Sample records for develop alternative strategies

  1. Management Development: A Need or a Luxury?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tasca, Anthony J.

    1975-01-01

    Focusing on management development, the article suggest alternative ways for training and development professionals to adapt to economic cycle-related periods of feast or famine. Diagnosis, personnel management strategy, measurement, and alternative strategies are topics considered. (MW)

  2. Resources Management Strategy For Mud Crabs (Scylla spp.) In Pemalang Regency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Purnama Fitri, Aristi Dian; Boesono, Herry; Sabdono, Agus; Adlina, Nadia

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this research is to develop resources management strategies of mud crab (Scylla spp.) in Pemalang Regency. The method used is descriptive survey in a case study. This research used primary data and secondary data. Primary data were collected through field observations and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Secondary data were collected from related publications and documents issued by the competent institutions. SWOT Analysis was used to inventory the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. TOWS matrix was used to develop an alternative of resources management strategies. SWOT analysis was obtained by 6 alternative strategies that can be applied for optimization of fisheries development in Pemalang Regency. The strategies is the control of mud crab fishing gear, restricted size allowable in mud crab, control of mud crab fishing season, catch monitoring of mud crab, needs a management institutions which ensure the implementation of the regulation, and implementation for mud crab aquaculture. Each alternative strategy can be synergized to optimize the resources development in Pemalang Regency.

  3. Development of alternative sulfur dioxide control strategies for a metropolitan area and its environs, utilizing a modified climatological dispersion model

    Treesearch

    K. J. Skipka; D. B. Smith

    1977-01-01

    Alternative control strategies were developed for achieving compliance with ambient air quality standards in Portland, Maine, and its environs, using a modified climatological dispersion model (CDM) and manipulating the sulfur content of the fuel oil consumed in four concentric zones. Strategies were evaluated for their impact on ambient air quality, economics, and...

  4. Linking linear programming and spatial simulation models to predict landscape effects of forest management alternatives

    Treesearch

    Eric J. Gustafson; L. Jay Roberts; Larry A. Leefers

    2006-01-01

    Forest management planners require analytical tools to assess the effects of alternative strategies on the sometimes disparate benefits from forests such as timber production and wildlife habitat. We assessed the spatial patterns of alternative management strategies by linking two models that were developed for different purposes. We used a linear programming model (...

  5. STRATOP: A Model for Designing Effective Product and Communication Strategies. Paper No. 470.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pessemier, Edgar A.

    The STRATOP algorithm was developed to help planners and proponents find and test effectively designed choice objects and communication strategies. Choice objects can range from complex social, scientific, military, or educational alternatives to simple economic alternatives between assortments of branded convenience goods. Two classes of measured…

  6. Hunters' acceptability of the surveillance system and alternative surveillance strategies for classical swine fever in wild boar - a participatory approach.

    PubMed

    Schulz, Katja; Calba, Clémentine; Peyre, Marisa; Staubach, Christoph; Conraths, Franz J

    2016-09-06

    Surveillance measures can only be effective if key players in the system accept them. Acceptability, which describes the willingness of persons to contribute, is often analyzed using participatory methods. Participatory epidemiology enables the active involvement of key players in the assessment of epidemiological issues. In the present study, we used a participatory method recently developed by CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement) to evaluate the functionality and acceptability of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) surveillance in wild boar in Germany, which is highly dependent on the participation of hunters. The acceptability of alternative surveillance strategies was also analyzed. By conducting focus group discussions, potential vulnerabilities in the system were detected and feasible alternative surveillance strategies identified. Trust in the current surveillance system is high, whereas the acceptability of the operation of the system is medium. Analysis of the acceptability of alternative surveillance strategies showed how risk-based surveillance approaches can be combined to develop strategies that have sufficient support and functionality. Furthermore, some surveillance strategies were clearly rejected by the hunters. Thus, the implementation of such strategies may be difficult. Participatory methods can be used to evaluate the functionality and acceptability of existing surveillance plans for CSF among hunters and to optimize plans regarding their chances of successful implementation.

  7. Telemetry with an Optical Fiber Revisited: An Alternative Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kraftmakher, Yaakov

    2014-01-01

    With a new data-acquisition system developed by PASCO scientific, an experiment on telemetry with an optical fiber can be made easier and more accurate. For this aim, an alternative strategy of the remote temperature measurements is proposed: the frequency of light pulses transmitted via the light guide numerically equals the temperature using…

  8. How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Majuru, Batsirai; Suhrcke, Marc; Hunter, Paul R

    2016-12-09

    Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for drinking water was met, in many developing countries water supplies are unreliable. This paper reviews how households in developing countries cope with unreliable water supplies, including coping costs, the distribution of coping costs across socio-economic groups, and effectiveness of coping strategies in meeting household water needs. Structured searches were conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature in electronic databases and search engines, and 28 studies were selected for review, out of 1643 potentially relevant references. Studies were included if they reported on strategies to cope with unreliable household water supplies and were based on empirical research in developing countries. Common coping strategies include drilling wells, storing water, and collecting water from alternative sources. The choice of coping strategies is influenced by income, level of education, land tenure and extent of unreliability. The findings of this review highlight that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from alternative sources, which is labour and time-intensive, and yields smaller quantities of water. Such alternative sources may be of lower water quality, and pose health risks. In the absence of dramatic improvements in the reliability of water supplies, a point of critical avenue of enquiry should be what coping strategies are effective and can be readily adopted by low income households.

