 distinct genes. Two interconnected MySQL databases were built to organize the ESTs and markers, respectively. A robust phylogeny of the guppy was reconstructed, based on 10 different nuclear genes. Conclusion Our EST and marker databases provide useful tools for genetic mapping and phylogenetic studies of the guppy. PMID:17686157

EST! best practices

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-10-05

This booklet presents the eighteen winners in a competition for projects that promote environmentally sustainable transportation (EST). These range from car sharing to hydrogen fueled buses to public transit promotion campaign. Each project is presen...

Strange Stars, Neutron Stars and Pulsar Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benvenuto, O. G.; Horvath, J. E.

1990-11-01

RESUMEN. Se ha conjeturado que una partlecula de dieciocho quarks, sin Carga, sin espi'n y sin colar (quark-alfa) podri'a ser estable a ba5as tern peraturas y presiones aiTh COfl respecto a materia extrafla. Presentamos en este trabajo la estmctura de estrellas extraflas incluyendo los efectos y apariencia de parti'culas uark-alfa en las capas exteriores. La estruc tura interna ya no es hoinogenea del centro a la superficie, sino que muestra un centro de materia extrafla, capas s6lidas y una costra delgada de materia normal en la superficie. La superficie de materia nonnal permite la fornaci6n de una magnetosfera, la que se piensa sea el sitlo en donde ocurre la emisi6n del pulsar. La superficie de superflui'do ayuda a explicar el fen6rneno de `glitch', el cual ba sido observado en muchos pulsares. Se discute la ecuaci6n de estado para rnateria quark-alfa relevante en este regimen. ABSTIZACT:It has been conjectured that an quark, uncharged, spinless and colorless particle Cquark-alpha) could be stable at low pressures and temperatures even with respect to strange matter. We present in work tlie structure of stars including the effects of the appearance of quark-alpi' particles ii their outer layers. The internal structure is no longer from tlie center to the surface, but show a strange matter core, a solid and superfluid layers and a thin crust of normal matter at the surface. The normal matter surface allows tlie fon tion of a magnetosphere, whicl is to be tl place where pulsar emission occurs. A superfluid layer helps to explain tlie glitch , wlflch has been observed in . equation of state for quark-alpha matter relevant in regime is also discussed. Keq LA)OtL : ARY S - OF STATF - ?.ACT

Differential Dengue Tropism & Neutralization: Potential Mechanisms of Pathogenesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-04

Dr. Guillermo Comach and Dr. Daria Camacho, Laboratorio Regional de Diagnostico e Investigacion del Dengue y otras Enfermedades Virales, Centro de... Enfermedades Virales, Centro de Investigaciones Biomedicas de la Universidad de Carabobo (LARDIDEV/BIOMED- UC), Maracay, Venezuela. 4Naval Medical Research

QuEST: Qualifying Environmentally Sustainable Technologies. Volume 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie L.

2009-01-01

In 2004, in one of their first collaborative efforts, Centro Para Prevencao da Poluicao (Portuguese Center for Pollution Prevention or C3P). teamed with Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) and two Portuguese entities, TAP Portugal (Portuguese National Airline) and OGMA Indtistria Aeron utica de Portugal (Portuguese Aeronautics Industry), to target the reduction of hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in aircraft maintenance operations. This project focused on two coating systems that utilize non-chrome pretreatments and low-VOC primers and topcoats.

Centro-Apical Self-Organization of Organic Semiconductors in a Line-Printed Organic Semiconductor: Polymer Blend for One-Step Printing Fabrication of Organic Field-Effect Transistors

PubMed Central

Jin Lee, Su; Kim, Yong-Jae; Young Yeo, So; Lee, Eunji; Sun Lim, Ho; Kim, Min; Song, Yong-Won; Cho, Jinhan; Ah Lim, Jung

2015-01-01

Here we report the first demonstration for centro-apical self-organization of organic semiconductors in a line-printed organic semiconductor: polymer blend. Key feature of this work is that organic semiconductor molecules were vertically segregated on top of the polymer phase and simultaneously crystallized at the center of the printed line pattern after solvent evaporation without an additive process. The thickness and width of the centro-apically segregated organic semiconductor crystalline stripe in the printed blend pattern were controlled by varying the relative content of the organic semiconductors, printing speed, and solution concentrations. The centro-apical self-organization of organic semiconductor molecules in a printed polymer blend may be attributed to the combination of an energetically favorable vertical phase-separation and hydrodynamic fluids inside the droplet during solvent evaporation. Finally, a centro-apically phase-separated bilayer structure of organic semiconductor: polymer blend was successfully demonstrated as a facile method to form the semiconductor and dielectric layer for OFETs in one- step. PMID:26359068

Centro-Apical Self-Organization of Organic Semiconductors in a Line-Printed Organic Semiconductor: Polymer Blend for One-Step Printing Fabrication of Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Lee, Su Jin; Kim, Yong-Jae; Yeo, So Young; Lee, Eunji; Lim, Ho Sun; Kim, Min; Song, Yong-Won; Cho, Jinhan; Lim, Jung Ah

2015-09-11

Here we report the first demonstration for centro-apical self-organization of organic semiconductors in a line-printed organic semiconductor: polymer blend. Key feature of this work is that organic semiconductor molecules were vertically segregated on top of the polymer phase and simultaneously crystallized at the center of the printed line pattern after solvent evaporation without an additive process. The thickness and width of the centro-apically segregated organic semiconductor crystalline stripe in the printed blend pattern were controlled by varying the relative content of the organic semiconductors, printing speed, and solution concentrations. The centro-apical self-organization of organic semiconductor molecules in a printed polymer blend may be attributed to the combination of an energetically favorable vertical phase-separation and hydrodynamic fluids inside the droplet during solvent evaporation. Finally, a centro-apically phase-separated bilayer structure of organic semiconductor: polymer blend was successfully demonstrated as a facile method to form the semiconductor and dielectric layer for OFETs in one- step.

Estudio multifrecuencia del medio interestelar cercano a HD 192281

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnal, E. M.; Cappa, C.; Cichowolski, S.; Pineault, S.; St-Louis, N.

Una de las causas que modifica la estructura y dinámica del medio interestelar es la acción que los vientos de las estrellas de gran masa ejercen sobre el mismo. En este trabajo, mediante el uso de datos interferométricos obtenidos en la banda de radio en la transición de 21-cm del Hidrógeno neutro y de imágenes de la emisión de continuo en las bandas de 408 y 1420 MHz, de imágenes HIRES del satélite IRAS en 60 y 100 micrones, y de observaciones de continuo obtenidas con radiotelescopios de disco simple en 2695, 4850 y 8350 MHz se ha realizado un estudio multifrecuencia de los efectos que los vientos estelares de HD 192281, una estrella de tipo espectral O5 Vn((f))p, han tenido sobre el medio interestelar que rodea a la misma.

Estudio multifrecuencia del medio interestelar cercano a HD 192281

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnal, E. M.; Cappa, C. E.; Cichowolski, S.; Pineault, S.; St-Louis, N.

Una de las causas que modifica la estructura y dinámica del medio interestelar es la acción que los vientos de las estrellas de gran masa ejercen sobre el mismo. En este trabajo, mediante el uso de datos interferométricos obtenidos en la banda de radio en la transición de λ˜21-cm del hidrógeno neutro y de imágenes de la emisión de continuo en las bandas de 408 y 1420 MHz, de imágenes HIRES del satélite IRAS en 60 y 100μm, y de observaciones de continuo obtenidas con radiotelescopios de disco simple en 2695, 4850 y 8350 MHz se ha realizado un estudio multifrecuencia de los efectos que los vientos estelares de HD 192281, una estrella de tipo espectral O5,Vn((f))p, han tenido sobre el medio interestelar que rodea a la misma.

PAVE: program for assembling and viewing ESTs.

PubMed

Soderlund, Carol; Johnson, Eric; Bomhoff, Matthew; Descour, Anne

2009-08-26

New sequencing technologies are rapidly emerging. Many laboratories are simultaneously working with the traditional Sanger ESTs and experimenting with ESTs generated by the 454 Life Science sequencers. Though Sanger ESTs have been used to generate contigs for many years, no program takes full advantage of the 5' and 3' mate-pair information, hence, many tentative transcripts are assembled into two separate contigs. The new 454 technology has the benefit of high-throughput expression profiling, but introduces time and space problems for assembling large contigs. The PAVE (Program for Assembling and Viewing ESTs) assembler takes advantage of the 5' and 3' mate-pair information by requiring that the mate-pairs be assembled into the same contig and joined by n's if the two sub-contigs do not overlap. It handles the depth of 454 data sets by "burying" similar ESTs during assembly, which retains the expression level information while circumventing time and space problems. PAVE uses MegaBLAST for the clustering step and CAP3 for assembly, however it assembles incrementally to enforce the mate-pair constraint, bury ESTs, and reduce incorrect joins and splits. The PAVE data management system uses a MySQL database to store multiple libraries of ESTs along with their metadata; the management system allows multiple assemblies with variations on libraries and parameters. Analysis routines provide standard annotation for the contigs including a measure of differentially expressed genes across the libraries. A Java viewer program is provided for display and analysis of the results. Our results clearly show the benefit of using the PAVE assembler to explicitly use mate-pair information and bury ESTs for large contigs. The PAVE assembler provides a software package for assembling Sanger and/or 454 ESTs. The assembly software, data management software, Java viewer and user's guide are freely available.

Capacitación-acción participativa: una experiencia de 24 años en las comunidades rurales de Oaxaca, México.

PubMed

Ysunza, Alberto M; Diez-Urdanivia, Silvia; Pérez-Gil, Sara E

2017-12-01

Resumen: En este artículo presentamos el proyecto de capacitación llevado a cabo en comunidades de la sierra y costa de Oaxaca, México, desde 1991, por el Centro de Capacitación Integral para Promotores Comunitarios (CECIPROC). La decisión de hacer este trabajo en Oaxaca responde a que ese estado ocupa uno de los primeros lugares de marginación y de desnutrición en menores de 5 años. El objetivo es describir un modelo de capacitación y compartir parte de las experiencias derivadas, tanto del modelo como del trabajo realizado en las distintas áreas (nutrición y alimentación, salud comunitaria, ecología y etnobotánica, y educación y organización), por promotores mujeres y hombres en sus comunidades. La experiencia obtenida en 24 años muestra la factibilidad técnica y social del proyecto en el ámbito de la salud, el reconocimiento social del proyecto del CECIPROC como un organismo civil que ha aportado alternativas como solución a la problemática de salud, el hacer suyo el proyecto por algunos promotores y los diferentes obstáculos a los que se ha enfrentado. Enfatizamos el hecho de que la situación socioeconómica y política prevaleciente en el estado de Oaxaca es una limitante para el buen desarrollo de los programas colectivos de salud, e insistimos en la necesidad de compartir nuestras experiencias para que puedan ser utilizadas en la planificación y ejecución de otros proyectos.

Segundo Catálogo Estelar del Hemisferio Sur con Astrolabio Fotoeléctrico PAII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manrique, W. T.; Podestá, R. C.; Alonso, E.; Actis, E. V.; Pacheco, A. M.; Bustos, G.; Lizhi, L.; Zezhi, W.; Fanmiao, Z.; Hongqi, W.; Perdomo, R.

Recordamos que entre el Observatorio Astronómico ``Félix Aguilar'', el Observatorio Astronómico de Beijing y el Observatorio Astronómico de La Plata, se ha convenido en desarrollar un Proyecto de Investigación conjunto, para la observación sistemática de estrellas en el Hemisferio Sur, con el objeto de la elaboración de un Catálogo Estelar Global utilizando un Astrolabio Fotoeléctrico PAII del Observatorio de Beijing, que ha sido usado con éxito en la República de China. En este trabajo se presenta el Segundo Catálogo Estelar del Hemisferio Sur, derivado de las observaciones realizadas con el PAII instalado en el OAFA, durante el períiodo Febrero de 1992 a Marzo de 1997. En este lapso se han observado mas de 400000 pasajes estelares, obteniéndose las correcciones Δ α y Δ δ de 5241 estrellas del FK4, FK5, FK5 Ext., SRS, CAMC y GC. Las precisiones medias son del orden de ± 3,2 ms en ascensión recta y ±0."057 en declinación. Rango de magnitudes : 2,0 a 11,5 Rango de declinaciones : -3o a -60o Epoca Media : 1994.9 Se analizan los residuos en función de la magnitud y tipo espectral, correcciones de grupo y frecuencia de distribución Δ α y Δ δ.

Cyclical absenteeism among private sector, public sector and self-employed workers.

PubMed

Pfeifer, Christian

2013-03-01

This research note analyzes differences in the number of absent working days and doctor visits and in their cyclicality between private sector, public sector and self-employed workers. For this purpose, I used large-scale German survey data for the years 1995 to 2007 to estimate random effects negative binomial (count data) models. The main findings are as follows. (i) Public sector workers have on average more absent working days than private sector and self-employed workers. Self-employed workers have fewer absent working days and doctor visits than dependent employed workers. (ii) The regional unemployment rate is on average negatively correlated with the number of absent working days among private and public sector workers as well as among self-employed men. The correlations between regional unemployment rate and doctor visits are only significantly negative among private sector workers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Agriculture Sectors

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Agriculture sectors comprise establishments primarily engaged in growing crops, raising animals, and harvesting fish and other animals. Find information on compliance, enforcement and guidance on EPA laws and regulations on the NAICS 111 & 112 sectors.

EST Express: PHP/MySQL based automated annotation of ESTs from expression libraries.

PubMed

Smith, Robin P; Buchser, William J; Lemmon, Marcus B; Pardinas, Jose R; Bixby, John L; Lemmon, Vance P

2008-04-10

Several biological techniques result in the acquisition of functional sets of cDNAs that must be sequenced and analyzed. The emergence of redundant databases such as UniGene and centralized annotation engines such as Entrez Gene has allowed the development of software that can analyze a great number of sequences in a matter of seconds. We have developed "EST Express", a suite of analytical tools that identify and annotate ESTs originating from specific mRNA populations. The software consists of a user-friendly GUI powered by PHP and MySQL that allows for online collaboration between researchers and continuity with UniGene, Entrez Gene and RefSeq. Two key features of the software include a novel, simplified Entrez Gene parser and tools to manage cDNA library sequencing projects. We have tested the software on a large data set (2,016 samples) produced by subtractive hybridization. EST Express is an open-source, cross-platform web server application that imports sequences from cDNA libraries, such as those generated through subtractive hybridization or yeast two-hybrid screens. It then provides several layers of annotation based on Entrez Gene and RefSeq to allow the user to highlight useful genes and manage cDNA library projects.

EST Express: PHP/MySQL based automated annotation of ESTs from expression libraries

PubMed Central

Smith, Robin P; Buchser, William J; Lemmon, Marcus B; Pardinas, Jose R; Bixby, John L; Lemmon, Vance P

2008-01-01

Background Several biological techniques result in the acquisition of functional sets of cDNAs that must be sequenced and analyzed. The emergence of redundant databases such as UniGene and centralized annotation engines such as Entrez Gene has allowed the development of software that can analyze a great number of sequences in a matter of seconds. Results We have developed "EST Express", a suite of analytical tools that identify and annotate ESTs originating from specific mRNA populations. The software consists of a user-friendly GUI powered by PHP and MySQL that allows for online collaboration between researchers and continuity with UniGene, Entrez Gene and RefSeq. Two key features of the software include a novel, simplified Entrez Gene parser and tools to manage cDNA library sequencing projects. We have tested the software on a large data set (2,016 samples) produced by subtractive hybridization. Conclusion EST Express is an open-source, cross-platform web server application that imports sequences from cDNA libraries, such as those generated through subtractive hybridization or yeast two-hybrid screens. It then provides several layers of annotation based on Entrez Gene and RefSeq to allow the user to highlight useful genes and manage cDNA library projects. PMID:18402700

Determinacion de periodos fundamentales del suelo mediante vibraciones ambientales en el municipio de Humacao, Puerto Rico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cintron Aponte, Rommel

La tecnica de Nakamura ha sido utilizada a nivel mundial para determinar periodos fundamentales del suelo. La tecnica consiste en calcular y graficar cocientes espectrales H/V de vibraciones ambientales registradas sobre el suelo. Mediciones de vibraciones ambientales fueron tomadas en 151 lugares dentro del municipio de Humacao, localizado al este de Puerto Rico. Los datos se procesaron utilizando espectros de Fourier y espectros de potencia. La tecnica fue validada al compararla con los resultados de cocientes espectrales H/V de registros de sismos debiles y tambien con una modelacion numerica realizada con datos de un ensayo "downhole". Las graficas de los cocientes espectrales H/V fueron divididas en casos y grupos, los cuales dependen de la facilidad para identificar el periodo fundamental pico y amplitudes en frecuencias menores de 1 Hz, respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos con ambos espectros fueron comparados y se concluye que los mismos se complementan para proveer resultados mas confiables. Se crearon mapas de periodos fundamentales, factores de amplitud, isoperiodos y clasificacion sismica de sitio. Los mapas de isoperiodos fueron realizados en las zonas mas pobladas sobre depositos de suelo. El mapa de periodos fundamentales del suelo mostro buena correlacion con la geologia local. El mapa de clasificacion sismica derivado de periodos de sitio fue comparado con el mapa de clasificacion sismica derivado de barrenos geotecnicos. El mapa de clasificacion obtenido de periodos puede sobreestimar un poco algunas clasificaciones del suelo. Sin embargo, este mapa puede proveer un estimado aproximado de la velocidad de onda de corte promedio del suelo hasta una profundidad de 100 pies (30 metros).

Contribución al flujo infrarrojo de las estrellas Be de la recombinación dielectrónica del MgII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruzado, A.; di Rocco, H.; Ringuelet, A.

Para evaluar la contribución del proceso de recombinación dielectrónica del átomo de MgII al exceso de flujo infrarrojo observado en las estrellas Be, calculamos la energía emitida en las líneas originadas por este proceso. Se evaluaron los efectos de las condiciones físicas del medio, como la temperatura electrónica y la densidad electrónica, sobre el flujo emitido. Se consideró también la influencia de una posible opacidad.

Identification of true EST alignments for recognising transcribed regions.

PubMed

Ma, Chuang; Wang, Jia; Li, Lun; Duan, Mo-Jie; Zhou, Yan-Hong

2011-01-01

Transcribed regions can be determined by aligning Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) with genome sequences. The kernel of this strategy is to effectively distinguish true EST alignments from spurious ones. In this study, three measures including Direction Check, Identity Check and Terminal Check were introduced to more effectively eliminate spurious EST alignments. On the basis of these introduced measures and other widely used measures, a computational tool, named ESTCleanser, has been developed to identify true EST alignments for obtaining reliable transcribed regions. The performance of ESTCleanser has been evaluated on the well-annotated human ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) regions using human ESTs in the dbEST database. The evaluation results show that the accuracy of ESTCleanser at exon and intron levels is more remarkably enhanced than that of UCSC-spliced EST alignments. This work would be helpful to EST-based researches on finding new genes, complementing genome annotation, recognising alternative splicing events and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), etc.

Medición de densidades medias de meteoritos: test del método de inmersión

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steren, G.

Se evaluó una técnica simple para medir las densidades medias de meteoritos, basada en el Método de Arquímedes y que utiliza cuentas de vidrio de 40μ en lugar de un fluído esto presenta la ventaja de no ser intrusivo ni químicamente reactivo (D.Britt and G.Consolmagno, 1996, B.A.A.S.28,1106). El estudio, realizado en junio de este año por participantes de la VI Escuela de Verano del Observatorio del Vaticano, empleó 37 muestras de la colección del Observatorio del Vaticano, de las cuales 26 eran Condritas, 1 Pallasita y 1 Howardita; algunas de ellas ya habian sido estudiadas por otras técnicas aunque también se incluyeron muestras no estudiadas anteriormente.

Development of a EST dataset and characterization of EST-SSRs in a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, Epimedium sagittatum (Sieb. Et Zucc.) Maxim

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Epimedium sagittatum (Sieb. Et Zucc.) Maxim, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant species, has been used extensively as genuine medicinal materials. Certain Epimedium species are endangered due to commercial overexploition, while sustainable application studies, conservation genetics, systematics, and marker-assisted selection (MAS) of Epimedium is less-studied due to the lack of molecular markers. Here, we report a set of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) identified in these ESTs for E. sagittatum. Results cDNAs of E. sagittatum are sequenced using 454 GS-FLX pyrosequencing technology. The raw reads are cleaned and assembled into a total of 76,459 consensus sequences comprising of 17,231 contigs and 59,228 singlets. About 38.5% (29,466) of the consensus sequences significantly match to the non-redundant protein database (E-value < 1e-10), 22,295 of which are further annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) terms. A total of 2,810 EST-SSRs is identified from the Epimedium EST dataset. Trinucleotide SSR is the dominant repeat type (55.2%) followed by dinucleotide (30.4%), tetranuleotide (7.3%), hexanucleotide (4.9%), and pentanucleotide (2.2%) SSR. The dominant repeat motif is AAG/CTT (23.6%) followed by AG/CT (19.3%), ACC/GGT (11.1%), AT/AT (7.5%), and AAC/GTT (5.9%). Thirty-two SSR-ESTs are randomly selected and primer pairs are synthesized for testing the transferability across 52 Epimedium species. Eighteen primer pairs (85.7%) could be successfully transferred to Epimedium species and sixteen of those show high genetic diversity with 0.35 of observed heterozygosity (Ho) and 0.65 of expected heterozygosity (He) and high number of alleles per locus (11.9). Conclusion A large EST dataset with a total of 76,459 consensus sequences is generated, aiming to provide sequence information for deciphering secondary metabolism, especially for flavonoid pathway in Epimedium. A total of 2,810 EST-SSRs is identified from EST dataset and

A global assembly of cotton ESTs

PubMed Central

Udall, Joshua A.; Swanson, Jordan M.; Haller, Karl; Rapp, Ryan A.; Sparks, Michael E.; Hatfield, Jamie; Yu, Yeisoo; Wu, Yingru; Dowd, Caitriona; Arpat, Aladdin B.; Sickler, Brad A.; Wilkins, Thea A.; Guo, Jin Ying; Chen, Xiao Ya; Scheffler, Jodi; Taliercio, Earl; Turley, Ricky; McFadden, Helen; Payton, Paxton; Klueva, Natalya; Allen, Randell; Zhang, Deshui; Haigler, Candace; Wilkerson, Curtis; Suo, Jinfeng; Schulze, Stefan R.; Pierce, Margaret L.; Essenberg, Margaret; Kim, HyeRan; Llewellyn, Danny J.; Dennis, Elizabeth S.; Kudrna, David; Wing, Rod; Paterson, Andrew H.; Soderlund, Cari; Wendel, Jonathan F.

2006-01-01

Approximately 185,000 Gossypium EST sequences comprising >94,800,000 nucleotides were amassed from 30 cDNA libraries constructed from a variety of tissues and organs under a range of conditions, including drought stress and pathogen challenges. These libraries were derived from allopolyploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum; AT and DT genomes) as well as its two diploid progenitors, Gossypium arboreum (A genome) and Gossypium raimondii (D genome). ESTs were assembled using the Program for Assembling and Viewing ESTs (PAVE), resulting in 22,030 contigs and 29,077 singletons (51,107 unigenes). Further comparisons among the singletons and contigs led to recognition of 33,665 exemplar sequences that represent a nonredundant set of putative Gossypium genes containing partial or full-length coding regions and usually one or two UTRs. The assembly, along with their UniProt BLASTX hits, GO annotation, and Pfam analysis results, are freely accessible as a public resource for cotton genomics. Because ESTs from diploid and allotetraploid Gossypium were combined in a single assembly, we were in many cases able to bioinformatically distinguish duplicated genes in allotetraploid cotton and assign them to either the A or D genome. The assembly and associated information provide a framework for future investigation of cotton functional and evolutionary genomics. PMID:16478941

Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) in Date Palm.

PubMed

Al-Faifi, Sulieman A; Migdadi, Hussein M; Algamdi, Salem S; Khan, Mohammad Altaf; Al-Obeed, Rashid S; Ammar, Megahed H; Jakse, Jerenj

2017-01-01

Expressed sequence tags (EST) were generated from a normalized cDNA library of the date palm Sukkari cv. to understand the high-quality and better field performance of this well-known commercial cultivar. A total of 6943 high-quality ESTs were generated, out of them 6671 are submitted to the GenBank dbEST (LIBEST_028537). The generated ESTs were assembled into 6362 unigenes, consisting of 494 (14.4%) contigs and 5868 (84.53%) singletons. The functional annotation shows that the majority of the ESTs are associated with binding (44%), catalytic (40%), transporter (5%), and structural molecular (5%) activities. The blastx results show that 73% of unigenes are significantly similar to known plant genes and 27% are novel. The latter could be of particular interest in date palm genetic studies. Further analysis shows that some ESTs are categorized as stress/defense- and fruit development-related genes. These newly generated ESTs could significantly enhance date palm EST databases in the public domain and are available to scientists and researchers across the globe. This knowledge will facilitate the discovery of candidate genes that govern important developmental and agronomical traits in date palm. It will provide important resources for developing genetic tools, comparative genomics, and genome evolution among date palm cultivars.

Multi-sectoral action for child safety-a European study exploring implicated sectors.

PubMed

Scholtes, Beatrice; Schröder-Bäck, Peter; Förster, Katharina; MacKay, Morag; Vincenten, Joanne; Brand, Helmut

2017-06-01

Injury to children in Europe, resulting in both death and disability, constitutes a significant burden on individuals, families and society. Inequalities between high and low-income countries are growing. The World Health Organisation Health 2020 strategy calls for inter-sectoral collaboration to address injury in Europe and advocates the whole of government and whole of society approaches to wicked problems. In this study we explore which sectors (e.g. health, transport, education) are relevant for four domains of child safety (intentional injury, water, road and home safety). We used the organigraph methodology, originally developed to demonstrate how organizations work, to describe the governance of child safety interventions. Members of the European Child Safety Alliance, working in the field of child safety in 24 European countries, drew organigraphs of evidence-based interventions. They included the different actors involved and the processes between them. We analyzed the organigraphs by counting the actors presented and categorizing them into sectors using a pre-defined analysis framework. We received 44 organigraphs from participants in 24 countries. Twenty-seven sectors were identified across the four domains. Nine of the 27 identified sectors were classified as 'core sectors' (education, health, home affairs, justice, media, recreation, research, social/welfare services and consumers). This study reveals the multi-sectoral nature of child safety in practice. It provides information for stakeholders working in child safety to help them implement inter-sectoral child safety interventions taking a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to health governance. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Relevamiento total del hemisferio sur celeste en la frecuencia de 1420 MHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bava, J. A.; Colomb, F. R.; Hurrel, E.; Larrarte, J. J.; Sanz, A. J.; Testori, J. C.; Reich, P.; Reich, W.; Wielebinski, R.

En el presente artículo se describe el relevamiento del cielo en el Hemisferio Sur Celeste en la frecuencia de 1420 MHz para declinaciones δ<= -19o realizado con la Antena II de 30 metros de diámetro del IAR. Este relevamiento posee igual sensibilidad (3xr.m.s=50 mK) que el realizado en el Hemisferio Norte con el radiotelescopio de 25 metros de Stockert de la Universidad de Bonn, operado por el Max-Planck Institute für Radioastronomie ( Reich W., 1982, A&ASS 48, 219; Reich P. and Reich W., 1986, A&ASS 63, 205). Con los datos obtenidos por ambos radiotelescopios se posee una base de datos de todo el cielo en esta frecuencia. En esta publicación presentamos los detalles del sistema receptor, técnicas de observación y reducción de datos, calibración y discusión de los errores en los resultados.

[Assessing the impact of health sector reform in Costa Rica through a quasi-experimental study].

PubMed

Bixby, Luis Rosero

2004-02-01

To assess the impact of health sector reform in Costa Rica on that country's child and adult mortality rates and on the people's access to primary health care. Health sector reform was initiated in Costa Rica in 1995 in some districts, but in others reforms were adopted later. This made it possible to perform a time series analysis, using a quasi-experimental study design, in which observations were made annually from 1985 through 2001 for each of the 420 districts that existed in Costa Rica in 1984. The time series were divided into three periods that allowed all districts to be grouped into three categories (pioneer, intermediate, and late) according to the year when they first implemented health sector reform: 1995-1996; 1997-2000; and 2001 or after, respectively. For each of these periods, mortality rates were broken down by cause (communicable, socially-determined, or chronic disease), sex, and age group. The status of the reform process in a particular district was described by two indicators: (1) the presence or absence of health sector reform during a given period and, wherever such reforms had been adopted, (2) the number of years that had transpired since their adoption. Eight variables were used to control for confounders. Vital statistics and demographic data were obtained from the National Institute for Statistics and Census' [Centro Nacional de Estadística y Censos] electronic database. Poisson multiple regression analysis with fixed effects was used to estimate the impact of reform on child and adult mortality from different causes. Assessment of the population's access to primary care before and after the reform was based on the percentage of people who lived within a 4 km radius of a health facility that offered patient visiting hours two or more days a week. This information came from a previous study that used census data from 2000 and geographic information systems to map health care facilities throughout the country. Multiple regression showed

The sun's magnetic sector structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svalgaard, L.; Wilcox, J. M.; Scherrer, P. H.; Howard, R.

1975-01-01

The synoptic appearance of solar magnetic sectors is studied using 454 sector boundaries observed at earth during 1959-1973. The sectors are clearly visible in the photospheric magnetic field. Sector boundaries can be clearly identified as north-south running demarcation lines between regions of persistent magnetic polarity imbalances. These regions extend up to about 35 deg of latitude on both sides of the equator. They generally do not extend into the polar caps. The polar cap boundary can be identified as an east-west demarcation line marking the poleward limit of the sectors. The typical flux imbalance for a magnetic sector is about 4 x 10 to the 21st power Maxwells.

Impact analysis of leading sub sector on basic sector to regional income in Siak Regency, Riau Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astuti, P.; Nugraha, I.; Abdillah, F.

2018-02-01

During this time Siak regency only known as oil producing regency in Riau province, but based on the vision of spatial planning Siak’s regency in 2031 there was a shift from petroleum towards to other sectors such as agribusiness, agroindustry and tourism. The purpose of this study was to identify the sector base, the leading subsectors and shift with their characteristics and to identify the leading subsectors development priority. The method used in this research consisted of the method of Location Quotient (LQ, Shift Share, and Overlay method). The research results were used Location Quotient (LQ) to identify sector’s base in Siak regency based on the document of PDRB. The sector’s refers to the constant prices year of 2000 were mining and quarrying sector (2.25). The sector’s base using document of PDRB at constant prices 2000 without oil and gas sector was the agricultural sector with a value of LQ was 2,45. The leading sub sector in the Siak regency with mining and quarrying sector was oil and gas (1.02) and leading sub sector without oil and gas sector was the plantation sector (1.48) and forestry sector (1.73). Overlay analysis results shown that agriculture sector as a sector base and plantation and forestry as a leading sub sector has positive value and categorize as progressive and competitiveness. Because of that, this leading sub sector gets high priority to developing.

Espectroscopía Espacial en el IR-Lejano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goicoechea, Javier R.; Cernicharo, J.

Debido a la opacidad atmosférica, el dominio IR--lejano del espectro electromagnético ha sido la última ventana en ser utilizada por la Astrofísica Molecular. El potencial que supone abrir este nuevo rango de frecuencias a través de la espectroscopía molecular ha comenzado a ser explotado con el Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). La sensibilidad de la instrumentación embarcada en dicho satélite no tiene comparación alguna con las escasas misiones espaciales, o a bordo de aviones, realizadas con anterioridad a su lanzamiento. En particular, casi todo el rango operativo de ISO en el IR--lejano no había sido explorado. El espectro IR--lejano de las fuentes más representativas de la galaxia era desconocido y los principales emisores de radiación, las moléculas, estaban por identificar. Las observaciones en el IR--lejano están especialmente indicadas para el estudio del gas caliente en las nubes moleculares del medio interestelar y en el interior de las envolturas circunestelares alrededor de estrellas evolucionadas. Algunas de estas fuentes; Sgr B2 en el Centro Galáctico y las Proto--Nebulosas Planetarias, constituyen uno de los objetos más paradigmáticos en nuestra comprensión de la complejidad química de La Galaxia. En esta contribución se presentan los resultados espectroscópicos más importantes de algunas de estas fuentes astronómicas.

Application of the Angular Overlap Model to Lanthanide Phthalocyanines (Aplicacion Del Modelo de Traslape Angular a Ftalocinaninas de Lantanidos)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-15

metilicos. Esto trae a la teoria del campo ligante el concepto de grupos funcionales. En este trabajo se us6 el enfoque del MTA desarrollado por...susceptibilidades magne’ticas se hizo de acuerdo a la teoria de perturbaciones usando la ecuacio’n de Van Vleckc. Es importante recordar que a pesar de...en el anillo pirrolico la deslocalizacio’n en el grupo imina es peque? a, y el sistema no se altera mucho debido a la donaci6n W. A partir de lus

Industrial Preparedness Sector Study Guideline

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-03-01

This guideline relates to special studies under the Army Industrial Preparedness Program where domestic industrial sectors or commodity sectors are evaluated for meeting Defense requirements. Modern sector study activities are described in a framewor...

Learn about Smart Sectors

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

about the Smart Sectors program including: Meaningful Collaboration with Regulated Sectors; Sensible Policies to Improve Environmental Outcomes; Better EPA Practices and Streamlined Operations; Historical Context

Regulatory Information By Sector

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find environmental regulatory, compliance, & enforcement information for various business, industry and government sectors, listed by NAICS code. Sectors include agriculture, automotive, petroleum manufacturing, oil & gas extraction & other manufacturing

Community care: the independent sector.

PubMed Central

Barodawala, S.

1996-01-01

The independent sector, which consists of the voluntary and private sectors, is a vital element in supporting older people in the community. The voluntary sector, coordinated by the Council for Voluntary Service and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, provides a variety of services, including practical help, reassurance and companionship, and advice, information, campaigning, and advocacy. The private sector owns all of the nursing homes and most of the residential homes and is gradually becoming more involved with the provision of services to help support older people in their own homes. With this increase in size and importance of the independent sector over recent years, there is now a real need for greater communication between the private, voluntary, and statutory agencies in any one region. In some areas, forums made up of representatives of these various sectors meet to discuss relevant issues and construct local policies, thus allowing a more coordinated approach to the delivery of services. Images p740-a p742-a PMID:8819449

ESAP plus: a web-based server for EST-SSR marker development.

PubMed

Ponyared, Piyarat; Ponsawat, Jiradej; Tongsima, Sissades; Seresangtakul, Pusadee; Akkasaeng, Chutipong; Tantisuwichwong, Nathpapat

2016-12-22

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have become widely used as molecular markers in plant genetic studies due to their abundance, high allelic variation at each locus and simplicity to analyze using conventional PCR amplification. To study plants with unknown genome sequence, SSR markers from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs), which can be obtained from the plant mRNA (converted to cDNA), must be utilized. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, huge EST sequence data have been generated and are now accessible from many public databases. However, SSR marker identification from a large in-house or public EST collection requires a computational pipeline that makes use of several standard bioinformatic tools to design high quality EST-SSR primers. Some of these computational tools are not users friendly and must be tightly integrated with reference genomic databases. A web-based bioinformatic pipeline, called EST Analysis Pipeline Plus (ESAP Plus), was constructed for assisting researchers to develop SSR markers from a large EST collection. ESAP Plus incorporates several bioinformatic scripts and some useful standard software tools necessary for the four main procedures of EST-SSR marker development, namely 1) pre-processing, 2) clustering and assembly, 3) SSR mining and 4) SSR primer design. The proposed pipeline also provides two alternative steps for reducing EST redundancy and identifying SSR loci. Using public sugarcane ESTs, ESAP Plus automatically executed the aforementioned computational pipeline via a simple web user interface, which was implemented using standard PHP, HTML, CSS and Java scripts. With ESAP Plus, users can upload raw EST data and choose various filtering options and parameters to analyze each of the four main procedures through this web interface. All input EST data and their predicted SSR results will be stored in the ESAP Plus MySQL database. Users will be notified via e-mail when the automatic process is completed and they can

El diseño final del espectrógrafo de banco (EBASIM) para CASLEO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmons, J.; Levato, H.

Utilizando el código de óptica ACCOS V se ha finalizado el diseño del espectrógrafo de banco para CASLEO. En una comunicación anterior habíamos indicado que utilizaríamos un colimador de 150 mm de diámetro con un radio de curvatura de 1540 mm. Para el espejo cámara, que tiene un diámetro de 200 mm, el radio de curvatura es de 1200 mm, ambos radios con una tolerancia no mayor a los 3 mm. En la presente, se informa sobre los detalles finales del cálculo del espectrógrafo que incluye el cómputo para 5 longitudes de onda diferentes y alrededor de 100 rayos. En todos los casos el 75 % de energía está dentro de un diámetro de 13 micrones. El diseño ha sido probado entre 3500 Å hasta 9000 Å con resultados satisfactorios.

Responsible leader behavior in health sectors.

PubMed

Longest, Beaufort

2017-02-06

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to expand attention to responsible leader behavior in the world's health sectors by explaining how this concept applies to health sectors, considering why health sector leaders should behave responsibly, reviewing how they can do so, and asserting potential impact through an applied example. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a viewpoint, reflecting conceptualizations rooted in leadership literature which are then specifically applied to health sectors. A definition of responsible leader behavior is affirmed and applied specifically in health sectors. Conceptualizations and viewpoints about practice of responsible leader behavior in health sectors and potential consequences are then discussed and asserted. Findings Leadership failures and debacles found in health, but more so in other sectors, have led leadership researchers to offer insights, many of them empirical, into the challenges of leadership especially by more clearly delineating responsible leader behavior. Practical implications Much of what has been learned in the research about responsible leader behavior offers pathways for health sector leaders to more fully practice responsible leadership. Social implications This paper asserts and provides a supporting example that greater levels of responsible leader behavior in health sectors hold potentially important societal benefits. Originality/value This paper is the first to apply emerging conceptualizations and early empirical findings about responsible leader behavior specifically to leaders in health sectors.

A Bayesian nonparametric method for prediction in EST analysis

PubMed Central

Lijoi, Antonio; Mena, Ramsés H; Prünster, Igor

2007-01-01

Background Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analyses are a fundamental tool for gene identification in organisms. Given a preliminary EST sample from a certain library, several statistical prediction problems arise. In particular, it is of interest to estimate how many new genes can be detected in a future EST sample of given size and also to determine the gene discovery rate: these estimates represent the basis for deciding whether to proceed sequencing the library and, in case of a positive decision, a guideline for selecting the size of the new sample. Such information is also useful for establishing sequencing efficiency in experimental design and for measuring the degree of redundancy of an EST library. Results In this work we propose a Bayesian nonparametric approach for tackling statistical problems related to EST surveys. In particular, we provide estimates for: a) the coverage, defined as the proportion of unique genes in the library represented in the given sample of reads; b) the number of new unique genes to be observed in a future sample; c) the discovery rate of new genes as a function of the future sample size. The Bayesian nonparametric model we adopt conveys, in a statistically rigorous way, the available information into prediction. Our proposal has appealing properties over frequentist nonparametric methods, which become unstable when prediction is required for large future samples. EST libraries, previously studied with frequentist methods, are analyzed in detail. Conclusion The Bayesian nonparametric approach we undertake yields valuable tools for gene capture and prediction in EST libraries. The estimators we obtain do not feature the kind of drawbacks associated with frequentist estimators and are reliable for any size of the additional sample. PMID:17868445

Descripción del coronógrafo a ser instalado en Argentina (MICA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenborg, G.; Francile, C.; Schwenn, R.; Epple, A.; Rovira, M.

El ``Coronógrafo de espejo para Argentina'' es un telescopio solar terrestre a ser colocado en el Observatorio Astronómico Félix Aguilar (El Leoncito), antes de finalizar 1996, como parte de un programa de ciencia bilateral entre Alemania y Argentina. Eclipses fotográficos de alta resolución han revelado que la corona solar es altamente estructurada y variable. De hecho, está contínuamente deformada y moldeada por los movimientos convectivos de los extremos de los arcos magnéticos en la fotosfera, estando, en muchas oportunidades, afectada por explosivas liberaciones de energía. MICA, en conjunción con otros telescopios solares espaciales y terrestres, tratará de contribuir al entendimiento de cuestiones fundamentales de la física solar. Entre ellas: cómo la corona está siendo calentada, dónde y cómo el viento solar es acelerado, qué causa los transitorios coronales, etc. Para ello investigará la distribución de los parámetros del plasma y su evolución con el tiempo, la estructura espacial de la corona en fina y gran escala, procesos que ocurren en los transitorios coronales y factores que los disparan, etc. Para responder a estas cuestiones MICA observará la atmósfera solar por sobre el limbo entre 1.1 y 2 radios solares aproximadamente, usando un nuevo tipo de sistema coronográfico que permite suprimir el brillo del disco solar suficientemente bien, tomando las imágenes con una cámara CCD de 1024x1024 pixels, codificada en 12 bits, pudiendo el mismo ser operado en forma remota. En la presente exposición describiremos las características del instrumento, cómo será controlado y qué esperamos observar basados en las imágenes obtenidas por los telescopios de similares características LASCO C1 a bordo del SOHO y PICO (ubicado en el Observatorio de Pic du Midi, Francia).

Environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector: the case of the defence sector.

PubMed

Ramos, Tomás B; Alves, Inês; Subtil, Rui; Joanaz de Melo, João

2007-03-01

The development of environmental performance policy indicators for public services, and in particular for the defence sector, is an emerging issue. Despite a number of recent initiatives there has been little work done in this area, since the other sectors usually focused on are agriculture, transport, industry, tourism and energy. This type of tool can be an important component for environmental performance evaluation at policy level, when integrated in the general performance assessment system of public missions and activities. The main objective of this research was to develop environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector, specifically applied to the defence sector. Previous research included an assessment of the environmental profile, through the evaluation of how environmental management practices have been adopted in this sector and an assessment of environmental aspects and impacts. This paper builds upon that previous research, developing an indicator framework--SEPI--supported by the selection and construction of environmental performance indicators. Another aim is to discuss how the current environmental indicator framework can be integrated into overall performance management. The Portuguese defence sector is presented and the usefulness of this methodology demonstrated. Feasibility and relevancy criteria are applied to evaluate the set of indicators proposed, allowing indicators to be scored and indicators for the policy level to be obtained.

Wheat EST resources for functional genomics of abiotic stress

PubMed Central

Houde, Mario; Belcaid, Mahdi; Ouellet, François; Danyluk, Jean; Monroy, Antonio F; Dryanova, Ani; Gulick, Patrick; Bergeron, Anne; Laroche, André; Links, Matthew G; MacCarthy, Luke; Crosby, William L; Sarhan, Fathey

2006-01-01

Background Wheat is an excellent species to study freezing tolerance and other abiotic stresses. However, the sequence of the wheat genome has not been completely characterized due to its complexity and large size. To circumvent this obstacle and identify genes involved in cold acclimation and associated stresses, a large scale EST sequencing approach was undertaken by the Functional Genomics of Abiotic Stress (FGAS) project. Results We generated 73,521 quality-filtered ESTs from eleven cDNA libraries constructed from wheat plants exposed to various abiotic stresses and at different developmental stages. In addition, 196,041 ESTs for which tracefiles were available from the National Science Foundation wheat EST sequencing program and DuPont were also quality-filtered and used in the analysis. Clustering of the combined ESTs with d2_cluster and TGICL yielded a few large clusters containing several thousand ESTs that were refractory to routine clustering techniques. To resolve this problem, the sequence proximity and "bridges" were identified by an e-value distance graph to manually break clusters into smaller groups. Assembly of the resolved ESTs generated a 75,488 unique sequence set (31,580 contigs and 43,908 singletons/singlets). Digital expression analyses indicated that the FGAS dataset is enriched in stress-regulated genes compared to the other public datasets. Over 43% of the unique sequence set was annotated and classified into functional categories according to Gene Ontology. Conclusion We have annotated 29,556 different sequences, an almost 5-fold increase in annotated sequences compared to the available wheat public databases. Digital expression analysis combined with gene annotation helped in the identification of several pathways associated with abiotic stress. The genomic resources and knowledge developed by this project will contribute to a better understanding of the different mechanisms that govern stress tolerance in wheat and other cereals. PMID

Rapid in silico cloning of genes using expressed sequence tags (ESTs).

PubMed

Gill, R W; Sanseau, P

2000-01-01

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are short single-pass DNA sequences obtained from either end of cDNA clones. These ESTs are derived from a vast number of cDNA libraries obtained from different species. Human ESTs are the bulk of the data and have been widely used to identify new members of gene families, as markers on the human chromosomes, to discover polymorphism sites and to compare expression patterns in different tissues or pathologies states. Information strategies have been devised to query EST databases. Since most of the analysis is performed with a computer, the term "in silico" strategy has been coined. In this chapter we will review the current status of EST databases, the pros and cons of EST-type data and describe possible strategies to retrieve meaningful information.

Dynamically Evolving Sectors for Convective Weather Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drew, Michael C.

2010-01-01

A new strategy for altering existing sector boundaries in response to blocking convective weather is presented. This method seeks to improve the reduced capacity of sectors directly affected by weather by moving boundaries in a direction that offers the greatest capacity improvement. The boundary deformations are shared by neighboring sectors within the region in a manner that preserves their shapes and sizes as much as possible. This reduces the controller workload involved with learning new sector designs. The algorithm that produces the altered sectors is based on a force-deflection mesh model that needs only nominal traffic patterns and the shape of the blocking weather for input. It does not require weather-affected traffic patterns that would have to be predicted by simulation. When compared to an existing optimal sector design method, the sectors produced by the new algorithm are more similar to the original sector shapes, resulting in sectors that may be more suitable for operational use because the change is not as drastic. Also, preliminary results show that this method produces sectors that can equitably distribute the workload of rerouted weather-affected traffic throughout the region where inclement weather is present. This is demonstrated by sector aircraft count distributions of simulated traffic in weather-affected regions.