  9. How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Majuru, Batsirai; Suhrcke, Marc; Hunter, Paul R.

    2016-01-01

    Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for drinking water was met, in many developing countries water supplies are unreliable. This paper reviews how households in developing countries cope with unreliable water supplies, including coping costs, the distribution of coping costs across socio-economic groups, and effectiveness of coping strategies in meeting household water needs. Structured searches were conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature in electronic databases and search engines, and 28 studies were selected for review, out of 1643 potentially relevant references. Studies were included if they reported on strategies to cope with unreliable household water supplies and were based on empirical research in developing countries. Common coping strategies include drilling wells, storing water, and collecting water from alternative sources. The choice of coping strategies is influenced by income, level of education, land tenure and extent of unreliability. The findings of this review highlight that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from alternative sources, which is labour and time-intensive, and yields smaller quantities of water. Such alternative sources may be of lower water quality, and pose health risks. In the absence of dramatic improvements in the reliability of water supplies, a point of critical avenue of enquiry should be what coping strategies are effective and can be readily adopted by low income households. PMID:27941695

  10. An index-based robust decision making framework for watershed management in a changing climate.

    PubMed

    Kim, Yeonjoo; Chung, Eun-Sung

    2014-03-01

    This study developed an index-based robust decision making framework for watershed management dealing with water quantity and quality issues in a changing climate. It consists of two parts of management alternative development and analysis. The first part for alternative development consists of six steps: 1) to understand the watershed components and process using HSPF model, 2) to identify the spatial vulnerability ranking using two indices: potential streamflow depletion (PSD) and potential water quality deterioration (PWQD), 3) to quantify the residents' preferences on water management demands and calculate the watershed evaluation index which is the weighted combinations of PSD and PWQD, 4) to set the quantitative targets for water quantity and quality, 5) to develop a list of feasible alternatives and 6) to eliminate the unacceptable alternatives. The second part for alternative analysis has three steps: 7) to analyze all selected alternatives with a hydrologic simulation model considering various climate change scenarios, 8) to quantify the alternative evaluation index including social and hydrologic criteria with utilizing multi-criteria decision analysis methods and 9) to prioritize all options based on a minimax regret strategy for robust decision. This framework considers the uncertainty inherent in climate models and climate change scenarios with utilizing the minimax regret strategy, a decision making strategy under deep uncertainty and thus this procedure derives the robust prioritization based on the multiple utilities of alternatives from various scenarios. In this study, the proposed procedure was applied to the Korean urban watershed, which has suffered from streamflow depletion and water quality deterioration. Our application shows that the framework provides a useful watershed management tool for incorporating quantitative and qualitative information into the evaluation of various policies with regard to water resource planning and management. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Alternative energy resources for MoDOT

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-02-01

    This research investigates environmentally friendly alternative energy sources that could be used by MoDOT in various areas, and develops applicable and sustainable strategies to implement those energy sources.

  12. Oil substitution and energy saving - A research and development strategy of the International Energy Agency /IEA/

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rath-Nagel, S.

    1981-03-01

    Systems analyses were carried out by the International Energy Agency for the participating 15 countries in order to work out strategies and scenarios for lessening the dependence on imported oil and for developing new energy technologies. MARKAL model computations show the technology and energy mixes necessary for achieving a reduction of oil imports by two thirds over the next 40 years. The scenario 'high social security' examines the projected rise in energy consumption, the development of oil substitutes, the increase in alternative heating sources, the development of markets for liquid energy products, the demand for gas, and the relative usage of various energy generation methods. The recommended strategy involves as the most important points an increase in coal consumption, greater nuclear energy reliance and development of alternative technologies.

  13. Alternative energy resources for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-01-01

    This research investigates environmentally friendly alternative energy sources that could be used by MoDOT in various areas, and develops applicable and sustainable strategies to implement those energy sources.

  14. Fish Alternatives in Environmental Risk Assessment: Overview of the Current Landscape

    EPA Science Inventory

    The need for alternative testing strategies has recently expanded into the realm of environmental risk assessment leading to the development of new alternatives to standard aquatic vertebrate testing such as the OECD 203 acute fish toxicity test. The fish embryo test (FET) is one...

  15. The role of selective attention and action selection in the development of multiple action capabilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simione, Luca; Nolfi, Stefano

    2014-10-01

    In this paper we illustrate how the capacity to select the most appropriate actions when handling contexts affording multiple conflicting actions can be solved either through a selective attention strategy (in which the stimuli affording alternative actions are filtered out at the perceptual level through top-down regulation) or at later processing stages through an action selection strategy (through the suppression of the premotor information eliciting alternative actions). By carrying out a series of experiments in which a neuro-robot develops an ability to choose between conflicting actions, we were able to identify the conditions that lead to the development of solutions based on one strategy or another. Overall, the results indicate that the selective attention strategy constitutes the most simple and straightforward mechanism enabling the acquisition of such capacities. Moreover, the characteristics of the adaptive/learning process influence whether the adaptive robot converges towards a selective attention and/or action selection strategy.

  16. OPTIMIZATION OF INTEGRATED URBAN WET-WEATHER CONTROL STRATEGIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    An optimization method for urban wet weather control (WWC) strategies is presented. The developed optimization model can be used to determine the most cost-effective strategies for the combination of centralized storage-release systems and distributed on-site WWC alternatives. T...

  17. 40 CFR 51.110 - Attainment and maintenance of national standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Control Strategy...) During developing of the plan, EPA encourages States to identify alternative control strategies, as well...

  18. New Tool for Benefit-Cost Analysis in Evaluating Transportation Alternatives

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-01

    The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) emphasizes assessment of multi-modal alternatives and demand management strategies. In 1995, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed a corridor sketch planning tool called the S...