Applying OD to the Public Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warrick, D. D.

1976-01-01

Discusses special considerations affecting organizational development (OD) programs in public-sector organizations, presents guidelines for using OD procedures in the public sector, and offers conclusions about the applicability of OD in the public sector. (Author/JG)

World bank's role in the electric power sector: Policies for effective institutional, regulatory, and financial reform. World Bank policy paper. Funcion del banco mundial en el sector de la electricidad: politicas para efectuar una reforma institucional, regulatoria y financiera eficaz

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

Not Available

1993-01-01

The paper outlines the World Bank's new policies for the energy sector. It recommends several new policies to improve the performance of the electric power sector in developing countries. Bank loans for electric power will go first to countries clearly committed to improving the performance of their power sectors. The Bank will also discourage subsidies on energy prices and will encourage private investment in utilities. And it will provide financing to help the least developed countries import power where local generation is not practical.

Temperature compensation for miniaturized magnetic sector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinha, Mahadeva P. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Temperature compensation for a magnetic sector used in mass spectrometry. A high temperature dependant magnetic sector is used. This magnetic sector is compensated by a magnetic shunt that has opposite temperature characteristics to those of the magnet.

Air Traffic Sector Configuration Change Frequency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chatterji, Gano B.; Drew, Michael

2010-01-01

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming method is used for creating sectors in Fort Worth, Cleveland, and Los Angeles centers based on several days of good-weather traffic data. The performance of these sectors is studied when they are subjected to traffic data from different days. Additionally, the advantage of using different sector designs at different times of day with varying traffic loads is examined. Specifically, traffic data from 10 days are used for design, and 47 other days are played back to test if the traffic-counts stay below the design values used in creating the partitions. The primary findings of this study are as follows. Sectors created with traffic from good-weather days can be used on other good-weather days. Sector configurations created with two hours of traffic can be used for 6 to 12 hours without exceeding the peak-count requirement. Compared to using a single configuration for the entire day, most of the sector-hour reduction is achieved by using two sector configurations -one during daytime hours and one during nighttime hours.

Analysis of SSR information in EST resources of sugarcane

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Expressed sequence tags ( ESTs) offer the opportunity to exploit single, low -copy, conserved sequence motifs for the development of simple sequence repeats ( SSRs). The total of 262 113 ESTs of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) in the database of NCBI were downloaded and analyzed, which resulted in...

[In Process Citation].

PubMed

Cuerda, Cristina; Álvarez, Julia; Ramos, Primitivo; Abánades, Juan Carlos; García-de-Lorenzo, Abelardo; Gil, Pedro; De-la-Cruz, Juan José

2016-03-25

Introducción: la desnutrición relacionada con la enfermedad (DRE) es un problema sociosanitario frecuente que afecta preferentemente a los mayores de 65 años, que aumenta la morbimortalidad y disminuye la calidad de vida.  Objetivo: estudiar la prevalencia de DRE en mayores de 65 años en diferentes centros sociosanitarios del Servicio Regional de Bienestar Social de la Comunidad de Madrid. Métodos: estudio transversal en 33 centros sociosanitarios de Madrid (6 centros de atención primaria [AP], 9 centros de mayores [CM], 9 hospitales [H] y 9 residencias [R]) seleccionados mediante muestreo polietápico. Las variables estudiadas fueron edad, sexo, nivel de dependencia según la escala de incapacidad de la Cruz Roja, motivo de ingreso y enfermedad de base, hábitat (urbano-periurbano-rural) y distribución geográfica (norte centro-sur). Como herramienta de cribado nutricional se utilizó el Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-cribaje) en todos los centros. En los pacientes con cribado positivo (en riesgo-desnutrición) se realizó el MNA-evaluación. El estudio estadístico se realizó con el paquete SSS 21.0 e incluyó estadística descriptiva, test de Chi-cuadrado y prueba exacta de Fisher, ANOVA de un factor, Kruskal-Wallis y análisis de regresión logística (RL) binaria univariante y multivariante. Se consideró significación estadística p < 0,05. Resultados: se reclutaron 1.103 sujetos (275 AP, 278 CM, 281 H, 269 R), edad media de 79,5 ± 8,4 años (41,2% varones, 58,8% mujeres). Los sujetos procedentes de H y R tuvieron un mayor grado de incapacidad (p < 0,001). La prevalencia global de DRE fue del 10%, encontrándose un 23,3% en riesgo de desnutrición, con diferencias entre los cuatro tipos de centros sociosanitarios (p < 0,001). El análisis univariante de RL mostró diferencia significativas en la prevalencia de desnutrición según la edad, sexo, grado de dependencia, tipo de centro sociosanitario, hábitat y zona geográfica. Sin embargo, en el

Brazilian healthcare in the context of austerity: private sector dominant, government sector failing.

PubMed

Costa, Nilson do Rosário

2017-04-01

This paper presents the arguments in favor of government intervention in financing and regulation of health in Brazil. It describes the organizational arrangement of the Brazilian health system, for the purpose of reflection on the austerity agenda proposed for the country. Based on the literature in health economics, it discusses the hypothesis that the health sector in Brazil functions under the dominance of the private sector. The categories employed for analysis are those of the national health spending figures. An international comparison of indicators of health expenses shows that Brazilian public spending is a low proportion of total spending on Brazilian health. Expenditure on individuals' health by out-of-pocket payments is high, and this works against equitability. The private health services sector plays a crucial role in provision, and financing. Contrary to the belief put forward by the austerity agenda, public expenditure cannot be constrained because the government has failed in adequate provision of services to the poor. This paper argues that, since the Constitution did not veto activity by the private sector segment of the market, those interests that have the greatest capacity to vocalize have been successful in imposing their preferences in the configuration of the sector.

Privacy Issues and the Private Sector,

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-07-01

GUIDE represents a large portion of the private sector of this country; at the moment, of course, the recordkeeping processes of non-Federal...the Privacy Protection Study Commission to examine the private sector and non-Federal government. The Commission is to recommend to Congress and the...President first, what aspects of the 1974 Act should be applied to the private sector ; secondly, to recommend to Congress and the President what further legislative safeguards are indicated for the private sector .

Attractiveness of employment sectors for physical therapists in Ontario, Canada (1999-2007): implication for the long term care sector

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Recruiting and retaining health professions remains a high priority for health system planners. Different employment sectors may vary in their appeal to providers. We used the concepts of inflow and stickiness to assess the relative attractiveness of sectors for physical therapists (PTs) in Ontario, Canada. Inflow was defined as the percentage of PTs working in a sector who were not there the previous year. Stickiness was defined as the transition probability that a physical therapist will remain in a given employment sector year-to-year. Methods A longitudinal dataset of registered PTs in Ontario (1999-2007) was created, and primary employment sector was categorized as ‘hospital’, ‘community’, ‘long term care’ (LTC) or ‘other.’ Inflow and stickiness values were then calculated for each sector, and trends were analyzed. Results There were 5003 PTs in 1999, which grew to 6064 by 2007, representing a 21.2% absolute growth. Inflow grew across all sectors, but the LTC sector had the highest inflow of 32.0%. PTs practicing in hospitals had the highest stickiness, with 87.4% of those who worked in this sector remaining year-to-year. The community and other employment sectors had stickiness values of 78.2% and 86.8% respectively, while the LTC sector had the lowest stickiness of 73.4%. Conclusion Among all employment sectors, LTC had highest inflow but lowest stickiness. Given expected increases in demand for services, understanding provider transitional probabilities and employment preferences may provide a useful policy and planning tool in developing a sustainable health human resource base across all employment sectors. PMID:22643111

Percepcion de los profesores universitarios acerca del concepto cultura cientifica y de sus implicaciones en el nuevo bachillerato del Recinto de Rio Piedras de la Universidad de Puerto Rico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos Pastrana, Nilsa

El Senado Academico del Recinto de Rio Piedras de la Universidad de Puerto Rico aprobo en el ano academico 2005-2006 la Certificacion 46, que contiene los lineamientos de un nuevo bachillerato. Este nuevo bachillerato introdujo cambios significativos en el curriculo tradicional. Entre ellos se encuentra la reduccion del componente de educacion general y el de Ciencias Biologicas en particular. La reduccion de creditos en el componente de Ciencias Biologicas ha obligado a reevaluar el concepto de cultura cientifica que desarrollan esos cursos. El proposito del estudio consistio en auscultar las percepciones de los profesores de las Facultades de Administracion de Empresas, Humanidades, Ciencias Sociales, Ciencias Naturales, Educacion y Estudios Generales del Recinto de Rio Piedras de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en torno al concepto de cultura cientifica, los contenidos disciplinares del curso de Ciencias Biologicas y la reduccion de creditos en el nuevo bachillerato. Las preguntas que guiaron la investigacion fueron: ¿cuales son las percepciones que tienen los profesores de las Facultades de Administracion de Empresas, Ciencias Sociales, Estudios Generales, Ciencias Naturales, Humanidades y Educacion, en torno al concepto de cultura cientifica y los contenidos disciplinares del curso de Ciencias Biologicas? ¿cuales son las percepciones que tienen los profesores de Ciencias Biologicas en torno al concepto cultura cientifica y los contenidos disciplinares del curso de Ciencias Biologicas? ¿existen diferencias significativas por facultad, genero, experiencia, rango y nombramiento en las percepciones que tienen los profesores del Recinto de Rio Piedras de la Universidad de Puerto Rico sobre los elementos que caracterizan la cultura cientifica y los contenidos biologicos que deben tener los egresados del Recinto? ¿que implicaciones curriculares tienen estos testimonios en el desarrollo del concepto de cultura cientifica en el nuevo bachillerato? Para realizar la

DEL phenotype.

PubMed

Kwon, Dong H; Sandler, S G; Flegel, Willy A

2017-09-01

DEL red blood cells (RBCs) type as D- by routine serologic methods and are transfused routinely, without being identified as expressing a very weak D antigen, to D- recipients. DEL RBCs are detected only by adsorption and elution of anti-D or by molecular methods. Most DEL phenotypes have been reported in population studies conducted in East Asia, although DEL phenotypes have been detected also among Caucasian individuals. Approximately 98 percent of DEL phenotypes in East Asians are associated with the RHD*DEL1 or RHD*01EL.01 allele. The prevalence of DEL phenotypes has been reported among D- Han Chinese (30%), Japanese (28%), and Korean (17%) populations. The prevalence of DEL phenotypes is significantly lower among D- Caucasian populations (0.1%). Among the 3-5 percent of African individuals who are D-, there are no reports of the DEL phenotype. Case reports from East Asia indicate that transfusion of DEL RBCs to D- recipients has been associated with D alloimmunization. East Asian immigrants constitute 2.1 percent of the 318.9 million persons residing in the United States, and an estimated 2.8 percent are blood donors. Using these statistics, we estimate that 68-683 units of DEL RBCs from donors of East Asian ancestry are transfused as D- annually in the United States. Given the reports from East Asia of D alloimmunization attributed to transfusion of DEL RBCs, one would expect an occasional report of D alloimmunization in the United States following transfusion of DEL RBCs to a D- recipient. If such cases do occur, the most likely reason that they are not detected is the absence of active post-transfusion monitoring for formation of anti-D.

Aceptabilidad del diagnóstico rápido casero para HIV entre hombres gay y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (G&HSH) de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

PubMed Central

Balán, Iván C.; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén O.; Pando, María A.; Barreda, Victoria; Ávila, María M.

2011-01-01

Resumen El uso del diagnóstico rápido para HIV en Argentina, así como otros países de Latinoamérica, ha sido limitado hasta el momento. Este trabajo reporta los resultados provenientes de un estudio cualitativo realizado entre hombres gays y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (G&HSH) de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. El objetivo principal del mismo fue conocer las ventajas y desventajas que los hombres G&HSH perciben en relación al diagnóstico rápido casero para HIV. Se realizaron ocho grupos focales con 73 participantes en los cuales se discutió acerca de las ventajas y desventajas del uso de los diagnósticos rápidos. Las respuestas fueron codificadas utilizando un programa para análisis de datos cualitativos (NVivo) y analizadas temáticamente. Los participantes describieron numerosas ventajas sobre el uso del diagnóstico rápido casero, aunque algunos reportaron importantes preocupaciones dentro de las cuales se destaca la posibilidad de impulsos suicidas si alguien recibe un resultado positivo estando solo. En términos generales se observó una gran aceptabilidad para el uso del diagnóstico rápido si el mismo es realizado por personal de salud en lugares acondicionados para este fin. PMID:25284951

Aceptabilidad del diagnóstico rápido casero para HIV entre hombres gay y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (G&HSH) de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

PubMed

Balán, Iván C; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén O; Pando, María A; Barreda, Victoria; Avila, María M

2011-03-01

El uso del diagnóstico rápido para HIV en Argentina, así como otros países de Latinoamérica, ha sido limitado hasta el momento. Este trabajo reporta los resultados provenientes de un estudio cualitativo realizado entre hombres gays y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (G&HSH) de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. El objetivo principal del mismo fue conocer las ventajas y desventajas que los hombres G&HSH perciben en relación al diagnóstico rápido casero para HIV. Se realizaron ocho grupos focales con 73 participantes en los cuales se discutió acerca de las ventajas y desventajas del uso de los diagnósticos rápidos. Las respuestas fueron codificadas utilizando un programa para análisis de datos cualitativos (NVivo) y analizadas temáticamente. Los participantes describieron numerosas ventajas sobre el uso del diagnóstico rápido casero, aunque algunos reportaron importantes preocupaciones dentro de las cuales se destaca la posibilidad de impulsos suicidas si alguien recibe un resultado positivo estando solo. En términos generales se observó una gran aceptabilidad para el uso del diagnóstico rápido si el mismo es realizado por personal de salud en lugares acondicionados para este fin.

Reflections on science and the communication sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raes, Frank

2015-04-01

Reflections on science and the communication sector. In this contribution I will reflect about successes and failures in communicating climate change and air pollution sciences to the general public. These communication efforts included writing popular articles, giving public presentations, working with people from the social scientists and artists. Giving the fact that communication is a very important (economic) sector on its own, the question is to what extent scientists should enter that sector, whether scientists are at all accepted in that sector, whether they should use the expertise in that sector, or whether they should merely provide the knowledge to be used by that sector.

AFT-QuEST Consortium Yearbook. Proceedings of the QuEST Consortium (April 2-6, 1972).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC.

This book contains the proceedings from the QuEST Consortium held on April 2-6, 1972, which focused on problems of method and technique in teaching as well as on resource organization. The program schedule for the Consortium is presented with the following goals: (a) investigation of educational policy issues, action programs, and projects and (b)…

Third sector primary care for vulnerable populations.

PubMed

Crampton, P; Dowell, A; Woodward, A

2001-12-01

This paper aims to describe and explain the development of third sector primary care organisations in New Zealand. The third sector is the non-government, non-profit sector. International literature suggests that this sector fulfils an important role in democratic societies with market-based economies, providing services otherwise neglected by the government and private for-profit sectors. Third sector organisations provided a range of social services throughout New Zealand's colonial history. However, it was not until the 1980s that third sector organisations providing comprehensive primary medical and related services started having a significant presence in New Zealand. In 1994 a range of union health centres, tribally based Mäori health providers, and community-based primary care providers established a formal network -- Health Care Aotearoa. While not representing all third sector primary care providers in New Zealand, Health Care Aotearoa was the best-developed example of a grouping of third sector primary care organisations. Member organisations served populations that were largely non-European and lived in deprived areas, and tended to adopt population approaches to funding and provision of services. The development of Health Care Aotearoa has been consistent with international experience of third sector involvement -- there were perceived "failures" in government policies for funding primary care and private sector responses to these policies, resulting in lack of universal funding and provision of primary care and continuing patient co-payments. The principal policy implication concerns the role of the third sector in providing primary care services for vulnerable populations as a partial alternative to universal funding and provision of primary care. Such an alternative may be convenient for proponents of reduced state involvement in funding and provision of health care, but may not be desirable from the point of view of equity and social cohesion

Improving Regional Security in Central America: Military Engagement Options for Nicaragua

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

Diálogo Centro-americano San José, Costa Rica No. 38 Marzo-Abril 1999 Ejércitos para preservar la paz y la democracia . Pedro Joaquín Chamorro...del Foro Civil Centroamericano para la Defensa y la Seguridad (FOCADES). (Declaration of Managua: Declaration of Managua: Constitution of the Central...State. Isacson, Adam 1998. Seguridad Cooperativa en Centroamérica. (Cooperative Security in Central America) Diálogo Centro-americano No. 35

Estimaciones de Prevalencia del VIH por Género y Grupo de Riesgo en Tijuana, México: 2006

PubMed Central

Iñiguez-Stevens, Esmeralda; Brouwer, Kimberly C.; Hogg, Robert S.; Patterson, Thomas L.; Lozada, Remedios; Magis-Rodriguez, Carlos; Elder, John P.; Viani, Rolando M.; Strathdee, Steffanie A.

2010-01-01

OBJETIVO Estimar la prevalencia del VIH en adultos de 15-49 años de edad en Tijuana, México - en la población general y en subgrupos de riesgo en el 2006. METODOS Se obtuvieron datos demográficos del censo Mexicano del 2005, y la prevalencia del VIH se obtuvo de la literatura. Se construyó un modelo de prevalencia del VIH para la población general y de acuerdo al género. El análisis de sensibilidad consistió en estimar errores estándar del promedio-ponderado de la prevalencia del VIH y tomar derivados parciales con respecto a cada parámetro. RESULTADOS La prevalencia del VIH es 0.54%(N = 4,347) (Rango: 0.22%–0.86%, (N = 1,750–6,944)). Esto sugiere que 0.85%(Rango: 0.39%–1.31%) de los hombres y 0.22%(Rango: 0.04%–0.40%) de las mujeres podrían ser VIH-positivos. Los hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), las trabajadoras sexuales usuarias de drogas inyectables (MTS-UDI), MTS-noUDI, mujeres UDI, y los hombres UDI contribuyeron las proporciones más elevadas de personas infectadas por el VIH. CONCLUSIONES El número de adultos VIH-positivos entre subgrupos de riesgo en la población de Tijuana es considerable, marcando la necesidad de enforcar las intervenciones de prevención en sus necesidades específicas. El presente modelo estima que hasta 1 en cada 116 adultos podrían ser VIH-positivos. PMID:19685824

Sector-scanning echocardiography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, W. L.; Griffith, J. M.

1975-01-01

The mechanical sector scanner is described in detail, and its clinical application is discussed. Cross sectional images of the heart are obtained in real time using this system. The sector scanner has three major components: (a) hand held scanner, (b) video display, and (c) video recorder. The system provides diagnostic information in a wide spectrum of cardiac diseases, and it quantitates the severity of mitral stenosis by measurement of the mitral valve orifice area in diagnosing infants, children and adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Metals Sector

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find environmental regulatory information about the metals sector (NAICS 331 & 332), including NESHAPs for metal coatings, effluent guidelines for metal products, combustion compliance assistance, and information about foundry sand recycling.

The Information Sector: Definition and Measurement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porat, Marc U.

In the last 20 years the U.S. economy had changed as a result of the increase in production, processing, and distribution of information goods and services. Three information sectors--the primary sector producing information goods and services, the private bureaucracy, and the public bureaucracy--are part of a six-sector economy. Today,…

[The productive sector].

PubMed

Santolaria, Encarna; Fernández, Alberto; Daponte, Antonio; Aguilera, I

2004-05-01

In the last 25 years, the production sector in Spain has undergone important changes. Among these changes, the important growth of the services sector at the expense of the primary sector, the increasing flexibility of the labour market, and the rise in the female workforce could be considered as the most relevant ones. Spanish women have higher rates of unemployment, temporary jobs and part time contracts than Spanish men. Moreover, job access and work conditions are highly related to gender and social class. Because women are forced to compensate for the scarcity of social services for caring for young children and for dependent elderly, they become informal and socially unrecognised caregivers, preventing them from getting or holding a job, and significantly limiting their opportunities for professional development. These social conditions are closely related with the fact that work conditions for women involve higher temporality rates and shorter contracts than those of men, given the sectors and jobs in which they tend to work (due to segregation). Similarly, workers of the less privileged social classes have poorer work conditions. Thus, women of the lower income class are mainly suffering the worst job contracts and the poorest work conditions. More social services are needed to make it possible to attend to family needs and still be able to access and maintain a job contract. Policies tending to conciliate labour and family life are indispensable and should incorporate measures to equally distribute the house keeping activities between women and men.

Role of the private sector in vaccination service delivery in India: evidence from private-sector vaccine sales data, 2009-12.

PubMed

Sharma, Abhishek; Kaplan, Warren A; Chokshi, Maulik; Zodpey, Sanjay P

2016-09-01

India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) provides basic vaccines free-of-cost in the public sector, yet national vaccination coverage is poor. The Government of India has urged an expanded role for the private sector to help achieve universal immunization coverage. We conducted a state-by-state analysis of the role of the private sector in vaccinating Indian children against each of the six primary childhood diseases covered under India's UIP. We analyzed IMS Health data on Indian private-sector vaccine sales, 2011 Indian Census data and national household surveys (DHS/NFHS 2005-06 and UNICEF CES 2009) to estimate the percentage of vaccinated children among the 2009-12 birth cohort who received a given vaccine in the private sector in 16 Indian states. We also analyzed the estimated private-sector vaccine shares as function of state-specific socio-economic status. Overall in 16 states, the private sector contributed 4.7% towards tuberculosis (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)), 3.5% towards measles, 2.3% towards diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT3) and 7.6% towards polio (OPV3) overall (both public and private sectors) vaccination coverage. Certain low income states (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Assam and Bihar) have low private as well as public sector vaccination coverage. The private sector's role has been limited primarily to the high income states as opposed to these low income states where the majority of Indian children live. Urban areas with good access to the private sector and the ability to pay increases the Indian population's willingness to access private-sector vaccination services. In India, the public sector offers vaccination services to the majority of the population but the private sector should not be neglected as it could potentially improve overall vaccination coverage. The government could train and incentivize a wider range of private-sector health professionals to help deliver the vaccines, especially in the low

Smart Sectors

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is taking a sector based approach to environmental protection to improve environmental performance through better-informed rulemakings, reduced burden, and more efficient, effective, and consensus-based solutions to environmental problems.

Lessons Learned from the Private Sector

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

Robichaud, Robert J

This session is focused on lessons learned from private sector energy projects that could be applied to the federal sector. This presentation tees up the subsequent presentations by outlining the differences between private and federal sectors in objectives, metrics for determining success, funding resources/mechanisms, payback and ROI evaluation, risk tolerance/aversion, new technology adoption perspectives, and contracting mechanisms.

Health sector reform and public sector health worker motivation: a conceptual framework.

PubMed

Franco, Lynne Miller; Bennett, Sara; Kanfer, Ruth

2002-04-01

Motivation in the work context can be defined as an individual's degree of willingness to exert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals. Health sector performance is critically dependent on worker motivation, with service quality, efficiency, and equity, all directly mediated by workers' willingness to apply themselves to their tasks. Resource availability and worker competence are essential but not sufficient to ensure desired worker performance. While financial incentives may be important determinants of worker motivation, they alone cannot and have not resolved all worker motivation problems. Worker motivation is a complex process and crosses many disciplinary boundaries, including economics, psychology, organizational development, human resource management, and sociology. This paper discusses the many layers of influences upon health worker motivation: the internal individual-level determinants, determinants that operate at organizational (work context) level, and determinants stemming from interactions with the broader societal culture. Worker motivation will be affected by health sector reforms which potentially affect organizational culture, reporting structures, human resource management, channels of accountability, types of interactions with clients and communities, etc. The conceptual model described in this paper clarifies ways in which worker motivation is influenced and how health sector reform can positively affect worker motivation. Among others, health sector policy makers can better facilitate goal congruence (between workers and the organizations they work for) and improved worker motivation by considering the following in their design and implementation of health sector reforms: addressing multiple channels for worker motivation, recognizing the importance of communication and leadership for reforms, identifying organizational and cultural values that might facilitate or impede implementation of reforms, and understanding that reforms

Unidades generadoras de energía eléctrica para servicios públicos: Revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia: Propuesta

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La EPA está proponiendo la revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia (CPP, por sus siglas en inglés) – después de completar una revisión minuciosa como fue dictaminada por la Orden Ejecutiva de Independencia Energética.

Sequence analysis of 497 mouse brain ESTs expressed in the substantia nigra

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

Stewart, G.J.; Savioz, A.; Davies, R.W.

1997-01-15

The use of subtracted, region-specific cDNA libraries combined with single-pass cDNA sequencing allows the discovery of novel genes and facilitates molecular description of the tissue or region involved. We report the sequence of 497 mouse expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from two subtracted libraries enriched for cDNAs expressed in the substantia nigra, a brain region with important roles in movement control and Parkinson disease. Of these, 238 ESTs give no database matches and therefore derive from novel genes. A further 115 ESTs show sequence similarity to ESTs from other organisms, which themselves do not yield any significant database matches to genesmore » of known function. Fifty-six ESTs show sequence similarity to previously identified genes whose mouse homologues have not been reported. The total number of ESTs reported that are new for the mouse is 407, which, together with the 90 ESTs corresponding to known mouse genes or cDNAs, contributes to the molecular description of the substantia nigra. 21 refs., 4 tabs.« less

Enhancement/upgrade of Engine Structures Technology Best Estimator (EST/BEST) Software System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Ashwin

2003-01-01

This report describes the work performed during the contract period and the capabilities included in the EST/BEST software system. The developed EST/BEST software system includes the integrated NESSUS, IPACS, COBSTRAN, and ALCCA computer codes required to perform the engine cycle mission and component structural analysis. Also, the interactive input generator for NESSUS, IPACS, and COBSTRAN computer codes have been developed and integrated with the EST/BEST software system. The input generator allows the user to create input from scratch as well as edit existing input files interactively. Since it has been integrated with the EST/BEST software system, it enables the user to modify EST/BEST generated files and perform the analysis to evaluate the benefits. Appendix A gives details of how to use the newly added features in the EST/BEST software system.

An Evaluation of the El Centro de la Causa Library and Information Center: August 1973 through July 1974. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michael, Mary Ellen; Encarnacion, Leticia

An evaluation of Chicago's El Centro de la Causa Library and Information Center was undertaken by the University of Illinois Library Research Center in 1974. Evaluation methods included: (1) a survey of user and nonuser characteristics and attitudes concerning library services; (2) a survey of the needs and information-seeking behavior of people…

Combinación de Valores de Longitud del Día (LOD) según ventanas de frecuencia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, L. I.; Arias, E. F.; Gambis, D.

El concepto de solución combinada se sustenta en el hecho de que las diferentes series temporales de datos derivadas a partir de distintas técnicas de la Geodesia Espacial son muy disimiles entre si. Las principales diferencias, fácilmente detectables, entre las distintas series son: diferente intervalo de muestreo, extensión temporal y calidad. Los datos cubren un período reciente de 27 meses (julio 96-oct. 98). Se utilizaron estimaciones de la longitud del día (LOD) originadas en 10 centros operativos del IERS (International Earth Rotation Service) a partir de las técnicas GPS (Global Positioning System) y SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging). La serie temporal combinada así obtenida se comparó con la solución EOP (Parámetros de la Orientación Terrestre) combinada multi-técnica derivada por el IERS (C04). El comportamiento del ruido en LOD para todas las técnicas mostró ser dependiente de la frecuencia (Vondrak, 1998). Por esto, las series dato se dividieron en ventanas de frecuencia, luego de haberles removido bies y tendencias. Luego, se asignaron diferentes factores de peso a cada ventana discriminando por técnicas. Finalmente estas soluciones parcialmente combinadas se mezclaron para obtener la solución combinada final. Sabemos que la mejor solución combinada tendrá una precisión menor que la precisión de las series temporales de datos que la originaron. Aun así, la importancia de una serie combinada confiable de EOP, esto es, de una precisión aceptable y libre de sistematismos evidentes, radica en la necesidad de una base de datos EOP de referencia para el estudio de fenómenos geofísicos que motivan variaciones en la rotación terrestre.

AFT-QuEST Consortium Yearbook. Proceedings of the AFT-QuEST Consortium (April 22-26, 1973).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC.

This document is a report on the proceedings of the 1973 American Federation of Teachers-Quality Educational Standards in Teaching (AFT-QuEST) consortium sponsored by the AFT. Included in this document are the texts of speeches and outlines of workshops and iscussions. The document is divided into the following sections: goals, major proposals,…

Prevalencia de síntomas depresivos e invarianza factorial de la Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudios Epidemiológicos (CES-D) en población indígena mexicana.

PubMed

Franco-Díaz, Karen Lizbeth; Fernández-Niño, Julián Alfredo; Astudillo-García, Claudia Iveth

2018-05-01

Introducción. La versión breve de la Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudios Epidemiológicos (CESD) es un recurso factible para la tamización de los síntomas de depresión en la población general, pero no se ha reportado la prevalencia en la población indígena, ni su invarianza factorial en Latinoamérica.Objetivo. Describir la prevalencia de los síntomas de depresión y la invarianza factorial de la versión breve de la escala CES-D en población indígena mexicana.Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio transversal en una muestra representativa de 37.165 adultos mexicanos de 20 a 59 años de edad. La identidad indígena se determinó mediante el propio reporte de la persona como hablante de una lengua indígena. Se conformaron ocho grupos de análisis según el sexo, el alfabetismo y el ser indígena. Se describió la prevalencia de los síntomas depresivos en cada grupo, así como la invarianza factorial de la configuración de los perfiles mediante un análisis factorial exploratorio. Las matrices de varianza y covarianza se compararon entre pares de perfiles usando el test modificado de Mantel.Resultados. La prevalencia de síntomas depresivos en mujeres indígenas que sabían leer fue de 16,8 % (IC95%: 13,4-20,3); en mujeres indígenas que no sabían leer, de 21,3 % (IC95%: 15,5-27,1); en hombres indígenas que sabían leer de 8,5 % (IC95%: 6,0-11,1), y en hombres indígenas que no sabían leer de 10,4 % (IC95%: 5,2-15,6). No se encontraron diferencias significativas en las cargas factoriales entre los perfiles.Conclusión. Se reportó una menor prevalencia de síntomas depresivos en indígenas que en la población no indígena. La escala CES-D en su versión breve mostró invarianza factorial al emplearla en la población indígena.

The construction of an EST database for Bombyx mori and its application

PubMed Central

Mita, Kazuei; Morimyo, Mitsuoki; Okano, Kazuhiro; Koike, Yoshiko; Nohata, Junko; Kawasaki, Hideki; Kadono-Okuda, Keiko; Yamamoto, Kimiko; Suzuki, Masataka G.; Shimada, Toru; Goldsmith, Marian R.; Maeda, Susumu

2003-01-01

To build a foundation for the complete genome analysis of Bombyx mori, we have constructed an EST database. Because gene expression patterns deeply depend on tissues as well as developmental stages, we analyzed many cDNA libraries prepared from various tissues and different developmental stages to cover the entire set of Bombyx genes. So far, the Bombyx EST database contains 35,000 ESTs from 36 cDNA libraries, which are grouped into ≈11,000 nonredundant ESTs with the average length of 1.25 kb. The comparison with FlyBase suggests that the present EST database, SilkBase, covers >55% of all genes of Bombyx. The fraction of library-specific ESTs in each cDNA library indicates that we have not yet reached saturation, showing the validity of our strategy for constructing an EST database to cover all genes. To tackle the coming saturation problem, we have checked two methods, subtraction and normalization, to increase coverage and decrease the number of housekeeping genes, resulting in a 5–11% increase of library-specific ESTs. The identification of a number of genes and comprehensive cloning of gene families have already emerged from the SilkBase search. Direct links of SilkBase with FlyBase and WormBase provide ready identification of candidate Lepidoptera-specific genes. PMID:14614147

Use of Private Sector Temporaries.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

causing the reduction in personnel. My solution to this problem is to authorize and find the use of private sector temporaries to perform the workload...discuss cost factors, and describe the benefits Defense Finance and Accounting Service will receive by using private sector temporaries (AN)

Mining SNPs from EST sequences using filters and ensemble classifiers.

PubMed

Wang, J; Zou, Q; Guo, M Z

2010-05-04

Abundant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide the most complete information for genome-wide association studies. However, due to the bottleneck of manual discovery of putative SNPs and the inaccessibility of the original sequencing reads, it is essential to develop a more efficient and accurate computational method for automated SNP detection. We propose a novel computational method to rapidly find true SNPs in public-available EST (expressed sequence tag) databases; this method is implemented as SNPDigger. EST sequences are clustered and aligned. SNP candidates are then obtained according to a measure of redundant frequency. Several new informative biological features, such as the structural neighbor profiles and the physical position of the SNP, were extracted from EST sequences, and the effectiveness of these features was demonstrated. An ensemble classifier, which employs a carefully selected feature set, was included for the imbalanced training data. The sensitivity and specificity of our method both exceeded 80% for human genetic data in the cross validation. Our method enables detection of SNPs from the user's own EST dataset and can be used on species for which there is no genome data. Our tests showed that this method can effectively guide SNP discovery in ESTs and will be useful to avoid and save the cost of biological analyses.

Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Zawada, David G.; Richey, Julie N.; Kellogg, Christina A.; Toth, Lauren T.; Torres-Garcia, Legna M.

2015-10-23

Los arrecifes de coral son estructuras sólidas, biomineralizadas que protegen comunidades costeras actuando como barreras protectoras de peligros tales como los huracanes y los tsunamis. Estos proveen arena a las playas a través de procesos naturales de erosión, fomentan la industria del turismo, las actividades recreacionales y proveen hábitats pesqueros esenciales. La conti-nua degradación mundial de ecosistemas de arrecifes de coral está bien documentada. Existe la necesidad de enfoque y organización de la ciencia para entender los procesos complejos físicos y biológicos e interacciones que están afectando el estado de los arrecifes coralinos y su capacidad para responder a un entorno cambiante.

Centro de Divulgação da Astronomia - o Observatório de São Carlos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, W. S.; Hönel, J.; Líbero, V. L.; Anderlini, A.; de Andrade, D.; Scatena, E.; Lazo, M. J.; Trevisan, M.; de Castro, V.

2005-07-01

Apresentamos as principais características do Centro de Divulgação da Astronomia, que é constituído e um observatório cujo objetivo é a divulgação da Astronomia junto à comunidade, através de palestras e de observação direta dos astros. Descrevemos, neste trabalho, as atividades desenvolvidas desde sua fundação em 1986, e mostramos sua importância na região através de números anuais das atividades realizadas.

Two EST-derived marker systems for cultivar identification in tree peony.

PubMed

Zhang, J J; Shu, Q Y; Liu, Z A; Ren, H X; Wang, L S; De Keyser, E

2012-02-01

Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews), a woody deciduous shrub, belongs to the section Moutan DC. in the genus of Paeonia of the Paeoniaceae family. To increase the efficiency of breeding, two EST-derived marker systems were developed based on a tree peony expressed sequence tag (EST) database. Using target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), 19 of 39 primer pairs showed good amplification for 56 accessions with amplicons ranging from 120 to 3,000 bp long, among which 99.3% were polymorphic. In contrast, 7 of 21 primer pairs demonstrated adequate amplification with clear bands for simple sequence repeats (SSRs) developed from ESTs, and a total of 33 alleles were found in 56 accessions. The similarity matrices generated by TRAP and EST-SSR markers were compared, and the Mantel test (r = 0.57778, P = 0.0020) showed a moderate correlation between the two types of molecular markers. TRAP markers were suitable for DNA fingerprinting and EST-SSR markers were more appropriate for discriminating synonyms (the same cultivars with different names due to limited information exchanged among different geographic areas). The two sets of EST-derived markers will be used further for genetic linkage map construction and quantitative trait locus detection in tree peony.

Health-care sector and complementary medicine: practitioners' experiences of delivering acupuncture in the public and private sectors.

PubMed

Bishop, Felicity L; Amos, Nicola; Yu, He; Lewith, George T

2012-07-01

The aim was to identify similarities and differences between private practice and the National Health Service (NHS) in practitioners' experiences of delivering acupuncture to treat pain. We wished to identify differences that could affect patients' experiences and inform our understanding of how trials conducted in private clinics relate to NHS clinical practice. Acupuncture is commonly used in primary care for lower back pain and is recommended in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines. Previous studies have identified differences in patients' accounts of receiving acupuncture in the NHS and in the private sector. The major recent UK trial of acupuncture for back pain was conducted in the private sector. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 acupuncturists who had experience of working in the private sector (n = 7), in the NHS (n =3), and in both the sectors (n = 6). The interviews lasted between 24 and 77 min (median=49 min) and explored acupuncturists' experiences of treating patients in pain. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify similarities and differences across private practice and the NHS. The perceived effectiveness of acupuncture was described consistently and participants felt they did (or would) deliver acupuncture similarly in NHS and in private practice. In both the sectors, patients sought acupuncture as a last resort and acupuncturist-patient relationships were deemed important. Acupuncture availability differed across sectors: in the NHS it was constrained by Trust policies and in the private sector by patients' financial resources. There were greater opportunities for autonomous practice in the private sector and regulation was important for different reasons in each sector. In general, NHS practitioners had Western-focussed training and also used conventional medical techniques, whereas private practitioners were more likely to have Traditional Chinese training and to practise

Vacuum status-display and sector-conditioning programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skelly, J.; Yen, S.

1990-08-01

Two programs have been developed for observation and control of the AGS vacuum system, which include the following notable features: (1) they incorporate a graphical user interface and (2) they are driven by a relational database which describes the vacuum system. The vacuum system comprises some 440 devices organized into 28 vacuum sectors. The status-display program invites menu selection of a sector, interrogates the relational database for relevant vacuum devices, acquires live readbacks and posts a graphical display of their status. The sector-conditioning program likewise invites sector selection, produces the same status display and also implements process control logic on the sector devices to pump the sector down from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum over a period extending several hours. As additional devices are installed in the vacuum system, the devices are added to the relational database; these programs then automatically include the new devices.

Development of an Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) Resource for Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

PubMed Central

Lazo, G. R.; Chao, S.; Hummel, D. D.; Edwards, H.; Crossman, C. C.; Lui, N.; Matthews, D. E.; Carollo, V. L.; Hane, D. L.; You, F. M.; Butler, G. E.; Miller, R. E.; Close, T. J.; Peng, J. H.; Lapitan, N. L. V.; Gustafson, J. P.; Qi, L. L.; Echalier, B.; Gill, B. S.; Dilbirligi, M.; Randhawa, H. S.; Gill, K. S.; Greene, R. A.; Sorrells, M. E.; Akhunov, E. D.; Dvořák, J.; Linkiewicz, A. M.; Dubcovsky, J.; Hossain, K. G.; Kalavacharla, V.; Kianian, S. F.; Mahmoud, A. A.; Miftahudin; Ma, X.-F.; Conley, E. J.; Anderson, J. A.; Pathan, M. S.; Nguyen, H. T.; McGuire, P. E.; Qualset, C. O.; Anderson, O. D.

2004-01-01

This report describes the rationale, approaches, organization, and resource development leading to a large-scale deletion bin map of the hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) wheat genome (Triticum aestivum L.). Accompanying reports in this issue detail results from chromosome bin-mapping of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) representing genes onto the seven homoeologous chromosome groups and a global analysis of the entire mapped wheat EST data set. Among the resources developed were the first extensive public wheat EST collection (113,220 ESTs). Described are protocols for sequencing, sequence processing, EST nomenclature, and the assembly of ESTs into contigs. These contigs plus singletons (unassembled ESTs) were used for selection of distinct sequence motif unigenes. Selected ESTs were rearrayed, validated by 5′ and 3′ sequencing, and amplified for probing a series of wheat aneuploid and deletion stocks. Images and data for all Southern hybridizations were deposited in databases and were used by the coordinators for each of the seven homoeologous chromosome groups to validate the mapping results. Results from this project have established the foundation for future developments in wheat genomics. PMID:15514037

Is the public healthcare sector a more strenuous working environment than the private sector for a physician?

PubMed

Heponiemi, Tarja; Kouvonen, Anne; Sinervo, Timo; Elovainio, Marko

2013-02-01

The present study examined the differences between physicians working in public and private health care in strenuous working environments (presence of occupational hazards, physical violence, and presenteeism) and health behaviours (alcohol consumption, body mass index, and physical activity). In addition, we examined whether gender or age moderated these potential differences. Cross-sectional survey data were compiled on 1422 female and 948 male randomly selected physicians aged 25-65 years from The Finnish Health Care Professionals Study. Logistic regression and linear regression analyses were used with adjustment for gender, age, specialisation status, working time, managerial position, and on-call duty. Occupational hazards, physical violence, and presenteeism were more commonly reported by physicians working in the public sector than by their counterparts in the private sector. Among physicians aged 50 years or younger, those who worked in the public sector consumed more alcohol than those who worked in the private sector, whereas in those aged 50 or more the reverse was true. In addition, working in the private sector was most strongly associated with lower levels of physical violence in those who were older than 50 years, and with lower levels of presenteeism among those aged 40-50 years. The present study found evidence for the public sector being a more strenuous work environment for physicians than the private sector. Our results suggest that public healthcare organisations should pay more attention to the working conditions of their employees.

El contexto de la familia y el vecindario en la salud de los ancianos del estudio EPESE hispano

PubMed Central

Reyes-Ortiz, Carlos A.; Camacho, María E.; Eschbach, Karl; Markides, Kyriakos S.

2014-01-01

RESUMEN En este artículo se discute el papel de la familia y el vecindario en la salud de los ancianos méjico-americanos del estudio EPESE (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly) hispano. La paradoja epidemiológica consiste en que, a pesar de estar en desventaja socioeconómica, los ancianos hispanos tienen mortalidad relativamente menor que los ancianos de raza blanca. Esto es especialmente cierto cuando el anciano vive en los vecindarios donde hay un porcentaje alto de méjico-americanos. La familia también juega un papel importante en estos ancianos al disminuir el riesgo de institucionalización o de morbilidad. Asimismo, el estrés originado en problemas económicos o al depender económicamente de la familia, habiendo inmigrado en edades tardías, puede sobrepasar la capacidad de amortiguamiento del estrés y afectar la salud del anciano méjico-americano. PMID:25190897

Chilly dark sectors and asymmetric reheating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adshead, Peter; Cui, Yanou; Shelton, Jessie

2016-06-01

In a broad class of theories, the relic abundance of dark matter is determined by interactions internal to a thermalized dark sector, with no direct involvement of the Standard Model (SM). We point out that these theories raise an immediate cosmological question: how was the dark sector initially populated in the early universe? Motivated in part by the difficulty of accommodating large amounts of entropy carried in dark radiation with cosmic microwave background measurements of the effective number of relativistic species at recombination, N eff , we aim to establish which admissible cosmological histories can populate a thermal dark sector that never reaches thermal equilibrium with the SM. The minimal cosmological origin for such a dark sector is asymmetric reheating, when the same mechanism that populates the SM in the early universe also populates the dark sector at a lower temperature. Here we demonstrate that the resulting inevitable inflaton-mediated scattering between the dark sector and the SM can wash out a would-be temperature asymmetry, and establish the regions of parameter space where temperature asymmetries can be generated in minimal reheating scenarios. Thus obtaining a temperature asymmetry of a given size either restricts possible inflaton masses and couplings or necessitates a non-minimal cosmology for one or both sectors. As a side benefit, we develop techniques for evaluating collision terms in the relativistic Boltzmann equation when the full dependence on Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac phase space distributions must be retained, and present several new results on relativistic thermal averages in an appendix.

Sector retinitis pigmentosa.

PubMed

Van Woerkom, Craig; Ferrucci, Steven

2005-05-01

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most common hereditary retinal dystrophies and causes of visual impairment affecting all age groups. The reported incidence varies, but is considered to be between 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 7,000. Sector retinitis pigmentosa is an atypical form of RP that is characterized by regionalized areas of bone spicule pigmentation, usually in the inferior quadrants of the retina. A 57-year-old Hispanic man with a history of previously diagnosed retinitis pigmentosa came to the clinic with a longstanding symptom of decreased vision at night. Bone spicule pigmentation was found in the nasal and inferior quadrants in each eye. He demonstrated superior and temporal visual-field loss corresponding to the areas of the affected retina. Clinical measurements of visual-field loss, best-corrected visual acuity, and ophthalmoscopic appearance have remained stable during the five years the patient has been followed. Sector retinitis pigmentosa is an atypical form of RP that is characterized by bilateral pigmentary retinopathy, usually isolated to the inferior quadrants. The remainder of the retina appears clinically normal, although studies have found functional abnormalities in these areas as well. Sector RP is generally considered a stationary to slowly progressive disease, with subnormal electro-retinogram findings and visual-field defects corresponding to the involved retinal sectors. Management of RP is very difficult because there are no proven methods of treatment. Studies have shown 15,000 IU of vitamin A palmitate per day may slow the progression, though this result is controversial. Low vision rehabilitation, long wavelength pass filters, and pedigree counseling remain the mainstay of management.

50 CFR 648.87 - Sector allocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... biological, economic, and social impacts of sectors and their fishing operations consistent with confidentiality requirements of applicable law. (vii) Interaction with other fisheries—(A) Use of DAS. A sector...

SEAN: SNP prediction and display program utilizing EST sequence clusters.

PubMed

Huntley, Derek; Baldo, Angela; Johri, Saurabh; Sergot, Marek

2006-02-15

SEAN is an application that predicts single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using multiple sequence alignments produced from expressed sequence tag (EST) clusters. The algorithm uses rules of sequence identity and SNP abundance to determine the quality of the prediction. A Java viewer is provided to display the EST alignments and predicted SNPs.

Partnership in Sector Wide Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolley, Hilary

2011-01-01

Within the context of bilateral support to the education sector in Tonga and the Solomon Islands, this paper will explore how the discourse of "partnership" has been interpreted and activated within the Sector wide approach (SWAp). In concentrating particularly on the relationship between the respective Ministries of Education and New…

[Harassment in the public sector].

PubMed

Puech, Paloma; Pitcho, Benjamin

2013-01-01

The French Labour Code, which provides full protection against moral and sexual harassment, is not applicable to public sector workers. The public hospital is however not exempt from such behaviour, which could go unpunished. Public sector workers are therefore protected by the French General Civil Service Regulations and the penal code.

Private sector contribution to childhood immunization: Sri Lankan experience.

PubMed

Agampodi, S B; Amarasinghe, D A C L

2007-04-01

The main service provider for childhood immunization in Sri Lanka is the government sector. However, utilization of private sector for childhood immunization is increasing rapidly. Existing national immunization data does not routinely include statistics on private sector immunization delivery adequately. To estimate the proportion of children immunized in the private sector; describe socio-demographic characteristics of private sector users and compare these with government sector users. A community-based crosssectional descriptive study was conducted using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. This was done in the Colombo municipal council area using the WHO 30 cluster methodology. The total number of households in the sample was 553. Out of the 5,028 total immunizations reported in the present study, around one-third (2,544) was obtained through the private sector. Nineteen percent (104) of children were exclusively immunized from the private sector. The distribution of usual immunization provider was - government sector 72.3% (400) and private sector 27.7% (153). Significant differences were observed (P < 0.001) between private and government sector users with regard to family income, social class, ethnicity, religion and educational level of the mother. The age-appropriate immunization among the 12- to 23-month age group was 92.3% (144) in the government sector, whereas it was 95% (38) in the private sector. Among the 24- to 35-month age group, it was 91.7% (121) and 92.7% (76) respectively. The age-adjusted immunization coverage rates were almost same among the government and private sector users except for the measles vaccine, where the private sector users had significantly (P = 0.016) higher coverage. Utilization of private sector immunization services is high in the Colombo municipal council area.

Development cooperation in water and sanitation: is it based on the human rights framework?

PubMed

Brown, Colin; Heller, Léo

2017-07-01

The water and sanitation sector is verifiably receiving increased attention and funding through international development cooperation. Not least because of the way that it affects incentives and institutions in partner countries, development cooperation can have either positive or negative effects on human rights though. The consolidated frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation is becoming linked to the international community's coordinated development efforts, as evidenced notably in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, a review of major funders' official policies for development cooperation in the sector suggests that many only partially endorse the frameworks for the human rights to water and sanitation. An observation of development cooperation flows to the sector allows the hypothesis to be advanced that worldwide inequalities in access to these services may be reduced through a full and clear application of the human rights framework in development cooperation activities. The article presents findings of this research and explores key stakes for development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector that are relevant for their ability to either negatively or positively contribute to the realization of human rights. Resumen El sector de agua y saneamiento ha recibido creciente atención y financiación a través de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo. La cooperación para el desarrollo puede tener efectos tanto positivos cuanto negativos sobre los derechos humanos. El hito que consolida los derechos humanos al agua y al saneamiento están articulados a esfuerzos de cooperación para el desarrollo promovidos por la comunidad internacional, como se evidencia en la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible. Sin embargo, una revisión de las políticas oficiales de los principales financiadores del sector sugiere que muchos de ellos aprueban solo parcialmente los hitos de los derechos humanos al agua y el

22 CFR 139.8 - Target economic sectors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Target economic sectors. 139.8 Section 139.8... § 139.8 Target economic sectors. Job/Training under the IPPCTP will be authorized for preferred economic... authorized to approve different employers in different economic sectors. [66 FR 52506, Oct. 16, 2001] ...

22 CFR 139.8 - Target economic sectors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Target economic sectors. 139.8 Section 139.8... § 139.8 Target economic sectors. Job/Training under the IPPCTP will be authorized for preferred economic... authorized to approve different employers in different economic sectors. [66 FR 52506, Oct. 16, 2001] ...

22 CFR 139.8 - Target economic sectors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Target economic sectors. 139.8 Section 139.8... § 139.8 Target economic sectors. Job/Training under the IPPCTP will be authorized for preferred economic... authorized to approve different employers in different economic sectors. [66 FR 52506, Oct. 16, 2001] ...

22 CFR 139.8 - Target economic sectors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Target economic sectors. 139.8 Section 139.8... § 139.8 Target economic sectors. Job/Training under the IPPCTP will be authorized for preferred economic... authorized to approve different employers in different economic sectors. [66 FR 52506, Oct. 16, 2001] ...

22 CFR 139.8 - Target economic sectors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Target economic sectors. 139.8 Section 139.8... § 139.8 Target economic sectors. Job/Training under the IPPCTP will be authorized for preferred economic... authorized to approve different employers in different economic sectors. [66 FR 52506, Oct. 16, 2001] ...

Construction of new EST-SSRs for Fusarium resistant wheat breeding.

PubMed

Yumurtaci, Aysen; Sipahi, Hulya; Al-Abdallat, Ayed; Jighly, Abdulqader; Baum, Michael

2017-06-01

Surveying Fusarium resistance in wheat with easy applicable molecular markers such as simple sequence repeats (SSRs) is a prerequest for molecular breeding. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are one of the main sources for development of new SSR candidates. Therefore, 18.292 publicly available wheat ESTs were mined and genotyping of newly developed 55 EST-SSR derived primer pairs produced clear fragments in ten wheat cultivars carrying different levels of Fusarium resistance. Among the proved markers, 23 polymorphic EST-SSRs were obtained and related alleles were mostly found on B and D genome. Based on the fragment profiling and similarity analysis, a 327bp amplicon, which was a product of contig 1207 (chromosome 5BL), was detected only in Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistant cultivars (CM82036 and Sumai) and the amino acid sequences showed a similarity to pathogen related proteins. Another FHB resistance related EST-SSR, Contig 556 (chromosome 1BL) produced a 151bp fragment in Sumai and was associated to wax2-like protein. A polymorphic 204bp fragment, derived from Contig 578 (chromosome 1DL), was generated from root rot (FRR) resistant cultivars (2-49; Altay2000 and Sunco). A total of 98 alleles were displayed with an average of 1.8 alleles per locus and the polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.11 to 0.78. Dendrogram tree with two main and five sub-groups were displayed the highest genetic relationship between FRR resistant cultivars (2-49 and Altay2000), FRR sensitive cultivars (Seri82 and Scout66) and FHB resistant cultivars (CM82036 and Sumai). Thus, exploitation of these candidate EST-SSRs may help to genotype other wheat sources for Fusarium resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic variation patterns of American chestnut populations at EST-SSRs

Treesearch

Oliver Gailing; C. Dana Nelson

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to analyze patterns of genetic variation at genic expressed sequence tag - simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and at chloroplast DNA markers in populations of American chestnut (Castanea dentata Borkh.) to assist in conservation and breeding efforts. Allelic diversity at EST-SSRs decreased significantly from southwest to northeast along...

Interplanetary sector boundaries, 1971 - 1973

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, L.; Burlaga, L. F.

1979-01-01

Eighteen interplanetary sector boundary crossings observed at 1 AU by the magnetometer on the IMP-6 spacecraft are discussed. The events were examined on many different time scales ranging from days on either side of the boundary to high resolution measurements of 12.5 vectors per second. Two categories of boundaries were found, one group being relatively thin and the other being thick. In many cases the field vector rotated in a plane from one polarity to the other. Only two of the transitions were null sheets. Using the minimum variance analysis to determine the normals to the plane of rotation, and assuming that this is the same as the normal to the sector boundary surface, it was found that the normals were close to the ecliptic plane. An analysis of tangential discontinuities contained in 4-day periods about the events showed that their orientations were generally not related to the orientations of the sector boundary surface, but rather their characteristics were about the same as those for discontinuities outside the sector boundaries.

Mineral Processing Sector

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find environmental regulatory and compliance information for the nonmetallic mineral processing sector (NAICS 327), including NESHAPs for asbestos and hazardous waste, and wastewater permit information.

Public Sector/Private Sector Interaction in Providing Information Services. Report to the NCLIS from the Public Sector/Private Sector Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, Washington, DC.

The results of a 2-year study on the interactions between government and private sector information activities are presented in terms of principles and guidelines for federal policy to support the development and use of information resources, products, and services, and to implement the principles. Discussions address sources of conflict between…

Building recycling rates through the informal sector.

PubMed

Wilson, David C; Araba, Adebisi O; Chinwah, Kaine; Cheeseman, Christopher R

2009-02-01

Many developing country cities aspire to modern waste management systems, which are associated with relatively high recycling rates of clean, source separated materials. Most already have informal sector recycling systems, which are driven solely by the revenues derived from selling recovered materials, even though they are saving the formal sector money by reducing waste quantities. There is clear potential for 'win-win' co-operation between the formal and informal sectors, as providing support to the informal sector, to build recycling rates and to address some of the social issues could reduce the overall costs of waste management for the formal sector. This paper shows that recycling rates already achieved by the informal sector can be quite high, typically in the range from 20% to 50%; often up to half of this is in the form of clean, source separated materials collected directly from households and businesses by itinerant waste buyers. Four country case studies provide a number of lessons on how this solid foundation could be used to build high recycling rates of clean materials.

Exploring root symbiotic programs in the model legume Medicago truncatula using EST analysis.

PubMed

Journet, Etienne-Pascal; van Tuinen, Diederik; Gouzy, Jérome; Crespeau, Hervé; Carreau, Véronique; Farmer, Mary-Jo; Niebel, Andreas; Schiex, Thomas; Jaillon, Olivier; Chatagnier, Odile; Godiard, Laurence; Micheli, Fabienne; Kahn, Daniel; Gianinazzi-Pearson, Vivienne; Gamas, Pascal

2002-12-15

We report on a large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing and analysis program aimed at characterizing the sets of genes expressed in roots of the model legume Medicago truncatula during interactions with either of two microsymbionts, the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti or the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices. We have designed specific tools for in silico analysis of EST data, in relation to chimeric cDNA detection, EST clustering, encoded protein prediction, and detection of differential expression. Our 21 473 5'- and 3'-ESTs could be grouped into 6359 EST clusters, corresponding to distinct virtual genes, along with 52 498 other M.truncatula ESTs available in the dbEST (NCBI) database that were recruited in the process. These clusters were manually annotated, using a specifically developed annotation interface. Analysis of EST cluster distribution in various M.truncatula cDNA libraries, supported by a refined R test to evaluate statistical significance and by 'electronic northern' representation, enabled us to identify a large number of novel genes predicted to be up- or down-regulated during either symbiotic root interaction. These in silico analyses provide a first global view of the genetic programs for root symbioses in M.truncatula. A searchable database has been built and can be accessed through a public interface.

Monozygotic Twin Pregnancy Associated with In Vitro Fertilization: Report and Revision of Three Cases Presented in a Clinic at 10,925 Feet Above Sea Level.

PubMed

Tominaga, Luis Vargas; Cáceres, Ricardo Pella; Lechuga, Alberto Vargas; Durán, Livia Bartolo; Vargas, Mariela Serrano

2015-08-01

3 cases of monozygotic twin pregnancies associated with IVF presented at Centro de Fertilidad y Ginecología del Sur. In this study, we describe the cases and review the literature, noting possible related factors.

The experience of bedaquiline implementation at a decentralised clinic in South Africa.

PubMed

Cariem, R; Cox, V; de Azevedo, V; Hughes, J; Mohr, E; Durán, L Triviño; Ndjeka, N; Furin, J

2016-09-01

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a serious public health problem, but the new drugs bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid offer hope to improve outcomes and minimise toxicity. In Khayelitsha, South Africa, patients are routinely started on BDQ in the out-patient setting. This report from the field describes BDQ use in the out-patient setting at the Nolungile Clinic. The clinic staff overall report a positive experience using the drug. Challenges have been based largely on the logistics of drug supply and delivery. BDQ can be started successfully in the out-patient setting, and can be a positive experience for both patients and providers. La tuberculose multirésistante (TB-MDR) est un problème de santé publique grave, mais les nouveaux médicaments que sont la bédaquiline (BDQ) et le délamanide apportent un espoir d'améliorer les résultats tout en réduisant la toxicité. A Khayelitsha, Afrique du Sud, les patients démarrent leur traitement par BDQ en consultation externe en routine. Ce rapport du terrain décrit l'utilisation de la BDQ à la consultation externe du dispensaire Nolungile. Dans l'ensemble, le personnel du centre de santé exprime une expérience positive du médicament. Les défis ont surtout été liés à la logistique de l'approvisionnement et de la distribution du médicament. La BDQ peut être mise en route avec succès dans le cadre d'une consultation externe et peut constituer une expérience positive pour les patients et les prestataires de soins. La tuberculosis multirresistente (TB-MDR) representa un grave problema de salud pública, pero la utilización de nuevos medicamentos como la bedaquilina (BDQ) y el delamanid ofrece perspectivas de mejores desenlaces terapéuticos y disminución de la toxicidad asociada. En Khayelitsha, Suráfrica, se inicia de manera sistemática el tratamiento ambulatorio con BDQ. En el presente informe del terreno, se describe la utilización de BDQ en tratamiento antituberculoso ambulatorio en el

Private sector data for performance management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

This report examines and analyzes technical and institutional issues associated with the use of private sector travel time and speed data for public sector performance management. The primary data needs for congestion performance measures are outline...

Sector-specific issues and reporting methodologies supporting the General Guidelines for the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gases under Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Volume 2: Part 4, Transportation sector; Part 5, Forestry sector; Part 6, Agricultural sector

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

Not Available

This volume, the second of two such volumes, contains sector-specific guidance in support of the General Guidelines for the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. This voluntary reporting program was authorized by Congress in Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The General Guidelines, bound separately from this volume, provide the overall rationale for the program, discuss in general how to analyze emissions and emission reduction/carbon sequestration projects, and address programmatic issues such as minimum reporting requirements, time parameters, international projects, confidentiality, and certification. Together, the General Guidelines and the guidance in these supporting documentsmore » will provide concepts and approaches needed to prepare the reporting forms. This second volume of sector-specific guidance covers the transportation sector, the forestry sector, and the agricultural sector.« less

Prediction of EST functional relationships via literature mining with user-specified parameters.

PubMed

Wang, Hei-Chia; Huang, Tian-Hsiang

2009-04-01

The massive amount of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) gathered over recent years has triggered great interest in efficient applications for genomic research. In particular, EST functional relationships can be used to determine a possible gene network for biological processes of interest. In recent years, many researchers have tried to determine EST functional relationships by analyzing the biological literature. However, it has been challenging to find efficient prediction methods. Moreover, an annotated EST is usually associated with many functions, so successful methods must be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant functions based on user specifications. This paper proposes a method to discover functional relationships between ESTs of interest by analyzing literature from the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, with user-specified parameters for selecting keywords. This method performs better than the multiple kernel documents method in setting up a specific threshold for gathering materials. The method is also able to uncover known functional relationships, as shown by a comparison with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database. The reliable EST relationships predicted by the proposed method can help to construct gene networks for specific biological functions of interest.

Update of the Diatom EST Database: a new tool for digital transcriptomics

PubMed Central

Maheswari, Uma; Mock, Thomas; Armbrust, E. Virginia; Bowler, Chris

2009-01-01

The Diatom Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) Database was constructed to provide integral access to ESTs from these ecologically and evolutionarily interesting microalgae. It has now been updated with 130 000 Phaeodactylum tricornutum ESTs from 16 cDNA libraries and 77 000 Thalassiosira pseudonana ESTs from seven libraries, derived from cells grown in different nutrient and stress regimes. The updated relational database incorporates results from statistical analyses such as log-likelihood ratios and hierarchical clustering, which help to identify differentially expressed genes under different conditions, and allow similarities in gene expression in different libraries to be investigated in a functional context. The database also incorporates links to the recently sequenced genomes of P. tricornutum and T. pseudonana, enabling an easy cross-talk between the expression pattern of diatom orthologs and the genome browsers. These improvements will facilitate exploration of diatom responses to conditions of ecological relevance and will aid gene function identification of diatom-specific genes and in silico gene prediction in this largely unexplored class of eukaryotes. The updated Diatom EST Database is available at http://www.biologie.ens.fr/diatomics/EST3. PMID:19029140

Private sector joins family planning effort.

PubMed

1989-12-01

Projects supported by the Directorate for Population (S&T/POP) of the U.S. Agency for International Development and aimed at increasing for-profit private sector involvement in providing family planning services and products are described. Making products commercially available through social-marketing partnerships with the commercial sector, USAID has saved $1.1 million in commodity costs from Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Peru. Active private sector involvement benefits companies, consumers, and donors through increased corporate profits, healthier employees, improved consumer access at lower cost, and the possibility of sustained family planning programs. Moreover, private, for-profit companies will be able to meet service demands over the next 20 years where traditional government and donor agency sources would fail. Using employee surveys and cost-benefit analyses to demonstrate expected financial and health benefits for businesses and work forces, S&T/POP's Technical Information on Population for the Private Sector (TIPPS) project encourages private companies in developing countries to invest in family planning and maternal/child health care for their employees. 36 companies in 9 countries have responded thus far, which examples provided from Peru and Zimbabwe. The Enterprise program's objectives are also to increase the involvement of for-profit companies in delivering family planning services, and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of private volunteer organizations in providing services. Projects have been started with mines, factories, banks, insurance companies, and parastatals in 27 countries, with examples cited from Ghana and Indonesia. Finally, the Social Marketing for Change project (SOMARC) builds demand and distributes low-cost contraceptives through commercial channels especially to low-income audiences. Partnerships have been initiated with the private sector in 17 developing countries, with examples provided from

Honduran-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-04

Miami Herald, July 16, 2009; “Informe Preliminar: Violaciones a Derechos Humanos en el Marco del Golpe de Estado en Honduras,” Comité de Familiares de...Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras (CONFADEH), July 15, 2009; “Reporte de Violaciones a Derechos Humanos Después del Golpe de Estado Político-Militar...del 28 de Junio de 2009,” Centro de Investigacion y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (CIPRODEH), July 17, 2009. 31 For more on the U.S. response

Working with the private sector for child health.

PubMed

Waters, Hugh; Hatt, Laurel; Peters, David

2003-06-01

Private sector providers are the most commonly consulted source of care for child illnesses in many countries, offering significant opportunities to expand the reach of essential child health services and products. Yet collaboration with private providers presents major challenges - the suitability and quality of the services they provide is often questionable and governments' capacity to regulate them is limited. This article assesses the actual and potential contributions of the private sector to child health, and classifies and evaluates public sector strategies to promote and rationalize the contributions of private sector actors. Governments and international organizations can use a variety of strategies to collaborate with and influence private sector actors to improve child health - including contracting, regulating, financing and social marketing, training, coordinating and informing the public. These mutually reinforcing strategies can both improve the quality of services currently delivered in the private sector, and expand and rationalize the coverage of these services. One lesson from this review is that the private sector is very heterogeneous. At the country level, feasible strategies depend on the potential of the different components of the private sector and the capacity of governments and their partners for collaboration. To date, experience with private sector strategies offers considerable promise for children's health, but also raises many questions about the feasibility and impact of these strategies. Where possible, future interventions should be designed as experiments, with careful assessment of the intervention design and the environment in which they are implemented.

Immune Responses and Protection of Aotus Monkeys Immunized with Irradiated Plasmodium vivax Sporozoites

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

The experimental protocol was approved by the Animal Ethical Committee of the Universidad del Valle (Cali). Parasite and irradiation. Plasmodium...three repeats ofpll (GDRADGPA) and (ANGAGNQPG) sequences, derived from VK210 and VK247 CS variants, respectively. A non-malaria related peptide Ptt30...Universidad del Valle and Centro Internacional de Vacunas, Cali, Colombia, E-mails: alejovi@hotmail.com, anbonelo@yahoo.com, alejcaste@yahoo.com

Sectoral Economies, Economic Contexts, and Attitudes toward Immigration

PubMed Central

Donnelly, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Do economic considerations shape attitudes toward immigration? In this article, we consider the relationship between economic interests and immigration preferences by examining how developments in individuals' sectors of employment affect these views. Using survey data across European countries from 2002 to 2009 and employing new measures of industry-level exposure to immigration, we find that sectoral economies shape opinions about immigration. Individuals employed in growing sectors are more likely to support immigration than are those employed in shrinking sectors. Moreover, the economic context matters: Making use of the exogenous shock to national economies represented by the 2008 financial crisis, we show that sector-level inflows of immigrant workers have little effect on preferences when economies are expanding, but that they dampen support for immigration when economic conditions deteriorate and confidence in the economy declines. These sectoral effects remain even when controlling for natives' views about the impact of immigration on the national economy and culture. When evaluating immigration policy, individuals thus appear to take into account whether their sector of employment benefits economically from immigration. PMID:24363457

Sectoral Economies, Economic Contexts, and Attitudes toward Immigration.

PubMed

Dancygier, Rafaela M; Donnelly, Michael J

2013-01-01

Do economic considerations shape attitudes toward immigration? In this article, we consider the relationship between economic interests and immigration preferences by examining how developments in individuals' sectors of employment affect these views. Using survey data across European countries from 2002 to 2009 and employing new measures of industry-level exposure to immigration, we find that sectoral economies shape opinions about immigration. Individuals employed in growing sectors are more likely to support immigration than are those employed in shrinking sectors. Moreover, the economic context matters: Making use of the exogenous shock to national economies represented by the 2008 financial crisis, we show that sector-level inflows of immigrant workers have little effect on preferences when economies are expanding, but that they dampen support for immigration when economic conditions deteriorate and confidence in the economy declines. These sectoral effects remain even when controlling for natives' views about the impact of immigration on the national economy and culture. When evaluating immigration policy, individuals thus appear to take into account whether their sector of employment benefits economically from immigration.

The pEst version 2.1 user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, James E.; Maine, Richard E.

1987-01-01

This report is a user's manual for version 2.1 of pEst, a FORTRAN 77 computer program for interactive parameter estimation in nonlinear dynamic systems. The pEst program allows the user complete generality in definig the nonlinear equations of motion used in the analysis. The equations of motion are specified by a set of FORTRAN subroutines; a set of routines for a general aircraft model is supplied with the program and is described in the report. The report also briefly discusses the scope of the parameter estimation problem the program addresses. The report gives detailed explanations of the purpose and usage of all available program commands and a description of the computational algorithms used in the program.

Public-private partnerships in China's urban water sector.

PubMed

Zhong, Lijin; Mol, Arthur P J; Fu, Tao

2008-06-01

During the past decades, the traditional state monopoly in urban water management has been debated heavily, resulting in different forms and degrees of private sector involvement across the globe. Since the 1990s, China has also started experiments with new modes of urban water service management and governance in which the private sector is involved. It is premature to conclude whether the various forms of private sector involvement will successfully overcome the major problems (capital shortage, inefficient operation, and service quality) in China's water sector. But at the same time, private sector involvement in water provisioning and waste water treatments seems to have become mainstream in transitional China.

The Est3 protein associates with yeast telomerase through an OB-fold domain

PubMed Central

Lee, Jaesung S.; Mandell, Edward K.; Tucey, Timothy M.; Morris, Danna K.; Victoria, Lundblad

2009-01-01

The Est3 protein is a small regulatory subunit of yeast telomerase which is dispensable for enzyme catalysis but essential for telomere replication in vivo. Using structure prediction combined with in vivo characterization, we show here that Est3 consists of a predicted OB (oligo-saccharide/oligo-nucleotide binding) fold. Mutagenesis of predicted surface residues was used to generate a functional map of one surface of Est3, which identified a site that mediates association with the telomerase complex. Surprisingly, the predicted OB-fold of Est3 is structurally similar to the OB-fold of the mammalian TPP1 protein, despite the fact that Est3 and TPP1, as components of telomerase and a telomere capping complex, respectively, perform functionally distinct tasks at chromosome ends. The analysis performed on Est3 may be instructive in generating comparable missense mutations on the surface of the OB-fold domain of TPP1. PMID:19172754

The willingness of private-sector doctors to manage public-sector HIV/AIDS patients in the eThekwini metropolitan region of KwaZulu-Natal

PubMed Central

Jinabhai, Champaklal C.; Taylor, Myra

2010-01-01

ABSTRACT Background South Africa is severely affected by the AIDS pandemic and this has resulted in an already under-resourced public sector being placed under further stress, while there remains a vibrant private sector. To address some of the resource and personnel shortages facing the public sector in South Africa, partnerships between the public and private sectors are slowly being forged. However, little is known about the willingness of private-sector doctors in the eThekwini Metropolitan (Metro) region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to manage public-sector HIV and AIDS patients. Objectives To gauge the willingness of private-sector doctor to manage public-sector HIV and AIDS patients and to describe factors that may influence their responses. Method A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken among private-sector doctors, both general practitioners (GPs) and specialists, working in the eThekwini Metro, using an anonymous, structured questionnaire to investigate their willingness to manage public-sector HIV and AIDS patients and the factors associated with their responses. Chi-square and independent t-tests were used to evaluate associations. Odds ratios were determined using a binary logistic regression model. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Most of the doctors were male GPs aged 30–50 years who had been in practice for more than 10 years. Of these, 133 (77.8%) were willing to manage public-sector HIV and AIDS patients, with 105 (78.9%) reporting adequate knowledge, 99 (74.4%) adequate time, and 83 (62.4%) adequate infrastructure. Of the 38 (22.2%) that were unwilling to manage these patients, more than 80% cited a lack of time, knowledge and infrastructure to manage them. Another reason cited by five doctors (3.8%) who were unwilling, was the distance from public-sector facilities. Of the 33 specialist doctors, 14 (42.4%) indicated that they would not be willing to manage public-sector HIV and AIDS patients

Mater semper incertus est: who's your mummy?

PubMed

D'alton-Harrison, Rita

2014-01-01

In English law, the legal term for father has been given a broad definition but the definition of mother remains rooted in biology with the Roman law principle mater semper certa est (the mother is always certain) remaining the norm. However, motherhood may be acquired through giving birth to a child, by donation of gametes or by caring and nurturing a child so that the identity of the mother is no longer certain particularly in the case of surrogacy arrangements. While the law in the UK may automatically recognise the parental status of a commissioning father in a traditional surrogacy arrangement, the parental status of the commissioning mother is not automatically recognised in either a traditional or a gestational surrogacy arrangement. Thus the maxim mater est quam gestation demonstrat (meaning the mother is demonstrated by gestation) is also not approached consistently in the legal interpretation of parentage or motherhood in surrogacy as against other assisted reproduction methods. This raises questions about the extent to which motherhood should be affected by the method of reproduction and whether the sociological and philosophical concept of motherhood should, in the case of surrogacy, give rise to a new principle of 'mater semper incertus est' (the mother is uncertain). This article will argue that the time has come to move away from a legal definition of 'mother' that is based on biology to one that recognises the different forms of motherhood. © The Author [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dark matter freeze-out in a nonrelativistic sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pappadopulo, Duccio; Ruderman, Joshua T.; Trevisan, Gabriele

2016-08-01

A thermally decoupled hidden sector of particles, with a mass gap, generically enters a phase of cannibalism in the early Universe. The Standard Model sector becomes exponentially colder than the hidden sector. We propose the cannibal dark matter framework, where dark matter resides in a cannibalizing sector with a relic density set by 2-to-2 annihilations. Observable signals of cannibal dark matter include a boosted rate for indirect detection, new relativistic degrees of freedom, and warm dark matter.

9 CFR 307.7 - Safety requirements for electrical stimulating (EST) equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... requirements for electrical stimulating (EST) equipment. (a) General. Electrical stimulating (EST) equipment is... of facilitating blood removal. These provisions do not apply to electrical equipment used to stun and... generate pulsed DC or AC voltage for stimulation and is separate from the equipment used to apply the...

9 CFR 307.7 - Safety requirements for electrical stimulating (EST) equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... requirements for electrical stimulating (EST) equipment. (a) General. Electrical stimulating (EST) equipment is... of facilitating blood removal. These provisions do not apply to electrical equipment used to stun and... generate pulsed DC or AC voltage for stimulation and is separate from the equipment used to apply the...

Spatially Enabling the Health Sector

PubMed Central

Weeramanthri, Tarun Stephen; Woodgate, Peter

2016-01-01

Spatial information describes the physical location of either people or objects, and the measured relationships between them. In this article, we offer the view that greater utilization of spatial information and its related technology, as part of a broader redesign of the architecture of health information at local and national levels, could assist and speed up the process of health reform, which is taking place across the globe in richer and poorer countries alike. In making this point, we describe the impetus for health sector reform, recent developments in spatial information and analytics, and current Australasian spatial health research. We highlight examples of uptake of spatial information by the health sector, as well as missed opportunities. Our recommendations to spatially enable the health sector are applicable to high- and low-resource settings. PMID:27867933

Spatially Enabling the Health Sector.

PubMed

Weeramanthri, Tarun Stephen; Woodgate, Peter

2016-01-01

Spatial information describes the physical location of either people or objects, and the measured relationships between them. In this article, we offer the view that greater utilization of spatial information and its related technology, as part of a broader redesign of the architecture of health information at local and national levels, could assist and speed up the process of health reform, which is taking place across the globe in richer and poorer countries alike. In making this point, we describe the impetus for health sector reform, recent developments in spatial information and analytics, and current Australasian spatial health research. We highlight examples of uptake of spatial information by the health sector, as well as missed opportunities. Our recommendations to spatially enable the health sector are applicable to high- and low-resource settings.

EVER-EST: European Virtual Environment for Research in Earth Science Themes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaves, H.; Albani, M.

2016-12-01

EVER-EST is an EC Horizon 2020 project having the goal to develop a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) providing a state-of-the-art solution to allow Earth Scientists to preserve their work and publications for reference and future reuse, and to share with others. The availability of such a solution, based on an innovative concept and state of art technology infrastructure, will considerably enhance the quality of how Earth Scientists work together within their own institution and also across other organizations, regions and countries. The concept of Research Objects (ROs), used in the Earth Sciences for the first time, will form the backbone of the EVER-EST VRE infrastructure. ROs will enhance the ability to preserve, re-use and share entire or individual parts of scientific workflows and all the resources related to a specific scientific investigation. These ROs will also potentially be used as part of the scholarly publication process. EVER-EST is building on technologies developed during almost 15 years of research on Earth Science data management infrastructures. The EVER-EST VRE Service Oriented Architecture is being meticulously designed to accommodate at best the requirements of a wide range of Earth Science communities and use cases: focus is put on common requirements and on minimising the level of complexity in the EVER-EST VRE to ensure future sustainability within the user communities beyond the end of the project. The EVER-EST VRE will be validated through its customisation and deployment by four Virtual Research Communities (VRCs) from different Earth Science disciplines and will support enhanced interaction between data providers and scientists in the Earth Science domain. User community will range from bio-marine researchers (Sea Monitoring use case), to common foreign and security policy institutions and stakeholders (Land Monitoring for Security use case), natural hazards forecasting systems (Natural Hazards use case), and disaster and risk

Infrastructure and Private Sector Investment in Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-03-01

manner in which the expansion in various types of infrastructural facilities interact with private sector investment, and whether there is a long run...passive role in the country’s development. That is public facilities have largely expanded in response to the needs created by private sector investment...tangible needs created by private sector expansion it has, no doubt, been very effective in alleviating real bottlenecks. (JEL F21, 053).

Dimensions of the Independent Sector: A Statistical Profile. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkinson, Virginia Ann; Weitzman, Murray S.

The second in a biennial series of statistical profiles of the independent sector (voluntary sector, third sector, or nonprofit sector) describes and charts the activities of groups and individuals associated with this sector. Included are voluntary organizations, foundations, the social responsibility programs of corporations, and people who…

How to improve collaboration between the public health sector and other policy sectors to reduce health inequalities? - A study in sixteen municipalities in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Storm, Ilse; den Hertog, Frank; van Oers, Hans; Schuit, Albertine J

2016-06-22

The causes of health inequalities are complex. For the reduction of health inequalities, intersectoral collaboration between the public health sector and both social policy sectors (e.g. youth affairs, education) and physical policy sectors (e.g. housing, spatial planning) is essential, but in local practice difficult to realize. The aim of this study was to examine the collaboration between the sectors in question more closely and to identify opportunities for improvement. A qualitative descriptive analysis of five aspects of collaboration within sixteen Dutch municipalities was performed to examine the collaboration between the public health sector and other policy sectors: 1) involvement of the sectors in the public health policy network, 2) harmonisation of objectives, 3) use of policies by the relevant sectors, 4) formalised collaboration, and 5) previous experience. Empirical data on these collaboration aspects were collected based on document analysis, questionnaires and interviews. The study found that the policy workers of social sectors were more involved in the public health network and more frequently supported the objectives in the field of health inequality reduction. Both social policy sectors and physical policy sectors used policies and activities to reduce health inequalities. More is done to influence the determinants of health inequality through policies aimed at lifestyle and social setting than through policies aimed at socioeconomic factors and the physical environment. Where the physical policy sectors are involved in the public health network, the collaboration follows a very similar pattern as with the social policy sectors. All sectors recognise the importance of good relationships, positive experiences, a common interest in working together and coordinated mechanisms. This study shows that there is scope for improving collaboration in the field of health inequality reduction between the public health sector and both social policy sectors

Behavioral economics perspectives on public sector pension plans.

PubMed

Beshears, John; Choi, James J; Laibson, David; Madrian, Brigitte C

2011-04-01

We describe the pension plan features of the states and the largest cities and counties in the U.S. Unlike in the private sector, defined benefit (DB) pensions are still the norm in the public sector. However, a few jurisdictions have shifted toward defined contribution (DC) plans as their primary savings plan, and fiscal pressures are likely to generate more movement in this direction. Holding fixed a public employee's work and salary history, we show that DB retirement income replacement ratios vary greatly across jurisdictions. This creates large variation in workers' need to save for retirement in other accounts. There is also substantial heterogeneity across jurisdictions in the savings generated in primary DC plans because of differences in the level of mandatory employer and employee contributions. One notable difference between public and private sector DC plans is that public sector primary DC plans are characterized by required employee or employer contributions (or both), whereas private sector plans largely feature voluntary employee contributions that are supplemented by an employer match. We conclude by applying lessons from savings behavior in private sector savings plans to the design of public sector plans.

Behavioral economics perspectives on public sector pension plans

PubMed Central

BESHEARS, JOHN; CHOI, JAMES J.; LAIBSON, DAVID; MADRIAN, BRIGITTE C.

2011-01-01

We describe the pension plan features of the states and the largest cities and counties in the U.S. Unlike in the private sector, defined benefit (DB) pensions are still the norm in the public sector. However, a few jurisdictions have shifted toward defined contribution (DC) plans as their primary savings plan, and fiscal pressures are likely to generate more movement in this direction. Holding fixed a public employee’s work and salary history, we show that DB retirement income replacement ratios vary greatly across jurisdictions. This creates large variation in workers’ need to save for retirement in other accounts. There is also substantial heterogeneity across jurisdictions in the savings generated in primary DC plans because of differences in the level of mandatory employer and employee contributions. One notable difference between public and private sector DC plans is that public sector primary DC plans are characterized by required employee or employer contributions (or both), whereas private sector plans largely feature voluntary employee contributions that are supplemented by an employer match. We conclude by applying lessons from savings behavior in private sector savings plans to the design of public sector plans. PMID:21789032

Generation, annotation and analysis of ESTs from Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413

PubMed Central

Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; González, Francisco Javier; Suárez, M Belén; Redondo, José; Heinrich, Julian; Delgado-Jarana, Jesús; Hermosa, Rosa; Gutiérrez, Santiago; Monte, Enrique; Llobell, Antonio; Rey, Manuel

2006-01-01

Background The filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum is used as biological control agent of several plant-pathogenic fungi. In order to study the genome of this fungus, a functional genomics project called "TrichoEST" was developed to give insights into genes involved in biological control activities using an approach based on the generation of expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Results Eight different cDNA libraries from T. harzianum strain CECT 2413 were constructed. Different growth conditions involving mainly different nutrient conditions and/or stresses were used. We here present the analysis of the 8,710 ESTs generated. A total of 3,478 unique sequences were identified of which 81.4% had sequence similarity with GenBank entries, using the BLASTX algorithm. Using the Gene Ontology hierarchy, we performed the annotation of 51.1% of the unique sequences and compared its distribution among the gene libraries. Additionally, the InterProScan algorithm was used in order to further characterize the sequences. The identification of the putatively secreted proteins was also carried out. Later, based on the EST abundance, we examined the highly expressed genes and a hydrophobin was identified as the gene expressed at the highest level. We compared our collection of ESTs with the previous collections obtained from Trichoderma species and we also compared our sequence set with different complete eukaryotic genomes from several animals, plants and fungi. Accordingly, the presence of similar sequences in different kingdoms was also studied. Conclusion This EST collection and its annotation provide a significant resource for basic and applied research on T. harzianum, a fungus with a high biotechnological interest. PMID:16872539

Financial development and sectoral CO2 emissions in Malaysia.

PubMed

Maji, Ibrahim Kabiru; Habibullah, Muzafar Shah; Saari, Mohd Yusof

2017-03-01

The paper examines the impacts of financial development on sectoral carbon emissions (CO 2 ) for environmental quality in Malaysia. Since the financial sector is considered as one of the sectors that will contribute to Malaysian economy to become a developed country by 2020, we utilize a cointegration method to investigate how financial development affects sectoral CO 2 emissions. The long-run results reveal that financial development increases CO 2 emissions from the transportation and oil and gas sector and reduces CO 2 emissions from manufacturing and construction sectors. However, the elasticity of financial development is not significant in explaining CO 2 emissions from the agricultural sector. The results for short-run elasticities were also consistent with the long-run results. We conclude that generally, financial development increases CO 2 emissions and reduces environmental quality in Malaysia.

Benefits Assessment of Algorithmically Combining Generic High Altitude Airspace Sectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloem, Michael; Gupta, Pramod; Lai, Chok Fung; Kopardekar, Parimal

2009-01-01

In today's air traffic control operations, sectors that have traffic demand below capacity are combined so that fewer controller teams are required to manage air traffic. Controllers in current operations are certified to control a group of six to eight sectors, known as an area of specialization. Sector combinations are restricted to occur within areas of specialization. Since there are few sector combination possibilities in each area of specialization, human supervisors can effectively make sector combination decisions. In the future, automation and procedures will allow any appropriately trained controller to control any of a large set of generic sectors. The primary benefit of this will be increased controller staffing flexibility. Generic sectors will also allow more options for combining sectors, making sector combination decisions difficult for human supervisors. A sector-combining algorithm can assist supervisors as they make generic sector combination decisions. A heuristic algorithm for combining under-utilized air space sectors to conserve air traffic control resources has been described and analyzed. Analysis of the algorithm and comparisons with operational sector combinations indicate that this algorithm could more efficiently utilize air traffic control resources than current sector combinations. This paper investigates the benefits of using the sector-combining algorithm proposed in previous research to combine high altitude generic airspace sectors. Simulations are conducted in which all the high altitude sectors in a center are allowed to combine, as will be possible in generic high altitude airspace. Furthermore, the algorithm is adjusted to use a version of the simplified dynamic density (SDD) workload metric that has been modified to account for workload reductions due to automatic handoffs and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). This modified metric is referred to here as future simplified dynamic density (FSDD). Finally

Foreword: special issue on the geology of Northwestern Mexico and adjacent areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-León, Carlos M.; Barajas, Arturo Martin

2001-10-01

The eight papers presented in this special issue are contributions that were received following the Fourth Meeting on the Geology of Northwestern Mexico and Adjacent Areas that took place from March 6- 8, 2000, in Hermosillo, México. The meeting was organized by the Estación Regional del Noroeste, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Sonora; Departamento de Geología, Centro de Investigación Científica y Estudios Superiores de Ensenada; Departamento de Geociencias, Centro de Estudios Superiores del Estado de Sonora; Distrito Sonora, Asociación de Ingenieros de Minas, Metalurgistas y Geólogos de México and Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. The manuscripts present new result that constitute recent advances to our understanding of the geology of southwestern North America.

Research Frontiers in Public Sector Performance Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhonghua, Cai; Ye, Wang

In "New Public Management" era, performance measurement has been widely used in managerial practices of public sectors. From the content and features of performance measurement, this paper aims to explore inspirations on Chinese public sector performance measurement, which based on a review of prior literatures including influencial factors, methods and indicators of public sector performance evaluation. In the end, arguments are presented in this paper pointed out the direction of future researches in this field.

Exploiting a wheat EST database to assess genetic diversity

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Expressed sequence tag (EST) markers have been used to assess variety and genetic diversity in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, 1549 ESTs from wheat infested with yellow rust were used to examine the genetic diversity of six susceptible and resistant wheat cultivars. The aim of using these cultivars was to improve the competitiveness of public wheat breeding programs through the intensive use of modern, particularly marker-assisted, selection technologies. The F2 individuals derived from cultivar crosses were screened for resistance to yellow rust at the seedling stage in greenhouses and adult stage in the field to identify DNA markers genetically linked to resistance. Five hundred and sixty ESTs were assembled into 136 contigs and 989 singletons. BlastX search results showed that 39 (29%) contigs and 96 (10%) singletons were homologous to wheat genes. The database-matched contigs and singletons were assigned to eight functional groups related to protein synthesis, photosynthesis, metabolism and energy, stress proteins, transporter proteins, protein breakdown and recycling, cell growth and division and reactive oxygen scavengers. PCR analyses with primers based on the contigs and singletons showed that the most polymorphic functional categories were photosynthesis (contigs) and metabolism and energy (singletons). EST analysis revealed considerable genetic variability among the Turkish wheat cultivars resistant and susceptible to yellow rust disease and allowed calculation of the mean genetic distance between cultivars, with the greatest similarity (0.725) being between Harmankaya99 and Sönmez2001, and the lowest (0.622) between Aytin98 and Izgi01. PMID:21637582

Exploiting a wheat EST database to assess genetic diversity.

PubMed

Karakas, Ozge; Gurel, Filiz; Uncuoglu, Ahu Altinkut

2010-10-01

Expressed sequence tag (EST) markers have been used to assess variety and genetic diversity in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, 1549 ESTs from wheat infested with yellow rust were used to examine the genetic diversity of six susceptible and resistant wheat cultivars. The aim of using these cultivars was to improve the competitiveness of public wheat breeding programs through the intensive use of modern, particularly marker-assisted, selection technologies. The F(2) individuals derived from cultivar crosses were screened for resistance to yellow rust at the seedling stage in greenhouses and adult stage in the field to identify DNA markers genetically linked to resistance. Five hundred and sixty ESTs were assembled into 136 contigs and 989 singletons. BlastX search results showed that 39 (29%) contigs and 96 (10%) singletons were homologous to wheat genes. The database-matched contigs and singletons were assigned to eight functional groups related to protein synthesis, photosynthesis, metabolism and energy, stress proteins, transporter proteins, protein breakdown and recycling, cell growth and division and reactive oxygen scavengers. PCR analyses with primers based on the contigs and singletons showed that the most polymorphic functional categories were photosynthesis (contigs) and metabolism and energy (singletons). EST analysis revealed considerable genetic variability among the Turkish wheat cultivars resistant and susceptible to yellow rust disease and allowed calculation of the mean genetic distance between cultivars, with the greatest similarity (0.725) being between Harmankaya99 and Sönmez2001, and the lowest (0.622) between Aytin98 and Izgi01.

[The creation of the informal sector in urban areas].

PubMed

Papayungan, M M

1984-12-01

The development of the informal sector of the economy in urban areas of Indonesia is analyzed. The author notes that this sector is dominated by high rates of migration from rural areas, limited employment opportunities for the unskilled in the modern sector, and a demand for low-priced services and products from the informal sector. (summary in ENG)

Counting (green) jobs in Queensland's waste and recycling sector.

PubMed

Davis, Georgina

2013-09-01

The waste and recycling sector has been identified as a green industry and, as such, jobs within this sector may be classed as 'green jobs'. Many governments have seen green jobs as a way of increasing employment, particularly during the global financial crisis. However, the methods used to define and quantify green jobs directly affect the quantification of these green jobs. In December 2010, Queensland introduced a waste strategy that stated intent to increase green jobs within the waste sector. This article discusses the milieu and existing issues associated with quantifying green jobs within Queensland's waste and recycling sector, and provides a review of the survey that has sought to quantify the true size of the Queensland industry sector. This research has identified nearly 5500 jobs in Queensland's private waste management and recycling sector, which indicates that official data do not accurately reflect the true size of the sector.

New Technologies to Assist Training in Hospitality Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balta, Sabah

2007-01-01

Hospitality sector needs new technological training tools, which can assist to improve sector employees' skills and services quality. The sector might be more interactive when these technological training tools used on the job-training program. This study addresses to issue of illumination of new technologic tools that enforce training in which…

50 CFR 648.87 - Sector allocation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... sector's allocation of the overall ACL available to all vessels issued a limited access NE multispecies... the GB cod ACL available to all vessels issued a limited access NE multispecies permit, that sector... this example, if the overall GB cod ACL available to all vessels issued a limited access NE...