  19. Contributions of Alternative (Nonformal) Education in Developing Countries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koech, Michael Kipkorir

    An analysis of two alternative (nonformal) rural education projects provides data on Rural Craft Training Centers (RCTC's) in Kenya and the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement (SSM) in Sri Lanka. The RCTC objective is to design pilot rural development strategies for expanding income in selected poor; the SSM objective is to build a "righteous…

  20. Towards Community-Based Communication Intervention for Severely Handicapped Children. Report ASS/BBS-48.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alant, Erna

    This report describes the development of a community-based service for the implementation of augmentative and alternative communication strategies with regard to children with severe disabilities in South Africa. The intervention process was developed by the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication of the University of Pretoria. The…

  1. Virulence Factor Targeting of the Bacterial Pathogen Staphylococcus aureus for Vaccine and Therapeutics

    PubMed Central

    Kane, Trevor L.; Carothers, Katelyn E.; Lee, Shaun W.

    2018-01-01

    Background Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen capable of causing a range of infections in humans from gastrointestinal disease, skin and soft tissue infections, to severe outcomes such as sepsis. Staphylococcal infections in humans can be frequent and recurring, with treatments becoming less effective due to the growing persistence of antibiotic resistant S. aureus strains. Due to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance, and the current limitations on antibiotic development, an active and highly promising avenue of research has been to develop strategies to specifically inhibit the activity of virulence factors produced S. aureus as an alternative means to treat disease. Objective In this review we specifically highlight several major virulence factors produced by S. aureus for which recent advances in antivirulence approaches may hold promise as an alternative means to treating diseases caused by this pathogen. Strategies to inhibit virulence factors can range from small molecule inhibitors, to antibodies, to mutant and toxoid forms of the virulence proteins. Conclusion The major prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus combined with the lack of new antibiotic discoveries highlight the need for vigorous research into alternative strategies to combat diseases caused by this highly successful pathogen. Current efforts to develop specific antivirulence strategies, vaccine approaches, and alternative therapies for treating severe disease caused by S. aureus have the potential to stem the tide against the limitations that we face in the post-antibiotic era. PMID:27894236

  2. Universalizing Education: Strategies for the Development and Use of Instructional Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

    The deliberations of representatives from eleven Asian Unesco member countries focus on alternative approaches to identification of needs and resources as a basis for curriculum development, strategies and methodologies adopted in translating the curriculum into teaching learning materials and learning aids, training of teachers, problems involved…

  3. From Symphony to Jazz: The Concept of Strategy in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Les

    1998-01-01

    Considers derivation of the strategy concept and its deployment as a managerial planning technique. Examines the related growth of school development planning, exploring ways it might be considered strategic. Using strategy in organizations is no longer either possible or appropriate. Proposes an alternative planning basis derived from marginal…

  4. Administrative Arrangements and a Curriculum for a University Training Programme for Adult Educators in Hong Kong.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shak Wai Han, Therese

    The feasibility of introducing a university training program for adult education in Hong Kong was investigated. A system approach to needs assessment was developed based on six steps: (1) identify problems based on needs, (2) determine a solution and identify alternatives, (3) select solution strategies from among alternatives, (4) develop the…

  5. Novice Explanations of Hurricane Formation Offer Insights into Scientific Literacy and the Development of Expert-Like Conceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arthurs, Leilani A.; Van Den Broeke, Matthew S.

    2016-01-01

    The ability to explain scientific phenomena is a key feature of scientific literacy, and engaging students' prior knowledge, especially their alternate conceptions, is an effective strategy for enhancing scientific literacy and developing expertise. The gap in knowledge about the alternate conceptions that novices have about many of Earth's…

  6. Free electron lasers for 13nm EUV lithography: RF design strategies to minimise investment and operational costs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keens, Simon; Rossa, Bernhard; Frei, Marcel

    2016-03-01

    As the semiconductor industry proceeds to develop ever better sources of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light for photolithography applications, two distinct technologies have come to prominence: Tin-plasma and free electron laser (FEL) sources. Tin plasma sources have been in development within the industry for many years, and have been widely reported. Meanwhile, FELs represent the most promising alternative to create high power EUV frequencies and, while tin-plasma source development has been ongoing, such lasers have been continuously developed by academic institutions for use in fundamental research programmes in conjunction with universities and national scientific institutions. This paper follows developments in the field of academic FELs, and presents information regarding novel technologies, specifically in the area of RF design strategy, that may be incorporated into future industrial FEL systems for EUV lithography in order to minimize the necessary investment and operational costs. It goes on to try to assess the cost-benefit of an alternate RF design strategy, based upon previous studies.

  7. Development of the Coping Flexibility Scale: Evidence for the Coping Flexibility Hypothesis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kato, Tsukasa

    2012-01-01

    "Coping flexibility" was defined as the ability to discontinue an ineffective coping strategy (i.e., evaluation coping) and produce and implement an alternative coping strategy (i.e., adaptive coping). The Coping Flexibility Scale (CFS) was developed on the basis of this definition. Five studies involving approximately 4,400 Japanese…

  8. An Employment Service Research and Development Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aller, Curtis C.; And Others

    The report presents a strategy developed by an outside research group for the manpower administration which would: (1) identify and organize the questions facing the U.S. Employment Service (ES), (2) set priorities among the questions, and (3) outline alternative approaches for answering the questions. The study was undertaken in order to clarify…

  9. Multi-Modal Traveler Information System - Alternative GCM Corridor Technologies and Strategies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-10-24

    The purpose of this working paper is to summarize current and evolving Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies and strategies related to the design, development, and deployment of regional multi-modal traveler information systems. This r...

  10. Role-Playing in Science Education: An Effective Strategy for Developing Multiple Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howes, Elaine V.; Cruz, Barbara C.

    2009-01-01

    Role-playing can be an engaging and creative strategy to use in the college classroom. Using official accounts, personal narratives, and diaries to recreate a particular time period, event, or personality, the instructional strategy alternately referred to as role-playing, dramatic improvisation, or first-person characterization can be an…

  11. Alternatives to the Fish Early Life-Stage Test: A Research Strategy for Discovering and Annotating Adverse Outcome Pathways During Fish Development

    EPA Science Inventory

    The OECD 210 fish early life]stage (FELS) test is the primary guideline test used to estimate chronic fish toxicity, as well as support ecological risk assessments and chemical management programs around the world. As a step toward developing alternatives to the FELS test, a HES...

  12. Developing a Resilient Green Cellular Network

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    to provide BS autonomy from grid power through alternative energy, such as: fuel cells and xiii renewable photovoltaic (PV), wind energy...stations with adequate backup power or utilizing alternative/renewable energy technology such as photovoltaic or wind power to allow them to...mitigating strategies with the consensus view on BSs migrating away from grid power , to renewable energy ( photovoltaic ), and alternative fuels. 40

  13. Alternative Strategies for Funding a General Dentistry Residency Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kralewski, John E.; Wiggins, Carla

    1987-01-01

    Three alternative program funding approaches used in other professions are examined: (1) the reorientation of selected dental schools toward graduate education, (2) emphasizing and marketing the service aspects of the programs, and (3) developing education programs as in-house training for large organizations. (MSE)

  14. Comparison of Different Test Construction Strategies in the Development of a Gender Fair Interest Inventory Using Verbs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wetzel, Eunike; Hell, Benedikt; Passler, Katja

    2012-01-01

    Three test construction strategies are described and illustrated in the development of the Verb Interest Test (VIT), an inventory that assesses vocational interests using verbs. Verbs might be a promising alternative to the descriptions of occupational activities used in most vocational interest inventories because they are context-independent,…

  15. VTOL shipboard letdown guidance system analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phatak, A. V.; Karmali, M. S.

    1983-01-01

    Alternative letdown guidance strategies are examined for landing of a VTOL aircraft onboard a small aviation ship under adverse environmental conditions. Off line computer simulation of shipboard landing task is utilized for assessing the relative merits of the proposed guidance schemes. The touchdown performance of a nominal constant rate of descent (CROD) letdown strategy serves as a benchmark for ranking the performance of the alternative letdown schemes. Analysis of ship motion time histories indicates the existence of an alternating sequence of quiescent and rough motions called lulls and swells. A real time algorithms lull/swell classification based upon ship motion pattern features is developed. The classification algorithm is used to command a go/no go signal to indicate the initiation and termination of an acceptable landing window. Simulation results show that such a go/no go pattern based letdown guidance strategy improves touchdown performance.

  16. Systematic Training Program for Enhancing Learning Strategies and Skills: Further Development. Interim Report for Period March 1976-March 1977.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dansereau, Donald F.; And Others

    The purpose of this current research effort was to identify and validate the effectiveness of alternative learning strategies. Learners employing networking and interactive peer study substrategies achieved more than did no-treatment controls. Similarly, strategies-trained learners reported greater positive learning attitude changes than did…

  17. Partnerships: An Alternative Development Strategy. Inter-American Foundation 2000 in Review, October 1, 1999 to September 30, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Duncan, Ed.

    The Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government, works in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote equitable, participatory, and sustainable self-help development by awarding grants directly to local organizations. Its principal strategy is to support public-private partnerships that mobilize local, national,…

  18. Evaluation of organic alternatives for weed management in pulasan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In Puerto Rico, most fruit crop growers use post-emergence synthetic herbicides as a major component of their weed management programs. Organic growers are not allowed to use synthetic herbicides; hence there is a need to develop alternative weed management strategies for current and prospective org...

  19. Environmentally Sound Alternatives: Setting the Context.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaudhary, Anil K.

    1989-01-01

    As former colonies struggle with economic development, consumerism competes with environmental awareness and concern. Developing countries should reject the models of the colonial past and create developmental strategies that preserve natural resources. (SK)

  20. Strategy Guideline. Proper Water Heater Selection

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

    Hoeschele, M.; Springer, D.; German, A.

    2015-04-09

    This Strategy Guideline on proper water heater selection was developed by the Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation to provide step-by-step procedures for evaluating preferred cost-effective options for energy efficient water heater alternatives based on local utility rates, climate, and anticipated loads.

  1. Strategy Guideline: Proper Water Heater Selection

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

    Hoeschele, M.; Springer, D.; German, A.

    2015-04-01

    This Strategy Guideline on proper water heater selection was developed by the Building America team Alliance for Residential Building Innovation to provide step-by-step procedures for evaluating preferred cost-effective options for energy efficient water heater alternatives based on local utility rates, climate, and anticipated loads.

  2. Animal use replacement, reduction, and refinement: development of an integrated testing strategy for bioconcentration of chemicals in fish.

    PubMed

    de Wolf, Watze; Comber, Mike; Douben, Peter; Gimeno, Sylvia; Holt, Martin; Léonard, Marc; Lillicrap, Adam; Sijm, Dick; van Egmond, Roger; Weisbrod, Anne; Whale, Graham

    2007-01-01

    When addressing the use of fish for the environmental safety of chemicals and effluents, there are many opportunities for applying the principles of the 3Rs: Reduce, Refine, and Replace. The current environmental regulatory testing strategy for bioconcentration and secondary poisoning has been reviewed, and alternative approaches that provide useful information are described. Several approaches can be used to reduce the number of fish used in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guideline 305, including alternative in vivo test methods such as the dietary accumulation test and the static exposure approach. The best replacement approach would seem to use read-across, chemical grouping, and quantitative structure-activity relationships with an assessment of the key processes in bioconcentration: Adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Biomimetic extraction has particular usefulness in addressing bioavailable chemicals and is in some circumstances capable of predicting uptake. Use of alternative organisms such as invertebrates should also be considered. A single cut-off value for molecular weight and size beyond which no absorption will take place cannot be identified. Recommendations for their use in bioaccumulative (B) categorization schemes are provided. Assessment of biotransformation with in vitro assays and in silico approaches holds significant promise. Further research is needed to identify their variability and confidence limits and the ways to use this as a basis to estimate bioconcentration factors. A tiered bioconcentration testing strategy has been developed taking account of the alternatives discussed.