Acerca del moho

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

El moho forma parte del medio ambiente natural. Afuera del hogar, el moho juega un papel en la naturaleza al desintegrar materias organicas tales como las hojas que se han caido o los arboles muertos. El moho puede crecer adentro del hogar cuando las espor

Quality Guidance: A Sectoral Analysis. NICEC Project Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, A. G.; Sadler, Jackie

This report reviews the structure of the guidance field and provides a sector-by-sector analysis of current quality assurance arrangements in the United Kingdom. Part 1 presents an outline of the guidance sector, including some key concepts, structures, and roles. It defines guidance and other terms; discusses the three main categories…

MELOGEN: an EST database for melon functional genomics

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Ibeas, Daniel; Blanca, José; Roig, Cristina; González-To, Mireia; Picó, Belén; Truniger, Verónica; Gómez, Pedro; Deleu, Wim; Caño-Delgado, Ana; Arús, Pere; Nuez, Fernando; Garcia-Mas, Jordi; Puigdomènech, Pere; Aranda, Miguel A

2007-01-01

Background Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important fleshy fruits for fresh consumption. Despite this, few genomic resources exist for this species. To facilitate the discovery of genes involved in essential traits, such as fruit development, fruit maturation and disease resistance, and to speed up the process of breeding new and better adapted melon varieties, we have produced a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from eight normalized cDNA libraries from different tissues in different physiological conditions. Results We determined over 30,000 ESTs that were clustered into 16,637 non-redundant sequences or unigenes, comprising 6,023 tentative consensus sequences (contigs) and 10,614 unclustered sequences (singletons). Many potential molecular markers were identified in the melon dataset: 1,052 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 356 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found. Sixty-nine percent of the melon unigenes showed a significant similarity with proteins in databases. Functional classification of the unigenes was carried out following the Gene Ontology scheme. In total, 9,402 unigenes were mapped to one or more ontology. Remarkably, the distributions of melon and Arabidopsis unigenes followed similar tendencies, suggesting that the melon dataset is representative of the whole melon transcriptome. Bioinformatic analyses primarily focused on potential precursors of melon micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the melon dataset, but many other genes potentially controlling disease resistance and fruit quality traits were also identified. Patterns of transcript accumulation were characterised by Real-Time-qPCR for 20 of these genes. Conclusion The collection of ESTs characterised here represents a substantial increase on the genetic information available for melon. A database (MELOGEN) which contains all EST sequences, contig images and several tools for analysis and data mining has been created. This set of sequences constitutes

Air Traffic Sector Configuration Change Frequency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chatterji, Gano Broto; Drew, Michael

2009-01-01

Several techniques for partitioning airspace have been developed in the literature. The question of whether a region of airspace created by such methods can be used with other days of traffic, and the number of times a different partition is needed during the day is examined in this paper. Both these aspects are examined for the Fort Worth Center airspace sectors. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming method is used with actual air traffic data of ten high-volume low-weather-delay days for creating sectors. Nine solutions were obtained for each two-hour period of the day by partitioning the center airspace into two through 18 sectors in steps of two sectors. Actual track-data were played back with the generated partitions for creating histograms of the traffic-counts. The best partition for each two-hour period was then identified based on the nine traffic-count distributions. Numbers of sectors in such partitions were analyzed to determine the number of times a different configuration is needed during the day. One to three partitions were selected for the 24-hour period, and traffic data from ten days were played back to test if the traffic-counts stayed below the threshold values associated with these partitions. Results show that these partitions are robust and can be used for longer durations than they were designed for

[University-external sector linkage: a managerial strategy].

PubMed

Campos, Gilberto

2004-06-01

The University-External Sector vinculation is an increasing phenomenon in Latin America as in the rest of the world. The universities through its investigation processes actively participate in the creation and incorporation of science and technology to produce technological processes, to bring foreign technology into national reality, and also to create and transmit innovation for the productive sector. In those ways these institutions achieve bonds with the external sector which provide them with additional income and allows them to have certain relief for their tight teaching and investigation budgets. Several studies in university organizations have been made to identify the motivations and barriers for de adequate development of the interaction between the university and the external sector. The lack of vinculation between these institutions could be due in part to the lack of knowledge that the external sector has of the possibility to obtain services from the university, and also the lack of knowledge that the university has about the needs of potential users of their services. The goals achieved by public Venezuelan universities, in the last years, in their search of a vinculation with the external sector could grow and consolidate through an adequate strategic management plan that allows a mayor diffusion and promotion of the results of their investigations and services, to reach in a wider and more direct way, and to a greater number of potential clients.

Determinacion del error sistematico del momentum de muones producidos por interacciones neutrino-nucleon en el detector MINER$$\

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

Diaz Bautista, Gonzalo A.

El Modelo Estandar describe todas las partculas observadas en el naturaleza hasta el momento as como las caractersticas que gobiernan a las interacciones fundamentales entre ellas. En especial es posible identicar a las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, las cuales bajo determinadas condiciones de temperatura y energa pueden ser descritas a traves de una sola teora que engloba a ambas. A esta teora se le denomina electrodebil y tiene como nalidad caracterizar las propiedades de la interaccion maniesta a partir de la mezcla de las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, la que tambien lleva como nombre interaccion electrodebil. Particularmente, los neutrinos sonmore » de especial interes ya que, por un lado, interactuan por medio de la interaccion debil muy raramente en comparacion con otras partculas y, por el otro, no son acertadamente descritos por el Modelo Estandar. Por medio de observaciones experimentales que demostraban que los neutrinos cambian de sabor al propagarse, fenomeno llamado oscilaciones de neutrinos, se pudo llegar a la conclusion de que la implicancia de este fenomeno da como consecuencia que los neutrinos efectivamente s tienen masa, algo que entra en contradiccion con la descripcion inicial del Modelo Estandar, el cual los describe como partculas sin masa. Es de esta manera que las oscilaciones de neutrinos han sido y siguen siendo en la actualidad objeto de interes en la Fsica de Altas Energas tanto teorica como experimental. A n de poder realizar mediciones precisas de oscilaciones de neutrinos, los experimentos encargados de estas mediciones deben tratar de reducir sus incertidumbres en lo posible. Una de estas proviene de la caracterizacion de las secciones de choque de los neutrinos cuando interactuan con la materia, particularmente los nucleones al interior de los nucleos atomicos. El experimento MINERA esta orientado, entre otras cosas, a hacer una correcta caracterizacion de secciones de choque neutrino-nucleon por medio del

Construction, database integration, and application of an Oenothera EST library.

PubMed

Mrácek, Jaroslav; Greiner, Stephan; Cho, Won Kyong; Rauwolf, Uwe; Braun, Martha; Umate, Pavan; Altstätter, Johannes; Stoppel, Rhea; Mlcochová, Lada; Silber, Martina V; Volz, Stefanie M; White, Sarah; Selmeier, Renate; Rudd, Stephen; Herrmann, Reinhold G; Meurer, Jörg

2006-09-01

Coevolution of cellular genetic compartments is a fundamental aspect in eukaryotic genome evolution that becomes apparent in serious developmental disturbances after interspecific organelle exchanges. The genus Oenothera represents a unique, at present the only available, resource to study the role of the compartmentalized plant genome in diversification of populations and speciation processes. An integrated approach involving cDNA cloning, EST sequencing, and bioinformatic data mining was chosen using Oenothera elata with the genetic constitution nuclear genome AA with plastome type I. The Gene Ontology system grouped 1621 unique gene products into 17 different functional categories. Application of arrays generated from a selected fraction of ESTs revealed significantly differing expression profiles among closely related Oenothera species possessing the potential to generate fertile and incompatible plastid/nuclear hybrids (hybrid bleaching). Furthermore, the EST library provides a valuable source of PCR-based polymorphic molecular markers that are instrumental for genotyping and molecular mapping approaches.

ESTuber db: an online database for Tuber borchii EST sequences.

PubMed

Lazzari, Barbara; Caprera, Andrea; Cosentino, Cristian; Stella, Alessandra; Milanesi, Luciano; Viotti, Angelo

2007-03-08

The ESTuber database (http://www.itb.cnr.it/estuber) includes 3,271 Tuber borchii expressed sequence tags (EST). The dataset consists of 2,389 sequences from an in-house prepared cDNA library from truffle vegetative hyphae, and 882 sequences downloaded from GenBank and representing four libraries from white truffle mycelia and ascocarps at different developmental stages. An automated pipeline was prepared to process EST sequences using public software integrated by in-house developed Perl scripts. Data were collected in a MySQL database, which can be queried via a php-based web interface. Sequences included in the ESTuber db were clustered and annotated against three databases: the GenBank nr database, the UniProtKB database and a third in-house prepared database of fungi genomic sequences. An algorithm was implemented to infer statistical classification among Gene Ontology categories from the ontology occurrences deduced from the annotation procedure against the UniProtKB database. Ontologies were also deduced from the annotation of more than 130,000 EST sequences from five filamentous fungi, for intra-species comparison purposes. Further analyses were performed on the ESTuber db dataset, including tandem repeats search and comparison of the putative protein dataset inferred from the EST sequences to the PROSITE database for protein patterns identification. All the analyses were performed both on the complete sequence dataset and on the contig consensus sequences generated by the EST assembly procedure. The resulting web site is a resource of data and links related to truffle expressed genes. The Sequence Report and Contig Report pages are the web interface core structures which, together with the Text search utility and the Blast utility, allow easy access to the data stored in the database.

Comparative mapping in the Fagaceae and beyond with EST-SSRs

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Genetic markers and linkage mapping are basic prerequisites for comparative genetic analyses, QTL detection and map-based cloning. A large number of mapping populations have been developed for oak, but few gene-based markers are available for constructing integrated genetic linkage maps and comparing gene order and QTL location across related species. Results We developed a set of 573 expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and located 397 markers (EST-SSRs and genomic SSRs) on the 12 oak chromosomes (2n = 2x = 24) on the basis of Mendelian segregation patterns in 5 full-sib mapping pedigrees of two species: Quercus robur (pedunculate oak) and Quercus petraea (sessile oak). Consensus maps for the two species were constructed and aligned. They showed a high degree of macrosynteny between these two sympatric European oaks. We assessed the transferability of EST-SSRs to other Fagaceae genera and a subset of these markers was mapped in Castanea sativa, the European chestnut. Reasonably high levels of macrosynteny were observed between oak and chestnut. We also obtained diversity statistics for a subset of EST-SSRs, to support further population genetic analyses with gene-based markers. Finally, based on the orthologous relationships between the oak, Arabidopsis, grape, poplar, Medicago, and soybean genomes and the paralogous relationships between the 12 oak chromosomes, we propose an evolutionary scenario of the 12 oak chromosomes from the eudicot ancestral karyotype. Conclusions This study provides map locations for a large set of EST-SSRs in two oak species of recognized biological importance in natural ecosystems. This first step toward the construction of a gene-based linkage map will facilitate the assignment of future genome scaffolds to pseudo-chromosomes. This study also provides an indication of the potential utility of new gene-based markers for population genetics and comparative mapping within and beyond the

New Currents in Education: A Preliminary Review. QuEST Paper 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhaerman, Robert D.

This booklet describes nine "new currents" in education with the recommendation that local and state federations of the American Federation of Teachers create QuEST committees of teachers to study the implications of all these issues and develop statements and QuEST action programs on them as they relate to local and state situations. The issues…

The interaction between the yeast telomerase RNA and the Est1 protein requires three structural elements.

PubMed

Lubin, Johnathan W; Tucey, Timothy M; Lundblad, Victoria

2012-09-01

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the telomerase enzyme is composed of a 1.3-kb TLC1 RNA that forms a complex with Est2 (the catalytic subunit) and two regulatory proteins, Est1 and Est3. Previous work has identified a conserved 5-nt bulge, present in a long helical arm of TLC1, which mediates binding of Est1 to TLC1. However, increased expression of Est1 can bypass the consequences of removal of this RNA bulge, indicating that there are additional binding site(s) for Est1 on TLC1. We report here that a conserved single-stranded internal loop immediately adjacent to the bulge is also required for the Est1-RNA interaction; furthermore, a TLC1 variant that lacks this internal loop but retains the bulge cannot be suppressed by Est1 overexpression, arguing that the internal loop may be a more critical element for Est1 binding. An additional structural feature consisting of a single-stranded region at the base of the helix containing the bulge and internal loop also contributes to recognition of TLC1 by Est1, potentially by providing flexibility to this helical arm. Association of Est1 with each of these TLC1 motifs was assessed using a highly sensitive biochemical assay that simultaneously monitors the relative levels of the Est1 and Est2 proteins in the telomerase complex. The identification of three elements of TLC1 that are required for Est1 association provides a detailed view of this particular protein-RNA interaction.

Building a Comprehensive Mill-Level Database for the Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) Model of the U.S. Pulp and Paper Sector

EPA Science Inventory

The Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) model for the pulp and paper sector is currently under development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and can be utilized to facilitate multi-pollutant sector-based analyses that are performed in conjunction with ...

Recent Changes in Public-Sector Governance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khademian, Anne Meredith

This report looks at recent changes in governance across the public sector to provide context and examples for the National Commission on Governing America's Schools' efforts. The report is presented in six sections. Following a brief introduction in section 1, section 2 provides an overview of the forces that have changed public-sector governance…

Private Sector Contracting and Democratic Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiMartino, Catherine; Scott, Janelle

2013-01-01

Public officials are increasingly contracting with the private sector for a range of educational services. With much of the focus on private sector accountability on cost-effectiveness and student performance, less attention has been given to shifts in democratic accountability. Drawing on data from the state of New York, one of the most active…

HIV / AIDS and the retail sector.

PubMed

Michael, K

1999-01-01

Employing approximately 1.5 million employees and comprised of 80,000 employers, the retail and wholesale sector accounted for 16.1% of South Africa's gross domestic product in 1996. HIV/AIDS threatens the retail sector, but it is unclear whether the pandemic threatens equally every sub-sector of the industry. The 4 main sub-sectors are fast-moving consumer goods; clothing, footwear, and textiles; vehicles; and furniture and major appliances. The nature of retail infrastructure and competitive and economic trends are described. Over the next decade, AIDS may reduce the size of consumer markets through increased mortality, and will certainly slow growth in spending. The pandemic may also divert spending away from retail merchandise to health care, and threaten businesses which extend credit and offer death benefits and funeral policies to clients. AIDS morbidity and mortality could also disrupt supply chains, especially for retailers who buy their products locally. The vulnerability of retail activities is discussed, with reference to the Living Standards Measure (LSM) developed by the South African Advertising Research Foundation.

Miami's Third Sector Alliance for Community Well-being.

PubMed

Evans, Scotney D; Raymond, Catherine; Levine, Daniella

2014-01-01

Traditional capacity-building approaches tend to be organizationally focused ignoring the fact that community-based organizations learn and take action in a larger network working to promote positive community change. The specific aim of this paper was to outline a vision for a Third Sector Alliance to build organizational, network, and sector capacity for community well-being in Miami. Building a foundation for social impact requires a strategy for organizational, network, and sector capacity building. Organizational, network, and sector capacity building can best be achieved through a cooperative network approach driven by a solid community-university partnership. Although a Third Sector Alliance for Community Well-being does not yet exist in Miami, Catalyst Miami and the University of Miami (UM) have partnered closely to articulate a vision of what could be and have been working to make that vision a reality.

Dark Sectors 2016 Workshop: Community Report

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

Alexander, Jim; et al.

This report, based on the Dark Sectors workshop at SLAC in April 2016, summarizes the scientific importance of searches for dark sector dark matter and forces at masses beneath the weak-scale, the status of this broad international field, the important milestones motivating future exploration, and promising experimental opportunities to reach these milestones over the next 5-10 years.

Machined electrostatic sector for mass spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinha, Mahadeva P. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

An electrostatic sector device for a mass spectrometer is formed from a single piece of machinable ceramic. The machined ceramic is coated with a nickel coating, and a notch is etched in the nickel coating to form two separated portions. The sector can be covered by a cover formed from a separate piece of machined ceramic.

Youth Employment in the Hospitality Sector.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiller, Bradley R.

A study used data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth to analyze the long-term effects of hospitality industry employment on youth. The subsample extracted for the study included all youth who were aged 16-24 in 1980 and employed in the civilian sector for pay at any time in the year. Statistics indicated the hospitality sector was…

Comparison of Navy and Private-Sector Construction Costs

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-01

contracts are comparable to private - sector construction costs. This report compares those costs. The report includes a description of the methodology...costs of complying with federal contracting requirements as compared with the costs of similar projects completed under typical private - sector contracts...The study found that the costs of facilities constructed under Navy contracts compare favorably to private - sector construction costs for similar

Factors Influencing Worker Morale: Evaluating Provider Demographics, Workplace Environment and Using ESTs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson-Silver Wolf, David A.; Dulmus, Catherine N.; Maguin, Eugene; Cristalli, Maria

2013-01-01

Objectives: Mental health organizations are strongly encouraged to implement empirically supported treatments (ESTs); however, little is known about their working environments. The present study investigated how provider demographics, workplace environment, and whether ESTs were used affected the worker morale. Method: Frontline workers…

Public-Private Partnerships in China’s Urban Water Sector

PubMed Central

Mol, Arthur P. J.; Fu, Tao

2008-01-01

During the past decades, the traditional state monopoly in urban water management has been debated heavily, resulting in different forms and degrees of private sector involvement across the globe. Since the 1990s, China has also started experiments with new modes of urban water service management and governance in which the private sector is involved. It is premature to conclude whether the various forms of private sector involvement will successfully overcome the major problems (capital shortage, inefficient operation, and service quality) in China’s water sector. But at the same time, private sector involvement in water provisioning and waste water treatments seems to have become mainstream in transitional China. PMID:18256780

Occupational health scenario of Indian informal sector

PubMed Central

NAG, Anjali; VYAS, Heer; NAG, Pranab

2016-01-01

Workers in the Indian informal sector are engaged with different occupations. These occupations involve varied work related hazards. These occupational hazards are a consequent risk to health. The study aimed to determine occupational health scenario in the Indian Informal sector. One thousand eleven hundred twenty two workers from five different occupations namely weaving (handloom and power loom), construction, transportation, tobacco processing and fish processing were assessed by interviewer administered health questionnaire. Workers suffered from musculo-skeletal complaints, respiratory health hazards, eye problems and skin related complaints. There was a high prevalence of self-reported occupational health problems in the selected sectors. The study finds that workers have occupational exposures to multiple hazards. The absence of protective guards aggrevate their health condition. The study attempts to draws an immediate attention on the existing health scenario of the Indian Informal sector. PMID:26903262

Occupational health scenario of Indian informal sector.

PubMed

Nag, Anjali; Vyas, Heer; Nag, Pranab

2016-08-05

Workers in the Indian informal sector are engaged with different occupations. These occupations involve varied work related hazards. These occupational hazards are a consequent risk to health. The study aimed to determine occupational health scenario in the Indian Informal sector. One thousand eleven hundred twenty two workers from five different occupations namely weaving (handloom and power loom), construction, transportation, tobacco processing and fish processing were assessed by interviewer administered health questionnaire. Workers suffered from musculo-skeletal complaints, respiratory health hazards, eye problems and skin related complaints. There was a high prevalence of self-reported occupational health problems in the selected sectors. The study finds that workers have occupational exposures to multiple hazards. The absence of protective guards aggrevate their health condition. The study attempts to draws an immediate attention on the existing health scenario of the Indian Informal sector.

Declaración SPIRIT 2013: definición de los elementos estándares del protocolo de un ensayo clínico*

PubMed Central

Chan, An-Wen; Tetzlaff, Jennifer M.; Altman, Douglas G.; Laupacis, Andreas; Gøtzsche, Peter C.; Krleža-Jerić, Karmela; Hrobjartsson, Asbjørn; Mann, Howard; Dickersin, Kay; Berlin, Jesse A.; Dore, Caroline J.; Parulekar, Wendy R.; Summerskill, William S.M.; Groves, Trish; Schulz, Kenneth F.; Sox, Harold C.; Rockhold, Frank W.; Rennie, Drummond; Moher, David

2016-01-01

Resumen El protocolo de un ensayo clínico es la base para planificar, ejecutar, publicar y evaluar el ensayo. Sin embargo, los protocolos y las guías que existen para su elaboración varían enormemente en cuanto a su calidad y contenido. En este artículo se describe la elaboración sistemática y el alcance de la Declaración SPIRIT 2013 (denominada así por la sigla en inglés de Standard Protocol items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials o Elementos estándares de un protocolo: recomendaciones para los ensayos de intervención), una guía en la que se establecen los contenidos mínimos que debe tener el protocolo de un ensayo clínico. La lista de comprobación de la declaración SPIRIT, que consta de 33 elementos, se aplica a los protocolos de todos los ensayos clínicos y se centra más en el contenido que en el formato. En esta lista se recomienda hacer una descripción completa de lo que se ha planificado, aunque no se establece cómo diseñar o ejecutar un ensayo. Al brindar orientación sobre los contenidos fundamentales, las recomendaciones SPIRIT procuran facilitar la redacción de protocolos de alta calidad. El cumplimiento de las recomendaciones SPIRIT debería mejorar la transparencia y la exhaustividad de los protocolos de los ensayos en beneficio de los investigadores, los participantes, los pacientes, los patrocinadores, los financiadores, los comités de ética de la investigación o las juntas de revisión institucionales, los revisores, las revistas biomédicas, los registros de ensayos, los formuladores de políticas, los organismos reguladores y otras partes interesadas clave. PMID:27440100

Performance of private sector health care: implications for universal health coverage.

PubMed

Morgan, Rosemary; Ensor, Tim; Waters, Hugh

2016-08-06

Although the private sector is an important health-care provider in many low-income and middle-income countries, its role in progress towards universal health coverage varies. Studies of the performance of the private sector have focused on three main dimensions: quality, equity of access, and efficiency. The characteristics of patients, the structures of both the public and private sectors, and the regulation of the sector influence the types of health services delivered, and outcomes. Combined with characteristics of private providers-including their size, objectives, and technical competence-the interaction of these factors affects how the sector performs in different contexts. Changing the performance of the private sector will require interventions that target the sector as a whole, rather than individual providers alone. In particular, the performance of the private sector seems to be intrinsically linked to the structure and performance of the public sector, which suggests that deriving population benefit from the private health-care sector requires a regulatory response focused on the health-care sector as a whole. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Clinical study of fire acupuncture with centro-square needles for knee osteoarthritis].

PubMed

Wang, Bing; Hu, Jing; Zhang, Ning; Wang, Jingjing; Chen, Zhongjie; Wu, Zhongchao

2017-05-12

To compare the efficacy difference between fire acupuncture with centro-square needles (FACSN) and filiform needling (FN) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Seventy-two patients were randomly assigned into an FACSN group and an FN group, 36 cases in each one. Ashi points, Xuehai (SP 10), Liangqiu (ST 34), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Dubi (ST 35), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Yinlingquan (SP 9) were selected in the two groups. The FACSN group was treated with FACSN, and three acupoints were selected for each treatment; the FN group was treated with FN, and all the acupoints were selected for each treatment. The cupping treatment was given after acupuncture in the two groups. The treatment was given once every other day, without treatment on Sundays. The treatment was given three times a week, 6 times as one course; totally 2 courses were provided. The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) were observed in the two groups before treatment, two weeks, four weeks into treatment and at one-month follow-up visit. In addition, the comprehensive efficacy was compared between the two groups. Compared before treatment, the score of VAS and the total score of WOMAC were improved in the two groups at each time point after treatment (all P <0.01); the scores of VAS at each time point after treatment in FACSN group were lower than those in the FN group (all P <0.05); four weeks into treatment and at one-month follow-up visit, the total score of WOMAC in the FACSN group was lower than that in the FN group (both P <0.05). Two weeks into treatment, the total effective rate was 88.9% (32/36) in the FACSN group, which was higher than 61.1% (22/36) in the FN group ( P <0.01); four weeks into treatment and at one-month follow-up visit, the cured and remarkable effective rates were 66.7% (24/36) and 83.3% (30/36) in the FACSN group, which were higher than 41.7% (15/36) and 44.4% (16/36) in the FN group ( P <0.05, P <0

7 CFR 652.23 - Certification process for private-sector entities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Certification process for private-sector entities. 652... ASSISTANCE Certification § 652.23 Certification process for private-sector entities. (a) A private sector... individual basis as part of the private-sector entity's certification and ensures that the requirements set...

22 CFR 201.23 - Procurement under private sector procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Procurement under private sector procedures... § 201.23 Procurement under private sector procedures. (a) General requirements. Procurements under private sector procedures will normally be carried out by importers using negotiated procurement...

SolEST database: a "one-stop shop" approach to the study of Solanaceae transcriptomes.

PubMed

D'Agostino, Nunzio; Traini, Alessandra; Frusciante, Luigi; Chiusano, Maria Luisa

2009-11-30

Since no genome sequences of solanaceous plants have yet been completed, expressed sequence tag (EST) collections represent a reliable tool for broad sampling of Solanaceae transcriptomes, an attractive route for understanding Solanaceae genome functionality and a powerful reference for the structural annotation of emerging Solanaceae genome sequences. We describe the SolEST database http://biosrv.cab.unina.it/solestdb which integrates different EST datasets from both cultivated and wild Solanaceae species and from two species of the genus Coffea. Background as well as processed data contained in the database, extensively linked to external related resources, represent an invaluable source of information for these plant families. Two novel features differentiate SolEST from other resources: i) the option of accessing and then visualizing Solanaceae EST/TC alignments along the emerging tomato and potato genome sequences; ii) the opportunity to compare different Solanaceae assemblies generated by diverse research groups in the attempt to address a common complaint in the SOL community. Different databases have been established worldwide for collecting Solanaceae ESTs and are related in concept, content and utility to the one presented herein. However, the SolEST database has several distinguishing features that make it appealing for the research community and facilitates a "one-stop shop" for the study of Solanaceae transcriptomes.

Magma-tectonic Interaction at Laguna del Maule, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keranen, K. M.; Peterson, D. E.; Miller, C. A.; Garibaldi, N.; Tikoff, B.; Williams-Jones, G.

2016-12-01

The Laguna del Maule Volcanic Field (LdM), Chile, the largest concentration of rhyolite <20 kyr globally, exhibits crustal deformation at rates higher than any non-erupting volcano. The interaction of large magmatic systems with faulting is poorly understood, however, the Chaitén rhyolitic system demonstrated that faults can serve as magma pathways during an eruption. We present a complex fault system at LdM in close proximity to the magma reservoir. In March 2016, 18 CHIRP seismic reflection lines were acquired at LdM to identify faults and analyze potential spatial and temporal impacts of the fault system on volcanic activity. We mapped three key horizons on each line, bounding sediment packages between Holocene onset, 870 ybp, and the present date. Faults were mapped on each line and offset was calculated across key horizons. Our results indicate a system of normal-component faults in the northern lake sector, striking subparallel to the mapped Troncoso Fault SW of the lake. These faults correlate to prominent magnetic lineations mapped by boat magnetic data acquired February 2016 which are interpreted as dykes intruding along faults. We also imaged a vertical fault, interpreted as a strike-slip fault, and a series of normal faults in the SW lake sector near the center of magmatic inflation. Isochron and fault offset maps illuminate areas of growth strata and indicate migration and increase of fault activity from south to north through time. We identify a domal structure in the SW lake sector, coincident with an area of low magnetization, in the region of maximum deformation from InSAR results. The dome experienced 10 ms TWT ( 10 meters) of uplift throughout the past 16 kybp, which we interpret as magmatic inflation in a shallow magma reservoir. This inflation is isolated to a 1.5 km diameter region in the hanging wall of the primary normal fault system, indicating possible fault-facilitated inflation.

The impact of oil price on Malaysian sector indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Mohd Tahir; Luan, Yeap Pei; Ee, Ong Joo

2015-12-01

In this paper, vector error correction model (VECM) has been utilized to model the dynamic relationships between world crude oil price and the sector indices of Malaysia. The sector indices have been collected are covering the period Jan 1998 to Dec 2013. Surprisingly, our investigations show that oil price changes do not Granger-cause any of the sectors in all of Malaysia. However, sector indices of Food Producer and Utilities are found to be the cause of the changes in world crude oil prices. Furthermore, from the results of variance decomposition, very high percentage of shocks is explained by world crude oil price itself over the 12 months and small impact from other sector indices.

Motivating the Private vs. Public Sector Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khojasteh, Mak

1993-01-01

A questionnaire on intrinsic/extrinsic rewards received 362 responses from 380 managers. Pay and security were greater motivators for private than for public sector managers. Recognition had higher motivating potential in the public sector. Both groups were motivated by achievement and advancement. (SK)

The Use of EST Expression Matrixes for the Quality Control of Gene Expression Data

PubMed Central

Milnthorpe, Andrew T.; Soloviev, Mikhail

2012-01-01

EST expression profiling provides an attractive tool for studying differential gene expression, but cDNA libraries' origins and EST data quality are not always known or reported. Libraries may originate from pooled or mixed tissues; EST clustering, EST counts, library annotations and analysis algorithms may contain errors. Traditional data analysis methods, including research into tissue-specific gene expression, assume EST counts to be correct and libraries to be correctly annotated, which is not always the case. Therefore, a method capable of assessing the quality of expression data based on that data alone would be invaluable for assessing the quality of EST data and determining their suitability for mRNA expression analysis. Here we report an approach to the selection of a small generic subset of 244 UniGene clusters suitable for identification of the tissue of origin for EST libraries and quality control of the expression data using EST expression information alone. We created a small expression matrix of UniGene IDs using two rounds of selection followed by two rounds of optimisation. Our selection procedures differ from traditional approaches to finding “tissue-specific” genes and our matrix yields consistency high positive correlation values for libraries with confirmed tissues of origin and can be applied for tissue typing and quality control of libraries as small as just a few hundred total ESTs. Furthermore, we can pick up tissue correlations between related tissues e.g. brain and peripheral nervous tissue, heart and muscle tissues and identify tissue origins for a few libraries of uncharacterised tissue identity. It was possible to confirm tissue identity for some libraries which have been derived from cancer tissues or have been normalised. Tissue matching is affected strongly by cancer progression or library normalisation and our approach may potentially be applied for elucidating the stage of normalisation in normalised libraries or for cancer

Protein Sectors: Statistical Coupling Analysis versus Conservation

PubMed Central

Teşileanu, Tiberiu; Colwell, Lucy J.; Leibler, Stanislas

2015-01-01

Statistical coupling analysis (SCA) is a method for analyzing multiple sequence alignments that was used to identify groups of coevolving residues termed “sectors”. The method applies spectral analysis to a matrix obtained by combining correlation information with sequence conservation. It has been asserted that the protein sectors identified by SCA are functionally significant, with different sectors controlling different biochemical properties of the protein. Here we reconsider the available experimental data and note that it involves almost exclusively proteins with a single sector. We show that in this case sequence conservation is the dominating factor in SCA, and can alone be used to make statistically equivalent functional predictions. Therefore, we suggest shifting the experimental focus to proteins for which SCA identifies several sectors. Correlations in protein alignments, which have been shown to be informative in a number of independent studies, would then be less dominated by sequence conservation. PMID:25723535

Mobilizing the private sector. Indonesia.

PubMed

Ferraz-tabor, L

1993-12-01

The national diarrheal disease control program has made progress against diarrheal illness in Indonesia, but diarrhea still accounts for 130,000 deaths of under-5 year olds annually. The potential of the private sector had been virtually untapped until the PRITECH Project designed and implemented a private sector based program to complement government efforts to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality related to diarrhea. PRITECH wanted to motivate commercial firms to invest the capital necessary to commercialize oral rehydration salts (ORS) so that program self-sufficiency would be maximized over the long term without depending upon donor support. Sections describe the lack of commercial sector ORS promotion, supply and demand factors, raising interest in ORS, conditions for change, the potential market for ORS, demand, production capacity, previous collaborative efforts, areas for improvement, PRITECH's role as catalyst, coordination with commercial companies, marketing workshops, collaboration with the Indonesian Medical Association, the handwashing campaign, and program impact. Although the program has been in place for just 1 year, sales of ORS have increased along with the degree of sustainable collaboration among local institutions. The author stresses that for the model to be successfully replicated elsewhere, the government, medical and pediatric associations, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, groups which can promote oral rehydration therapy, and opinion leaders in the medical community must be involved. Finally, note is made that the image of ORS must be improved and that the work of the public and commercial sectors can be complementary.

Vigilando la Calidad del Agua de los Grandes Rios de la Nacion: El Programa NASQAN del Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lurry, Dee L.; Reutter, David C.; Wells, Frank C.; Rivera, M.C.; Munoz, A.

1998-01-01

La Oficina del Estudio Geologico de los Estados Unidos (U.S. Geological Survey, 0 USGS) ha monitoreado la calidad del agua de la cuenca del Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte) desde 1995 como parte de la rediseiiada Red Nacional para Contabilizar la Calidad del Agua de los Rios (National Stream Quality Accounting Network, o NASOAN) (Hooper and others, 1997). EI programa NASOAN fue diseiiado para caracterizar las concentraciones y el transporte de sedimento y constituyentes quimicos seleccionados, encontrados en los grandes rios de los Estados Unidos - incluyendo el Misisipi, el Colorado y el Columbia, ademas del Rio Grande. En estas cuatro cuencas, el USGS opera actualmente (1998) una red de 40 puntos de muestreo pertenecientes a NASOAN, con un enfasis en cuantificar el flujo en masa (la cantidad de material que pasa por la estacion, expresado en toneladas por dial para cada constituyente. Aplicacando un enfoque consistente, basado en la cuantificacion de flujos en la cuenca del Rio Grande, el programa NASOAN esta generando la informacion necesaria para identificar fuentes regionales de diversos contaminantes, incluyendo sustancias qui micas agricolas y trazas elementos en la cuenca. EI efecto de las grandes reservas en el Rio Grande se puede observar segun los flujos de constituyentes discurren a 10 largo del rio. EI analisis de los flujos de constituyentes a escala de la cuenca proveera los medios para evaluar la influencia de la actividad humana sobre las condiciones de calidad del agua del Rio Grande.

CNEA - Centro Atómico Bariloche

Science.gov Websites

³mica (CNEA), a través de la Sección de... EL RA-6, RENOVADO EN EL AÑO DE SU 35º ANIVERSARIO EL RA-6 DIRIGIDAS A DOCENTES REALIZAN EN EL CAB CAPACITACIONES DIRIGIDAS A... La Comisión Nacional de Energía Atà ... RECONOCIMIENTO PARA LA SECCIÓN DE DIVULGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA Y TECNOLÓGICA DEL CAB RECONOCIMIENTO PARA LA SECCIÃ

The Determinants of Private and Government Sector Earnings in Russia

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-11-01

private sector earnings in Russia compare to those in the still strong government sector. This paper estimates sectoral earnings equations for rural and urban men and women which control for: (1) Self-selection into the workforce; and (2) Self-selection into either the private or government sector, while allowing for simultaneity in the selection decisions. The selection controls are found to have a considerable effect on the estimated sectoral earnings differentials for all four sample groups. Earnings differentials are examined by age, education, and unobserved skill.

National transparency assessment of Kuwait's pharmaceutical sector.

PubMed

Badawi, Dalia A; Alkhamis, Yousif; Qaddoumi, Mohammad; Behbehani, Kazem

2015-09-01

Corruption is one of several factors that may hinder the access to pharmaceuticals. Since Kuwait has the highest per-capita spending on pharmaceuticals in the region, we wanted to evaluate the level of transparency in its pharmaceutical sector using an established assessment tool adapted by the World Health Organization. Standardized questionnaires were conducted via semi-structured interviews with key informants to measure the level of transparency in eight functions of the public pharmaceutical sector. The scores for the degree of vulnerability to corruption reflected marginal to moderate venerability to corruption for most pharmaceutical sectors. The perceived strengths included availability of appropriate laws, the presence of clear standard operating procedures, and the use of an efficient registration/distribution system. Weaknesses included lack of conflict of interest guidelines and written terms of reference, absence of pharmacoeconomic studies, and inconsistencies in law enforcement. Findings reveal that few functions of Kuwait pharmaceutical sector remain fairly vulnerable to corruption. However, the willingness of Kuwait Ministry of Health to adopt the assessment study and the acknowledgement of the weaknesses of current processes of the pharmaceutical sector may assist to achieve a transparent pharmaceutical system in the near future. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

ASFinder: a tool for genome-wide identification of alternatively splicing transcripts from EST-derived sequences.

PubMed

Min, Xiang Jia

2013-01-01

Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) are a rich resource for identifying Alternatively Splicing (AS) genes. The ASFinder webserver is designed to identify AS isoforms from EST-derived sequences. Two approaches are implemented in ASFinder. If no genomic sequences are provided, the server performs a local BLASTN to identify AS isoforms from ESTs having both ends aligned but an internal segment unaligned. Otherwise, ASFinder uses SIM4 to map ESTs to the genome, then the overlapping ESTs that are mapped to the same genomic locus and have internal variable exon/intron boundaries are identified as AS isoforms. The tool is available at http://proteomics.ysu.edu/tools/ASFinder.html.

Implications of private sector Hib vaccine coverage for the introduction of public sector Hib-containing pentavalent vaccine in India: evidence from retrospective time series data

PubMed Central

Sharma, Abhishek; Kaplan, Warren A; Chokshi, Maulik; Hasan Farooqui, Habib; Zodpey, Sanjay P

2015-01-01

Objective Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine has been available in India's private sector market since 1997. It was not until 14 December 2011 that the Government of India initiated the phased public sector introduction of a Hib (and DPT, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus)-containing pentavalent vaccine. Our objective was to investigate the state-specific coverage and behaviour of Hib vaccine in India when it was available only in the private sector market but not in the public sector. This baseline information can act as a guide to determine how much coverage the public sector rollout of pentavalent vaccine (scheduled April 2015) will need to bear in order to achieve complete coverage. Setting 16 of 29 states in India, 2009–2012. Design Retrospective descriptive secondary data analysis. Data (1) Annual sales of Hib vaccines, by volume, from private sector hospitals and retail pharmacies collected by IMS Health and (2) national household surveys. Outcome measures State-specific Hib vaccine coverage (%) and its associations with state-specific socioeconomic status. Results The overall private sector Hib vaccine coverage among the 2009–2012 birth cohort was low (4%) and varied widely among the studied Indian states (minimum 0.3%; maximum 4.6%). We found that private sector Hib vaccine coverage depends on urban areas with good access to the private sector, parent's purchasing capacity and private paediatricians’ prescribing practices. Per capita gross domestic product is a key explanatory variable. The annual Hib vaccine uptake and the 2009–2012 coverage levels were several times higher in the capital/metropolitan cities than the rest of the state, suggesting inequity in access to Hib vaccine delivered by the private sector. Conclusions If India has to achieve high and equitable Hib vaccine coverage levels, nationwide public sector introduction of the pentavalent vaccine is needed. However, the role of private sector in universal Hib vaccine coverage is

Diseño de un programa basado en la promoción del desarrollo positivo en la infancia para la prevención temprana de la violencia en Colombia.

PubMed

Hernández Holguín, Dora M; Páez Zapata, Esteban; Múnera Restrepo, Laura M; Duque Ramírez, Luis F

2017-03-01

Aunque algunos informes identifiquen a Colombia como ejemplo de un país que ha logrado revertir los niveles crecientes de violencia, estos siguen siendo altos. Por este motivo se han convocado acciones de promoción de la convivencia y prevención de la violencia, a las cuales responde el programa que presentamos en este artículo. Este programa está basado en la perspectiva contextual-evolutiva del modelo ecológico y en la educación para la salud, tendiente al cuidado de sí en los padres o cuidadores, y al ejercicio de una crianza, centrada en los derechos de los niños, el desarrollo infantil y la promoción de la salud mental, con el fin de promover el desarrollo saludable y prevenir comportamientos agresivos en los niños; éste es presentado como una alternativa de orientación psicosocial para el fortalecimiento de estrategias y programas dirigidos a la primera infancia.

Education and Human Resources Sector Assessment Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pigozzi, Mary Joy; Cieutat, Victor J.

This manual endorses and adopts the sector-assessment approach for planning and managing the allocation of educational resources. Chapter 1 presents the manual's goals. Chapter 2 describes the manual's content and information sources, explains the term "sector assessment," identifies the groups that benefit from recommendations made by…

Construction Sector (NAICS 23)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find environmental regulatory information for the construction sector, including the construction of buildings or engineering projects. This includes RCRA information for hazardous waste, refrigeration compliance, asbestos, effluent guidelines & lead laws

Accounting for School-Sector Differences in University Entrance Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Gary

2009-01-01

School-sector differences in student performance are often viewed as largely reflecting the intake characteristics of students and having little to do with differences in the provision of teaching and learning between school sectors. The contrary view is that school-sector differences show that non-government schools "add value" to…

Estudio fenomenologico del conocimiento curricular y conocimiento de contenido en maestros de matematica a nivel secundario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardona Tomassini, Ivan Javier

En esta investigacion se estudio el fenomeno del conocimiento de contenido y el conocimiento curricular de maestros de matermaticas y como estos dos componentes se reflejan en su conocimiento pedagogico del contenido. El conocimiento de contenido es el conocimiento que tienen los maestros de los contenidos de una disciplina y sobre la estructura de su organizacion (Shulman, 1986). El conocimiento curricular es el conocimiento que los maestros poseen sobre los componentes de un curriculo disenado para ensenar un topico de una materia especifica a un nivel particular, la variedad de instrumentos instruccionales disponibles para implementar el mismo y como utilizar los instrumentos curriculares disponibles (Ball & Bass, 2003; Choppin, 2009; Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005). Este estudio se enmarca en el paradigma cualitativo, teniendo como diseno el estudio fenomenologico (Lucca y Berrios, 2009; McMillan, 2004). Los participantes fueron seis maestros de matermaticas del nivel superior (10mo a 12mo grado). Al momento de la investigacion los participantes ensenaban en escuelas publicas o privadas de Puerto Rico. Para recolectar la informacion se utilizo un grupo focal en donde los maestros resolvieron seis ejercicios matematicos y posteriormente reflexionaron en forma grupal sobre las soluciones. Tambien se realizo un analisis de documentos de planificacion y se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas. Se exploraron los contenidos relacionados a la ecuacion de una recta, rectas verticales y horizontales, suma y multiplicacion de polinomios, resolucion de ecuaciones cuadraticas y distancia entre dos puntos del plano cartesiano. Los resultados muestran que los participantes tienen dominio procesal de los contenidos correspondientes a las rectas verticales y horizontales, la suma y multiplicacion de polinomios, el calculo distancia entre dos puntos del plano cartesiano. Sin embargo, se noto cierta dificultad en la explicacion conceptual de los contenidos relacionados a la

Building a comprehensive mill-level database for the Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) model of the U.S. pulp and paper sector.

PubMed

Modak, Nabanita; Spence, Kelley; Sood, Saloni; Rosati, Jacky Ann

2015-01-01

Air emissions from the U.S. pulp and paper sector have been federally regulated since 1978; however, regulations are periodically reviewed and revised to improve efficiency and effectiveness of existing emission standards. The Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) model for the pulp and paper sector is currently under development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and can be utilized to facilitate multi-pollutant, sector-based analyses that are performed in conjunction with regulatory development. The model utilizes a multi-sector, multi-product dynamic linear modeling framework that evaluates the economic impact of emission reduction strategies for multiple air pollutants. The ISIS model considers facility-level economic, environmental, and technical parameters, as well as sector-level market data, to estimate the impacts of environmental regulations on the pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the model can be used to estimate U.S. and global market impacts of new or more stringent air regulations, such as impacts on product price, exports and imports, market demands, capital investment, and mill closures. One major challenge to developing a representative model is the need for an extensive amount of data. This article discusses the collection and processing of data for use in the model, as well as the methods used for building the ISIS pulp and paper database that facilitates the required analyses to support the air quality management of the pulp and paper sector.

Universal Industrial Solution and Industrial Sectors Module for Pulp and Paper Sector

EPA Science Inventory

Increased concerns over air pollution and its detrimental effects on health have called for more stringent emission reduction strategies in the industrial sector. However, stringent regulatory policies can potentially adversely affect domestic and international trade. Therefore E...

The first private sector health insurance company in Ghana.

PubMed

Huff-Rousselle, M; Akuamoah-Boateng, J

1998-01-01

This article analyses the development of Ghana's first private sector health insurance company, the Nationwide Medical Insurance Company. Taking both policy and practical considerations into account (stakeholders' perspectives, economic viability, equity and efficiency), it is structured around key questions which help to define the position and roles of stakeholders--the insurance agency itself, contributors, beneficiaries, and providers--and how they relate to one another and the insurance scheme. These relationships will to a large extent determine Nationwide's long-term success or failure. By creating a unique alliance between physician providers and private sector companies, Nationwide has used employers' interest in cost containment and physicians' interest in expanding their client base as an entrée into the virgin territory of health insurance, and created a hybrid variety of private sector insurance with some of the attributes of a health maintenance organization or managed care. The case study is unusual in that, while public sector programs are often open to academic scrutiny, researchers have rarely had access to detailed data on the establishment of a single private sector insurance company in a developing country. Given that Ghana is planning to launch a national health insurance plan, the article concludes by considering what the experience of this private sector initiative might have to offer public sector planners.

Labor Market Leverage. Sectoral Employment Field Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Mark; King, Elisabeth

This document explains the concept of sectoral employment strategies and profiles 13 successful work force development programs based on such strategies. The first half of the document examines the increasing need for sectoral employment strategies and their key characteristics, role in achieving systemic change in work organizations, and…

Sobrevivendo a un tsunami: lecciones de Chile, Hawai y Japon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Compilado por Atwater, Brian F.; Cisternas V., Marco; Bourgeois, Joanne; Dudley, Walter C.; Hendley, James W.; Stauffer, Peter H.

1999-01-01

Este folleto contiene historias veridicas que ilustran como sobrevivir, y como no sobrevivir, a un tsunami. Esta publicacion esta dirigida a las personas que viven, trabajan o, simplemente, se divierten a lo largo de las costas que pueden ser afectadas por un tsunami. Tales costas rodean la mayor parte del Oceano Pacifico pero tambien incluyen algunas areas costeras de los Oceanos Atlantico e Indico. Aunque mucha gente llama a los tsunamis 'olas de marea', estos no estan relacionados a las mareas, sino son una serie de olas, o 'tren de olas', generalmente causadas por cambios en el nivel del fondo marino durante los terremotos. Los tsunamis tambien pueden ser generados por la erupcion de volcanes costeros, islas volconicas, deslizamientos submarinos e impactos de grandes meteoritos en el mar. Como sucedio en Sumatra en el 2004, los tsunamis pueden alcanzar alturas de 15 metros, no tan solo en la costa sino tambien kilometros tierra adentro. Los relatos presentados en este folleto fueron seleccionados de entrevistas realizadas a personas que sobrevivieron al tsunami del Oceano Pacifico de 1960. Muchas de estas personas, incluyendo a la enfermera de la foto, se enfrento a las olas generadas a poca distancia, en la costa chilena. En cambio, otros debieron hacer frente al tsunami muchas horas despues, en Hawai y Japon. La mayoria de las entrevistas fueron realizadas a fines de los anos ochenta y en los noventa. Las historias ofrecen una mezcla de lecciones de supervivencia a un tsunami. En algunos casos se presentan las acciones que confiablemente salvaron vidas: poner atencion a los avisos de la naturaleza, abandonar los bienes, dirigirse rapidamente a un sector alto y permanecer alli hasta que el tsunami realmente haya terminado. Otras historias describen como se encontro refugio al subir a construcciones y arboles o flotar sobre desechos, tacticas que tuvieron diferentes resultados y que pueden ser recomendadas solo como actos desesperados de personas atrapadas en

A proposed OB-fold with a protein-interaction surface in Candida albicans telomerase protein Est3

PubMed Central

Yu, Eun Young; Wang, Feng; Lei, Ming; Lue, Neal F

2008-01-01

Ever shorter telomeres 3 (Est3) is an essential telomerase regulatory subunit thought to be unique to budding yeasts. Here we use multiple sequence alignment and hidden Markov model–hidden Markov model (HMM-HMM) comparison to uncover potential similarities between Est3 and the mammalian telomeric protein Tpp1. Analysis of site-specific mutants of Candida albicans Est3 revealed functional distinctions between residues that are conserved between Est3 and Tpp1 and those that are unique to Est3. Although both types of residues are important for telomere maintenance in vivo, only the former contributes to telomerase activity in vitro and facilitates the association of Est3 with telomerase core components. Consistent with a function in protein-protein interaction, the residues common to Est3 and Tpp1 map to one face of an OB-fold model structure, away from the canonical nucleic acid binding surface. We propose that Est3 and the OB-fold domain of Tpp1 mediate a conserved function in telomerase regulation. PMID:19172753

Optimum parallel step-sector bearing lubricated with an incompressible fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.