  3. A pilot level decision analysis of thermionic reactor development strategy for nuclear electric propulsion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Menke, M. M.; Judd, B. R.

    1973-01-01

    The development policy for thermionic reactors to provide electric propulsion and power for space exploration was analyzed to develop a logical procedure for selecting development alternatives that reflect the technical feasibility, JPL/NASA project objectives, and the economic environment of the project. The partial evolution of a decision model from the underlying philosophy of decision analysis to a deterministic pilot phase is presented, and the general manner in which this decision model can be employed to examine propulsion development alternatives is illustrated.

  4. Audi-Tutorial Instruction in Basic Business

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Richard D.

    1974-01-01

    Results of a study in which audio-tutorial instruction was compared to illustrated lecture instruction are reported. No great differences in achievement levels in the two strategies of instruction were found. The development of such an alternative teaching strategy forces better teacher organization, leading to improvement of the illustrated…

  5. Electronic Performance Support Systems and Technological Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maughan, George R.

    2005-01-01

    Electronic performance support systems (EPSS) can provide alternative learning opportunities to supplement traditional classroom or training strategies. Today's students may benefit from educational settings and strategies that they will use in the future. In using EPSS to nurture the development of technological literacy, workers and students can…

  6. Coping with changing conditions: alternative strategies for the delivery of maternal and child health and family planning services in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    PubMed Central

    Routh, S.; el Arifeen, S.; Jahan, S. A.; Begum, A.; Thwin, A. A.; Baqui, A. H.

    2001-01-01

    The door-to-door distribution of contraceptives and information on maternal and child health and family planning (MCH-FP) services, through bimonthly visits to eligible couples by trained fieldworkers, has been instrumental in increasing the contraceptive prevalence rate and immunization coverage in Bangladesh. The doorstep delivery strategy, however, is labour-intensive and costly. More cost-effective service delivery strategies are needed, not only for family planning services but also for a broader package of reproductive and other essential health services. Against this backdrop, operations research was conducted by the Centre for Health and Population Research at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) from January 1996 to May 1997, in collaboration with government agencies and a leading national nongovernmental organization, with a view to developing and field-testing alternative approaches to the delivery of MCH-FP services in urban areas. Two alternative strategies featuring the withdrawal of home-based distribution and the delivery of basic health care from fixed-site facilities were tested in two areas of Dhaka. The clinic-based service delivery strategy was found to be a feasible alternative to the resource-intensive doorstep system in urban Dhaka. It did not adversely affect programme performance and it allowed the needs of clients to be addressed holistically through a package of essential health and family planning services. PMID:11242821

  7. Unit Pricing and Alternatives: Developing an Individualized Shopping Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cude, Brenda; Walker, Rosemary

    1985-01-01

    This article offers a new perspective on the teaching of unit pricing in consumer economics classes by identifying ways to teach the costs as well as the benefits of unit pricing and realistic guidelines for suggesting situations in which it is most appropriate. Alternatives to unit pricing will also be explored. (CT)

  8. Single-Case Research Design: An Alternative Strategy for Evidence-Based Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stapleton, Drue; Hawkins, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    Objective: The trend of utilizing evidence-based practice (EBP) in athletic training is now requiring clinicians, researchers, educators, and students to be equipped to both engage in and make judgments about research evidence. Single-case design (SCD) research may provide an alternative approach to develop such skills and inform clinical and…

  9. Long-term influence of alternative forest management treatments on total ecosystem and wood product carbon storage

    Treesearch

    Joshua J. Puhlick; Aaron R. Weiskittel; Ivan J. Fernandez; Shawn Fraver; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour; Randall K. Kolka; Lindsey E. Rustad; John C. Brissette

    2016-01-01

    Developing strategies for reducing atmospheric CO2 is one of the foremost challenges facing natural resource professionals today. The goal of this study was to evaluate total ecosystem and harvested wood product carbon (C) stocks among alternative forest management treatments (selection cutting, shelterwood cutting, commercial clearcutting, and...

  10. Self-adaptive Solution Strategies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Padovan, J.

    1984-01-01

    The development of enhancements to current generation nonlinear finite element algorithms of the incremental Newton-Raphson type was overviewed. Work was introduced on alternative formulations which lead to improve algorithms that avoid the need for global level updating and inversion. To quantify the enhanced Newton-Raphson scheme and the new alternative algorithm, the results of several benchmarks are presented.

  11. Understanding Foreign Language Learning Strategies: A Validation Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tragant, Elsa; Thompson, Marilyn S.; Victori, Mia

    2013-01-01

    The present work aims to contribute to our understanding of the underlying dimensions of language learning strategies in foreign language contexts. The study analyzes alternative factor structures underlying a recently developed instrument (Tragant and Victori, 2012) and it includes the age factor in the examination of its construct validity. The…

  12. Comparing Instructional Strategies for Integrating Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rittle-Johnson, Bethany; Koedinger, Kenneth R.

    We compared alternative instructional strategies for integrating knowledge of decimal place value and regrouping concepts with procedures for adding and subtracting decimals. The first condition was based on recent research suggesting that conceptual and procedural knowledge develop in an iterative, hand over hand fashion. In this iterative…

  13. Strategic Marketing Planning: Creative Strategies for Developing Unique Income Sources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scigliano, John A.

    After discussing current community college financial problems, this paper examines the acquisition of alternative funding through the application of marketing strategies and strategic planning. The paper first differentiates marketing from sales or promotion and then describes the ability of a marketing program to attract new consumers and to…

  14. An Alternative Perspective on Simulations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cone, Theresa Purcell; Cone, Stephen L.