1983-01-01

The dimensionless parameters normally associated with a step sector thrust bearing are the film thickness ratio, the dimensionless step location, the number of sectors, the radius ratio, and the angular extent of the lubrication feed groove. The optimum number of sectors and the parallel step configuration for a step sector thrust bearing while considering load capacity or stiffness and assuming an incompressible fluid are presented.

Public sector reform and demand for human resources for health (HRH).

PubMed

Lethbridge, Jane

2004-11-23

This article considers some of the effects of health sector reform on human resources for health (HRH) in developing countries and countries in transition by examining the effect of fiscal reform and the introduction of decentralisation and market mechanisms to the health sector.Fiscal reform results in pressure to measure the staff outputs of the health sector. Financial decentralisation often leads to hospitals becoming "corporatised" institutions, operating with business principles but remaining in the public sector. The introduction of market mechanisms often involves the formation of an internal market within the health sector and market testing of different functions with the private sector. This has immediate implications for the employment of health workers in the public sector, because the public sector may reduce its workforce if services are purchased from other sectors or may introduce more short-term and temporary employment contracts.Decentralisation of budgets and administrative functions can affect the health sector, often in negative ways, by reducing resources available and confusing lines of accountability for health workers. Governance and regulation of health care, when delivered by both public and private providers, require new systems of regulation.The increase in private sector provision has led health workers to move to the private sector. For those remaining in the public sector, there are often worsening working conditions, a lack of employment security and dismantling of collective bargaining agreements.Human resource development is gradually being recognised as crucial to future reforms and the formulation of health policy. New information systems at local and regional level will be needed to collect data on human resources. New employment arrangements, strengthening organisational culture, training and continuing education will also be needed.

Multi-sectoral interventions for healthy growth.

PubMed

Casanovas, Ma del Carmen; Lutter, Chessa K; Mangasaryan, Nune; Mwadime, Robert; Hajeebhoy, Nemat; Aguilar, Ana Maria; Kopp, Ciro; Rico, Luis; Ibiett, Gonzalo; Andia, Doris; Onyango, Adelheid W

2013-09-01

The risk of stunted growth and development is affected by the context in which a child is born and grows. This includes such interdependent influences as the political economy, health and health care, education, society and culture, agriculture and food systems, water and sanitation, and the environment. Here, we briefly review how factors linked with the key sectors can contribute to healthy growth and reduced childhood stunting. Emphasis is placed on the role of agriculture/food security, especially family farming; education, particularly of girls and women; water, sanitation, and hygiene and their integration in stunting reduction strategies; social protection including cash transfers, bearing in mind that success in this regard is linked to reducing the gap between rich and poor; economic investment in stunting reduction including the work with the for-profit commercial sector balancing risks linked to marketing foods that can displace affordable and more sustainable alternatives; health with emphasis on implementing comprehensive and effective health care interventions and building the capacity of health care providers. We complete the review with examples of national and subnational multi-sectoral interventions that illustrate how critical it is for sectors to work together to reduce stunting. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CONTAMINACIÓN AMBIENTAL, VARIABILIDAD CLIMÁTICA Y CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO: UNA REVISIÓN DEL IMPACTO EN LA SALUD DE LA POBLACIÓN PERUANA

PubMed Central

Gonzales, Gustavo F.; Zevallos, Alisson; Gonzales-Castañeda, Cynthia; Nuñez, Denisse; Gastañaga, Carmen; Cabezas, César; Naeher, Luke; Levy, Karen; Steenland, Kyle

2015-01-01

RESUMEN El presente artículo es una revisión sobre la contaminación del agua, el aire y el efecto del cambio climático en la salud de la población peruana. Uno de los principales contaminantes del aire es el material particulado menor de 2,5 μ (PM 2,5), en la ciudad de Lima, anualmente 2300 muertes prematuras son atribuibles a este contaminante. Otro problema es la contaminación del aire domiciliario por el uso de cocinas con combustible de biomasa, donde la exposición excesiva a PM 2,5 dentro de las casas es responsable de aproximadamente 3000 muertes prematuras anuales entre adultos, con otro número desconocido de muertes entre niños debido a infecciones respiratorias. La contaminación del agua tiene como principales causas los desagües vertidos directamente a los ríos, minerales (arsénico) de varias fuentes, y fallas de las plantas de tratamiento. En el Perú, el cambio climático puede impactar en la frecuencia y severidad del fenómeno de El Niño oscilación del sur (ENSO) que se ha asociado con un incremento en los casos de enfermedades como cólera, malaria y dengue. El cambio climático incrementa la temperatura y puede extender las áreas afectadas por enfermedades transmitidas por vectores, además de tener efecto en la disponibilidad del agua y en la contaminación del aire. En conclusión, el Perú, pasa por una transición de factores de riesgo ambientales, donde coexisten riesgos tradicionales y modernos, y persisten los problemas infecciosos y crónicos, algunos de los cuales se asocian con problemas de contaminación de agua y de aire. PMID:25418656

Energy transition in transport sector from energy substitution perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wangmin; Yang, Xiaoguang; Han, Song; Sun, Xiaoyang

2017-10-01

Power and heating generation sector and transport sector contribute a highest GHG emissions and even air pollutions. This paper seeks to investigate life cycle costs and emissions in both the power sector and transport sector, and evaluate the cost-emission efficient (costs for one unit GHG emissions) of the substitution between new energy vehicles and conventional gasoline based vehicles under two electricity mix scenarios. In power sector, wind power and PV power will be cost comparative in 2030 forecasted with learning curve method. With high subsidies, new energy cars could be comparative now, but it still has high costs to lower GHG emissions. When the government subsidy policy is reversible, the emission reduction cost for new energy vehicle consumer will be 900/ton. According to the sensitive analysis, the paper suggests that the government implement policies that allocate the cost to the whole life cycle of energy production and consumption related to transport sector energy transition and policies that are in favor of new energy vehicle consumers but not the new energy car producers.

Private-Sector Financing of Child Development Centers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Military Departments to determine the feasibility of private - sector or so-called ’third-day’ financing of the centers. In this arrangement, land is...that private - sector financing was not feasible. Our review and analysis of a broader test by the Department of the Navy under a concession arrangement

DISYUNTIVAS EN LAS CONCEPCIONES SOBRE AUTONOMÍA Y BENEFICENCIA QUE AFECTAN LA TERAPÉUTICA DEL INTENTO SUICIDA.

PubMed

Mondragón, Liliana; Monroy, Zuraya; Ito, Ma Emily; Medina-Mora, Dra Ma Elena

2010-06-01

El objetivo del trabajo es conocer las disyuntivas entre los principios de beneficencia y autonomía, que se presentan en la relación médico-paciente, durante la terapéutica del intento de suicidio.La investigación se realizó en dos hospitales psiquiátricos de la Ciudad de México. La muestra incluyó a tres sujetos con intento de suicidio, mayores de 18 años, que eran atendidos en consulta externa a causa de una lesión autoinfligida en el último año, y a tres psiquiatras que trataban a estos pacientes. La información se obtuvo previo consentimiento informado en entrevistas individuales. Se llevó a cabo un análisis de discurso argumentado para encontrar los significados que los participantes otorgaron a los principios bioéticos y las posibles disyuntivas entre éstos.Las discordancias entre la beneficencia y la autonomía estuvieron relacionadas con el beneficio del tratamiento, el respeto por los valores y las creencias de los pacientes, entre otros. Este trabajo presenta consideraciones éticas relevantes en el escenario clínico, al ofrecer al psiquiatra un análisis bioético que le permita actuar de acuerdo con la beneficencia y respetando la autonomía del paciente frente a casos de intento de suicidio y, de esta forma procurar una mejor atención para ellos.

Advanced Traveler Information Service (ATIS) : private sector perceptions and public sector activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study by the United States Department of Transportation Volpe Center to determine the nature and extent of the data gap between the needs of private sector Advanced Traveler Information Service (ATIS) provid...

Tuberculosis Notification by Private Sector' Physicians in Tehran.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Ayat; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Gholami, Jaleh; Majdzadeh, Reza

2015-01-01

A small proportion of physicians adhere to tuberculosis (TB) notification regulations, particularly in the private sector. In most developing countries, the private sector has dominance over delivering services in big cities. In such circumstances deviation from the TB treatment protocol is frequently happening. This study sought to estimate TB notification in the private sector and settle on determinants of TB notification by private sector physicians. A population-based study has been conducted; private physicians at their clinics were interviewed. The total number of 443 private sectors' physicians has been chosen by the stratified random sampling method. Appropriate descriptive analysis was used to describe the study's participants. Logistic regression was used for bivariable and multivariable analysis. The response rate of the study was 90.06 (399%). Among responders, who had stated that they were suspicious of TB over the recent year, 62 (16.45%) stated that they reported cases of TB at least once during the same period. Having reporting requirements and the number of visited patients was significantly related to TB suspicious (odds ratio = 2.84, confidence interval: 1.62-5, P < 0.01). Workplace and access to relevant resources are associated with TB notification (P < 0.05). In poor resource settings with a high burden of TB, the public health administration can promote notification activities in the private sector by simple and quick interventions. It seems that a considerable fraction of private sector physicians, not all of them, will notify TB if they are provided with primary information and primary resources. To optimize the TB notification, however, intersectoral interventions are more likely to be successful.

Implications of private sector Hib vaccine coverage for the introduction of public sector Hib-containing pentavalent vaccine in India: evidence from retrospective time series data.

PubMed

Sharma, Abhishek; Kaplan, Warren A; Chokshi, Maulik; Hasan Farooqui, Habib; Zodpey, Sanjay P

2015-02-23

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine has been available in India's private sector market since 1997. It was not until 14 December 2011 that the Government of India initiated the phased public sector introduction of a Hib (and DPT, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus)-containing pentavalent vaccine. Our objective was to investigate the state-specific coverage and behaviour of Hib vaccine in India when it was available only in the private sector market but not in the public sector. This baseline information can act as a guide to determine how much coverage the public sector rollout of pentavalent vaccine (scheduled April 2015) will need to bear in order to achieve complete coverage. 16 of 29 states in India, 2009-2012. Retrospective descriptive secondary data analysis. (1) Annual sales of Hib vaccines, by volume, from private sector hospitals and retail pharmacies collected by IMS Health and (2) national household surveys. State-specific Hib vaccine coverage (%) and its associations with state-specific socioeconomic status. The overall private sector Hib vaccine coverage among the 2009-2012 birth cohort was low (4%) and varied widely among the studied Indian states (minimum 0.3%; maximum 4.6%). We found that private sector Hib vaccine coverage depends on urban areas with good access to the private sector, parent's purchasing capacity and private paediatricians' prescribing practices. Per capita gross domestic product is a key explanatory variable. The annual Hib vaccine uptake and the 2009-2012 coverage levels were several times higher in the capital/metropolitan cities than the rest of the state, suggesting inequity in access to Hib vaccine delivered by the private sector. If India has to achieve high and equitable Hib vaccine coverage levels, nationwide public sector introduction of the pentavalent vaccine is needed. However, the role of private sector in universal Hib vaccine coverage is undefined as yet but it should not be neglected as a useful complement to

Private sector response to improving oral health care access.

PubMed

Robinson, Lindsey A

2009-07-01

Despite vast improvements in the oral health status of the United States population over the past 50 years, disparities in oral health status continue, with certain segments of the population carrying a disproportionate disease burden. This article attempts to describe the problem, discuss various frameworks for action, illustrate some solutions developed by the private sector, and present a vision for collaborative action to improve the health of the nation. No one sector of the health care system can resolve the problem. The private sector, the public sector, and the not-for-profit community must collaborate to improve the oral health of the nation.

Building a Comprehensive Mill-Level Database for the Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) Model of the U.S. Pulp and Paper Sector

PubMed Central

Modak, Nabanita; Spence, Kelley; Sood, Saloni; Rosati, Jacky Ann

2015-01-01

Air emissions from the U.S. pulp and paper sector have been federally regulated since 1978; however, regulations are periodically reviewed and revised to improve efficiency and effectiveness of existing emission standards. The Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) model for the pulp and paper sector is currently under development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and can be utilized to facilitate multi-pollutant, sector-based analyses that are performed in conjunction with regulatory development. The model utilizes a multi-sector, multi-product dynamic linear modeling framework that evaluates the economic impact of emission reduction strategies for multiple air pollutants. The ISIS model considers facility-level economic, environmental, and technical parameters, as well as sector-level market data, to estimate the impacts of environmental regulations on the pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the model can be used to estimate U.S. and global market impacts of new or more stringent air regulations, such as impacts on product price, exports and imports, market demands, capital investment, and mill closures. One major challenge to developing a representative model is the need for an extensive amount of data. This article discusses the collection and processing of data for use in the model, as well as the methods used for building the ISIS pulp and paper database that facilitates the required analyses to support the air quality management of the pulp and paper sector. PMID:25806516

Just How Big is the Schism Between the Health Sector and the Water and Sanitation Sector in Developing Countries?

PubMed

Cronin, A A; Pond, K

2008-08-19

Water, sanitation and hygiene are all key aspects to a healthy environment but often they suffer from a lack of coherence within the sector itself and also a lack of synergy with the health sector. This is not acceptable given one quarter of all child deaths are directly attributable to water-borne disease. This lack of synergy is evident at many different layers including planning, resource allocation and donor commitment. Developing countries must, in consultation with their communities, examine their biggest health risks and allocate resources accordingly. Sustained dialogue and increased in-depth analysis are needed to find consensus and an improved synergy across these vital sectors.

Sectoral risk research about input-output structure of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mao

2018-02-01

There exist rare researches about economic risk in sectoral level, which is significantly important for risk prewarning. This paper employed status coefficient to measure the symmetry of economic subnetwork, which is negatively correlated with sectoral risk. Then, we do empirical research in both cross section and time series dimensions. In cross section dimension, we study the correlation between sectoral status coefficient and sectoral volatility, earning rate and Sharpe ratio respectively in the year 2015. Next, in the perspective of time series, we first investigate the correlation change between sectoral status coefficient and annual total output from 1997 to 2015. Then, we divide the 71 sectors in America into agriculture, manufacturing, services and government, compare the trend terms of average sectoral status coefficients of the four industries and illustrate the causes behind it. We also find obvious abnormality in the sector of housing. At last, this paper puts forward some suggestions for the federal government.

Promoting Entrepreneurial Culture in the University: The Institutional Collaborative Model at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Pablo, Isidro; Alfaro, Fernando; Rodriguez, Miriam; Valdes, Esperanza

2011-01-01

This paper presents a case of collaboration between different types of public services and the private sector for the promotion of an entrepreneurial culture. This collaboration is achieved by means of a centre established and developed by the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, the Centro de Iniciativas Emprendedoras (the Centre for Entrepreneurial…

Labor in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamermesh, Daniel S., Ed.

Originally presented at a Conference on Labor in Nonprofit Industry and Government held at Princeton University, the studies are the first to provide an economic discussion of the public sector labor market. Melvin Reder examines the effect of the absence of the profit motive on employment and wage determination in the public sector. Orley…

Crystal Structure and Functional Characterization of an Esterase (EaEST) from Exiguobacterium antarcticum.

PubMed

Lee, Chang Woo; Kwon, Sena; Park, Sun-Ha; Kim, Boo-Young; Yoo, Wanki; Ryu, Bum Han; Kim, Han-Woo; Shin, Seung Chul; Kim, Sunghwan; Park, Hyun; Kim, T Doohun; Lee, Jun Hyuck

2017-01-01

A novel microbial esterase, EaEST, from a psychrophilic bacterium Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7, was identified and characterized. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing structural analysis and biochemical characterization of an esterase isolated from the genus Exiguobacterium. Crystal structure of EaEST, determined at a resolution of 1.9 Å, showed that the enzyme has a canonical α/β hydrolase fold with an α-helical cap domain and a catalytic triad consisting of Ser96, Asp220, and His248. Interestingly, the active site of the structure of EaEST is occupied by a peracetate molecule, which is the product of perhydrolysis of acetate. This result suggests that EaEST may have perhydrolase activity. The activity assay showed that EaEST has significant perhydrolase and esterase activity with respect to short-chain p-nitrophenyl esters (≤C8), naphthyl derivatives, phenyl acetate, and glyceryl tributyrate. However, the S96A single mutant had low esterase and perhydrolase activity. Moreover, the L27A mutant showed low levels of protein expression and solubility as well as preference for different substrates. On conducting an enantioselectivity analysis using R- and S-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, a preference for R-enantiomers was observed. Surprisingly, immobilized EaEST was found to not only retain 200% of its initial activity after incubation for 1 h at 80°C, but also retained more than 60% of its initial activity after 20 cycles of reutilization. This research will serve as basis for future engineering of this esterase for biotechnological and industrial applications.

76 FR 57723 - Electricity Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Process Guideline

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-16

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Electricity Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Process Guideline AGENCY... public comment on DOE's intent to publish the Electricity Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Process... electricity sector organizations and adds to the body of resources that help refine the definition and...

The politics of public sector change.

PubMed

Harvey, Peter

2003-05-01

As the changes underpinning the Coordinated Care Trials in South Australia have become more apparent, similarities have emerged between the rationalisation of public schooling in the mid 1980s and the transformation of public health in the 1990s. This article aims to discuss the evolution of health services in South Australia and help us answer the question of how best to manage our public and private health infrastructure in a changing economic and social context. Both strategies in education and health share common elements of cost cutting, attempts at improving efficiencies, a flirting with the private sector and the attendant risk of reduced quality of services to the public. This situation in both sectors is indicative of a shift in public policy and a growth in the belief that private management of public sector infrastructure can help resolve the funding crises around our education and health systems.

An Overview of Total Quality Management (TQM) practice in Construction Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Likita, A. J.; Zainun, N. Y.; Rahman, I. Abdul; Awal, A. S. M. Abdul; Alias, A. R.; Rahman, M. Q. Abdul; Ghazali, F. E. Mohamed

2018-04-01

In construction sector TQM can be termed as a philosophy which guides construction professionals on the proper execution of construction projects in terms of quality. The aim of this paper is to discuss on quality management practice in construction sector. This paper evaluated five previous researches and the findings were discussed to find a conclusion of TQM practise in construction sector. The study found that TQM had been successfully practice in construction sector at Saudi Arabia, India, US and South Africa. Application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) help to improve the implementation of TQM in construction sector. In conclusion, quality management practices will give better control of processes in construction sector.

Convective Weather Forecast Accuracy Analysis at Center and Sector Levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yao; Sridhar, Banavar

2010-01-01

This paper presents a detailed convective forecast accuracy analysis at center and sector levels. The study is aimed to provide more meaningful forecast verification measures to aviation community, as well as to obtain useful information leading to the improvements in the weather translation capacity models. In general, the vast majority of forecast verification efforts over past decades have been on the calculation of traditional standard verification measure scores over forecast and observation data analyses onto grids. These verification measures based on the binary classification have been applied in quality assurance of weather forecast products at the national level for many years. Our research focuses on the forecast at the center and sector levels. We calculate the standard forecast verification measure scores for en-route air traffic centers and sectors first, followed by conducting the forecast validation analysis and related verification measures for weather intensities and locations at centers and sectors levels. An approach to improve the prediction of sector weather coverage by multiple sector forecasts is then developed. The weather severe intensity assessment was carried out by using the correlations between forecast and actual weather observation airspace coverage. The weather forecast accuracy on horizontal location was assessed by examining the forecast errors. The improvement in prediction of weather coverage was determined by the correlation between actual sector weather coverage and prediction. observed and forecasted Convective Weather Avoidance Model (CWAM) data collected from June to September in 2007. CWAM zero-minute forecast data with aircraft avoidance probability of 60% and 80% are used as the actual weather observation. All forecast measurements are based on 30-minute, 60- minute, 90-minute, and 120-minute forecasts with the same avoidance probabilities. The forecast accuracy analysis for times under one-hour showed that the errors in

National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization Resource (NESCOR)

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

None, None

The goal of the National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization Resource (NESCOR) project was to address cyber security issues for the electric sector, particularly in the near and mid-term. The following table identifies the strategies from the DOE Roadmap to Achieve Energy Delivery Systems Cybersecurity published in September 2011 that are applicable to the NESCOR project.

Primakoff Prize Talk: The Search for Dark Sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essig, Rouven

2015-04-01

Dark sectors, consisting of new, light, weakly-coupled particles that do not interact with the known strong, weak, or electromagnetic forces, are a particularly interesting possibility for new physics. Nature may contain numerous dark sectors, each with their own beautiful structure, distinct particles, and forces. Examples of dark sector particles include dark photons, axions, axion-like particles, and dark matter. In many cases, the exploration of dark sectors can proceed with existing facilities and comparatively modest experiments. This talk summarizes the physics motivation for dark sectors and the exciting opportunities for experimental exploration. Particular emphasis will be given to the search for dark photons, the mediators of a broken dark U(1) gauge theory that kinetically mixes with the Standard Model hypercharge, with masses in the MeV-to-GeV range. Experimental searches include low-energy e+e- colliders, new and old high-intensity fixed-target experiments, and high-energy colliders. The talk will highlight the APEX and HPS experiments at Jefferson Lab, which are pioneering, low-cost experiments to search for dark photons in fixed target electroproduction. Over the next few years, they have the potential for a transformative discovery.

Towards greener environment: Energy efficient pathways for the transportation sector in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indati, M. S.; Ghate, A. T.; Leong, Y. P.

2013-06-01

Transportation sector is the second most energy consuming sector after industrial sector, accounting for 40% of total energy consumption in Malaysia. The transportation sector is one of the most energy intensive sectors in the country and relies primarily on petroleum products, which in total account for nearly 98% of the total consumption in the sector. Since it is heavily reliant on petroleum based fuels, the sector contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The need to reduce the greenhouse gas emission is paramount as Malaysia at Conference of the Parties (COP15) pledged to reduce its carbon intensity by 40% by 2020 from 2005 level subject to availability of technology and finance. Transport sector will be among the first sectors that need to be addressed to achieve this goal, as two-thirds of the emissions come from fuel combustion in transport sector. This paper will analyse the factors influencing the transport sector's growth and energy consumption trends and discuss the key issues and challenges for greener environment and sustainable transportation in Malaysia. The paper will also discuss the policy and strategic options aimed towards energy efficient pathways in Malaysia.

Characterizing the development of sectoral gross domestic product composition.

PubMed

Lutz, Raphael; Spies, Michael; Reusser, Dominik E; Kropp, Jürgen P; Rybski, Diego

2013-07-01

We consider the sectoral composition of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), i.e., the partitioning into agrarian, industrial, and service sectors. Exploring a simple system of differential equations, we characterize the transfer of GDP shares between the sectors in the course of economic development. The model fits for the majority of countries providing four country-specific parameters. Relating the agrarian with the industrial sector, a data collapse over all countries and all years supports the applicability of our approach. Depending on the parameter ranges, country development exhibits different transfer properties. Most countries follow three of eight characteristic paths. The types are not random but show distinct geographic and development patterns.

Characterizing the development of sectoral gross domestic product composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, Raphael; Spies, Michael; Reusser, Dominik E.; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Rybski, Diego

2013-07-01

We consider the sectoral composition of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), i.e., the partitioning into agrarian, industrial, and service sectors. Exploring a simple system of differential equations, we characterize the transfer of GDP shares between the sectors in the course of economic development. The model fits for the majority of countries providing four country-specific parameters. Relating the agrarian with the industrial sector, a data collapse over all countries and all years supports the applicability of our approach. Depending on the parameter ranges, country development exhibits different transfer properties. Most countries follow three of eight characteristic paths. The types are not random but show distinct geographic and development patterns.

Assessing Inter-Sectoral Climate Change Risks: The Role of ISIMIP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenzweig, Cynthia; Arnell, Nigel W.; Ebi, Kristie L.; Lotze-Campen, Hermann; Raes, Frank; Rapley, Chris; Smith, Mark Stafford; Cramer, Wolfgang; Frieler, Katja; Reyer, Christopher P. O.;

Effect of Dynamic Sector Boundary Changes on Air Traffic Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jung, Jaewoo; Lee, Paul; Kessell, Angela; Homola, Jeff; Zelinski, Shannon

2010-01-01

The effect of dynamic sector boundary changes on air traffic controller workload was investigated with data from a human-in-the-loop simulation. Multiple boundary changes were made during simulated operations, and controller rating of workload was recorded. Analysis of these data showed an increase of 16.9% in controller workload due to boundary changes. This increased workload was correlated with the number of aircraft handoffs and change in sector volume. There was also a 12.7% increase in average workload due to the changed sector design after boundary changes. This increase was correlated to traffic flow crossing points getting closer to sector boundaries and an increase in the number of flights with short dwell time in a sector. This study has identified some of the factors that affect controller workload when sector boundaries are changed, but more research is needed to better understand their relationships.

Framework for integration of informal waste management sector with the formal sector in Pakistan.

PubMed

Masood, Maryam; Barlow, Claire Y

2013-10-01

Historically, waste pickers around the globe have utilised urban solid waste as a principal source of livelihood. Formal waste management sectors usually perceive the informal waste collection/recycling networks as backward, unhygienic and generally incompatible with modern waste management systems. It is proposed here that through careful planning and administration, these seemingly troublesome informal networks can be integrated into formal waste management systems in developing countries, providing mutual benefits. A theoretical framework for integration based on a case study in Lahore, Pakistan, is presented. The proposed solution suggests that the municipal authority should draw up and agree on a formal work contract with the group of waste pickers already operating in the area. The proposed system is assessed using the integration radar framework to classify and analyse possible intervention points between the sectors. The integration of the informal waste workers with the formal waste management sector is not a one dimensional or single step process. An ideal solution might aim for a balanced focus on all four categories of intervention, although this may be influenced by local conditions. Not all the positive benefits will be immediately apparent, but it is expected that as the acceptance of such projects increases over time, the informal recycling economy will financially supplement the formal system in many ways.

Rotor vibration reduction with polymeric sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutt, J. K.; Toi, T.

2003-05-01

This work has been undertaken principally with an idea to improving the dynamic performance of rotor-shaft systems, which often suffer from two major problems (a) resonance and (b) loss of stability, resulting in excessive vibration of such systems. Polymeric material in the form of sectors has been considered in this work as bearing supports. Polymeric material has been considered in this work as both stiffness and loss factor of such materials varies with the frequency of excitation. Stiffness and loss factor have been found out for the proposed support system comprising of polymeric sectors. Depending upon the frequency of excitation the system matrix, in this case, changes and dynamic performance of the rotor-shaft system also changes accordingly. Here in this work avoidance of resonance and application of optimum damping in the support have been investigated by finding out the optimum dimension, i.e., the optimum thickness and optimum length of the sectors. It has been theoretically found that use of such sectors reduces the rotor unbalanced response, increases the stability limit speed for simple rotor-shaft systems and thus improves the dynamic characteristics. Parameters of the system have been presented in terms of non-dimensional quantities. Many examples have been presented in support of the conclusion. The life of such supports, particularly in the presence of chemicals and other reagents has not been investigated.

Public Sector Employment Inequality in the United States and the Great Recession.

PubMed

Laird, Jennifer

2017-02-01

Historically in the United States, the public sector has served as an equalizing institution through the expansion of job opportunities for minority workers. This study examines whether the public sector continues to serve as an equalizing institution in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Using data from the Current Population Survey, I investigate changes in public sector employment between 2003 and 2013. My results point to a post-recession double disadvantage for black public sector workers: they are concentrated in a shrinking sector of the economy, and they are more likely than white and Hispanic public sector workers to experience job loss. These two trends are a historical break for the public sector labor market. I find that race and ethnicity gaps in public sector employment cannot be explained by differences in education, occupation, or any of the other measurable factors that are typically associated with employment. Among unemployed workers who most recently worked for the public sector, black women are the least likely to transition into private sector employment.

A new method for determining a sector alert

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-09-29

The Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) currently declares an alert for any 15-minute interval in which the predicted demand exceeds the Monitor/Alert Parameter (MAP) for any airport, sector, or fix. For a sector, TFMS predicts the demand for each ...

Awareness of occupational skin disease in the service sector.

PubMed

Holness, D L; Kudla, I; Brown, J; Miller, S

2017-06-01

Occupational skin disease (OSD) is a common occupational disease. Although primary prevention strategies are known, OSDs remain prevalent in a variety of work environments including the service sector (restaurant/food services, retail/wholesale, tourism/hospitality and vehicle sales and service). To obtain information about awareness and prevention of OSD in the service sector. Focus groups and a survey were conducted with two groups. The first consisted of staff of the provincial health and safety association for the service sector and the second group comprised representatives from sector employers. Focus groups highlighted key issues to inform the survey that obtained information about perceptions of awareness and prevention of OSD and barriers to awareness and prevention. Both provincial health and safety association staff and sector employer representatives highlighted low awareness and a low level of knowledge of OSD in the sector. Barriers to awareness and prevention included a low reported incidence of OSD, low priority, lack of training materials, lack of time and cost of training, lack of management support and workplace culture. A starting point for improving prevention of OSD in the service sector is increased awareness. Identification of the barriers to awareness and prevention will help to shape an awareness campaign and prevention strategies. Building on existing experience in Europe will be important. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

[Collaboration between public health nurses and the private sector].

PubMed

Marutani, Miki; Okada, Yumiko; Hasegawa, Takashi

2016-01-01

We clarified collaborations between public health nurses (PHNs) and the private sector, such as nonprofit organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 private sector organizations and 13 PHNs who collaborate with them between December 2012 to October 2013. Interview guides were: overall suicide preventive measurements, details of collaboration between private sector organizations and PHNs, and suicide prevention outcomes/issues. Data from private sector organizations and PHNs were separately analyzed and categories created using qualitative and inductive design. Private sector organizations' and PHNs' categories were compared and separated into core categories by similarities. Six categories were created: 1. establishing a base of mutual understanding; 2. raising public awareness of each aim/characteristic; 3. competently helping high suicidal risk persons detected during each activity; 4. guarding lives and rehabilitating livelihoods after intervention; 5. restoring suicide attempters/bereaved met in each activity; and 6. continuing/expanding activities with reciprocal cohesion/evaluation. PHNs are required to have the following suicide prevention tasks when collaborating with private sector organizations: understanding the private sector civilization, sharing PHN experiences, improving social determinants of health, meeting basic needs, supporting foundation/difficulties each other (Dear editor. Thank you for kind comments. I was going to explain that PHNs and NPOs support each other their foundation of activity and difficulties in their activities. The foundations include knowledge, information, budgets, manpower etc. The difficulties mean like suffering faced with suicide during activities.), and enhancing local governments' flexibilities/ promptness.

Examination of the Work Organization Assessment Questionnaire in public sector workers.

PubMed

Wynne-Jones, Gwenllian; Varnava, Alice; Buck, Rhiannon; Karanika-Murray, Maria; Griffiths, Amanda; Phillips, Ceri; Cox, Tom; Kahn, Sayeed; Main, Chris J

2009-05-01

To investigate the utility of the Work and Organization Assessment Questionnaire (WOAQ) for public sector data. A cross-sectional survey was performed in public sector organizations measuring demographics, work characteristics, work perceptions (WOAQ), sickness absence, and work performance. Confirmatory factor analysis of the WOAQ showed that factor structure derived for the manufacturing sector, for which the questionnaire was developed, could be replicated moderately well with public sector data. The study then considered whether a better more specific fit for public sector data was possible. Principal components analysis of the public sector data identified a two-factor structure linked to four of the five scales of the WOAQ assessing Management and Work Design, and Work Culture. These two factors may offer a context-sensitive scoring method for the WOAQ in public sector populations. These two factors were found to have good internal consistency, and correlated with the full WOAQ scales and the measures of performance and absence. The WOAQ is a useful and potentially transferable tool. The modified scoring may be used to assess work and organizational factors in the public sector.

Hierarchical Regional Disparities and Potential Sector Identification Using Modified Agglomerative Clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munandar, T. A.; Azhari; Mushdholifah, A.; Arsyad, L.

2017-03-01

Disparities in regional development methods are commonly identified using the Klassen Typology and Location Quotient. Both methods typically use the data on the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) sectors of a particular region. The Klassen approach can identify regional disparities by classifying the GRDP sector data into four classes, namely Quadrants I, II, III, and IV. Each quadrant indicates a certain level of regional disparities based on the GRDP sector value of the said region. Meanwhile, the Location Quotient (LQ) is usually used to identify potential sectors in a particular region so as to determine which sectors are potential and which ones are not potential. LQ classifies each sector into three classes namely, the basic sector, the non-basic sector with a competitive advantage, and the non-basic sector which can only meet its own necessities. Both Klassen Typology and LQ are unable to visualize the relationship of achievements in the development clearly of each region and sector. This research aimed to develop a new approach to the identification of disparities in regional development in the form of hierarchical clustering. The method of Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (HAC) was employed as the basis of the hierarchical clustering model for identifying disparities in regional development. Modifications were made to HAC using the Klassen Typology and LQ. Then, HAC which had been modified using the Klassen Typology was called MHACK while HAC which had been modified using LQ was called MACLoQ. Both algorithms can be used to identify regional disparities (MHACK) and potential sectors (MACLoQ), respectively, in the form of hierarchical clusters. Based on the MHACK in 31 regencies in Central Java Province, it is identified that 3 regencies (Demak, Jepara, and Magelang City) fall into the category of developed and rapidly-growing regions, while the other 28 regencies fall into the category of developed but depressed regions. Results of the MACLo

Perceptional gaps among women, husbands and family members about intentions for birthplace: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Shimpuku, Yoko; Madeni, Frida Elikana; Horiuchi, Shigeko; Leshabari, Sebalda Charles

2017-01-30

(BIQ), medindo o conhecimento, atitude, percepcão de controle comportamental, normas subjetivas e intenção para lugar de parto. Análise descritivas, ANOVA, Qui-quadrado e regressão linear múltipla foram utilizados para analisar os dados. o modelo de regressão mostrou que o conhecimento, percepcão de controle comportamental e normas subjetivas previram intenção de lugar de parto (R2 = 0,28). Enquanto 81% das mulheres grávidas pensavam que seus maridos eram os decisores para seu parto, apenas 38% dos maridos e 37% dos membros da família concordaram. As mulheres grávidas tiveram escores significativamente mais baixos sobre o item "Vou me preparar para o parto com a minha família", em comparação com os maridos (p < 0,01) e outros membros da família (p < 0,001). Proporcionar preparação para o parto baseada em evidencias e a redução das lacunas de percepção identificadas podem melhorar a intenção das mulheres para dar à luz em unidades de saúde. las mujeres son más propensas a dar a luz en un centro de salud cuando sus familias están de acuerdo con el lugar de parto. Sin embargo, en las zonas rurales de Tanzania, las mujeres son a menudo marginadas de la toma de decisiones. Este estudio predijo la intención del lugar de parto y los factores identificados para reducir la brecha de percepción entre las mujeres embarazadas, esposos y miembros de la familia. encuesta transversal explicativa llevada a cabo en tres aldeas en el noreste de Tanzania. Los participantes fueron 138 mujeres embarazadas y sus familias, que respondieron al Cuestionario sobre Intención del Parto (BIQ), que mide el conocimiento, la actitud, percepción de control del comportamiento, las normas subjetivas y la intención de lugar de parto. Se utilizaron análisis descriptivo, ANOVA, Chi-cuadrado y regresión lineal múltiple para analizar los datos. el modelo de regresión mostró que el conocimiento, la percepción de control del comportamiento, y las normas subjetivas

DISYUNTIVAS EN LAS CONCEPCIONES SOBRE AUTONOMÍA Y BENEFICENCIA QUE AFECTAN LA TERAPÉUTICA DEL INTENTO SUICIDA1

PubMed Central

Mondragón, Liliana; Monroy, Zuraya; Ito, Ma. Emily; Medina-Mora, Dra. Ma. Elena

2010-01-01

El objetivo del trabajo es conocer las disyuntivas entre los principios de beneficencia y autonomía, que se presentan en la relación médico-paciente, durante la terapéutica del intento de suicidio. La investigación se realizó en dos hospitales psiquiátricos de la Ciudad de México. La muestra incluyó a tres sujetos con intento de suicidio, mayores de 18 años, que eran atendidos en consulta externa a causa de una lesión autoinfligida en el último año, y a tres psiquiatras que trataban a estos pacientes. La información se obtuvo previo consentimiento informado en entrevistas individuales. Se llevó a cabo un análisis de discurso argumentado para encontrar los significados que los participantes otorgaron a los principios bioéticos y las posibles disyuntivas entre éstos. Las discordancias entre la beneficencia y la autonomía estuvieron relacionadas con el beneficio del tratamiento, el respeto por los valores y las creencias de los pacientes, entre otros. Este trabajo presenta consideraciones éticas relevantes en el escenario clínico, al ofrecer al psiquiatra un análisis bioético que le permita actuar de acuerdo con la beneficencia y respetando la autonomía del paciente frente a casos de intento de suicidio y, de esta forma procurar una mejor atención para ellos. PMID:20830214

Improving health sector travel.

PubMed

Hurdle, David; Davis, Adrian

2004-10-01

Preventing ill health and obesity and building more physical activity into our daily lives have never been so high on the agenda, and the way we travel can help. Many workplaces and schools are drawing up travel plans, with the aims usually to minimise car use and encourage healthier and more environmentally friendly travel. The Transport White Paper of 1998 advocated travel plans and singled out hospitals for action. Travel plans continue to be a focus within the latest Transport White Paper, launched in July 2004. This article covers various prompts to the health sector to implement travel plans. It addresses issues and concerns facing NHS Trusts, the practical things Trusts can do, and the increasing amount of good practice available. Finally, it demonstrates that travel plans can work, and are working, in the health sector.

48 CFR 37.112 - Government use of private sector temporaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... use of private sector temporaries. Contracting officers may enter into contracts with temporary help service firms for the brief or intermittent use of the skills of private sector temporaries. Services... part 300, subpart E, Use of Private Sector Temporaries, and agency procedures. [56 FR 55380, Oct. 25...

Split-orientation-modulated plasmon coupling in disk/sector dimers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xupeng; Chen, Yiqin; Shi, Huimin; Zhang, Shi; Liu, Quanhui; Duan, Huigao

2017-06-01

The coupled asymmetric plasmonic nanostructures allow more compact nanophotonics integration and easier optical control in practical applications, such as directional scattering and near-field control. Here, we carried out a systematic and in-depth study on the plasmonic coupling of an asymmetric gold disk/sector dimer, and investigated the light-matter interaction in such an asymmetric coupled complex nanostructures. The results demonstrated that the positions and the intensity of plasmon resonance peak as well as the spatial distribution of electric fields around the surface in the coupled disk/sector dimer can be tuned by changing the azimuth angle of the gold sector. Based on Simpson-Peterson approximation, we proposed a model to understand the obtained plasmon properties of asymmetric coupled disk/sector dimers by introducing an offset parameter between the geometry center and dipole center of the sector. The experimental results agree well with the simulations. Our study provides an insight to tune the plasmon coupling behavior via adjusting the plasmon dipole center position in coupling systems.

Child and Adolescent Obesity and Employment Sector in Urban China

PubMed Central

Li, Yi; Zimmer, Zachary

2013-01-01

Despite its importance as a part of the economic reform in China, sectoral employment has been overlooked as a potential determinant of child and adolescent obesity (CAO). Using large-scale longitudinal data from surveys conducted from 1989 to 2006, this paper examines the relationship between the sector in which a parent is employed and CAO, with the sector being based on ownership and categorised as either state or non-state. Analyses of over 1,700 children and adolescents show that children and adolescents whose parents work in the state sector are less likely to be obese. Patterns of sectoral employment's effect are robust across time periods, in fixed-effects models, and across multiple measures of obesity. Additionally, the paper shows that socioeconomic characteristics of the parent, such as income, education, and occupation, typically thought to be important predictors of CAO, are not as important when the parental working sector is included in the models. PMID:24298293

Child and Adolescent Obesity and Employment Sector in Urban China.

PubMed

Li, Yi; Zimmer, Zachary

2013-01-01

Despite its importance as a part of the economic reform in China, sectoral employment has been overlooked as a potential determinant of child and adolescent obesity (CAO). Using large-scale longitudinal data from surveys conducted from 1989 to 2006, this paper examines the relationship between the sector in which a parent is employed and CAO, with the sector being based on ownership and categorised as either state or non-state. Analyses of over 1,700 children and adolescents show that children and adolescents whose parents work in the state sector are less likely to be obese. Patterns of sectoral employment's effect are robust across time periods, in fixed-effects models, and across multiple measures of obesity. Additionally, the paper shows that socioeconomic characteristics of the parent, such as income, education, and occupation, typically thought to be important predictors of CAO, are not as important when the parental working sector is included in the models.

Climate change impact modelling needs to include cross-sectoral interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Paula A.; Dunford, Robert W.; Holman, Ian P.; Rounsevell, Mark D. A.

2016-09-01

Climate change impact assessments often apply models of individual sectors such as agriculture, forestry and water use without considering interactions between these sectors. This is likely to lead to misrepresentation of impacts, and consequently to poor decisions about climate adaptation. However, no published research assesses the differences between impacts simulated by single-sector and integrated models. Here we compare 14 indicators derived from a set of impact models run within single-sector and integrated frameworks across a range of climate and socio-economic scenarios in Europe. We show that single-sector studies misrepresent the spatial pattern, direction and magnitude of most impacts because they omit the complex interdependencies within human and environmental systems. The discrepancies are particularly pronounced for indicators such as food production and water exploitation, which are highly influenced by other sectors through changes in demand, land suitability and resource competition. Furthermore, the discrepancies are greater under different socio-economic scenarios than different climate scenarios, and at the sub-regional rather than Europe-wide scale.

Tratamiento Quirúrgico de los Meningiomas del Foramen Óptico, Técnicay Resultados de una Serie de 18 Pacientes

PubMed Central

Goldschmidt, Ezequiel; Ajler, Pablo; Campero, Álvaro; Landriel, Federico; Sposito, Maximiliano; Carrizo, Antonio

2014-01-01

Introducción: los meningiomas del foramen óptico producen un rápido deterioro de la función visual aún cuando su tamaño es pequeño, por eso su diagnóstico y manejo difiere del resto de los meningiomas clinoideos. El propósito de este estudio es presentar la técnica y los resultados de nuestro manejo quirúrgico de meningiomas foraminales (MF). Pacientes y Métodos: se llevó a cabo una revisión de las historias clínicas de 47 pacientes con meningiomas primarios intraorbitarios. Se realizaron 52 cirugías en los pacientes con MF. Se empleó una craneotomía fronto-orbitaria, seguida de una descompresión extradural del canal óptico, resección del componente intraorbitario y exploración intradural del nervio óptico. Resultados: de los 12 pacientes con MF que presentaban la visión conservada, la agudeza visual fue preservada en 7 casos, mejoró en 2, y empeoró en 3. En 18 pacientes, el principal síntoma fue exoftalmos y en 35 pacientes ceguera unilateral. Ocurrieron 6 recurrencias, 2 a 10 años después de la resección quirúrgica. Cinco de ellos fueron reoperados. Se indicó radioterapia después de la recurrencia en 3 pacientes. Conclusión: el manejo de los MF continúa siendo controvertido y frecuentemente se propone un tratamiento conservador. Basados en nuestros hallazgos de frecuente extensión intracraneal, proponemos realizar una resección total o subtotal del tumor, preservando el nervio óptico en pacientes con visión prequirúrgica conservada. PMID:25165616

Building and testing models with extended Higgs sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Igor P.

2017-07-01

Models with non-minimal Higgs sectors represent a mainstream direction in theoretical exploration of physics opportunities beyond the Standard Model. Extended scalar sectors help alleviate difficulties of the Standard Model and lead to a rich spectrum of characteristic collider signatures and astroparticle consequences. In this review, we introduce the reader to the world of extended Higgs sectors. Not pretending to exhaustively cover the entire body of literature, we walk through a selection of the most popular examples: the two- and multi-Higgs-doublet models, as well as singlet and triplet extensions. We will show how one typically builds models with extended Higgs sectors, describe the main goals and the challenges which arise on the way, and mention some methods to overcome them. We will also describe how such models can be tested, what are the key observables one focuses on, and illustrate the general strategy with a subjective selection of results.

One Health: a perspective from the human health sector.

PubMed

Kakkar, M; Hossain, S S; Abbas, S S

2014-08-01

Despite emerging consensus that the One Health concept involves multiple stakeholders, the human health sector has continued to view it from a predominantly human health security perspective. It has often ignored the concerns of other sectors, e.g. concerns that relate to trade, commerce, livelihoods and sustainable development, all of which are important contributors to societal well-being. In the absence of a culture of collaboration, clear One Health goals, conceptual clarity and operating frameworks, this disconnect between human health and One Health efforts has often impeded the translation of One Health from concept to reality, other than during emergency situations. If there are to be effective and sustainable One Health partnerships we must identify clear operating principles that allow flexible approaches to intersectoral collaborations. To convince technical experts and political leaders in the human health sector of the importance of intersectoral cooperation, and to make the necessary structural adjustments, we need examples of best practice models and trans-sectoral methods for measuring the risks, burden and costs across sectors. Informal collaborations between researchers and technical experts will play a decisive role in developing these methods and models and instilling societal well-being into the human health sector's view of One Health.