    2016-01-01

    In this letter to the editor of "Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators", the authors write that they recently read the "Strategies" article by Antony Parish, "Using Immersion as a Teaching Method to Develop an Understanding, Appreciation and Empathy for Special Needs Populations," in the May/June 2016…

  15. The mechanisms of morph determination in the amphipod Jassa: implications for the evolution of alternative male phenotypes.

    PubMed Central

    Kurdziel, Josepha P; Knowles, L Lacey

    2002-01-01

    The proximal basis for and the maintenance of alternative male reproductive strategies and tactics are generally not understood in most species, despite the occurrence of male polymorphism across many taxa. In the marine amphipod Jassa marmorata, males differ in morphology as well as behaviour. This dimorphism corresponds to two contrasting reproductive strategies: small sneaker males or 'minors', and large fighter males or 'majors'. This study uses quantitative genetic analyses in conjunction with experimental manipulations to assess the relative importance of genetic versus environmental factors in the determination and maintenance of these alternative mating strategies. Heritability analyses indicated the reproductive phenotypes do not reflect genetic differences between dimorphic males. By contrast, morph determination was significantly affected by diet quality. Majors essentially only developed on high-protein diets. Field studies also identified a strong correlation between seasonal shifts in the relative proportions of morphs and changes in food (i.e. phytoplankton) quantity and composition, corroborating that diet cues the switch between alternative reproductive tactics. Moreover, the comparison of major and minor growth trajectories identified a heterochronic shift in maturation times between morphs, indicating that ecological selective pressures, rather than just sexual selection, may be involved in the maintenance of this conditional strategy. PMID:12350261

  16. The mechanisms of morph determination in the amphipod Jassa: implications for the evolution of alternative male phenotypes.

    PubMed

    Kurdziel, Josepha P; Knowles, L Lacey

    2002-09-07

    The proximal basis for and the maintenance of alternative male reproductive strategies and tactics are generally not understood in most species, despite the occurrence of male polymorphism across many taxa. In the marine amphipod Jassa marmorata, males differ in morphology as well as behaviour. This dimorphism corresponds to two contrasting reproductive strategies: small sneaker males or 'minors', and large fighter males or 'majors'. This study uses quantitative genetic analyses in conjunction with experimental manipulations to assess the relative importance of genetic versus environmental factors in the determination and maintenance of these alternative mating strategies. Heritability analyses indicated the reproductive phenotypes do not reflect genetic differences between dimorphic males. By contrast, morph determination was significantly affected by diet quality. Majors essentially only developed on high-protein diets. Field studies also identified a strong correlation between seasonal shifts in the relative proportions of morphs and changes in food (i.e. phytoplankton) quantity and composition, corroborating that diet cues the switch between alternative reproductive tactics. Moreover, the comparison of major and minor growth trajectories identified a heterochronic shift in maturation times between morphs, indicating that ecological selective pressures, rather than just sexual selection, may be involved in the maintenance of this conditional strategy.

  17. Dietary phytonutrients as alternatives-to-antibiotics in agricultural animals: Mode of action in modulating cross-talks amonh immunity, disease resistance and gut microbiota

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    New antibiotic regulatory policies affecting agricultural animal production now challenge animal scientists to think outside of the box to develop alternative strategies for sustainable animal agriculture. For those animal infectious diseases for which effective vaccines are lacking, there is a cri...

  18. An Advanced Multiple Alternatives Modeling Formulation for Determining Graduated Fiscal Support Strategies for Operational and Planned Educational Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wholeben, Brent Edward

    A rationale is presented for viewing the decision-making process inherent in determining budget reductions for educational programs as most effectively modeled by a graduated funding approach. The major tenets of the graduated budget reduction approach to educational fiscal policy include the development of multiple alternative reduction plans, or…

  19. Developing a conservation strategy to maximize persistence of an endangered freshwater mussel species while considering management effectiveness and cost

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, David R.; McRae, Sarah E.; Augspurger, Tom; Ratcliffe, Judith A.; Nichols, Robert B.; Eads, Chris B.; Savidge, Tim; Bogan, Arthur E.

    2015-01-01

    We used a structured decision-making process to develop conservation strategies to increase persistence of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in North Carolina, USA, while accounting for uncertainty in management effectiveness and considering costs. Alternative conservation strategies were portfolios of management actions that differed by location of management actions on the landscape. Objectives of the conservation strategy were to maximize species persistence, maintain genetic diversity, maximize public support, and minimize management costs. We compared 4 conservation strategies: 1) the ‘status quo’ strategy represented current management, 2) the ‘protect the best’ strategy focused on protecting the best populations in the Tar River basin, 3) the ‘expand the distribution’ strategy focused on management of extant populations and establishment of new populations in the Neuse River basin, and 4) the ‘hybrid’ strategy combined elements of each strategy to balance conservation in the Tar and Neuse River basins. A population model informed requirements for population management, and experts projected performance of alternative strategies over a 20-y period. The optimal strategy depended on the relative value placed on competing objectives, which can vary among stakeholders. The protect the best and hybrid strategies were optimal across a wide range of relative values with 2 exceptions: 1) if minimizing management cost was of overriding concern, then status quo was optimal, or 2) if maximizing population persistence in the Neuse River basin was emphasized, then expand the distribution strategy was optimal. The optimal strategy was robust to uncertainty in management effectiveness. Overall, the structured decision process can help identify the most promising strategies for endangered species conservation that maximize conservation benefit given the constraint of limited funding.