The crucial role of the private sector.

PubMed

Barberis, M; Paxman, J M

1986-12-01

Private support for the development of family planning programs continues to grow and now includes industries that provide family planning services, commercial outlets that distribute contraceptives, community groups that help to build demand, private medical practitioners who include contraception as a part of health care, organizations that provide technical and financial assistance to developing country programs, pharmaceutical firms, and foundations that underwrite contraceptive research. Although the mix of private and public programs differs from country to country, these 2 family planning programs complement each other and often work in close partnership. The private sector has the advantages of being able to pioneer innovative programs the public sector is unwilling or unable to pursue, to bring foreign financial and technical assistance to developing countries without political implications, and to achieve financially self-sustaining family planning efforts that are linked to other development efforts. In many countries, the private sector has been instrumental in developing a national family planning program and in eliminating barriers to family planning in countries with restrictive laws and policies. The private sector has been especially important in pioneering grassroots programs that improve the status of women through education, health care, training, and economic opportunity.

[Organization and technology in the catering sector].

PubMed

Tinarelli, Arnaldo

2014-01-01

The catering industry is a service characterized by a contract between customer and supplier. In institutional catering industry, the customer is represented by public administration; in private catering industry, the customer is represented by privates. The annual catering trades size is about 6.74 billions of euros, equally distributed between health sector (hospitals, nursing homes), school sector and business sector (ivorkplace food service), with the participation of nearly 1.200 firms and 70.000 workers. Major services include off-premises catering (food prepared away from the location where it's served) and on-premises catering (meals prepared and served at the same place). Several tools and machineries are used during both warehousing and food refrigerating operations, and during preparation, cooking, packaging and transport of meals. In this sector, injuries, rarely resulting serious or deadly, show a downward trend in the last years. On the contrary, the number of occupational diseases shows an upward trend. About the near future, the firms should become global outsourcer, able to provide other services as cleaning, transport and maintenance. In addition, they should invest in innovation: from tools and machineries technology to work organization; from factory lay-out to safely and health in the workplaces.

Trends in improving the embryonic stem cell test (EST): an overview.

PubMed

Buesen, Roland; Visan, Anke; Genschow, Elke; Slawik, Birgitta; Spielmann, Horst; Seiler, Andrea

2004-01-01

The embryonic stem cell test (EST) is an in vitro assay that has been developed to assess the teratogenic and embryotoxic potential of drugs and chemicals. It is based on the capacity of murine ES cells (cell line D3) to differentiate into contracting myocardial cells under specific cell culture conditions. The appearance of beating cardiomyocytes in embryoid body (EB) outgrowths is used as a toxicological endpoint to assess the embryotoxic potential of a test substance. Applying linear analysis of discriminance, a biostatistical prediction model (PM) was developed to assign test chemicals to three classes of embryotoxicity. In an international validation study the EST predicted the embryotoxic potential of chemicals and drugs with the same reliability as two other in vitro embryotoxicity tests, which employed embryonic cells and tissues from pregnant animals. In a joint research project with German pharmaceutical companies we have successfully improved the EST by establishing molecular endpoints of differentiation in cultured ES cells. The quantification of cardiac-specific protein expression by intracellular flow cytometry has been studied in the presence of chemicals of different embryotoxic potential. The results obtained using molecular endpoints specific for differentiated cardiomyocytes employing FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorting) analysis will be presented in comparison to the validated endpoint - the microscopic analysis of beating areas. FACS analysis provides a more objective endpoint for predicting the embryotoxic potential of chemicals than the validated method. Furthermore, flow cytometry promises to be suitable for high-throughput screening systems (HTS). In addition, our partners from the joint project have improved the EST by developing protocols that stimulate differentiation of ES cells into neural and endothelial cells, chondrocytes and osteoblasts, because some substances might have embryotoxic effects on specific cell-types other than

Portable mass spectrometer with one or more mechanically adjustable electrostatic sectors and a mechanically adjustable magnetic sector all mounted in a vacuum chamber

DOEpatents

Andresen, B.D.; Eckels, J.D.; Kimmons, J.F.; Martin, W.H.; Myers, D.W.; Keville, R.F.

1992-10-06

A portable mass spectrometer is described having one or more electrostatic focusing sectors and a magnetic focusing sector, all of which are positioned inside a vacuum chamber, and all of which may be adjusted via adjustment means accessible from outside the vacuum chamber. Mounting of the magnetic sector entirely within the vacuum chamber permits smaller magnets to be used, thus permitting reductions in both weight and bulk. 13 figs.

Sector Growth Demonstration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA continues to work with the Bay states and DC to adress areas of concern identified in the final reports. EPA has asked each state and DC to prepare a Sector Load Growth Demonstration using the Sector Load Growth techical memorandum as a guide.

Using Internet-Based Language Testing Capacity to the Private Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia Laborda, Jesus

2009-01-01

Language testing has a large number of commercial applications in both the institutional and the private sectors. Some jobs in the health services sector or the public services sector require foreign language skills and these skills require continuous and efficient language assessments. Based on an experience developed through the cooperation of…

31 CFR 500.584 - Energy sector projects in North Korea.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Energy sector projects in North Korea... Licenses, Authorizations and Statements of Licensing Policy § 500.584 Energy sector projects in North Korea... energy sector projects in North Korea in connection with that country's transition to light-water reactor...

Thermal dark matter from a highly decoupled sector

DOE PAGES

Berlin, Asher; Hooper, Dan; Krnjaic, Gordan

2016-11-17

It has recently been shown that if the dark matter is in thermal equilibrium with a sector that is highly decoupled from the Standard Model, it can freeze out with an acceptable relic abundance, even if the dark matter is as heavy as ~1–100 PeV. In such scenarios, both the dark and visible sectors are populated after inflation, but with independent temperatures. The lightest particle in the dark sector will be generically long-lived and can come to dominate the energy density of the Universe. Upon decaying, these particles can significantly reheat the visible sector, diluting the abundance of dark mattermore » and thus allowing for dark matter particles that are much heavier than conventional WIMPs. In this study, we present a systematic and pedagogical treatment of the cosmological history in this class of models, emphasizing the simplest scenarios in which a dark matter candidate annihilates into hidden sector particles which then decay into visible matter through the vector, Higgs, or lepton portals. In each case, we find ample parameter space in which very heavy dark matter particles can provide an acceptable thermal relic abundance. We also discuss possible extensions of models featuring these dynamics.« less

Thermal dark matter from a highly decoupled sector

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

Berlin, Asher; Hooper, Dan; Krnjaic, Gordan

It has recently been shown that if the dark matter is in thermal equilibrium with a sector that is highly decoupled from the Standard Model, it can freeze out with an acceptable relic abundance, even if the dark matter is as heavy as ~1–100 PeV. In such scenarios, both the dark and visible sectors are populated after inflation, but with independent temperatures. The lightest particle in the dark sector will be generically long-lived and can come to dominate the energy density of the Universe. Upon decaying, these particles can significantly reheat the visible sector, diluting the abundance of dark mattermore » and thus allowing for dark matter particles that are much heavier than conventional WIMPs. In this study, we present a systematic and pedagogical treatment of the cosmological history in this class of models, emphasizing the simplest scenarios in which a dark matter candidate annihilates into hidden sector particles which then decay into visible matter through the vector, Higgs, or lepton portals. In each case, we find ample parameter space in which very heavy dark matter particles can provide an acceptable thermal relic abundance. We also discuss possible extensions of models featuring these dynamics.« less

How Does Retiree Health Insurance Influence Public Sector Employee Saving?

PubMed Central

Clark, Robert L.

2017-01-01

Economic theory predicts that employer-provided retiree health insurance (RHI) benefits have a crowd-out effect on household wealth accumulation, not dissimilar to the effects reported elsewhere for employer pensions, Social Security, and Medicare. Nevertheless, we are unaware of any similar research on the impacts of retiree health insurance per se. Accordingly, the present paper utilizes a unique data file on respondents to the Health and Retirement Study, to explore how employer-provided retiree health insurance may influence net household wealth among public sector employees, where retiree healthcare benefits are still quite prevalent. Key findings include the following: -Most full-time public sector employees anticipate having employer-provided health insurance coverage in retirement, unlike most private sector workers;-Public sector employees covered by RHI had substantially less wealth than similar private sector employees without RHI. In our data, Federal workers had about $82,000 (18%) less net wealth than private sector employees lacking RHI; state/local workers with RHI accumulated about $69,000 (or 15%) less net wealth than their uninsured private sector counterparts.-After controlling on socioeconomic status and differences in pension coverage, net household wealth for Federal employees was $116,000 less than workers without RHI and the result is statistically significant; the state/local difference was not. PMID:25479891

Effects of Sectoral Diversity on Community Coalition Processes and Outcomes.

PubMed

Brown, Louis D; Wells, Rebecca; Jones, Eric C; Chilenski, Sarah Meyer

2017-07-01

Collaboration with diverse partners is challenging but essential for the implementation of prevention programs and policies. Increased communication with partners from diverse sectors may help community coalitions overcome the challenges that diversity presents. We examined these issues empirically in a study of 17 substance use prevention coalitions in Mexico. Building on coalition and workgroup literatures, we hypothesized that sectoral diversity would improve outcomes but undermine coalition processes. Conversely, we expected uniformly positive effects from higher levels of intersectoral communication. Data are from a 2015 survey of 211 members within the 17 community coalitions. Regression models used sectoral diversity and intersectoral communication to predict coalition processes (cohesion, leader-member communication, efficiency) and outcomes (community support, community improvement, sustainability planning). Sectoral diversity was negatively associated with coalition processes and was not associated with coalition outcomes. Intersectoral communication was positively associated with two of the three measures of coalition outcomes but not associated with coalition processes. Our findings concur with those from prior research indicating that sectoral diversity may undermine coalition processes. However, more communication between sectors may facilitate the coalition outcomes of community support and sustainability planning. Skilled team leaders and participatory decision making may also help coalitions promote intersectoral communication, thereby engaging diverse community sectors to implement preventive interventions and actualize sustained public health impact.

Hidden sector behind the CKM matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okawa, Shohei; Omura, Yuji

2017-08-01

The small quark mixing, described by the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix in the standard model, may be a clue to reveal new physics around the TeV scale. We consider a simple scenario that extra particles in a hidden sector radiatively mediate the flavor violation to the quark sector around the TeV scale and effectively realize the observed CKM matrix. The lightest particle in the hidden sector, whose contribution to the CKM matrix is expected to be dominant, is a good dark matter (DM) candidate. There are many possible setups to describe this scenario, so that we investigate some universal predictions of this kind of model, focusing on the contribution of DM to the quark mixing and flavor physics. In this scenario, there is an explicit relation between the CKM matrix and flavor violating couplings, such as four-quark couplings, because both are radiatively induced by the particles in the hidden sector. Then, we can explicitly find the DM mass region and the size of Yukawa couplings between the DM and quarks, based on the study of flavor physics and DM physics. In conclusion, we show that DM mass in our scenario is around the TeV scale, and the Yukawa couplings are between O (0.01 ) and O (1 ). The spin-independent DM scattering cross section is estimated as O (10-9) [pb]. An extra colored particle is also predicted at the O (10 ) TeV scale.

Elements of a Knowledge Management Guide for Public Sector Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Mark Cameron

2013-01-01

This study explored the factors that are critical to the success of public (government) sector knowledge management initiatives and the lessons from private sector knowledge management and organizational learning that apply in the public sector. The goal was to create a concise guide, based on research-validated success factors, to aid government…

[Not Available].

PubMed

Vergara, Diego; Ríos-Reina, Rocío; Úbeda, Cristina; Escudero-Gilete, M Luisa; Callejón, Raquel M

2016-06-30

Introducción: en la actualidad existe un déficit en la evaluación de comedores dirigidos a niños menores de 3 años, a pesar de que se han realizado numerosas intervenciones en los comedores escolares con el fin de conseguir una alimentación segura y adecuada.Objetivo: realizar una evaluación nutricional de los menús ofertados en los centros de educación infantil de Sevilla.Material y métodos: se evaluó la frecuencia, variedad, rotación de alimentos, métodos culinarios e información de los menús de seis centros infantiles de Sevilla. Se valoró el aporte energético y nutricional mediante el programa Dietowin® y el método de pesada.Resultados: las frutas y verduras fueron deficitarias en la mayoría de los menús, y excesivas la carne, patatas, pasta y arroz. Se observó una escasa variedad de recetas por grupo de alimentos y no se daba una información completa del menú. Sin embargo, la variedad de procesos culinarios y la rotación de alimentos fueron adecuadas. Aunque la energía y el aporte de carbohidratos (~55%) se ajustaban a las necesidades, se observó un aporte excesivo de proteínas (~19%) y deficiente de lípidos (< 30%), sobre todo de grasas insaturadas. Respecto a los micronutrientes,solo vitamina C, E y calcio estaban por debajo de lo recomendado.Conclusiones: los centros de educación infantil están haciendo un gran esfuerzo por cumplir las recomendaciones nutricionales, pero todavía deben disminuir el aporte proteico y aumentar las grasas insaturadas de la dieta. Además, deben fomentar la oferta de frutas y verduras, ampliar la variedad de recetas, dar mayor información y disminuir el aporte de alimentos cárnicos.

Espectroscopia del Cometa Halley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naranjo, O.; Fuenmayor, F.; Ferrin, L.; Bulka, P.; Mendoza, C.

1987-05-01

Se reportan observaciones espectroscópicas del cometa Halley. Los espectros fueron tomados usando el espectrógrafo del telescopio reflector de 1 metro del Observatorio Nacional de Venezuela. Se utilizó óptica azul, con una red de difracción de 600 lineas/min, obteniéndose una dispersión de 74.2 A/mm y una resolución de 2.5 A, en el rango espectral de 3500 a 6500 A. Seis placas fueron tomadas con emulsión IIa-O y dos con IIa-D. Los tiempos de exposición fueron entre 10 y 150 minutos. El cometa se encontraba entre 0.70 y 1.04 UA del Sol, y entre 1.28 y 0.73 UA de la Tierra. Las emisiones más prominentes en el espectro, son las del CN, C2, y C3. Otras emisiones detectadas corresponden a CH, NH2 y Na. Los espectros muestran un fuerte continuo, indicando un contenido significativo de polvo. Se detectó mayor intensidad del contínuo, en la dirección anti solar, lo cual es evidencia de la cola de polvo.

The Formation of a Sunspot Penumbra Sector in Active Region NOAA 12574

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiaoling; Yan, Xiaoli; Wang, Jincheng; Kong, DeFang; Xue, Zhike; Yang, Liheng; Cao, Wenda

2018-04-01

We present a particular case of the formation of a penumbra sector around a developing sunspot in the active region NOAA 12574 on 2016 August 11 by using the high-resolution data observed by the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory and the data acquired by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite. Before the new penumbra sector formed, the developing sunspot already had two umbrae with some penumbral filaments. The penumbra sector gradually formed at the junction of two umbrae. We found that the formation of the penumbra sector can be divided into two stages. First, during the initial stage of penumbral formation, the region where the penumbra sector formed always appeared blueshifted in a Dopplergram. The area, mean transverse magnetic field strength, and total magnetic flux of the umbra and penumbra sector all increased with time. The initial penumbral formation was associated with magnetic emergence. Second, when the penumbra sector appeared, the magnetic flux and area of the penumbra sector increased after the umbra’s magnetic flux and area decreased. These results indicate that the umbra provided magnetic flux for penumbral development after the penumbra sector appeared. We also found that the newly formed penumbra sector was associated with sunspot rotation. Based on these findings, we suggest that the penumbra sector was the result of the emerging flux that was trapped in the photosphere at the initial stage of penumbral formation, and when the rudimentary penumbra formed, the penumbra sector developed at the cost of the umbra.

Impact of Cross-Sectoral Alcohol Policy on Youth Alcohol Consumption.

PubMed

de Goeij, Moniek C M; Jacobs, Monique A M; van Nierop, Peter; van der Veeken-Vlassak, Ivanka A G; van de Mheen, Dike; Schoenmakers, Tim M; Harting, Janneke; Kunst, Anton E

2016-07-01

Cross-sectoral alcohol policy is recommended to reduce youth alcohol consumption, but little evidence is available on its effectiveness. Therefore, we examined whether regions and municipalities in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant with stronger cross-sectoral alcohol policy showed larger reductions in alcohol consumption among adolescents aged 12-15. Strong regional cross-sectoral alcohol policy was defined as participation in a regional alcohol prevention program. Strong municipal cross-sectoral alcohol policy was operationalized by measures on (a) sector variety: involvement of different policy sectors, and (b) strategy variety: formulation of different policy strategies. Relevant data from policy documents were searched for on the Internet. Data on trends in alcohol consumption were extracted from the 2007 and 2011 cross-sectional Youth Health Monitor that includes a random subset of adolescents aged 12-15 (n = 15,380 in 2007 and n = 15,437 in 2011). We used multilevel regression models. Two of the three regions in which municipalities participated in a regional alcohol prevention program showed a larger reduction in weekly drinking than the region in which municipalities did not participate (-12.2% and -13.4% vs. -8.3%). Municipalities with strong compared to weak sector variety showed a larger increase in adolescents' age at consuming their first alcoholic drink (0.63 vs. 0.42 years). Municipalities with strong strategy variety showed a decrease (-3.8%) in heavy weekly drinking, whereas those with weak variety showed an increase (5.1%). Cross-sectoral alcohol policy did not affect trends in other alcohol outcomes. Our results suggest that strong cross-sectoral alcohol policy may contribute to reducing some aspects of youth alcohol consumption. Monitoring policy implementation is needed to assess the full impact.

Afghanistan: U.S. Rule of Law and Justice Sector Assistance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-09

Sector Support Program ( JSSP ) and Corrections System Support Program (CSSP); • U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) formal and informal...Sector Support Program ( JSSP )........................................................................ 28 Corrections System Support Program (CSSP...programs are the Judicial Sector Support Program ( JSSP ), the Corrections System Support Program (CSSP), the ROL Stabilization (RLS) Program, and the

50 CFR 648.63 - General category Sectors and harvesting cooperatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... of TAC to Sectors. (i) The sector allocation shall be equal to a percentage share of the ACL... specified in § 648.53(h). The sector's percentage share of the IFQ scallop fishery ACL catch shall not change, but the amount of allocation based on the percentage share will change based on the ACL specified...

50 CFR 648.63 - General category Sectors and harvesting cooperatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... of TAC to Sectors. (i) The sector allocation shall be equal to a percentage share of the ACL... specified in § 648.53(h). The sector's percentage share of the IFQ scallop fishery ACL catch shall not change, but the amount of allocation based on the percentage share will change based on the ACL specified...

50 CFR 648.63 - General category Sectors and harvesting cooperatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... of TAC to Sectors. (i) The sector allocation shall be equal to a percentage share of the ACL... specified in § 648.53(h). The sector's percentage share of the IFQ scallop fishery ACL catch shall not change, but the amount of allocation based on the percentage share will change based on the ACL specified...

University-Private Sector Research Partnerships in the Innovation Ecosystem

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

private sector . There are several trends that PCAST considers to fall specifically within context of university- private sector research partnerships. The first is the growing imbalance between the academic research capacity and the Federal research budget. The second development is the reduction in basic research performed by the industrial sector. Private foundations are expanding their capacity to fund research, a trend expected to be important in the future. Lastly, the accelerating speed of technological development requires new methods of

Needles in the EST Haystack: Large-Scale Identification and Analysis of Excretory-Secretory (ES) Proteins in Parasitic Nematodes Using Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs)

PubMed Central

Nagaraj, Shivashankar H.; Gasser, Robin B.; Ranganathan, Shoba

2008-01-01

Background Parasitic nematodes of humans, other animals and plants continue to impose a significant public health and economic burden worldwide, due to the diseases they cause. Promising antiparasitic drug and vaccine candidates have been discovered from excreted or secreted (ES) proteins released from the parasite and exposed to the immune system of the host. Mining the entire expressed sequence tag (EST) data available from parasitic nematodes represents an approach to discover such ES targets. Methods and Findings In this study, we predicted, using EST2Secretome, a novel, high-throughput, computational workflow system, 4,710 ES proteins from 452,134 ESTs derived from 39 different species of nematodes, parasitic in animals (including humans) or plants. In total, 2,632, 786, and 1,292 ES proteins were predicted for animal-, human-, and plant-parasitic nematodes. Subsequently, we systematically analysed ES proteins using computational methods. Of these 4,710 proteins, 2,490 (52.8%) had orthologues in Caenorhabditis elegans, whereas 621 (13.8%) appeared to be novel, currently having no significant match to any molecule available in public databases. Of the C. elegans homologues, 267 had strong “loss-of-function” phenotypes by RNA interference (RNAi) in this nematode. We could functionally classify 1,948 (41.3%) sequences using the Gene Ontology (GO) terms, establish pathway associations for 573 (12.2%) sequences using Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and identify protein interaction partners for 1,774 (37.6%) molecules. We also mapped 758 (16.1%) proteins to protein domains including the nematode-specific protein family “transthyretin-like” and “chromadorea ALT,” considered as vaccine candidates against filariasis in humans. Conclusions We report the large-scale analysis of ES proteins inferred from EST data for a range of parasitic nematodes. This set of ES proteins provides an inventory of known and novel members of ES proteins as a

Chiral Dark Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Co, Raymond T.; Harigaya, Keisuke; Nomura, Yasunori

2017-03-01

We present a simple and natural dark sector model in which dark matter particles arise as composite states of hidden strong dynamics and their stability is ensured by accidental symmetries. The model has only a few free parameters. In particular, the gauge symmetry of the model forbids the masses of dark quarks, and the confinement scale of the dynamics provides the unique mass scale of the model. The gauge group contains an Abelian symmetry U (1 )D , which couples the dark and standard model sectors through kinetic mixing. This model, despite its simple structure, has rich and distinctive phenomenology. In the case where the dark pion becomes massive due to U (1 )D quantum corrections, direct and indirect detection experiments can probe thermal relic dark matter which is generically a mixture of the dark pion and the dark baryon, and the Large Hadron Collider can discover the U (1 )D gauge boson. Alternatively, if the dark pion stays light due to a specific U (1 )D charge assignment of the dark quarks, then the dark pion constitutes dark radiation. The signal of this radiation is highly correlated with that of dark baryons in dark matter direct detection.

Chiral Dark Sector.

PubMed

Co, Raymond T; Harigaya, Keisuke; Nomura, Yasunori

2017-03-10

We present a simple and natural dark sector model in which dark matter particles arise as composite states of hidden strong dynamics and their stability is ensured by accidental symmetries. The model has only a few free parameters. In particular, the gauge symmetry of the model forbids the masses of dark quarks, and the confinement scale of the dynamics provides the unique mass scale of the model. The gauge group contains an Abelian symmetry U(1)_{D}, which couples the dark and standard model sectors through kinetic mixing. This model, despite its simple structure, has rich and distinctive phenomenology. In the case where the dark pion becomes massive due to U(1)_{D} quantum corrections, direct and indirect detection experiments can probe thermal relic dark matter which is generically a mixture of the dark pion and the dark baryon, and the Large Hadron Collider can discover the U(1)_{D} gauge boson. Alternatively, if the dark pion stays light due to a specific U(1)_{D} charge assignment of the dark quarks, then the dark pion constitutes dark radiation. The signal of this radiation is highly correlated with that of dark baryons in dark matter direct detection.

Co-Optima Targets Maximum Transportation Sector Efficiency, Energy

Science.gov Websites

Independence and Industry Growth | News | NREL Co-Optima Targets Maximum Transportation Sector Efficiency, Energy Independence and Industry Growth Co-Optima Targets Maximum Transportation Sector Efficiency, Energy Independence and Industry Growth February 6, 2017 Report cover on Co-Optima Year in Review

Knowledge Exchange between Academia and the Third Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdock, Alex; Shariff, Razia; Wilding, Karl

2013-01-01

This paper considers the different approaches to undertake knowledge exchange between academia and the third sector from three practitioner perspectives. London South Bank University (LSBU), as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) Social Enterprise Capacity Building Cluster (CBC), has been…

Judy Estes Hall (1940-2015).

PubMed

Sammons, Morgan T; Boucher, Andrew

2016-01-01

Presents an obituary for Judy Estes Hall, who passed away on November 24, 2015. Hall served as the Executive Officer of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists until her retirement in 2013. She is a recognized expert in the development of education and training standards for the profession of psychology, she also made significant contributions in the field of international psychology, where she was a renowned expert in cross-national credentialing and an advocate for commonality in licensing standards. She was the coauthor of one edited volume and author of more than 60 journal articles, book chapters, and professional publications. A passionate advocate for the advancement of women in psychology, a devoted mother and grandmother, a connoisseur of wine and international traveler extraordinaire, she touched the personal and professional lives of many. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

High Energy Colliders and Hidden Sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dror, Asaf Jeff

This thesis explores two dominant frontiers of theoretical physics, high energy colliders and hidden sectors. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is just starting to reach its maximum operational capabilities. However, already with the current data, large classes of models are being put under significant pressure. It is crucial to understand whether the (thus far) null results are a consequence of a lack of solution to the hierarchy problem around the weak scale or requires expanding the search strategy employed at the LHC. It is the duty of the current generation of physicists to design new searches to ensure that no stone is left unturned. To this end, we study the sensitivity of the LHC to the couplings in the Standard Model top sector. We find it can significantly improve the measurements on ZtRtR coupling by a novel search strategy, making use of an implied unitarity violation in such models. Analogously, we show that other couplings in the top sector can also be measured with the same technique. Furthermore, we critically analyze a set of anomalies in the LHC data and how they may appear from consistent UV completions. We also propose a technique to measure lifetimes of new colored particles with non-trivial spin. While the high energy frontier will continue to take data, it is likely the only collider of its kind for the next couple decades. On the other hand, low-energy experiments have a promising future with many new proposed experiments to probe the existence of particles well below the weak scale but with small couplings to the Standard Model. In this work we survey the different possibilities, focusingon the constraints as well as possible new hidden sector dynamics. In particular, we show that vector portals which couple to an anomalous current, e.g., baryon number, are significantly constrained from flavor changing meson decays and rare Z decays. Furthermore, we present a new mechanism for dark matter freezeout which depletes the dark sector through an

Cross-sector partnerships and public health: challenges and opportunities for addressing obesity and noncommunicable diseases through engagement with the private sector.

PubMed

Johnston, Lee M; Finegood, Diane T

2015-03-18

Over the past few decades, cross-sector partnerships with the private sector have become an increasingly accepted practice in public health, particularly in efforts to address infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Now these partnerships are becoming a popular tool in efforts to reduce and prevent obesity and the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. Partnering with businesses presents a means to acquire resources, as well as opportunities to influence the private sector toward more healthful practices. Yet even though collaboration is a core principle of public health practice, public-private or nonprofit-private partnerships present risks and challenges that warrant specific consideration. In this article, we review the role of public health partnerships with the private sector, with a focus on efforts to address obesity and noncommunicable diseases in high-income settings. We identify key challenges-including goal alignment and conflict of interest-and consider how changes to partnership practice might address these.

2017 Standard Scenarios Report: A U.S. Electricity Sector Outlook

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

Cole, Wesley J.; Mai, Trieu T.; Richards, James

The 2017 Standard Scenarios includes a suite of U.S. electricity sector scenarios. The report explores four power sector storylines, including the growth in natural gas and renewable energy, the relative competitiveness of wind and solar PV, the potential impact of low-cost battery storage, and the impact of nuclear lifetimes on the capacity expansion of the power sector.

Chemical Manufacturing Sector (NAICS 325)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

find EPA regulatory information for the chemical manufacturing sector, including NESHAPs, the SNAP program for ozone depleting substances,effluent guidelines, and new and existing chemicals testing requirements under TSCA.

Private sector participation and health system performance in sub-saharan Africa.

PubMed

Yoong, Joanne; Burger, Nicholas; Spreng, Connor; Sood, Neeraj

2010-10-07

The role of the private health sector in developing countries remains a much-debated and contentious issue. Critics argue that the high prices charged in the private sector limits the use of health care among the poorest, consequently reducing access and equity in the use of health care. Supporters argue that increased private sector participation might improve access and equity by bringing in much needed resources for health care and by allowing governments to increase focus on underserved populations. However, little empirical exists for or against either side of this debate. We examine the association between private sector participation and self-reported measures of utilization and equity in deliveries and treatment of childhood respiratory disease using regression analysis, across a sample of nationally-representative Demographic and Health Surveys from 34 SSA economies. We also examine the correlation between private sector participation and key background factors (socioeconomic development, business environment and governance) and use multivariate regression to control for potential confounders. Private sector participation is positively associated with greater overall access and reduced disparities between rich and poor as well as urban and rural populations. The positive association between private sector participation and improved health system performance is robust to controlling for confounders including per capita income and maternal education. Private sector participation is positively correlated with measures of socio-economic development and favorable business environment. Greater participation is associated with favorable intermediate outcomes in terms of access and equity. While these results do not establish a causal link between private sector participation and health system performance, they suggest that there is no deleterious link between private sector participation and health system performance in SSA.

Differences in public and private sector adoption of telemedicine: Indian case study for sectoral adoption.

PubMed

Sood, Sanjay P; Negash, Solomon; Mbarika, Victor W A; Kifle, Mengistu; Prakash, Nupur

2007-01-01

Telemedicine is the use of communication networks to exchange medical information for providing healthcare services and medical education from one site to another. The application of telemedicine is more promising in economically developing countries with agrarian societies. The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) identifies three healthcare services: clinical medical services, health and medical education, and consumer health information. However, it is not clear how these services can be adopted by different sectors: public and private. This paper looks at four Indian case studies, two each in public and private sectors to understand two research questions: Are there differences in telemedicine adoption between public and private hospitals. If there are differences: What are the differences in telemedicine adoption between public and private sectors? Authors have used the extant literature in telemedicine and healthcare to frame theoretical background, describe the research setting, present the case studies, and provide discussion and conclusions about their findings. Authors believe that as India continues to develop its telemedicine infrastructures, especially with continued government support through subsidies to private telemedicine initiatives, its upward trend in healthcare will continue. This is expected to put India on the path to increase its life expectancy rates, especially for it rural community which constitute over 70% of its populace.

75 FR 34148 - Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-16

...] Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program AGENCY: Federal Emergency...) announces its adoption of three standards for the Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification... DHS to develop and implement a Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification...

LHC searches for dark sector showers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Timothy; Lisanti, Mariangela; Lou, Hou Keong; Mishra-Sharma, Siddharth

2017-11-01

This paper proposes a new search program for dark sector parton showers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These signatures arise in theories characterized by strong dynamics in a hidden sector, such as Hidden Valley models. A dark parton shower can be composed of both invisible dark matter particles as well as dark sector states that decay to Standard Model particles via a portal. The focus here is on the specific case of `semi-visible jets,' jet-like collider objects where the visible states in the shower are Standard Model hadrons. We present a Simplified Model-like parametrization for the LHC observables and propose targeted search strategies for regions of parameter space that are not covered by existing analyses. Following the `mono- X' literature, the portal is modeled using either an effective field theoretic contact operator approach or with one of two ultraviolet completions; sensitivity projections are provided for all three cases. We additionally highlight that the LHC has a unique advantage over direct detection experiments in the search for this class of dark matter theories.

Utility of EST-derived SSR in cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Arachis wild species

PubMed Central

Liang, Xuanqiang; Chen, Xiaoping; Hong, Yanbin; Liu, Haiyan; Zhou, Guiyuan; Li, Shaoxiong; Guo, Baozhu

2009-01-01

Background Lack of sufficient molecular markers hinders current genetic research in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). It is necessary to develop more molecular markers for potential use in peanut genetic research. With the development of peanut EST projects, a vast amount of available EST sequence data has been generated. These data offered an opportunity to identify SSR in ESTs by data mining. Results In this study, we investigated 24,238 ESTs for the identification and development of SSR markers. In total, 881 SSRs were identified from 780 SSR-containing unique ESTs. On an average, one SSR was found per 7.3 kb of EST sequence with tri-nucleotide motifs (63.9%) being the most abundant followed by di- (32.7%), tetra- (1.7%), hexa- (1.0%) and penta-nucleotide (0.7%) repeat types. The top six motifs included AG/TC (27.7%), AAG/TTC (17.4%), AAT/TTA (11.9%), ACC/TGG (7.72%), ACT/TGA (7.26%) and AT/TA (6.3%). Based on the 780 SSR-containing ESTs, a total of 290 primer pairs were successfully designed and used for validation of the amplification and assessment of the polymorphism among 22 genotypes of cultivated peanuts and 16 accessions of wild species. The results showed that 251 primer pairs yielded amplification products, of which 26 and 221 primer pairs exhibited polymorphism among the cultivated and wild species examined, respectively. Two to four alleles were found in cultivated peanuts, while 3–8 alleles presented in wild species. The apparent broad polymorphism was further confirmed by cloning and sequencing of amplified alleles. Sequence analysis of selected amplified alleles revealed that allelic diversity could be attributed mainly to differences in repeat type and length in the microsatellite regions. In addition, a few single base mutations were observed in the microsatellite flanking regions. Conclusion This study gives an insight into the frequency, type and distribution of peanut EST-SSRs and demonstrates successful development of EST-SSR markers in

How does retiree health insurance influence public sector employee saving?

PubMed

Clark, Robert L; Mitchell, Olivia S

2014-12-01

Economic theory predicts that employer-provided retiree health insurance (RHI) benefits have a crowd-out effect on household wealth accumulation, not dissimilar to the effects reported elsewhere for employer pensions, Social Security, and Medicare. Nevertheless, we are unaware of any similar research on the impacts of retiree health insurance per se. Accordingly, the present paper utilizes a unique data file on respondents to the Health and Retirement Study, to explore how employer-provided retiree health insurance may influence net household wealth among public sector employees, where retiree healthcare benefits are still quite prevalent. Key findings include the following: Most full-time public sector employees anticipate having employer-provided health insurance coverage in retirement, unlike most private sector workers.Public sector employees covered by RHI had substantially less wealth than similar private sector employees without RHI. In our data, Federal workers had about $82,000 (18%) less net wealth than private sector employees lacking RHI; state/local workers with RHI accumulated about $69,000 (or 15%) less net wealth than their uninsured private sector counterparts.After controlling on socioeconomic status and differences in pension coverage, net household wealth for Federal employees was $116,000 less than workers without RHI and the result is statistically significant; the state/local difference was not. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Textile Manufacturing Sector (NAICS 313)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find environmental regulatory and compliance information for the textile and leather manufacturing sector, including NESHAPs for leather tanning and fabric printing, and small business guidance for RCRA hazardous waste requirements.

Competitiveness measurement system in the advertising sector.

PubMed

Poveda-Bautista, Rocío; García-Melón, Mónica; Baptista, Doris C

2013-01-01

In this paper a new approach to find indicators that can be used to measure companies' competitiveness and performance in an efficient and reliable way is presented. The aim is to assist managers of companies within a specific industrial sector by providing information about their relative position in the market so as to define better action plans that may improve the company's performance. The approach combines the use of the Analytic Network Process, a multicriteria decision method, with the Balanced Scorecard. It allows the definition of a number of competitiveness indicators based on the performance and setting of the advertising sector. In this way it is possible to obtain a Competitiveness Index that allows a company to know its relative position with respect to other companies in the sector, and establish a ranking of the companies ordered by their competitiveness level. A case study in the advertising industry of Venezuela is provided. Results show that improvement plans for the agencies analyzed should promote creativity, innovation and the use of new technologies, as a particular form of innovation. These factors were considered to be the most relevant indicators in the advertising sector. The participating experts agreed that the methodology is useful and an improvement over current competitiveness assessment methods.

Private sector health reform in South Africa.

PubMed

Van Den Heever, A M

1998-06-01

This paper discusses some of the trends, debates and policy proposals in relation to the financing of the private health sector in South Africa. The public and private sectors in South Africa are of equivalent size in terms of overall expenditure, but cover substantially different population sizes. Within this context the government has reached the unavoidable conclusion that the private sector has to play some role in ensuring that equity, access and efficiency objectives are achieved for the health system as a whole. However, the private sector is some way off from taking on this responsibility. Substantial increases in per capita costs over the past 15 years, coupled with a degree of deregulation by the former government, have resulted in increasing instability and volatility. The development of a very competitive medical scheme (health insurance) market reinforced by intermediaries with commercial interests has accelerated trends toward excluding high health risks from cover. The approach taken by the government has been to define a new environment which leaves the market open for extensive competition, but removes from schemes the ability to compete by discriminating against high health risks. The only alternatives left to the private market, policy makers hope, will be to go out of business, or to survive through productivity improvements.

[Cross-sectoral quality assurance in ambulatory care].

PubMed

Albrecht, Martin; Loos, Stefan; Otten, Marcus

2013-01-01

Overcoming rigid sectoral segmentation in healthcare has also become a health policy target in quality assurance. With the Act to Enhance Competition in Statutory Health Insurance (GKV-WSG) coming into effect, quality assurance measures are to be designed in a cross-sectoral fashion for in- and outpatient sectors equally. An independent institution is currently mandated to develop specific quality indicators for eleven indications. For three of these operating tests have already been commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee. This article depicts the major results of a feasibility study, including a compliance cost estimate, for the aforementioned indications of cross-sectoral quality assurance (cQA). In conclusion, a number of both practical and conceptual basic challenges are still to be resolved prior to the full implementation of cQA, such as a sufficient specification to activate documentation requirements and an inspection system capable of separating actual quality problems from documentary deficits. So far, a comprehensive cost-utility analysis of cQA has not been provided, in particular with comparison to existing QA systems. In order to optimise cost and utility of cQA an evidence-based approach is required for both the extension of cQA areas and for QA provisions. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

75 FR 60773 - Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-01

...] Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program AGENCY: Federal Emergency... concerns in the Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program (PS-Prep...-53 (the 9/11 Act) mandated DHS to establish a voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and...

Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and B. mucronatus.

PubMed

Kikuchi, Taisei; Aikawa, Takuya; Kosaka, Hajime; Pritchard, Leighton; Ogura, Nobuo; Jones, John T

2007-09-01

Most Bursaphelenchus species feed on fungi that colonise dead or dying trees. However, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is unique in that in addition to feeding on fungi it has the capacity to be a parasite of live pine trees. We present an analysis of over 13,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from B. xylophilus and, by way of contrast, over 3000 ESTs from a closely related species that does not parasitise plants as readily; B. mucronatus. Four libraries from B. xylophilus, from a variety of life stages including fungal feeding nematodes, nematodes extracted from plants and dauer-like stage nematodes, and one library from B. mucronatus were constructed and used to generate ESTs. Contig analysis showed that the 13,327 B. xylophilus ESTs could be grouped into 2110 contigs and 4377 singletons giving a total of 6487 identified genes. Similarly the 3193 B. mucronatus ESTs yielded a total of 2219 identified genes from 425 contigs and 1794 singletons. A variety of proteins potentially important in the parasitic process of B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus, including plant and fungal cell wall degrading enzymes and a novel gene potentially encoding a expansin-like protein that may disrupt non-covalent bonds in the plant cell wall were identified in the libraries. Additionally several gene candidates potentially involved in dauer entry or maintenance were also identified in the EST dataset. The EST sequences from this study will provide a solid base for future research on the biology, pathogenicity and evolutionary history of this nematode group.

Adults with Cognitive Disabilities in the Technical Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronsky, Stacy A.

2015-01-01

Given the number of jobs created in the technical sector (Casserly, 2012), it is essential to identify how adults with cognitive disabilities can be best supported in professional environments and evolving sectors. Some career paths and jobs can be more understanding of learning disabilities than others (Nicholas, 2011). This is dependent not only…

Intertextual Sexual Politics: Illness and Desire in Enrique Gomez Carrillo's "Del amor", "del dolor y del vicio" and Aurora Caceres's "La rosa muerta"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaGreca, Nancy

2012-01-01

This study explores the intertextuality between Aurora Caceres's "La rosa muerta" (1914) and the novel "Del amor, del dolor y del vicio" (1898) by her ex-husband, Enrique Gomez Carrillo. Caceres strategically mentions Gomez Carrillo's novel in "La rosa muerta" to invite a reading of her work in dialogue with his. Both narratives follow the sexual…

EVER-EST: a virtual research environment for Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marelli, Fulvio; Albani, Mirko; Glaves, Helen

2016-04-01

There is an increasing requirement for researchers to work collaboratively using common resources whilst being geographically dispersed. By creating a virtual research environment (VRE) using a service oriented architecture (SOA) tailored to the needs of Earth Science (ES) communities, the EVEREST project will provide a range of both generic and domain specific data management services to support a dynamic approach to collaborative research. EVER-EST will provide the means to overcome existing barriers to sharing of Earth Science data and information allowing research teams to discover, access, share and process heterogeneous data, algorithms, results and experiences within and across their communities, including those domains beyond Earth Science. Researchers will be able to seamlessly manage both the data involved in their computationally intensive disciplines and the scientific methods applied in their observations and modelling, which lead to the specific results that need to be attributable, validated and shared both within the community and more widely e.g. in the form of scholarly communications. Central to the EVEREST approach is the concept of the Research Object (RO) , which provides a semantically rich mechanism to aggregate related resources about a scientific investigation so that they can be shared together using a single unique identifier. Although several e-laboratories are incorporating the research object concept in their infrastructure, the EVER-EST VRE will be the first infrastructure to leverage the concept of Research Objects and their application in observational rather than experimental disciplines. Development of the EVEREST VRE will leverage the results of several previous projects which have produced state-of-the-art technologies for scientific data management and curation as well those which have developed models, techniques and tools for the preservation of scientific methods and their implementation in computational forms such as

The nonprofit sector's $100 billion opportunity.

PubMed

Bradley, Bill; Jansen, Paul; Silverman, Les

2003-05-01

Imagine what an extra $100 billion a year could do for philanthropic and other nonprofit institutions. According to a new study, the nonprofit sector could free that amount--maybe even more--by making five changes in the way it operates. The study asked two central questions: Does the sector's money flow from its source to its ultimate use as efficiently and effectively as possible? If not, where are the big opportunities to increase social benefit? According to former senator Bill Bradley and McKinsey's Paul Jansen and Les Silverman, nonprofits could save roughly $25 billion a year by changing the way they raise funds. By distributing funds more quickly, they could put an extra $30 billion to work. Organizations could generate more than $60 billion a year by streamlining and restructuring the way in which they provide services and by reducing administrative costs. And they could free up even more money--an amount impossible to estimate--by better allocating funds among service providers. The authors admit that making those changes won't be easy. The nonprofit world, historically seen as a collection of locally focused charities, has become an enormous sector, but it lacks the managerial processes and incentives that help keep the for-profit world on track. And when the baby boomers start to retire in less than a decade, public budgets will be squeezed even more than they are today. If the nonprofit sector is to help the nation cope with the stresses ahead, it must become more efficient and challenge its traditional concepts of stewardship.

Wood and Paper Manufacturing Sectors

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find EPA regulatory information for the wood product and paper manufacturing sectors, including paper, pulp and lumber. Information includes NESHAPs and effluent guidelines for pulp and paper rulemaking, and compliance guidelines

Dry Cleaning Sector (NAICS 8123)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The dry cleaning sector includes establishments engaged in providing laundry services and industrial launderers. Find environmental regulatory information for perchloroethylene (PERC) cleaners as well as hazardous waste regulations for dry cleaners.

Review of Private Sector Personnel Screening Practices

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-10-01

private sector investigative sources or methods would be useful to the DoD for conducting national security background investigations. The federal government by and large examines more sources and conducts more thorough investigations than industry. In general, private employers (1) have less access to information about applicants...outsource many elements of background checks. It is recommended that the DoD periodically evaluate private sector screening programs and data sources in order to monitor

Trends in worker hearing loss by industry sector, 1981-2010.

PubMed

Masterson, Elizabeth A; Deddens, James A; Themann, Christa L; Bertke, Stephen; Calvert, Geoffrey M

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence and prevalence of hearing loss for noise-exposed U.S. workers by industry sector and 5-year time period, covering 30 years. Audiograms for 1.8 million workers from 1981-2010 were examined. Incidence and prevalence were estimated by industry sector and time period. The adjusted risk of incident hearing loss within each time period and industry sector as compared with a reference time period was also estimated. The adjusted risk for incident hearing loss decreased over time when all industry sectors were combined. However, the risk remained high for workers in Healthcare and Social Assistance, and the prevalence was consistently high for Mining and Construction workers. While progress has been made in reducing the risk of incident hearing loss within most industry sectors, additional efforts are needed within Mining, Construction and Healthcare and Social Assistance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Philippines' downstream sector poised for growth

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

Not Available

1992-05-11

This paper reports that the Philippines' downstream sector is poised for sharp growth. Despite a slip in refined products demand in recent years, Philippines products demand will rebound sharply by 2000, East-West Center (EWC), Honolulu, predicts. Philippines planned refinery expansions are expected to meet that added demand, EWC Director Fereidun Fesharaki says. Like the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, product specifications are changing, but major refiners in the area expect to meet the changes without major case outlays. At the same time, Fesharaki says, push toward deregulation will further bolster the outlook for the Philippines downstream sector.

Modeling climate change impacts on the forest sector

Treesearch

John R. Mills; Ralph Alig; Richard W. Haynes; Darius M. Adams

2000-01-01

The forest sector has had a relatively long history of applying sectorial models to estimate the effects of atmospheric issues such as acid rain, climate change, and the forestry impacts of reduced atmospheric ozone. The models of the forest sector vary in scope and complexity but share a number of common features and databases.

Social Work-Business Sector Collaboration in Pursuit of Economic Justice.

PubMed

Lee, Wonhyung

2016-07-01

This article examines social workers' perceptions, experiences, and prospects regarding working in the business sector after participating in an MSW field practicum with a local microlending program. Social workers' insights suggest that cross-sector collaboration leads to vast opportunities not only for the populations served by the collaborative efforts, but also for social work as a profession. However, several challenges are evealed, including social workers' unfamiliarity with business operations, the business sector's narrow understanding of social workers' roles, and divisions between participants in interprofessional collaboration. This article calls for enhancing the role of social work to maximize its impact on economic development through further research and tangible cross-sector projects.

Sectoral transitions - modeling the development from agrarian to service economies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, Raphael; Spies, Michael; Reusser, Dominik E.; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Rybski, Diego

2013-04-01

We consider the sectoral composition of a country's GDP, i.e the partitioning into agrarian, industrial, and service sectors. Exploring a simple system of differential equations we characterise the transfer of GDP shares between the sectors in the course of economic development. The model fits for the majority of countries providing 4 country-specific parameters. Relating the agrarian with the industrial sector, a data collapse over all countries and all years supports the applicability of our approach. Depending on the parameter ranges, country development exhibits different transfer properties. Most countries follow 3 of 8 characteristic paths. The types are not random but show distinct geographic and development patterns.

From biomedicine to natural history research: EST resources for ambystomatid salamanders

PubMed Central

Putta, Srikrishna; Smith, Jeramiah J; Walker, John A; Rondet, Mathieu; Weisrock, David W; Monaghan, James; Samuels, Amy K; Kump, Kevin; King, David C; Maness, Nicholas J; Habermann, Bianca; Tanaka, Elly; Bryant, Susan V; Gardiner, David M; Parichy, David M; Voss, S Randal

2004-01-01

Background Establishing genomic resources for closely related species will provide comparative insights that are crucial for understanding diversity and variability at multiple levels of biological organization. We developed ESTs for Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and Eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum tigrinum), species with deep and diverse research histories. Results Approximately 40,000 quality cDNA sequences were isolated for these species from various tissues, including regenerating limb and tail. These sequences and an existing set of 16,030 cDNA sequences for A. mexicanum were processed to yield 35,413 and 20,599 high quality ESTs for A. mexicanum and A. t. tigrinum, respectively. Because the A. t. tigrinum ESTs were obtained primarily from a normalized library, an approximately equal number of contigs were obtained for each species, with 21,091 unique contigs identified overall. The 10,592 contigs that showed significant similarity to sequences from the human RefSeq database reflected a diverse array of molecular functions and biological processes, with many corresponding to genes expressed during spinal cord injury in rat and fin regeneration in zebrafish. To demonstrate the utility of these EST resources, we searched databases to identify probes for regeneration research, characterized intra- and interspecific nucleotide polymorphism, saturated a human – Ambystoma synteny group with marker loci, and extended PCR primer sets designed for A. mexicanum / A. t. tigrinum orthologues to a related tiger salamander species. Conclusions Our study highlights the value of developing resources in traditional model systems where the likelihood of information transfer to multiple, closely related taxa is high, thus simultaneously enabling both laboratory and natural history research. PMID:15310388

Cooperative Home Care Associates: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach. Sectoral Employment Development Learning Project Case Studies Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inserra, Anne; Conway, Maureen; Rodat, John

Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) is a worker-owned cooperative and employer-based training program that provides home health aide services in New York City's South Bronx. Since 1985, CHCA has developed from an outsider advocating for change in the home health sector to an insider within the sector. CHCA exhibits the following…

Exposing the dark sector with future Z factories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jia; Wang, Lian-Tao; Wang, Xiao-Ping; Xue, Wei

2018-05-01

We investigate the prospects of searching dark sector models via exotic Z -boson decay at future e+e- colliders with Giga Z and Tera Z options. Four general categories of dark sector models, Higgs portal dark matter, vector-portal dark matter, inelastic dark matter, and axionlike particles, are considered. Focusing on channels motivated by the dark sector models, we carry out a model-independent study of the sensitivities of Z factories in probing exotic decays. The limits on branching ratios of the exotic Z decay are typically O (10-6- 10-8.5) for the Giga Z and O (10-7.5- 10-11) for the Tera Z , and they are compared with the projection for the high luminosity LHC. We demonstrate that future Z factories can provide its unique and leading sensitivity and highlight the complementarity with other experiments, including the indirect and direct dark matter search limits and the existing collider limits. Future Z factories will play a leading role in uncovering the hidden sector of the Universe in the future.

Managing risk selection incentives in health sector reforms.

PubMed

Puig-Junoy, J

1999-01-01

The object of the paper is to review theoretical and empirical contributions to the optimal management of risk selection incentives ('cream skimming') in health sector reforms. The trade-off between efficiency and risk selection is fostered in health sector reforms by the introduction of competitive mechanisms such as price competition or prospective payment systems. The effects of two main forms of competition in health sector reforms are observed when health insurance is mandatory: competition in the market for health insurance, and in the market for health services. Market and government failures contribute to the assessment of the different forms of risk selection employed by insurers and providers, as the effects of selection incentives on efficiency and their proposed remedies to reduce the impact of these perverse incentives. Two European (Netherlands and Spain) and two Latin American (Chile and Colombia) case studies of health sector reforms are examined in order to observe selection incentives, their effects on efficiency and costs in the health system, and regulation policies implemented in each country to mitigate incentives to 'cream skim' good risks.

Stability of the sectored morphology of polymer crystallites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alageshan, Jaya Kumar; Hatwalne, Yashodhan; Muthukumar, Murugappan

2016-09-01

When an entangled interpenetrating collection of long flexible polymer chains dispersed in a suitable solvent is cooled to low enough temperatures, thin lamellar crystals form. Remarkably, these lamellae are sectored, with several growth sectors that have differing melting temperatures and growth kinetics, eluding so far an understanding of their origins. We present a theoretical model to explain this six-decade-old challenge by addressing the elasticity of fold surfaces of finite-sized lamella in the presence of disclination-type topological defects arising from anisotropic line tension. Entrapment of a disclination defect in a lamella results in sectors separated by walls, which are soliton solutions of a two-dimensional elliptic sine-Gordon equation. For flat square morphologies, exact results show that sectored squares are more stable than plain squares if the dimensionless anisotropic line tension parameter α =γa n/√{h4Kϕ } (γa n = anisotropic line tension, h4 = fold energy parameter, Kϕ = elastic constant for two-dimensional orientational deformation) is above a critical value, which depends on the size of the square.

The EST Model for Predicting Progressive Damage and Failure of Open Hole Bending Specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joseph, Ashith P. K.; Waas, Anthony M.; Pineda, Evan J.

2016-01-01

Progressive damage and failure in open hole composite laminate coupons subjected to flexural loading is modeled using Enhanced Schapery Theory (EST). Previous studies have demonstrated that EST can accurately predict the strength of open hole coupons under remote tensile and compressive loading states. This homogenized modeling approach uses single composite shell elements to represent the entire laminate in the thickness direction and significantly reduces computational cost. Therefore, when delaminations are not of concern or are active in the post-peak regime, the version of EST presented here is a good engineering tool for predicting deformation response. Standard coupon level tests provides all the input data needed for the model and they are interpreted in conjunction with finite element (FE) based simulations. Open hole bending test results of three different IM7/8552 carbon fiber composite layups agree well with EST predictions. The model is able to accurately capture the curvature change and deformation localization in the specimen at and during the post catastrophic load drop event.

Puerto Rican Women as Workers and Writers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vazquez, Blanca, Ed.

1989-01-01

This theme issue of the "Centro Bulletin" highlights recent studies by and about employed Puerto Rican and Latina women. "La mujer en el Puerto Rico del siglo XIX" (O. Jimenez de Wagenheim), in Spanish, reviews the contributions of women to Puerto Rican economic, political, and social life during the nineteenth century.…

[On the health sector crisis].

PubMed

Lopez Sarmiento, A

1997-09-01

The chronic crisis in Ecuador's health sector is an indication of the general deterioration of the country, whose multiple unmet needs signify a condition of underdevelopment. Theorizing on health problems should not be allowed to substitute for action. Developing a health policy giving priority to the most disadvantaged sectors will require a development model with a participatory character that promotes equity and solidarity and does not benefit the macroeconomy exclusively. The political will of all sectors must be committed to development of a national health system. A well-coordinated regional system of services, comprising integrated levels of care with functioning referral systems, is needed. The existing network of services must be made to function effectively, without strikes or suspension of activities. The government has a constitutional, legal, and moral obligation to provide health care. Ecuador directs about 6% of the gross national product to health, with 1.6% financing the Ministry of Public Health, which attends to at least 60% of the population. A country like Ecuador--with a very poor population--should not require copayment for services. Ecuador needs an environmental policy to guarantee a healthy food supply, treat sewage, and control use of pesticides--measures which will reduce health care costs in the long run. Finally, it is necessary to improve attention to the human values of medical practice.

Going private: clinicians' experience of working in UK independent sector treatment centres.

PubMed

Waring, Justin; Bishop, Simon

2012-02-01

With increased possibility that public healthcare services in the UK will be outsourced to the private sector, this study investigates how clinicians working in Independent Sector Treatment Centres perceive the differences between public and private sectors. Qualitative interviews with 35 clinicians recruited from two ISTCs. All participants were transferred to the independent sector from the public National Health Service. Interview data were analysed to identify shared experience about the variable organisation and delivery of services. Clinicians perceived differences between public and independent sectors in the areas of 'environment and facilities', 'management', 'work organisation and care delivery', and 'patient experience'. The independent sector was described as offering a positive alternative to public services in regard to service environment and patient experience, but there were concerns about management priorities and the reconfiguration of work. Clinicians' experience of moving between sectors reveals mixed experiences. Although some improvements might legitimise the growing role of the independent sector, there remain doubts about the commercialisation of services, the motives of managers and the impact of clinical roles and capabilities. With policies looking to expand the mixed economy of public healthcare services, the study suggests clinicians will not automatically embrace a move between sectors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Innovation evaluation model for macro-construction sector companies: A study in Spain.

PubMed

Zubizarreta, Mikel; Cuadrado, Jesús; Iradi, Jon; García, Harkaitz; Orbe, Aimar

2017-04-01

The innovativeness of the traditional construction sector, composed of construction companies or contractors, is not one of its strong points. Likewise, its poor productivity in comparison with other sectors, such as manufacturing, has historically been criticized. Similar features are found in the Spanish traditional construction sector, which it has been described as not very innovative. However, certain characteristics of the sector may explain this behavior; the companies invest in R+D less than in other sectors and release fewer patents, so traditional innovation evaluation indicators do not reflect the true extent of its innovative activity. While previous research has focused on general innovation evaluation models, limited research has been done regarding innovation evaluation in the macro-construction sector, which includes, apart from the traditional construction companies or contractors, all companies related to the infrastructure life-cycle. Therefore, in this research an innovation evaluation model has been developed for macro-construction sector companies and is applied in the Spanish case. The model may be applied to the macro-construction sector companies in other countries, requiring the adaption of the model to the specific characteristics of the sector in that country, in consultation with a panel of experts at a national level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of skilled birth attendants in public and private sectors in Vietnam.

PubMed

Do, Mai

2009-05-01

The private sector in health care in Vietnam has been increasingly competing with the government in primary health care services. However, little is known about the use of skilled birth attendance or about choice of public and private sectors among those who opt for skilled attendants. Using data from the Vietnam 2002 Demographic and Health Survey, this study examines factors related to women's decision-making of whether to have a skilled birth attendant at a recent childbirth, and if they did, whether it was a public or private sector provider. The study indicates that the use of the private sector for delivery services was significant. Women's household wealth, education, antenatal care and community's wealth were positively related to skilled birth attendance, while ethnicity and order of childbirth were negatively related. Order of childbirth was positively associated with skilled birth attendance in the private sector. Among service environment factors, increased access to public sector health centres was associated with an increased likelihood of skilled birth attendance in general, but a lowered chance of that in the private sector. Further studies are needed to assess the current situation in the private sector, the demand for delivery services in the private sector, and its readiness to provide quality services.

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.

On the LHC sensitivity for non-thermalised hidden sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahlhoefer, Felix

2018-04-01

We show under rather general assumptions that hidden sectors that never reach thermal equilibrium in the early Universe are also inaccessible for the LHC. In other words, any particle that can be produced at the LHC must either have been in thermal equilibrium with the Standard Model at some point or must be produced via the decays of another hidden sector particle that has been in thermal equilibrium. To reach this conclusion, we parametrise the cross section connecting the Standard Model to the hidden sector in a very general way and use methods from linear programming to calculate the largest possible number of LHC events compatible with the requirement of non-thermalisation. We find that even the HL-LHC cannot possibly produce more than a few events with energy above 10 GeV involving states from a non-thermalised hidden sector.

Private Sector Investment in Pakistani Agriculture: The Role of Infrastructural Investment

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

private sector will be expected to play the major role in providing capital to the agricultural sector, with the government’s remaining involvement being largely one of furnishing basic infrastructure. The critical question of course is how willing is the private sector to commit capital to agricultural activities in this new policy environment? Has the private sector responded in the past to the increases in profitability provided by an expansion in infrastructure? If so, what types of infrastructure are most conducive in

Enhancing private sector engagement: Louisiana's business emergency operations centre.

PubMed

Day, Jamison M; Strother, Shannon; Kolluru, Ramesh; Booth, Joseph; Rawls, Jason; Calderon, Andres

2010-07-01

Public sector emergency management is more effective when it coordinates its efforts with private sector companies that can provide useful capabilities faster, cheaper and better than government agencies. A business emergency operations centre (EOC) provides a space for private sector and non-governmental organisations to gather together in support of government efforts. This paper reviews business-related EOC practices in multiple US states and details the development of a new business EOC by the State of Louisiana, including lessons learned in response to the May 2010 oil spill.

The worldwide market for photovoltaics in the rural sector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brainard, W. A.

1982-01-01

Attention is given to the assessment of results obtained by three NASA studies aimed at determining the global market for stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the village power, cottage industry, and agricultural applications areas of the rural sector. An attempt was made to identify technical, social, and institutional barriers to PV system implementation, as well as the funding sources available to potential users. Country- and sector-specific results are discussed, and marketing strategies appropriate for each sector are suggested for the benefit of American PV products manufacturers.

Study on status quo of shipbreaking sector and strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Wei; Xing, Guojing

2017-11-01

In recent years, the quantity of broken obsolete vessels tends to rise year by year in the shipbreaking sector, but breaking down obsolete vessels is one of vessel operations with high pollution and high risk, involving proper disposal of hazardous substances, bulge discarded oils and other materials, and thus causing great danger and harm. In this paper the author investigates mainly the status quo of the shipbreaking sector, comes up with the “green-shipbreaking” concept, analyzes main problems currently present in the shipbreaking sector and presents proper strategies and recommendations to deal with them.

A Guide to Discipline in the Public Sector.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seidman, Joel

This monograph was prepared as an initial effort in development of a body of material for training public sector managers. It sets forth the basic principles of grievance arbitration covering discipline in the public sector. Major sections are devoted to the topics of just or proper cause for discipline, due process, the nature of discipline, and…

Sector analysis of economic impacts from heritage centers

Treesearch

Charles H. Strauss; Bruce E. Lord

1995-01-01

The economic impact of six of America's Industrial Heritage Project visitor centers was evaluated within a nine-county region of Pennsylvania. The total sales impact of these expenditures was $29.2 million. Over 60% of the direct sales impact was in the lodging and food service sectors. The labor-intensive character of both sectors created a substantial induced...

Closing the Gap: How Sectoral Workforce Development Programs Benefit the Working Poor. SEDLP Research Report. The Sectoral Employment Development Learning Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zandniapour, Lily; Conway, Maureen

The benefits of sectoral workforce development programs to the working poor were examined in a 3-year longitudinal study of participants in six sectoral employment training programs across the United States. The programs, which were all designed to serve low-income clients, provided training in a diverse set of industries, including the following:…

The biotech equipment and supplies sector in Europe-is it European?

PubMed

Reiss, Thomas; Woerner, Stefan

2002-09-11

Socio-economic research on biotechnology is dealing mainly with the sectors of biopharmaceuticals, agro-food or environmental technologies. In contrast, the equipment and supplies sector seems to be largely ignored. This is surprising because this sector provides important input in terms of technology and material for the development of biotechnology in general. Our comparative analysis of the sector in eight countries indicates that there exists no specific science base for the sector and that it is largely neglected by public research funding. Commercial activities are concentrated in countries with a large general science base in biotechnology and strong multinational pharmaceutical or chemical companies. There is a rather broad diversity in the way the sector has developed in the eight countries. Our data support the notion that national peculiarities seem dominant for explaining this picture. We anticipate growing business opportunities for European firms to step into large markets of equipment and supplies for functional genomics and protein analyses where Europe maintains a strong science base.

EST analysis in Ginkgo biloba: an assessment of conserved developmental regulators and gymnosperm specific genes

PubMed Central

Brenner, Eric D; Katari, Manpreet S; Stevenson, Dennis W; Rudd, Stephen A; Douglas, Andrew W; Moss, Walter N; Twigg, Richard W; Runko, Suzan J; Stellari, Giulia M; McCombie, WR; Coruzzi, Gloria M

2005-01-01

Background Ginkgo biloba L. is the only surviving member of one of the oldest living seed plant groups with medicinal, spiritual and horticultural importance worldwide. As an evolutionary relic, it displays many characters found in the early, extinct seed plants and extant cycads. To establish a molecular base to understand the evolution of seeds and pollen, we created a cDNA library and EST dataset from the reproductive structures of male (microsporangiate), female (megasporangiate), and vegetative organs (leaves) of Ginkgo biloba. Results RNA from newly emerged male and female reproductive organs and immature leaves was used to create three distinct cDNA libraries from which 6,434 ESTs were generated. These 6,434 ESTs from Ginkgo biloba were clustered into 3,830 unigenes. A comparison of our Ginkgo unigene set against the fully annotated genomes of rice and Arabidopsis, and all available ESTs in Genbank revealed that 256 Ginkgo unigenes match only genes among the gymnosperms and non-seed plants – many with multiple matches to genes in non-angiosperm plants. Conversely, another group of unigenes in Gingko had highly significant homology to transcription factors in angiosperms involved in development, including MADS box genes as well as post-transcriptional regulators. Several of the conserved developmental genes found in Ginkgo had top BLAST homology to cycad genes. We also note here the presence of ESTs in G. biloba similar to genes that to date have only been found in gymnosperms and an additional 22 Ginkgo genes common only to genes from cycads. Conclusion Our analysis of an EST dataset from G. biloba revealed genes potentially unique to gymnosperms. Many of these genes showed homology to fully sequenced clones from our cycad EST dataset found in common only with gymnosperms. Other Ginkgo ESTs are similar to developmental regulators in higher plants. This work sets the stage for future studies on Ginkgo to better understand seed and pollen evolution, and to

QuEST: Qualifying Environmentally Sustainable Technologies. Volume 6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie

2011-01-01

QuEST is a publication of the NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM). This issue contains brief articles on: Risk Identification and Mitigation, Material Management and Substitution Efforts--Hexavalent Chrome-free Coatings and Low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Coatings, Lead-Free Electronics, Corn-Based Depainting Media; Alternative Energy Efforts Hydrogen Sensors and Solar Air Conditioning. Other TEERM Efforts include: Energy and Water Management and Remediation Technology Collaboration.

Labour market participation after breast cancer for employees from the private and public sectors: Educational and sector gradients in the effect of cancer.

PubMed

Kolodziejczyk, Christophe; Heinesen, Eskil

2016-05-01

For employees who get cancer and survive, the probability of returning to work may depend on their ability to work, potential earnings losses if they do not return to work, qualifications and job type, but also on characteristics of the pre-cancer workplace. This paper focuses on differences between public and private sector employees in the effect of breast cancer on the probability of being out of the labour force three years after the diagnosis. We use propensity score weighting methods and a large longitudinal Danish administrative dataset which allows us to control for a wide range of important baseline characteristics such as education, sector of employment, labour market status, income, health, and demographics. We find that the educational gradient in the effect of cancer is significant in the public sector, where the estimated effects are 11.5 and 3.8 percentage points, respectively, for the low- and high-educated. The corresponding estimates for the private sector are 6.2 and 3.2 percentage points and here the educational gradient is only marginally significant. We discuss possible mechanisms behind the large sector gradient for the low-educated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Labor Market Uncertainty and Private Sector Labor Supply in Russia

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-09-01

The development of a vibrant private sector has been one of the key failures of the transitional period in Russia. This paper develops a theoretical...Monitoring Survey for the years 1994 - 1996 & 1998. As hypothesized, a decrease in private sector earnings variability is estimated to increase the likelihood...of private sector employment for individuals with constrained consumption smoothing ability. Evidence of ex-ante intra-household risk sharing is also

The Life Science Exchange: a case study of a sectoral and sub-sectoral knowledge exchange programme.

PubMed

Perkins, Brian Lee; Garlick, Rob; Wren, Jodie; Smart, Jon; Kennedy, Julie; Stephens, Phil; Tudor, Gwyn; Bisson, Jonathan; Ford, David V

2016-04-27

Local and national governments have implemented sector-specific policies to support economic development through innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge exchange. Supported by the Welsh Government through the European Regional Development Fund, The Life Science Exchange® project was created with the aim to increase interaction between stakeholders, to develop more effective knowledge exchange mechanisms, and to stimulate the formation and maintenance of long-term collaborative relationships within the Welsh life sciences ecosystem. The Life Science Exchange allowed participants to interact with other stakeholder communities (clinical, academic, business, governmental), exchange perspectives and discover new opportunities. Six sub-sector focus groups comprising over 200 senior stakeholders from academia, industry, the Welsh Government and National Health Service were established. Over 18 months, each focus group provided input to inform healthcare innovation policy and knowledge mapping exercises of their respective sub-sectors. Collaborative projects identified during the focus groups and stakeholder engagement were further developed through sandpit events and bespoke support. Each sub-sector focus group produced a report outlining the significant strengths and opportunities in their respective areas of focus, made recommendations to overcome any 'system failures', and identified the stakeholder groups which needed to take action. A second outcome was a stakeholder-driven knowledge mapping exercise for each area of focus. Finally, the sandpit events and bespoke support resulted in participants generating more than £1.66 million in grant funding and inward investment. This article outlines four separate outcomes from the Life Science Exchange programme. The Life Science Exchange process has resulted in a multitude of collaborations, projects, inward investment opportunities and special interest group formations, in addition to securing over ten times its own

Scientific and technological capabilities in health-related areas: opportunities, challenges, and interactions with the industrial sector.

PubMed

Vargas, Marco Antonio; Britto, Jorge

2016-11-03

Characterization of the scientific and technological infrastructure in health and its interactions with the industrial sector provides key elements for understanding the dynamics of innovation in health. This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the potentialities and limitations associated with scientific and technological capabilities in the health area in Brazil and the different links between the scientific and industrial sectors in health. The analysis points to important growth in internationally indexed research output, especially in certain areas such as pharmaceutics, public health, genetics, morphology, physiology, and microbiology. There has also been important growth in research groups that interact with the industrial sector in selected areas of health. The study highlights the importance of building more solid and permanent bridges between companies, research institutions, and the health system, linking the knowledge developed in research institutions to the dynamics of the industrial sector in health. Resumo: A caracterização da infraestrutura científica e tecnológica na área da saúde e das suas formas de articulação com a base produtiva representam elementos centrais na compreensão da dinâmica de inovação em saúde. Este estudo faz uma análise exploratória sobre as potencialidades e limitações associadas às capacitações científicas e tecnológicas na área da saúde no Brasil e as formas de articulação entre a base científica e a base produtiva em saúde. A análise aponta para o crescimento expressivo da produção bibliográfica com circulação internacional no campo da saúde, particularmente em determinadas áreas como farmácia, saúde coletiva, genética, morfologia, fisiologia e microbiologia. Além disso, observa-se um crescimento expressivo dos grupos de pesquisa com relacionamentos com o setor produtivo em áreas selecionadas da saúde. Destaca-se a importância da construção de pontes mais sólidas e

Thromboembolic Complications in Thermally Injured Patients,

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

profilaxis con brdld vanec entre 0.4% et 7%. La signification cliniquc de ces heparina, militan en contra de su uso rutinario, excepto en Ev~nements est...centros adopten rutinariamente la profilaxis 8. Purdue, G.F., Hunt, J.L.: Pulmonary emboli in burned patients. J. con heparina de baja dosificaci6n. Se

GarlicESTdb: an online database and mining tool for garlic EST sequences.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Won; Jung, Tae-Sung; Nam, Seong-Hyeuk; Kwon, Hyuk-Ryul; Kim, Aeri; Chae, Sung-Hwa; Choi, Sang-Haeng; Kim, Dong-Wook; Kim, Ryong Nam; Park, Hong-Seog

2009-05-18

Allium sativum., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus (Allium), which is a large and diverse one containing over 1,250 species. Its close relatives include chives, onion, leek and shallot. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for culinary, medicinal use and health benefits. Currently, the interest in garlic is highly increasing due to nutritional and pharmaceutical value including high blood pressure and cholesterol, atherosclerosis and cancer. For all that, there are no comprehensive databases available for Expressed Sequence Tags(EST) of garlic for gene discovery and future efforts of genome annotation. That is why we developed a new garlic database and applications to enable comprehensive analysis of garlic gene expression. GarlicESTdb is an integrated database and mining tool for large-scale garlic (Allium sativum) EST sequencing. A total of 21,595 ESTs collected from an in-house cDNA library were used to construct the database. The analysis pipeline is an automated system written in JAVA and consists of the following components: automatic preprocessing of EST reads, assembly of raw sequences, annotation of the assembled sequences, storage of the analyzed information into MySQL databases, and graphic display of all processed data. A web application was implemented with the latest J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition) software technology (JSP/EJB/JavaServlet) for browsing and querying the database, for creation of dynamic web pages on the client side, and for mapping annotated enzymes to KEGG pathways, the AJAX framework was also used partially. The online resources, such as putative annotation, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and tandem repeat data sets, can be searched by text, explored on the website, searched using BLAST, and downloaded. To archive more significant BLAST results, a curation system was introduced with which biologists can easily edit best-hit annotation information for others to view. The Garlic

Spaces of care in the third sector: understanding the effects of professionalization.

PubMed

Carey, Gemma; Braunack-Mayer, Annette; Barraket, Jo

2009-11-01

Increasingly the health and welfare needs of individuals and communities are being met by third sector, or not-for-profit, organizations. Since the 1980s third sector organizations have been subject to significant, sector-wide changes, such as the development of contractual funding and an increasing need to collaborate with governments and other sectors. In particular, the processes of 'professionalization' and 'bureaucratization' have received significant attention and are now well documented in third sector literature. These processes are often understood to create barriers between organizations and their community groups and neutralize alternative forms of service provision. In this article we provide a case study of an Australian third sector organization undergoing professionalization. The case study draws on ethnographic and qualitative interviews with staff and volunteers at a health-based third sector organization involved in service provision to marginalized community groups. We examine how professionalization alters organizational spaces and dynamics and conclude that professionalized third sector spaces may still be 'community' spaces where individuals may give and receive care and services. Moreover, we suggest that these community spaces hold potential for resisting the neutralizing effects of contracting.

Sector Distinctions and the Privatization of Public Education Policymaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubienski, Christopher

2016-01-01

Current trends indicate declining distinctions between "public" and "private" sectors in education. Reformers see sector barriers as unnecessary impediments to innovation, distracting attention and effort from "what works". This analysis questions whether trends in education policy are simply a natural evolution away…

Stress field forming of sector array transducers for vibro-acoustography.

PubMed

Silva, Glauber T; Chen, Shigao; Frery, Alejandro C; Greenleaf, James F; Fatemi, Mostafa

2005-11-01

This paper presents a study of the stress field forming of sector array transducers for vibro-acoustography applications. The system point-spread function (PSF) is given in terms of the dynamic radiation stress exerted on a point target by a dual ultrasound beam with slightly different frequencies. The radiation stress is calculated by assuming that the resulting ultrasound beam is a plane wave. The stress is proportional to the product of the velocity potential of each incident ultrasound beam. The beamforming and stress field forming of sector array transducers are analyzed through linear acoustics. An expression for the velocity potential produced by sector array transducers is derived. The vibro-acoustography PSF is evaluated numerically. A comparison between the PSF of a sector array and a confocal transducers is presented. The compared characteristics of the PSF are sidelobe levels, transverse, and in-depth spatial resolution. Indeed, one motivation to study sector transducers is the fact the depth-of-field of these transducers should be smaller than that of same size confocal transducers. An experimental setup was used to validate the theoretical PSF of sector array transducers. Results show that the measured PSF is in good agreement with the theoretical predications. Vibro-acoustography images of a breast-phantom by both transducers are presented and discussed.

Food safety - the roles and responsibilities of different sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karabasil, N.; Bošković, T.; Dimitrijević, M.; Vasilev, D.; Đorđević, V.; Lakićević, B.; Teodorović, V.

2017-09-01

Serbia is a relatively small country but with a long tradition in food production, especially meat and meat products. Serbia, as part of its open negotiation process as a candidate country with the European Union (EU), started to harmonise its legislation with the EU, and has published a set of laws and regulations relating to the hygiene of food production and food safety, the official control of production and the welfare of animals. Therefore, the food safety system in Serbia is based on principles established in the EU. There is a need for cooperation of different sectors (government, food business operators and consumers) in the management of food safety, and every sector has its role and responsibility. This paper aims to provide analytical support for the process of upgrading safety and quality in Serbia’s food sector and explains the roles and responsibilities of different sectors in the food chain.

India's growing clinical research sector: opportunity for global companies.

PubMed

Varawalla, Nermeen

2007-06-01

Backed by a compelling foundation of essential requirements necessary for effective clinical trial conduct, and aided by initiatives that address concerns of data quality, regulatory timelines and IP protection, the clinical development sector in India has experienced annual revenue growth rates of 25% in the past two to three years, and is poised to participate substantially in global drug development. As both clinical trial sponsors and CROs increase their research capabilities in India, the clinical development sector is facing challenges with staff resourcing and facilities. Existing initiatives in the clinical sector must continue, and further investment must be made by stakeholders to overcome the current limitations in sector growth. Furthermore, global organizations seeking to derive long-term sustainable revenue growth and competitive advantage in the global marketplace from their business units in India must establish an appropriate organizational culture and an effective intra-organizational and industry interface for their operations.

Evaluating the benefits of government funded R & D aimed at the private sector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, J. S.

1977-01-01

Federal funding of technological research and development is discussed with regard to the procedures for an economic analysis with the goals of (1) determining when the public sector should invest in a research and development program, (2) evaluating the likelihood of private sector participation in terms of public sector participation, and (3) considering the major factors in the formulation of a research and development program in terms of defining initiatives. Public sector investments are evaluated, noting procedures for determining whether benefits exceed costs. The role of the public sector research and development planning is described, considering the procedure for private sector implementation decisions and a methodology for evaluating the possibility of private sector commercialization. The economic value of the public sector research and development program is presented with attention given to a specific case of NASA-sponsored research and development aimed toward the commercialization of new public communications services.

Electricity savings potentials in the residential sector of Bahrain

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

Akbari, H.; Morsy, M.G.; Al-Baharna, N.S.

1996-08-01

Electricity is the major fuel (over 99%) used in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors in Bahrain. In 1992, the total annual electricity consumption in Bahrain was 3.45 terawatt-hours (TWh), of which 1.95 TWh (56%) was used in the residential sector, 0.89 TWh (26%) in the commercial sector, and 0.59 TWh (17%) in the industrial sector. Agricultural energy consumption was 0.02 TWh (less than 1%) of the total energy use. In Bahrain, most residences are air conditioned with window units. The air-conditioning electricity use is at least 50% of total annual residential use. The contribution of residential AC to themore » peak power consumption is even more significant, approaching 80% of residential peak power demand. Air-conditioning electricity use in the commercial sector is also significant, about 45% of the annual use and over 60% of peak power demand. This paper presents a cost/benefit analysis of energy-efficient technologies in the residential sector. Technologies studied include: energy-efficient air conditioners, insulating houses, improved infiltration, increasing thermostat settings, efficient refrigerators and freezers, efficient water heaters, efficient clothes washers, and compact fluorescent lights. We conservatively estimate a 32% savings in residential electricity use at an average cost of about 4 fils per kWh. (The subsidized cost of residential electricity is about 12 fils per kWh. 1000 fils = 1 Bahrain Dinar = US$ 2.67). We also discuss major policy options needed for implementation of energy-efficiency technologies.« less

The interplanetary and solar magnetic field sector structures, 1962 - 1968

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, D. E.

1972-01-01

The interplanetary magnetic field sector structure was observed from late 1962 through 1968. During this time it has been possible to study the manner in which the sector pattern and its relation to the photospheric magnetic field configuration changes from solar minimum to solar maximum. Observations were also made relating sector boundaries to specific regions on the solar disk. These and other observations related to the solar origin of the interplanetary field are briefly reviewed.

Career Education: Collaboration with the Private Sector. Information Series No. 246.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhaerman, Robert D.

This paper reviews three aspects of career education-private sector collaboration: (1) the general and specific approaches that have been utilized during the past 10 years by the career education movement and the private sector in developing career education collaboration in the private sector; (2) the major results of these activities, focusing…

Family Study of Borderline Personality Disorder and Its Sectors of Psychopathology

PubMed Central

Gunderson, John G.; Zanarini, Mary C.; Choi-Kain, Lois W.; Mitchell, Karen S.; Jang, Kerry L.; Hudson, James I.

2011-01-01

Context The familiality of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and its sectors of psychopathology are incompletely understood. Objectives To assess the familial aggregation of BPD and its 4 major sectors (affective, interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive) and test whether the relationship of the familial and nonfamilial associations among these sectors can be accounted for by a latent BPD construct. Design Family study, with direct interviews of probands and relatives. Setting A psychiatric hospital (McLean Hospital) and the Boston-area community. Participants A total of 368 probands (132 with BPD, 134 without BPD, and 102 with major depressive disorder) and 885 siblings and parents of probands. Main Assessments The Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders and the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R) were used to assess borderline psychopathology, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to assess major depressive disorder. Results Borderline personality disorder meeting both DSM-IV and DIB-R criteria showed substantial familial aggregation for BPD in individuals with a family member with BPD vs those without a family member with BPD, using proband-relative pairs (risk ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–5.5) as well as using all pairs of family members (3.9; 1.7–9.0). All 4 sectors of BPD psychopathology aggregated significantly in families, using both DSM-IV and DIB-R definitions (correlation of traits among all pairs of family members ranged from 0.07 to 0.27), with the affective and interpersonal sectors showing the highest levels; however, the level of familial aggregation of BPD was higher than that of the individual sectors. The relationship among the sectors was best explained by a common pathway model in which the sectors represent manifestations of a latent BPD construct. Conclusions Familial factors contribute to BPD and its sectors of psychopathology. Borderline personality disorder may arise

Family study of borderline personality disorder and its sectors of psychopathology.

PubMed

Gunderson, John G; Zanarini, Mary C; Choi-Kain, Lois W; Mitchell, Karen S; Jang, Kerry L; Hudson, James I

2011-07-01

The familiality of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and its sectors of psychopathology are incompletely understood. To assess the familial aggregation of BPD and its 4 major sectors (affective, interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive) and test whether the relationship of the familial and nonfamilial associations among these sectors can be accounted for by a latent BPD construct. Family study, with direct interviews of probands and relatives. A psychiatric hospital (McLean Hospital) and the Boston-area community. A total of 368 probands (132 with BPD, 134 without BPD, and 102 with major depressive disorder) and 885 siblings and parents of probands. MAIN ASSESSMENTS: The Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders and the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R) were used to assess borderline psychopathology, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to assess major depressive disorder. Borderline personality disorder meeting both DSM-IV and DIB-R criteria showed substantial familial aggregation for BPD in individuals with a family member with BPD vs those without a family member with BPD, using proband-relative pairs (risk ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-5.5) as well as using all pairs of family members (3.9; 1.7-9.0). All 4 sectors of BPD psychopathology aggregated significantly in families, using both DSM-IV and DIB-R definitions (correlation of traits among all pairs of family members ranged from 0.07 to 0.27), with the affective and interpersonal sectors showing the highest levels; however, the level of familial aggregation of BPD was higher than that of the individual sectors. The relationship among the sectors was best explained by a common pathway model in which the sectors represent manifestations of a latent BPD construct. Familial factors contribute to BPD and its sectors of psychopathology. Borderline personality disorder may arise from a unitary liability that finds expression in its sectors of

77 FR 26129 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2012 Sector...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-02

... rule soliciting public comment on the 19 sector operations plans and contracts was published in the.... After review of the public comments, NMFS has partially approved the 19 sector operations plans and... Bank Sector, Northeast Fishery Sector IV and Sustainable Harvest Sector 3 would operate as private...

An Indian Federation in Lowland Ecuador. IWGIA Document 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salazar, Ernesto

Official involvement of the Ecuadorian government with colonization of the southern lowlands, lands traditionally belonging to the Shuar Indians, began in the early 60's when the CREA (Centro de Reconversion Economica del Azuay) was created to provide assistance to white settlers. Until that time, the Shuar lands had been dominated by the Salesian…

Towards a systematic construction of realistic D-brane models on a del Pezzo singularity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolan, Matthew J.; Krippendorf, Sven; Quevedo, Fernando

2011-10-01

A systematic approach is followed in order to identify realistic D-brane models at toric del Pezzo singularities. Requiring quark and lepton spectrum and Yukawas from D3 branes and massless hypercharge, we are led to Pati-Salam extensions of the Standard Model. Hierarchies of masses, flavour mixings and control of couplings select higher order del Pezzo singularities, minimising the Higgs sector prefers toric del Pezzos with dP 3 providing the most successful compromise. Then a supersymmetric local string model is presented with the following properties at low energies: (i) the MSSM spectrum plus a local B - L gauge field or additional Higgs fields depending on the breaking pattern, (ii) a realistic hierarchy of quark and lepton masses and (iii) realistic flavour mixing between quark and lepton families with computable CKM and PMNS matrices, and CP violation consistent with observations. In this construction, kinetic terms are diagonal and under calculational control suppressing standard FCNC contributions. Proton decay operators of dimension 4, 5, 6 are suppressed, and gauge couplings can unify depending on the breaking scales from string scales at energies in the range 1012-1016 GeV, consistent with TeV soft-masses from moduli mediated supersymmetry breaking. The GUT scale model corresponds to D3 branes at dP 3 with two copies of the Pati-Salam gauge symmetry SU(4) × SU(2) R × SU(2) L . D-brane instantons generate a non-vanishing μ-term. Right handed sneutrinos can break the B - L symmetry and induce a see-saw mechanism of neutrino masses and R-parity violating operators with observable low-energy implications.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of Est25: a ketoprofen-specific hormone-sensitive lipase

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

Kim, SeungBum; Joo, Sangbum; Yoon, Hyun C.

2007-07-01

Est25, a ketoprofen-specific hormone-sensitive lipase from a metagenomic library, was crystallized and diffraction data were collected to 1.49 Å resolution. Ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandin. A novel hydrolase (Est25) with high ketoprofen specificity has previously been identified using a metagenomic library from environmental samples. Recombinant Est25 protein with a histidine tag at the N-terminus was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in a homogenous form. Est25 was crystallized from 2.4 M sodium malonate pH 7.0 and X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.49 Å using synchrotron radiation. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space groupmore » C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 197.8, b = 95.2, c = 99.4 Å, β = 97.1°.« less

Commissioning the cryogenic system of the first LHC sector

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

Millet, F.; Claudet, S.; Ferlin, G.

2007-12-01

The LHC machine, composed of eight sectors with superconducting magnets and accelerating cavities, requires a complex cryogenic system providing high cooling capacities (18 kW equivalent at 4.5 K and 2.4 W at 1.8 K per sector produced in large cold boxes and distributed via 3.3-km cryogenic transfer lines). After individual reception tests of the cryogenic subsystems (cryogen storages, refrigerators, cryogenic transfer lines and distribution boxes) performed since 2000, the commissioning of the cryogenic system of the first LHC sector has been under way since November 2006. After a brief introduction to the LHC cryogenic system and its specificities, the commissioningmore » is reported detailing the preparation phase (pressure and leak tests, circuit conditioning and flushing), the cool-down sequences including the handling of cryogenic fluids, the magnet powering phase and finally the warm-up. Preliminary conclusions on the commissioning of the first LHC sector will be drawn with the review of the critical points already solved or still pending. The last part of the paper reports on the first operational experience of the LHC cryogenic system in the perspective of the commissioning of the remaining LHC sectors and the beam injection test.« less

Access to Higher Education in Egypt: Examining Trends by University Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckner, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Access to higher education in Egypt is expanding in both the public and private sectors. Using a nationally representative sample from the Survey of Young People in Egypt, this article is able to disaggregate patterns of access by both demographic group and university sector. Findings suggest that access in the public sector is governed strongly…

Analyzing the Long Term Cohesive Effect of Sector Specific Driving Forces.

PubMed

Berman, Yonatan; Ben-Jacob, Eshel; Zhang, Xin; Shapira, Yoash

2016-01-01

Financial markets are partially composed of sectors dominated by external driving forces, such as commodity prices, infrastructure and other indices. We characterize the statistical properties of such sectors and present a novel model for the coupling of the stock prices and their dominating driving forces, inspired by mean reverting stochastic processes. Using the model we were able to explain the market sectors' long term behavior and estimate the coupling strength between stocks in financial markets and the sector specific driving forces. Notably, the analysis was successfully applied to the shipping market, in which the Baltic dry index (BDI), an assessment of the price of transporting the major raw materials by sea, influences the shipping financial market. We also present the analysis of other sectors-the gold mining market and the food production market, for which the model was also successfully applied. The model can serve as a general tool for characterizing the coupling between external forces and affected financial variables and therefore for estimating the risk in sectors and their vulnerability to external stress.

Central radio galaxies in groups: cavities, bubbles and the history of AGN heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacintucci, S.; Venturi, T.; Raychaudhury, S.; Vrtilek, J.

2008-10-01

E' noto che le regioni centrali degli ammassi e gruppi di galassie costituiscono un ambiente in cui gas caldo e plasma radioemittente proveniente dalle galassie dominanti interagiscono tra loro. In particolare, si pensa che la radioemissione dell'AGN centrale ed i suoi possibili cicli di attivita', siano strettamente legati alla presenza di cavita' e "bubbles" nel gas intergalattico. Si presentera' lo status di un progetto osservativo effettuato con il Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT, India) su di un campione di 18 gruppi di galassie, osservati a tre frequenze radio (235 MHz, 325 MHz e 610 MHz). Lo studio della morfologia radio degli AGN centrali e la relativa analisi spettrale permettono di ottenere stime sull'eta' di questi oggetti, e sulla loro energia totale, che a loro volta sono in relazione con le proprieta' X dei gruppi stessi. Per tutti gli oggetti del campione sono disponibili osservazioni Chandra di proprieta'. Per due oggetti del campione, 4C+24.36 (al centro di AWM04) e NGC741 (al centro di RSOG17) verra' presentato uno studio dettagliato.

EST! environmentally sustainable transport issue paper : soft measures and transport

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-12-01

The purpose of this paper was to help guide and even provoke discussion at the workshop to be held in Berlin on 5-6 December, 2002, entitled Communicating Environmentally Sustainable Transport-The roles of soft measures in achieving EST. It's easier ...

Damages of surface ozone: evidence from agricultural sector in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Fujin; McCarl, Bruce A.; Zhou, Xun; Jiang, Fei

2018-03-01

This study measures the damages that surface ozone pollution causes within the Chinese agricultural sector under 2014 conditions. It also analyzes the agricultural benefits of ozone reductions. The analysis is done using a partial equilibrium model of China’s agricultural sector. Results indicate that there are substantial, spatially differentiated damages that are greatest in ozone-sensitive crop growing areas with higher ozone concentrations. The estimated damage to China’s agricultural sector range is between CNY 1.6 trillion and 2.2 trillion, which for comparison is about one fifth of 2014 agricultural revenue. When considering concentration reduction we find a 30% ozone reduction yields CNY 678 billion in sectoral benefits. These benefits largely fall to consumers with producers losing as the production gains lead to lower prices.

Some Properties and Stability Results for Sector-Bounded LTI Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, Sandeep; Joshi, Suresh M.

1994-01-01

This paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for a linear, time-invariant (LTI) system to be inside sector (n, b) in terms of linear matrix inequalities in its state-space realization matrices, which represents a generalization of similar conditions for bounded H(sub infinity)-norm systems. Further, a weaker definition of LTI systems strictly inside closed sector (a, b) is proposed, and state-space characterization of such systems is presented. Sector conditions for stability of the negative feedback interconnection of two LTI systems and for stability of LTI systems with feedback nonlinearities are investigated using the Lyapunov function approach. It is shown that the proposed weaker conditions for an LTI system to be strictly inside a sector are sufficient to establish closed-loop stability of these systems.

NAICS Sectors 31-33: Manufacturing

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has many regulations that affect industries within the manufacturing sector. On those pages you can find a list of laws and regulations that affect your industry as well as compliance and enforcement information.

Cross-Sector Collaboration: The Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austrian, Ziona; Iannone, Donald

1997-01-01

The Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center is one of six university-based environmental finance centers established by the federal government. Its primary mission is to help state and local government and private-sector organizations devise effective financing strategies for environmental improvement projects. Cross-sector collaboration and…

75 FR 56509 - Multi-Sector Trade Mission to Nigeria

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-16

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Multi-Sector Trade Mission to Nigeria...: Multi-Sector Trade Mission to Nigeria, March 8-10, 2011 I. Mission Description The United States... Mission to Nigeria March 8-10, 2011, to help U.S. firms find business partners and sell equipment and...

75 FR 47211 - Navigation and Navigable Waters; Technical, Organizational, and Conforming Amendments, Sector...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-05

... Puget Sound, WA AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This rule makes non-substantive... technical corrections to reflect the renaming of Sector Seattle to Sector Puget Sound as part of the Coast... organizational structure. Sector Seattle has been disestablished and Sector Puget Sound has been established in...

Cloning and characterization of a pyrethroid pesticide decomposing esterase gene, Est3385, from Rhodopseudomonas palustris PSB-S.