  20. How Do Transformational Leaders Transform Organizations? A Study of the Relationship between Leadership and Entrepreneurship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eyal, Ori; Kark, Ronit

    2004-01-01

    The aim of this study is to discover the relationship between different leadership styles and alternative entrepreneurial strategies in the not-for-profit public school system. We develop a conceptual framework for understanding various strategies of corporate entrepreneurship. Accordingly, we hypothesize that transformational leadership can…

  1. Investigating Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Problem Solving Strategies: Towards Developing a Framework in Teaching Stoichiometry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Espinosa, Allen A.; Nueva España, Rebecca C.; Marasigan, Arlyne C.

    2016-01-01

    The present study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers' problem solving strategies and alternative conceptions in solving stoichiometric problems and later on formulate a teaching framework based from the result of the study. The pre-service chemistry teachers were given four stoichiometric problems with increasing complexity and they need…

  2. Adverse Outcome Pathways During Early Fish Development: A Framework for Identifying and Implementing Alternative Chemical Prioritization Strategies

    EPA Science Inventory

    In accordance with recommendations contained in a National Research Council Report on Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and Strategy, as well as European goals pertaining to reducing, refining, and replacing the use of animals in ecotoxicology safety testing there is...

  3. Active Engagement Strategies for Introductory Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolitch, Shawn

    2001-05-01

    Evidence suggests that traditional lectures result in only minimal gains in student understanding of fundamental concepts in introductory physics. However, alternative approaches developed by physics education researchers seem to be more effective. In this talk I will review some of the evidence for these claims, discuss several possible alternatives to the traditional model of instruction, and describe some of the logistics involved in the implementation of such alternatives at both a large public university and a small liberal arts college.

  4. Transportation energy strategy: Project {number_sign}5 of the Hawaii Energy Strategy Development Program

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

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    This study was prepared for the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) as part of the Hawaii Energy Strategy program. Authority and responsibility for energy planning activities, such as the Hawaii Energy Strategy, rests with the State Energy Resources Coordinator, who is the Director of DBEDT. Hawaii Energy Strategy Study No. 5, Transportation Energy Strategy Development, was prepared to: collect and synthesize information on the present and future use of energy in Hawaii`s transportation sector, examine the potential of energy conservation to affect future energy demand; analyze the possibility of satisfying a portion of the state`s futuremore » transportation energy demand through alternative fuels; and recommend a program targeting energy use in the state`s transportation sector to help achieve state goals. The analyses and conclusions of this report should be assessed in relation to the other Hawaii Energy Strategy Studies in developing a comprehensive state energy program. 56 figs., 87 tabs.« less

  5. Global Status of DDT and Its Alternatives for Use in Vector Control to Prevent Disease

    PubMed Central

    van den Berg, Henk

    2009-01-01

    Objective I review the status of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), used for disease vector control, along with current evidence on its benefits and risks in relation to the available alternatives. Data sources and extraction Contemporary data on DDT use were largely obtained from questionnaires and reports. I also conducted a Scopus search to retrieve published articles. Data synthesis DDT has been recommended as part of the arsenal of insecticides available for indoor residual spraying until suitable alternatives are available. Approximately 14 countries use DDT for disease control, and several countries are preparing to reintroduce DDT. The effectiveness of DDT depends on local settings and merits close consideration in relation to the alternatives. Concerns about the continued use of DDT are fueled by recent reports of high levels of human exposure associated with indoor spraying amid accumulating evidence on chronic health effects. There are signs that more malaria vectors are becoming resistant to the toxic action of DDT, and that resistance is spreading to new countries. A comprehensive cost assessment of DDT versus its alternatives that takes side effects into account is missing. Effective chemical methods are available as immediate alternatives to DDT, but the choice of insecticide class is limited, and in certain areas the development of resistance is undermining the efficacy of insecticidal tools. New insecticides are not expected in the short term. Nonchemical methods are potentially important, but their effectiveness at program level needs urgent study. Conclusions To reduce reliance on DDT, support is needed for integrated and multipartner strategies of vector control and for the continued development of new technologies. Integrated vector management provides a framework for developing and implementing effective technologies and strategies as sustainable alternatives to reliance on DDT. PMID:20049114

  6. DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANTIFOAM TRACKING SYSTEM AS AN OPTION TO SUPPORT THE MELTER OFF-GAS FLAMMABILITY CONTROL STRATEGY AT THE DWPF

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

    Edwards, T.; Lambert, D.

    The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been working with the Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) in the development and implementation of an additional strategy for confidently satisfying the flammability controls for DWPF’s melter operation. An initial strategy for implementing the operational constraints associated with flammability control in DWPF was based upon an analytically determined carbon concentration from antifoam. Due to the conservative error structure associated with the analytical approach, its implementation has significantly reduced the operating window for processing and has led to recurrent Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) and Melter Feed Tank (MFT) remediation. Tomore » address the adverse operating impact of the current implementation strategy, SRR issued a Technical Task Request (TTR) to SRNL requesting the development and documentation of an alternate strategy for evaluating the carbon contribution from antifoam. The proposed strategy presented in this report was developed under the guidance of a Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan (TTQAP) and involves calculating the carbon concentration from antifoam based upon the actual mass of antifoam added to the process assuming 100% retention. The mass of antifoam in the Additive Mix Feed Tank (AMFT), in the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT), and in the SME is tracked by mass balance as part of this strategy. As these quantities are monitored, the random and bias uncertainties affecting their values are also maintained and accounted for. This report documents: 1) the development of an alternate implementation strategy and associated equations describing the carbon concentration from antifoam in each SME batch derived from the actual amount of antifoam introduced into the AMFT, SRAT, and SME during the processing of the batch. 2) the equations and error structure for incorporating the proposed strategy into melter off-gas flammability assessments. Sample calculations of the system are also included in this report. Please note that the system developed and documented in this report is intended as an alternative to the current, analytically-driven system being utilized by DWPF; the proposed system is not intended to eliminate the current system. Also note that the system developed in this report to track antifoam mass in the AMFT, SRAT, and SME will be applicable beyond just Sludge Batch 8. While the model used to determine acceptability of the SME product with respect to melter off-gas flammability controls must be reassessed for each change in sludge batch, the antifoam mass tracking methodology is independent of sludge batch composition and as such will be transferable to future sludge batches.« less

  7. Fiscal year 1980-81 implementation plan in support of technical development and integration of sampling and aggregation procedures. [crop acreage estimation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    The specific objectives of the FY 1980-81 tasks are: (1) further refinements to the weighted aggregation procedure; (2) improved approaches for estimating within-stratum variance; (3) more intensive investigation of alternative sampling strategies such as full-frame sampling strategy, and (4) further developments in regard to a simulated approach for assessing the performance of the overall designed sampling and aggregation system.