PubMed

Luo, Xiangwen; Zhang, Deyong; Zhou, Xuguo; Du, Jiao; Zhang, Songbai; Liu, Yong

2018-05-09

Full length open reading frame of pyrethroid detoxification gene, Est3385, contains 963 nucleotides. This gene was identified and cloned based on the genome sequence of Rhodopseudomonas palustris PSB-S available at the GneBank. The predicted amino acid sequence of Est3385 shared moderate identities (30-46%) with the known homologous esterases. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Est3385 was a member in the esterase family I. Recombinant Est3385 was heterologous expressed in E. coli, purified and characterized for its substrate specificity, kinetics and stability under various conditions. The optimal temperature and pH for Est3385 were 35 °C and 6.0, respectively. This enzyme could detoxify various pyrethroid pesticides and degrade the optimal substrate fenpropathrin with a Km and Vmax value of 0.734 ± 0.013 mmol·l -1 and 0.918 ± 0.025 U·µg -1 , respectively. No cofactor was found to affect Est3385 activity but substantial reduction of enzymatic activity was observed when metal ions were applied. Taken together, a new pyrethroid degradation esterase was identified and characterized. Modification of Est3385 with protein engineering toolsets should enhance its potential for field application to reduce the pesticide residue from agroecosystems.

Elements affecting food waste in the food service sector.

PubMed

Heikkilä, Lotta; Reinikainen, Anu; Katajajuuri, Juha-Matti; Silvennoinen, Kirsi; Hartikainen, Hanna

2016-10-01

Avoidable food waste is produced in the food service sector, with significant ecological and economical impacts. In order to understand and explain better the complex issue of food waste a qualitative study was conducted on the reasons for its generation in restaurants and catering businesses. Research data were collected during three participatory workshops for personnel from three different catering sector companies in Finland. Based on synthesized qualitative content analysis, eight elements influencing production and reduction of food waste were identified. Results revealed the diversity of managing food waste in the food service sector and how a holistic approach is required to prevent and reduce it. It is crucial to understand that food waste is manageable and should be an integral component of the management system. The model of eight factors provides a framework for recognition and management of food waste in the food service sector. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do the stars align? Distribution of high-quality ratings of healthcare sectors across US markets.

PubMed

Figueroa, Jose; Feyman, Yevgeniy; Blumenthal, Daniel; Jha, Ashish

2018-04-01

The US government created five-star rating systems to evaluate hospital, nursing homes, home health agency and dialysis centre quality. The degree to which quality is a property of organisations versus geographical markets is unclear. To determine whether high-quality healthcare service sectors are clustered within US healthcare markets. Using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Hospital, Dialysis, Nursing Home and Home Health Compare databases, we calculated the mean star ratings of four healthcare sectors in 304 US hospital referral regions (HRRs). For each sector, we ranked HRRs into terciles by mean star rating. Within each HRR, we assessed concordance of tercile rank across sectors using a multirater kappa. Using t-tests, we compared characteristics of HRRs with three to four top-ranked sectors, one to two top-ranked sectors and zero top-ranked sectors. Six HRRs (2.0% of HRRs) had four top-ranked healthcare sectors, 38 (12.5%) had three top-ranked health sectors, 71 (23.4%) had two top-ranked sectors, 111 (36.5%) had one top-ranked sector and 78 (25.7%) HRRs had no top-ranked sectors. A multirater kappa across all sectors showed poor to slight agreement (K=0.055). Compared with HRRs with zero top-ranked sectors, those with three to four top-ranked sectors had higher median incomes, fewer black residents, lower mortality rates and were less impoverished. Results were similar for HRRs with one to two top-ranked sectors. Few US healthcare markets exhibit high-quality performance across four distinct healthcare service sectors, suggesting that high-quality care in one sector may not be dependent on or improve care quality in other sectors. Policies that promote accountability for quality across sectors (eg, bundled payments and shared quality metrics) may be needed to systematically improve quality across sectors. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No

Competence Development in the Public Sector: Development, or Dismantling of Professionalism?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hjort, Katrin

2008-01-01

For more than a decade, competence development has been a key concept of modern management in both the private and the public sector, but to some extent its meaning and practice have been different in the two sectors. In the public sector in particular, competence development has been closely related to a number of other buzzwords characterizing…

A 62-MeV Proton Beam for the Treatment of Ocular Melanoma at Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-INFN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirrone, G. A. P.; Cuttone, G.; Lojacono, P. A.; Lo Nigro, S.; Mongelli, V.; Patti, I. V.; Privitera, G.; Raffaele, L.; Rifuggiato, D.; Sabini, M. G.; Salamone, V.; Spatola, C.; Valastro, L. M.

2004-06-01

At the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS) in Catania, Italy, the first Italian protontherapy facility, named Centro di AdroTerapia e Applicazioni Nucleari Avanzate (CATANA) has been built in collaboration with the University of Catania. It is based on the use of the 62-MeV proton beam delivered by the K=800 Superconducting Cyclotron installed and working at INFN-LNS since 1995. The facility is mainly devoted to the treatment of ocular diseases like uveal melanoma. A beam treatment line in air has been assembled together with a dedicated positioning patient system. The facility has been in operation since the beginning of 2002 and 66 patients have been successfully treated up to now. The main features of CATANA together with the clinical and dosimetric features will be extensively described; particularly, the proton beam line, that has been entirely built at LNS, with all its elements, the experimental transversal and depth dose distributions of the 62-MeV proton beam obtained for a final collimator of 25-mm diameter and the experimental depth dose distributions of a modulated proton beam obtained for the same final collimator. Finally, the clinical results over 1 yr of treatments, describing the features of the treated diseases will be reported.

Exploring corruption in the South African health sector.

PubMed

Rispel, Laetitia C; de Jager, Pieter; Fonn, Sharon

2016-03-01

Recent scholarly attention has focused on weak governance and the negative effects of corruption on the provision of health services. Employing agency theory, this article discusses corruption in the South African health sector. We used a combination of research methods and triangulated data from three sources: Auditor-General of South Africa reports for each province covering a 9-year period; 13 semi-structured interviews with health sector key informants and a content analysis of print media reports covering a 3-year period. Findings from the Auditor-General reports showed a worsening trend in audit outcomes with marked variation across the nine provinces. Key-informants indicated that corruption has a negative effect on patient care and the morale of healthcare workers. The majority of the print media reports on corruption concerned the public health sector (63%) and involved provincial health departments (45%). Characteristics and complexity of the public health sector may increase its vulnerability to corruption, but the private-public binary constitutes a false dichotomy as corruption often involves agents from both sectors. Notwithstanding the lack of global validated indicators to measure corruption, our findings suggest that corruption is a problem in the South African healthcare sector. Corruption is influenced by adverse agent selection, lack of mechanisms to detect corruption and a failure to sanction those involved in corrupt activities. We conclude that appropriate legislation is a necessary, but not sufficient intervention to reduce corruption. We propose that mechanisms to reduce corruption must include the political will to run corruption-free health services, effective government to enforce laws, appropriate systems, and citizen involvement and advocacy to hold public officials accountable. Importantly, the institutionalization of a functional bureaucracy and public servants with the right skills, competencies, ethics and value systems and whose

Conic Sector Analysis of Hybrid Control Systems. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, P. M.

1982-01-01

A hybrid control system contains an analog plant and a hybrid (or sampled-data) compensator. In this thesis a new conic sector is determined which is constructive and can be used to: (1) determine closed loop stability, (2) analyze robustness with respect to modelling uncertainties, (3) analyze steady state response to commands, and (4) select the sample rate. The use of conic sectors allows the designer to treat hybrid control systems as though they were analog control systems. The center of the conic sector can be used as a rigorous linear time invariant approximation of the hybrid control system, and the radius places a bound on the errors of this approximation. The hybrid feedback system can be multivariable, and the sampler is assumed to be synchronous. Algorithms to compute the conic sector are presented. Several examples demonstrate how the conic sector analysis techniques are applied. Extensions to single loop multirate hybrid feedback systems are presented. Further extensions are proposed for multiloop multirate hybrid feedback system and for single rate systems with asynchronous sampling.

Accidents on board merchant ships. Suggestions based on Centro Internazionale Radio Medico (CIRM) experience.

PubMed

Napoleone, Paolo

2016-01-01

This statistical study was performed to find out the occurrence of accidents on board ships assisted by Centro Internazionale Radio Medico (CIRM) during the years 2010-2015, with the aim of providing suggestions in accident prevention, based on such a wide experience. The case histories of CIRM in the years 2010-2015 were examined. The total number of accidents per year was calculated and compared as a percentage with the total number of cases assisted by CIRM per year. The incidence of accidents on board in these years ranged between 14.4% and 18.4% of total cases assisted per year, which is constantly increasing. The most common injuries on board among cases treated by CIRM were contusions and wounds. Also burns and eye injuries were significantly represented. Multiple injuries and head injuries were found to be the most frequent cause of death on board due to an accident. More information on the occurrence and type of accidents and on the body injured areas should represent the basis for developing strategies and campaigns for their prevention.

Priority economic sector and household income in Indonesia (an analysis of input output)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subanti, S.; Mulyanto; Hakim, A. R.; Mafruhah, I.; Hakim, I. M.

2018-03-01

This purpose of study aims to identify the roles of priority economic sectors on household incomes in Indonesia. Analyse in this paper used nine economic sectors, that representing result of classification from input output table. This study found that (1) priority economic sector are manufacturing sector & trade hotel and restaurant; (2) sector that have looking forward orientation included agriculture, mining & quarrying, and financial ownership & business services; and (3) electricity, gas, and water supply sector give the biggest impact to household income in Indonesia. The suggestion that policies aimed at increasing productivity and raising skills while encouraging individual participation in the formal labour market are essential.

The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI–MIP): Project framework

PubMed Central

Warszawski, Lila; Frieler, Katja; Huber, Veronika; Piontek, Franziska; Serdeczny, Olivia; Schewe, Jacob

2014-01-01

The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project offers a framework to compare climate impact projections in different sectors and at different scales. Consistent climate and socio-economic input data provide the basis for a cross-sectoral integration of impact projections. The project is designed to enable quantitative synthesis of climate change impacts at different levels of global warming. This report briefly outlines the objectives and framework of the first, fast-tracked phase of Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project, based on global impact models, and provides an overview of the participating models, input data, and scenario set-up. PMID:24344316

Canonical Sectors and Evolution of Firms in the US Stock Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayden, Lorien; Chachra, Ricky; Alemi, Alexander; Ginsparg, Paul; Sethna, James

2015-03-01

In this work, we show how unsupervised machine learning can provide a more objective and comprehensive broad-level sector decomposition of stocks. Classification of companies into sectors of the economy is important for macroeconomic analysis, and for investments into the sector-specific financial indices and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Historically, these major industrial classification systems and financial indices have been based on expert opinion and developed manually. Our method, in contrast, produces an emergent low-dimensional structure in the space of historical stock price returns. This emergent structure automatically identifies ``canonical sectors'' in the market, and assigns every stock a participation weight into these sectors. Furthermore, by analyzing data from different periods, we show how these weights for listed firms have evolved over time. This work was partially supported by NSF Grants DMR 1312160, OCI 0926550 and DGE-1144153 (LXH).

Strengthening health systems by health sector reforms.

PubMed

Senkubuge, Flavia; Modisenyane, Moeketsi; Bishaw, Tewabech

2014-01-01

The rising burden of disease and weak health systems are being compounded by the persistent economic downturn, re-emerging diseases, and violent conflicts. There is a growing recognition that the global health agenda needs to shift from an emphasis on disease-specific approaches to strengthening of health systems, including dealing with social, environmental, and economic determinants through multisectoral responses. A review and analysis of data on strengthening health sector reform and health systems was conducted. Attention was paid to the goal of health and interactions between health sector reforms and the functions of health systems. Further, we explored how these interactions contribute toward delivery of health services, equity, financial protection, and improved health. Health sector reforms cannot be developed from a single global or regional policy formula. Any reform will depend on the country's history, values and culture, and the population's expectations. Some of the emerging ingredients that need to be explored are infusion of a health systems agenda; development of a comprehensive policy package for health sector reforms; improving alignment of planning and coordination; use of reliable data; engaging 'street level' policy implementers; strengthening governance and leadership; and allowing a holistic and developmental approach to reforms. The process of reform needs a fundamental rather than merely an incremental and evolutionary change. Without radical structural and systemic changes, existing governance structures and management systems will continue to fail to address the existing health problems.

Strengthening health systems by health sector reforms

PubMed Central

Senkubuge, Flavia; Modisenyane, Moeketsi; Bishaw, Tewabech

2014-01-01

Background The rising burden of disease and weak health systems are being compounded by the persistent economic downturn, re-emerging diseases, and violent conflicts. There is a growing recognition that the global health agenda needs to shift from an emphasis on disease-specific approaches to strengthening of health systems, including dealing with social, environmental, and economic determinants through multisectoral responses. Methods A review and analysis of data on strengthening health sector reform and health systems was conducted. Attention was paid to the goal of health and interactions between health sector reforms and the functions of health systems. Further, we explored how these interactions contribute toward delivery of health services, equity, financial protection, and improved health. Findings Health sector reforms cannot be developed from a single global or regional policy formula. Any reform will depend on the country's history, values and culture, and the population's expectations. Some of the emerging ingredients that need to be explored are infusion of a health systems agenda; development of a comprehensive policy package for health sector reforms; improving alignment of planning and coordination; use of reliable data; engaging ‘street level’ policy implementers; strengthening governance and leadership; and allowing a holistic and developmental approach to reforms. Conclusions The process of reform needs a fundamental rather than merely an incremental and evolutionary change. Without radical structural and systemic changes, existing governance structures and management systems will continue to fail to address the existing health problems. PMID:24560261

ISI-MIP: The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, V.; Dahlemann, S.; Frieler, K.; Piontek, F.; Schewe, J.; Serdeczny, O.; Warszawski, L.

2013-12-01

The Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) aims to synthesize the state-of-the-art knowledge of climate change impacts at different levels of global warming. The project's experimental design is formulated to distinguish the uncertainty introduced by the impact models themselves, from the inherent uncertainty in the climate projections and the variety of plausible socio-economic futures. The unique cross-sectoral scope of the project provides the opportunity to study cascading effects of impacts in interacting sectors and to identify regional 'hot spots' where multiple sectors experience extreme impacts. Another emphasis lies on the development of novel metrics to describe societal impacts of a warmer climate. We briefly outline the methodological framework, and then present selected results of the first, fast-tracked phase of ISI-MIP. The fast track brought together 35 global impact models internationally, spanning five sectors across human society and the natural world (agriculture, water, natural ecosystems, health and coastal infrastructure), and using the latest generation of global climate simulations (RCP projections from the CMIP5 archive) and socioeconomic drivers provided within the SSP process. We also introduce the second phase of the project, which will enlarge the scope of ISI-MIP by encompassing further impact sectors (e.g., forestry, fisheries, permafrost) and regional modeling approaches. The focus for the next round of simulations will be the validation and improvement of models based on historical observations and the analysis of variability and extreme events. Last but not least, we discuss the longer-term objective of ISI-MIP to initiate a coordinated, ongoing impact assessment process, driven by the entire impact community and in parallel with well-established climate model intercomparisons (CMIP).

Influence of Parallel Dark Matter Sectors on Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Challa, Venkata Sai Sreeharsha

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is a phenomenological theory that describes the synthesis of light nuclei after a few seconds of the cosmic time in the primordial universe. The twelve nuclear reactions in the first few seconds of the cosmic history are constrained by factors such as baryon to photon ratio, number of neutrino families, and present day element abundances. The belief that the expansion of the universe must be slowed down by gravity, was defeated by the recent observation of an accelerated expansion of the universe. Friedmann equations, which describe the cosmic dynamics, need to be revised considering also the existence of dark matter, another recent astronomical observation. The effects of multiple parallel universes of dark matter (dark sectors) on the accelerated expansion of the universe are studied. Collectively, these additional effects will lead to a new cosmological model. We had developed a numerical code on BBN to address the effects of such dark sectors on the abundances of all the light elements. We have studied the effect of degrees of freedom of dark-matter in the early universe on primordial abundances of light elements. The predicted abundances of light elements are compared with observed constraints to obtain bounds on the number of dark sectors, NDM. Comparison of the obtained results with the observations during the BBN epoch shows that the number of dark matter sectors are only loosely constrained, and the dark matter sectors are colder than the ordinary matter sectors. Also, we verified that the existence of parallel dark matter sectors with colder temperatures does not affect the constraints set by observations on the number of neutrino families, Nnu .

Collaborating with the Private Sector

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

private sector, laws, Patriot Act, FISA, FAR, Intellectual Property, Antitrust Law, Title 10, Title 50, FOIA, FACA, data classification, culture...33 Intellectual Property...Patriot Act) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Intellectual Property Antitrust Law Title 10

Servicios del Centro de Soluciones Para la Energia Limpia (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2014-05-01

This is the Spanish translation of the Clean Energy Solutions Center Services fact sheet. The Clean Energy Solutions Center (Solutions Center) helps governments, advisors and analysts create policies and programs that advance the deployment of clean energy technologies. The Solutions Center partners with international organizations to provide online training, expert assistance, and technical resources on clean energy policy.

Servicios del Centro de Soluciones Para la Energia Limpia (Spanish Translation)

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

This is a Spanish translation of the Clean Energy Solutions Center fact sheet. The Solutions Center offers no-cost expert policy assistance, webinars and training forums, clean energy policy reports, data, and tools provided in partnership with more than 35 leading international and regional clean energy organizations.

Gauge mediation scenario with hidden sector renormalization in MSSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arai, Masato; Kawai, Shinsuke; Okada, Nobuchika

2010-02-01

We study the hidden sector effects on the mass renormalization of a simplest gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking scenario. We point out that possible hidden sector contributions render the soft scalar masses smaller, resulting in drastically different sparticle mass spectrum at low energy. In particular, in the 5+5¯ minimal gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking with high messenger scale (that is favored by the gravitino cold dark matter scenario), we show that a stau can be the next lightest superparticle for moderate values of hidden sector self-coupling. This provides a very simple theoretical model of long-lived charged next lightest superparticles, which imply distinctive signals in ongoing and upcoming collider experiments.

Public sector energy management: A strategy for catalyzing energy efficiency in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Anish Kumar

To date the public sector role in facilitating the transition to a sustainable energy future has been envisaged mainly from a regulatory perspective. In such a role, the public sector provides the push factors---enforcing regulations and providing incentives---to correct market imperfections that impede energy transitions. An alternative and complementary role of the public sector that is now gaining increasing attention is that of catalyzing energy transitions through public sector energy management initiatives. This dissertation offers a conceptual framework to rationalize such a role for the public sector by combining recent theories of sustainable energy transition and public management. In particular, the framework identifies innovative public management strategies (such as performance contracting and procurement) for effectively implementing sustainable energy projects in government facilities. The dissertation evaluates a model of sustainable public sector energy management for promoting energy efficiency in Malaysia. The public sector in Malaysia can be a major player in leading and catalyzing energy efficiency efforts as it is not only the largest and one of the most influential energy consumers, but it also plays a central role in setting national development strategy. The dissertation makes several recommendations on how a public sector energy management strategy can be implemented in Malaysia. The US Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is used as a practical model. The analysis, however, shows that in applying the FEMP model to the Malaysian context, there are a number of limitations that will have to be taken into consideration to enable a public sector energy management strategy to be effectively implemented. Overall the analysis of this dissertation contributes to a rethinking of the public sector role in sustainable energy development that can strengthen the sector's credibility both in terms of governance and institutional performance. In

Pay Premiums for Economic Sector and Race: A Decomposition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daymont, Thomas N.

Using data from the older men's file of the National Longitudinal Surveys, two issues related to the labor market implications of dual economy theory were examined: variations in rates of pay among economic sectors (competitive, monopoly, and public) and variation in relative opportunities for blacks across sectors. The primary analytical problem…

Suppressed supersymmetry breaking terms in the Higgs sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terao, Haruhiko; Kobayashi, Tatsuo

2004-07-01

We study the little hierarchy between mass parameters in the Higgs sector and other SUSY breaking masses. This type of spectrum can relieve the fine-tuning problem in the MSSM Higgs sector. Our scenario can be realized by superconformal dynamics. The spectrum in our scenario has significant implications in other phenomenological aspects like the relic abundance of the lightest neutralino and relaxation of the unbounded-from-below constraints.

Cross-sector Service Provision in Health and Social Care: An Umbrella Review.

PubMed

Winters, Shannon; Magalhaes, Lilian; Anne Kinsella, Elizabeth; Kothari, Anita

2016-04-08

Meeting the complex health needs of people often requires interaction among numerous different sectors. No one service can adequately respond to the diverse care needs of consumers. Providers working more effectively together is frequently touted as the solution. Cross-sector service provision is defined as independent, yet interconnected sectors working together to better meet the needs of consumers and improve the quality and effectiveness of service provision. Cross-sector service provision is expected, yet much remains unknown about how it is conceptualised or its impact on health status. This umbrella review aims to clarify the critical attributes that shape cross-sector service provision by presenting the current state of the literature and building on the findings of the 2004 review by Sloper. Literature related to cross-sector service provision is immense, which poses a challenge for decision makers wishing to make evidence-informed decisions. An umbrella review was conducted to articulate the overall state of cross-sector service provision literature and examine the evidence to allow for the discovery of consistencies and discrepancies across the published knowledge base. Sixteen reviews met the inclusion criteria. Seven themes emerged: Focusing on the consumer, developing a shared vision of care, leadership involvement, service provision across the boundaries, adequately resourcing the arrangement, developing novel arrangements or aligning with existing relationships, and strengthening connections between sectors. Future research from a cross-organisational, rather than individual provider, perspective is needed to better understand what shapes cross-sector service provision at the boundaries. Findings aligned closely with the work done by Sloper and raise red flags related to reinventing what is already known. Future researchers should look to explore novel areas rather than looking into areas that have been explored at length. Evaluations of out

JANE: efficient mapping of prokaryotic ESTs and variable length sequence reads on related template genomes

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background ESTs or variable sequence reads can be available in prokaryotic studies well before a complete genome is known. Use cases include (i) transcriptome studies or (ii) single cell sequencing of bacteria. Without suitable software their further analysis and mapping would have to await finalization of the corresponding genome. Results The tool JANE rapidly maps ESTs or variable sequence reads in prokaryotic sequencing and transcriptome efforts to related template genomes. It provides an easy-to-use graphics interface for information retrieval and a toolkit for EST or nucleotide sequence function prediction. Furthermore, we developed for rapid mapping an enhanced sequence alignment algorithm which reassembles and evaluates high scoring pairs provided from the BLAST algorithm. Rapid assembly on and replacement of the template genome by sequence reads or mapped ESTs is achieved. This is illustrated (i) by data from Staphylococci as well as from a Blattabacteria sequencing effort, (ii) mapping single cell sequencing reads is shown for poribacteria to sister phylum representative Rhodopirellula Baltica SH1. The algorithm has been implemented in a web-server accessible at http://jane.bioapps.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de. Conclusion Rapid prokaryotic EST mapping or mapping of sequence reads is achieved applying JANE even without knowing the cognate genome sequence. PMID:19943962

The QuEST for multi-sensor big data ISR situation understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Steven; Culbertson, Jared; Oxley, Mark; Clouse, H. Scott; Abayowa, Bernard; Patrick, James; Blasch, Erik; Trumpfheller, John

2016-05-01

The challenges for providing war fighters with the best possible actionable information from diverse sensing modalities using advances in big-data and machine learning are addressed in this paper. We start by presenting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) related big-data challenges associated with the Third Offset Strategy. Current approaches to big-data are shown to be limited with respect to reasoning/understanding. We present a discussion of what meaning making and understanding require. We posit that for human-machine collaborative solutions to address the requirements for the strategy a new approach, Qualia Exploitation of Sensor Technology (QuEST), will be required. The requirements for developing a QuEST theory of knowledge are discussed and finally, an engineering approach for achieving situation understanding is presented.

Emission projections of the transport Sector in China: 2015-2040

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, L.

2016-12-01

Driven by the significant growth freight and passenger transport demand, transport sector has become a sector that is largely responsible for increases in emissions of atmospheric pollutants (NOx, CO, HC, PM2.5) in China. Figuring out the emission trend in China's transport sector has great influence on formulating emission reduction measures in the future. In this work, both on-road and off-road transport emissions in China were estimated from 2015 to 2040 for CO, NOx, HC and PM2.5. The projection was conducted based on on the energy consumption structure forecast from IEA (International Energy Agency), the future national average annual distance traveled per vehicle and fuel consumption per distance derived from simulation results of the Fuel Economy and Environmental Impact (FEEI) model. The results show that the ownership of on-road vehicles in China increases rapidly during 2015 to 2030 and then the growth slows down. Finally, the total amount reaches up to 522 million in 2040 in which 84.5% turns out to be light-duty vehicles. Because current control legislations for the transport sector in China will continue to be strengthened in the future, the total emissions of China's transport sector were projected to peak around 2030, due to the improvement of vehicle emission standard and the retirement of old vehicles are the most effective measures. The off-road transport will become the main contributor to emissions from transport sector in China since 2030. This work provides a new perspective to understand emissions from both on-road and off-road transport in China, which can support the achievement of improving air quality promised by the Chinese government. This work provides a new perspective to understand the emission trends of on-road and off-road transport sector in China from 2015 to 2040, which can support the achievement of the air quality goal promised by the Chinese government. Driven by the significant growth freight and passenger transport demand

The Free Trade Agreement and the Mexican health sector.

PubMed

Laurell, A C; Ortega, M E

1992-01-01

This article presents a discussion of the probable implications for the Mexican health sector of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The authors argue that the FTA should be seen as part of neoliberal policies adopted by the Mexican government in 1983 that are based on large-scale privatization and deregulation of labor relations. In this general context the health sector, which traditionally has been dominated by public institutions, is undergoing a deep restructuring. The main trends are the decapitalization of the public sector and a selective process of privatization that tends to constitute the private health sector in a field of capital accumulation. The FTA is likely to force a change in Mexican health legislation, which includes health services in the public social security system and recognizes the right to health, and to accelerate selective privatization. The U.S. insurance industry and hospital corporations are interested in promoting these changes in order to gain access to the Mexican market, estimated at 20 to 25 million persons. This would lead to further deterioration of the public institutions, increasing inequalities in health and strengthening the private sector. The historical trend toward the integration of a National Health Service in Mexico would be interrupted in favor of formation of a dual private-public system.

Assessing global resource utilization efficiency in the industrial sector.

PubMed

Rosen, Marc A

2013-09-01

Designing efficient energy systems, which also meet economic, environmental and other objectives and constraints, is a significant challenge. In a world with finite natural resources and large energy demands, it is important to understand not just actual efficiencies, but also limits to efficiency, as the latter identify margins for efficiency improvement. Energy analysis alone is inadequate, e.g., it yields energy efficiencies that do not provide limits to efficiency. To obtain meaningful and useful efficiencies for energy systems, and to clarify losses, exergy analysis is a beneficial and useful tool. Here, the global industrial sector and industries within it are assessed by using energy and exergy methods. The objective is to improve the understanding of the efficiency of global resource use in the industrial sector and, with this information, to facilitate the development, prioritization and ultimate implementation of rational improvement options. Global energy and exergy flow diagrams for the industrial sector are developed and overall efficiencies for the global industrial sector evaluated as 51% based on energy and 30% based on exergy. Consequently, exergy analysis indicates a less efficient picture of energy use in the global industrial sector than does energy analysis. A larger margin for improvement exists from an exergy perspective, compared to the overly optimistic margin indicated by energy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

To Profit or Not to Profit: The Private Higher Education Sector in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salto, Dante J.

2018-01-01

Brazil has by far the largest higher education system in Latin America, with a sizable share of students enrolled in private-sector institutions. Its recently established and fast-growing for-profit sector is one of the largest worldwide. The for-profit sector already surpasses the public sector in student enrollment, and its role is growing.…

Public sector hospitals and organizational change: an agenda for policy analysis.

PubMed

Collins, C; Green, A

1999-01-01

An important feature of health care systems in recent years is the change in the organizational position and relations of public sector hospitals. Health sector reforms have led to increasing heterogeneity in the organizational location and status of public sector hospitals and new organizational forms of public-private relations are being developed by and for hospitals. These changes can have important implications for health and health care. They raise issues around equity, control, accountability and performance of health care. Yet the policy process in practice may be failing to develop and implement appropriate forms of policy formulation on health sector reform. This paper focuses on the organizational position and relations of hospitals within public sector health services. It firstly outlines key elements of health sector reform and relates these to two dimensions of organizational change for hospitals: increasing heterogeneity and forms of public-private relations. The paper provides a descriptive format for classifying forms of hospital organizational change and proposes a framework of six questions for analysing these organizational forms. This may be used to assess the appropriateness of specific policies to particular country situations and to develop more open debate around hospital organizational forms.

Investigating the Effect of Syrian Refugees on the Pharmaceutical Sector in Jordan.

PubMed

Daher, Amirah; Alabbadi, Ibrahim

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Syrian refugees on the pharmaceutical sector in Jordan. Based on a standardized methodology developed by the WHO, Level II Facility (2009) structured questionnaires (including: medicine access [availability, affordability and geographical accessibility], quality, and rational use of medicines) were used to investigate the effect of Syrian refugees influx on the pharmaceutical sector in Jordan. Lists of essential medicines (N = 50) were included in the survey forms. The results showed more progress in all indicators for the public sector compared with the previous results in the 2009 survey and in comparison to the private sector. For example, access to medicines improved in the public sector while it decreased (if it did not remain the same) in the private sector. Also, average stock out duration time decreased dramatically in both public and private sectors. As indicated by the median price ratio (MPR), brand prices increased much in the public health facilities while they decreased by 23%-30% in the private sector. In northern areas where most Syrian refugees stay, a significant decrease in availability was noticed, in addition to the dramatic decrease in days of average stock out and adequate inventory record percentage of those medicines. In conclusion, despite the international help received to support health care provision and medications procurement for the refugees, more support is needed immediately.

Is Satisfaction with the Acute-Care Experience Higher amongst Consumers Treated in the Private Sector? A Survey of Public and Private Sector Arthroplasty Recipients.

PubMed

Naylor, Justine M; Descallar, Joseph; Grootemaat, Mechteld; Badge, Helen; Harris, Ian A; Simpson, Grahame; Jenkin, Deanne

2016-01-01

Consumer satisfaction with the acute-care experience could reasonably be expected to be higher amongst those treated in the private sector compared to those treated in the public sector given the former relies on high-level satisfaction of its consumers and their subsequent recommendations to thrive. The primary aims of this study were to determine, in a knee or hip arthroplasty cohort, if surgery in the private sector predicts greater overall satisfaction with the acute-care experience and greater likelihood to recommend the same hospital. A secondary aim was to determine whether satisfaction across a range of service domains is also higher in the private sector. A telephone survey was conducted 35 days post-surgery. The hospital cohort comprised eight public and seven private high-volume arthroplasty providers. Consumers rated overall satisfaction with care out of 100 and likeliness to recommend their hospital on a 5-point Likert scale. Additional Likert-style questions were asked covering specific service domains. Generalized estimating equation models were used to analyse overall satisfaction (dichotomised as ≥ 90 or < 90) and future recommendations for care (dichotomised as 'definitely recommend' or 'other'), whilst controlling for covariates. The proportions of consumers in each sector reporting the best Likert response for each individual domain were compared using non-parametric tests. 457 survey respondents (n = 210 private) were included. Less patient-reported joint impairment pre-surgery [OR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01-1.05)] and absence of an acute complication (OR 2.13 95% CI 1.41-3.23) significantly predicted higher overall satisfaction. Hip arthroplasty [OR 1.84 (1.1-2.96)] and an absence of an acute complication [OR 2.31 (1.28-4.17] significantly predicted greater likelihood for recommending the hospital. The only care domains where the private out-performed the public sector were hospitality (46.7 vs 35.6%, p <0.01) and frequency of surgeon visitation (76

Forestry sector analysis for developing countries: issues and methods.

Treesearch

R.W. Haynes

1993-01-01

A satellite meeting of the 10th Forestry World Congress focused on the methods used for forest sector analysis and their applications in both developed and developing countries. The results of that meeting are summarized, and a general approach for forest sector modeling is proposed. The approach includes models derived from the existing...

Employment Profile of the Service Sector in Selected Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bednarzik, Robert W.

The rise of the service sector is a major trend common to all western, industrialized countries. Employment in the service sector has increased in 1960-1986 in all 10 countries participating in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Human Resources project (Japan, Belgium, France,…

Time series GHG emission estimates for residential, commercial, agriculture and fisheries sectors in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, Riya Rachel

2018-04-01

Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are the major cause of global warming and climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main GHG emitted through human activities, at the household level, by burning fuels for cooking and lighting. As per the 2006 methodology of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the energy sector is divided into various sectors like electricity generation, transport, fugitive, 'other' sectors, etc. The 'other' sectors under energy include residential, commercial, agriculture and fisheries. Time series GHG emission estimates were prepared for the residential, commercial, agriculture and fisheries sectors in India, for the time period 2005 to 2014, to understand the historical emission changes in 'other' sector. Sectoral activity data, with respect to fuel consumption, were collected from various ministry reports like Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Statistics, Energy Statistics, etc. The default emission factor(s) from IPCC 2006 were used to calculate the emissions for each activity and sector-wise CO2, CH4, N2O and CO2e emissions were compiled. It was observed that the residential sector generates the highest GHG emissions, followed by the agriculture/fisheries and commercial sector. In the residential sector, LPG, kerosene, and fuelwood are the major contributors of emissions, whereas diesel is the main contributor to the commercial, agriculture and fisheries sectors. CO2e emissions have been observed to rise at a cumulative annual growth rate of 0.6%, 9.11%, 7.94% and 5.26% for the residential, commercial, agriculture and fisheries sectors, respectively. In addition to the above, a comparative study of the sectoral inventories from the national inventories, published by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, for 2007 and 2010 was also performed.

Third sector primary health care in New Zealand.

PubMed

Crampton, P; Dowell, A C; Bowers, S

2000-03-24

To describe key organisational characteristics of selected third sector (non-profit and non-government) primary health care organisations. Data were collected, in 1997 and 1998, from 15 third sector primary care organisations that were members of a network of third sector primary care providers, Health Care Aotearoa (HCA). Data were collected by face-to-face interviews of managers and key informants using a semi-structured interview schedule, and from practice computer information systems. Overall the populations served were young: only 4% of patients were aged 65 years or older, and the ethnicity profile was highly atypical, with 21.8% European, 36% Maori, 22.7% Pacific Island, 12% other, and 7.5% not stated. Community services card holding rates were higher than recorded in other studies, and registered patients tended to live in highly deprived areas. HCA organisations had high patient to doctor ratios, in general over 2000:1, and there were significant differences in management structures between HCA practices and more traditional general practice. Third sector organisations provide services for populations that are disadvantaged in many respects. It is likely that New Zealand will continue to develop a diverse range of primary care organisational arrangements. Effort is now required to measure quality and effectiveness of services provided by different primary care organisations serving comparable populations.

Analysis of Survivor Benefit Plan - Acceptance and Comparison with Private Sector

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

I COPY AIU WAR COLLEGE ,.SEARCH REPORT ,YSIS OF SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN-__CCEPTANCE ’-U AND COMPARISON WITH PRIVATE SECTOR LIEUENNT COLONEL JOHN R...AAA AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN--ACCEPTANCE AND COMPARISON WITH PRIVATE SECTOR by John R. Adams Lieutenant...Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)--Acceptance and Comparison With Private Sector . AUTHORS: John R. Adams, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF; Daniel 3. Kohn

Real & Financial Sectors, ``koq Financenaann..'' & Elbio Dagotto's Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maksoed, Wh-

2016-10-01

In conjunctions between PMRI/Pendidikan Matematika Realistik Indonesia fom Dr. RK Sembiring to ``ASTRANOMICS'': the New Reality in Business Aviation herewith provided `interaction between real & financial sector' and financialisation from Heinrich Bortis: ``the Real & Financial Sector of a Monetary Production Economy in the perspective of classical-Keynesian political economy'' ever specifies ``sector Riil'' from HE. Mr. Ir. Aburizal Bakrie. Instead describes the context of CMR/Colossal Magnetoresistance cq Carlos SLIM, the richest entrepreneur in the world 2014 also obtaines Dagotto & Tokura: ``Strongly correlated Electronic Materials: Present & Future'',MRS Bulletin, Nov, 2008. Ever existed of UN Secretary General Kofie Atta Annan, for Lih-AT TA-ruh di mana?'' are ```koq Financenaann..?'' in-between conjunctions. CMR are other notions of GiantMagnetoresistance from Fert & Grundberg who awarded with Nobel Prize in Physics, 2007. Heartfelt Gratitudes to HE. Mr. Prof. Ir. HANDOJO.

Protein sectors: evolutionary units of three-dimensional structure

PubMed Central

Halabi, Najeeb; Rivoire, Olivier; Leibler, Stanislas; Ranganathan, Rama

2011-01-01

Proteins display a hierarchy of structural features at primary, secondary, tertiary, and higher-order levels, an organization that guides our current understanding of their biological properties and evolutionary origins. Here, we reveal a structural organization distinct from this traditional hierarchy by statistical analysis of correlated evolution between amino acids. Applied to the S1A serine proteases, the analysis indicates a decomposition of the protein into three quasi-independent groups of correlated amino acids that we term “protein sectors”. Each sector is physically connected in the tertiary structure, has a distinct functional role, and constitutes an independent mode of sequence divergence in the protein family. Functionally relevant sectors are evident in other protein families as well, suggesting that they may be general features of proteins. We propose that sectors represent a structural organization of proteins that reflects their evolutionary histories. PMID:19703402

Physiological adaptation during short distance triathlon swimming and cycling sectors simulation.

PubMed

González-Haro, Carlos; González-de-Suso, José Manuel; Padulles, Josep Ma; Drobnic, Franchek; Escanero, Jesús Fernando

2005-11-15

The aim of this study was to typify cardiorespiratory and metabolic adaptation capacity at race pace of high-level triathletes during simulations of short distance triathlon swimming sector, first transition and cycling sector. Six national and international-level triathletes performed a 1500 m swimming trial followed by a transition and one hour on ergocycle at race pace, with sequenced measures of blood lactate concentration, gas exchange and heart rate recording. The mean speed obtained in the swimming sector was 1.29+/-0.07 m s(-1), matching 98+/-2% of MAS (Maximal Aerobic Speed), lactate concentration 6.8+/-2.1 mM and heart rate 162+/-15 beats min(-1). In the cycling sector, the mean power was 266+/-34 W, matching 77+/-10% of MAP (Maximal Aerobic Power), oxygen uptake 3788+/-327 mL min(-1) (82.8% of VO2max), heart rate 162+/-13 beats min(-1) (92% of maximal HR) and ventilation 112.8+/-20.8 L min(-1). MAS was correlated with performance in swimming sector (r = 0.944; P < 0.05). Despite intake 1.08+/-0.44 L of a solution with 8% of sugars, a significant loss of body weight (2.80%; P < 0.01) was observed. Changes in cycling power, speed and frequency, especially towards the end of the effort, were also found. By contrast, differences in lactate concentration and in cardiorespiratory or metabolic variables between the end of the swimming sector and the end of the first transition did not appear. In conclusion, this study remarks different relative intensities in cycling and swimming sectors. The observed loss of body weight does not modify pedalling economy in national and international-level athletes during the cycling sector, where effort intensity adapts itself to the one found in individual lactate threshold. However, changes in competition tactics and other effects, such as drafting in swimming and cycling, could alter the intensities established in this study for each sector.

Social influence, agent heterogeneity and the emergence of the urban informal sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Díaz, César; Moreno-Monroy, Ana I.

2012-02-01

We develop an agent-based computational model in which the urban informal sector acts as a buffer where rural migrants can earn some income while queuing for higher paying modern-sector jobs. In the model, the informal sector emerges as a result of rural-urban migration decisions of heterogeneous agents subject to social influence in the form of neighboring effects of varying strengths. Besides using a multinomial logit choice model that allows for agent idiosyncrasy, explicit agent heterogeneity is introduced in the form of socio-demographic characteristics preferred by modern-sector employers. We find that different combinations of the strength of social influence and the socio-economic composition of the workforce lead to very different urbanization and urban informal sector shares. In particular, moderate levels of social influence and a large proportion of rural inhabitants with preferred socio-demographic characteristics are conducive to a higher urbanization rate and a larger informal sector.

Drought disaster vulnerability mapping of agricultural sector in Bringin District, Semarang Regency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, D. R.; Pigawati, B.

2018-02-01

Agriculture sector is a sector that is directly affected by drought. The phenomenon of drought disaster on agriculture sector has occurred in Semarang regency. One of districts in Semarang which is affected by drought is Bringin district. Bringin district is a productive agricultural area. However, the district experienced the most severe drought in 2015. The question research of this study is, “How is the spatial distribution of drought vulnerability on agriculture sector in Bringin district, Semarang regency?” The purpose of this study is to determine the spatial distribution of drought vulnerability on agriculture sector to village units in Bringin district. This study investigated drought vulnerability based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by analyzing exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity through mapping process. This study used quantitative approach. There were formulation analysis, scoring analysis, and overlay analysis. Drought vulnerability on agriculture sector in Bringin district was divided into three categories: low, medium, and high.

Multidimensional supersymmetric quantum mechanics: spurious states for the tensor sector two Hamiltonian.

PubMed

Chou, Chia-Chun; Kouri, Donald J

2013-04-25

We show that there exist spurious states for the sector two tensor Hamiltonian in multidimensional supersymmetric quantum mechanics. For one-dimensional supersymmetric quantum mechanics on an infinite domain, the sector one and two Hamiltonians have identical spectra with the exception of the ground state of the sector one. For tensorial multidimensional supersymmetric quantum mechanics, there exist normalizable spurious states for the sector two Hamiltonian with energy equal to the ground state energy of the sector one. These spurious states are annihilated by the adjoint charge operator, and hence, they do not correspond to physical states for the original Hamiltonian. The Hermitian property of the sector two Hamiltonian implies the orthogonality between spurious and physical states. In addition, we develop a method for construction of a specific form of the spurious states for any quantum system and also generate several spurious states for a two-dimensional anharmonic oscillator system and for the hydrogen atom.

First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao.

PubMed

Ferraz Dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses; Micheli, Fabienne; Marcellino, Lucilia Helena

2016-01-01

The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches' broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively.

First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao

PubMed Central

Ferraz dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses

2016-01-01

The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches’ broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively. PMID:26949967

European scale climate information services for water use sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Vliet, Michelle T. H.; Donnelly, Chantal; Strömbäck, Lena; Capell, René; Ludwig, Fulco

2015-09-01

This study demonstrates a climate information service for pan-European water use sectors that are vulnerable to climate change induced hydrological changes, including risk and safety (disaster preparedness), agriculture, energy (hydropower and cooling water use for thermoelectric power) and environment (water quality). To study the climate change impacts we used two different hydrological models forced with an ensemble of bias-corrected general circulation model (GCM) output for both the lowest (2.6) and highest (8.5) representative concentration pathways (RCP). Selected indicators of water related vulnerability for each sector were then calculated from the hydrological model results. Our results show a distinct north-south divide in terms of climate change impacts; in the south the water availability will reduce while in the north water availability will increase. Across different climate models precipitation and streamflow increase in northern Europe and decrease in southern Europe, but the latitude at which this change occurs varies depending on the GCM. Hydrological extremes are increasing over large parts of Europe. The agricultural sector will be affected by reduced water availability (in the south) and increased drought. Both streamflow and soil moistures droughts are projected to increase in most parts of Europe except in northern Scandinavia and the Alps. The energy sector will be affected by lower hydropower potential in most European countries and reduced cooling water availability due to higher water temperatures and reduced summer river flows. Our results show that in particular in the Mediterranean the pressures are high because of increasing drought which will have large impacts on both the agriculture and energy sectors. In France and Italy this is combined with increased flood hazards. Our results show important impacts of climate change on European water use sectors indicating a clear need for adaptation.

ICT and Web Technology Based Innovations in Education Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sangeeta Namdev, Dhamdhere

2012-01-01

ICT made real magic and drastic changes in all service sectors along with higher education and library practices and services. The academic environment is changing from formal education to distance and online learning mode because of ICT. Web technology and mobile technology has made great impact on education sector. The role of Open Access,…

Sectoral networks and macroeconomic tail risks in an emerging economy.

PubMed

Romero, Pedro P; López, Ricardo; Jiménez, Carlos

2018-01-01

This paper aims to explain the macroeconomic volatility due to microeconomic shocks to one or several sectors, recognizing the non-symmetrical relation in the interaction among the Ecuadorian economic sectors. To grasp the economic structure of this emerging economy, a statistical analysis of network data is applied to the respective input-output matrix of Ecuador from 1975 until 2012. We find periods wherein the production of domestic inputs is concentrated in a few suppliers; for example, in 2010, the concentration significantly affects sectors and their downstream providers, thus influencing aggregate volatility. Compared to the US productive structure, this emerging economy presents fewer sectors and degree distributions with less extreme fat-tail behavior. In this simpler economy, we continue to find a link between microeconomic shocks and aggregate volatility. Two new theoretical propositions are introduced to formalize our results.

Sectoral networks and macroeconomic tail risks in an emerging economy

PubMed Central

López, Ricardo; Jiménez, Carlos

2018-01-01

This paper aims to explain the macroeconomic volatility due to microeconomic shocks to one or several sectors, recognizing the non-symmetrical relation in the interaction among the Ecuadorian economic sectors. To grasp the economic structure of this emerging economy, a statistical analysis of network data is applied to the respective input-output matrix of Ecuador from 1975 until 2012. We find periods wherein the production of domestic inputs is concentrated in a few suppliers; for example, in 2010, the concentration significantly affects sectors and their downstream providers, thus influencing aggregate volatility. Compared to the US productive structure, this emerging economy presents fewer sectors and degree distributions with less extreme fat-tail behavior. In this simpler economy, we continue to find a link between microeconomic shocks and aggregate volatility. Two new theoretical propositions are introduced to formalize our results. PMID:29293567