  8. Are early cannulation arteriovenous grafts (ecAVG) a viable alternative to tunnelled central venous catheters (TCVCs)? An observational "virtual study" and budget impact analysis.

    PubMed

    Aitken, Emma; Iqbal, Kashfa; Thomson, Peter; Kasthuri, Ram; Kingsmore, David

    2016-05-07

    Early cannulation arteriovenous grafts (ecAVGs) are advocated as an alternative to tunnelled central venous catheters (TCVCs). A real-time observational "virtual study" and budget impact model was performed to evaluate a strategy of ecAVG as a replacement to TCVC as a bridge to definitive access creation. Data on complications and access-related bed days was collected prospectively for all TCVCs inserted over a six-month period (n = 101). The feasibility and acceptability of an alternative strategy (ecAVGs) was also evaluated. A budget impact model comparing the two strategies was performed. Autologous access in the form of native fistula was the goal wherever possible. We found 34.7% (n = 35) of TCVCs developed significant complications (including 17 culture-proven bacteraemia and one death from line sepsis). Patients spent an average of 11.9 days/patient/year in hospital as a result of access-related complications. The wait for TCVC insertion delayed discharge in 35 patients (median: 6 days). The ecAVGs were a practical and acceptable alternative to TCVCs in over 80% of patients. Over a 6-month period, total treatment costs per patient wereGBP5882 in the TCVC strategy and GBP4954 in the ecAVG strategy, delivering potential savings ofGBP927 per patient. The ecAVGs had higher procedure and re-intervention costs (GBP3014 vs. GBP1836); however, these were offset by significant reductions in septicaemia treatment costs (GBP1322 vs. GBP2176) and in-patient waiting time bed costs (GBP619 vs. GBP1870). Adopting ecAVGs as an alternative to TCVCs in patients requiring immediate access for haemodialysis may provide better individual patient care and deliver cost savings to the hospital.

  9. Planning Faculty Reduction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Homer C., Jr.; Hample, Stephen R.

    1982-01-01

    Considerations that can help colleges and universities develop institutionally specific strategies for planning faculty reductions are addressed. It is suggested that an institution can provide a fair and workable reduction plan if it: thoroughly explores alternatives to faculty layoffs; develops explicit standards and procedures for reduction…

  10. Phytochemicals as potential antibiotic alternatives to promote growth and enhance host health: A report from the Second International Symposium on Alternatives to Antibiotics

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    There are heightened concerns globally on emerging drug-resistant superbugs and the lack of new antibiotics for treating human and animal diseases. For the agricultural industry, there is an urgent need to develop strategies to replace antibiotics for food-producing animals, especially poultry and l...

  11. Contributions of dorsal striatal subregions to spatial alternation behavior.

    PubMed

    Moussa, Roula; Poucet, Bruno; Amalric, Marianne; Sargolini, Francesca

    2011-07-01

    Considerable evidence has shown a clear dissociation between the dorsomedial (DMS) and the dorsolateral (DLS) striatum in instrumental conditioning. In particular, DMS activity is necessary to form action-outcome associations, whereas the DLS is required for developing habitual behavior. However, few studies have investigated whether a similar dissociation exists in more complex goal-directed learning processes. The present study examined the role of the two structures in such complex learning by analyzing the effects of excitotoxic DMS and DLS lesions during the acquisition and extinction of spatial alternation behavior, in a continuous alternation T-maze task. We demonstrate that DMS and DLS lesions have opposite effects, the former impairing and the latter improving animal performance during learning and extinction. DMS lesions may impair the acquisition of spatial alternation behavior by disrupting the signal necessary to link a goal with a specific spatial sequence. In contrast, DLS lesions may accelerate goal-driven strategies by minimizing the influence of external stimuli on the response, thus increasing the impact of action-reward contingencies. Taken together, these results suggest that DMS- and DLS-mediated learning strategies develop in parallel and compete for the control of the behavioral response early in learning.

  12. Fragment-based drug discovery as alternative strategy to the drug development for neglected diseases.

    PubMed

    Mello, Juliana da Fonseca Rezende E; Gomes, Renan Augusto; Vital-Fujii, Drielli Gomes; Ferreira, Glaucio Monteiro; Trossini, Gustavo Henrique Goulart

    2017-12-01

    Neglected diseases (NDs) affect large populations and almost whole continents, representing 12% of the global health burden. In contrast, the treatment available today is limited and sometimes ineffective. Under this scenery, the Fragment-Based Drug Discovery emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to the traditional methods of drug development. This method allows achieving new lead compounds with smaller size of fragment libraries. Even with the wide Fragment-Based Drug Discovery success resulting in new effective therapeutic agents against different diseases, until this moment few studies have been applied this approach for NDs area. In this article, we discuss the basic Fragment-Based Drug Discovery process, brief successful ideas of general applications and show a landscape of its use in NDs, encouraging the implementation of this strategy as an interesting way to optimize the development of new drugs to NDs. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  13. Alternatives to antibiotics: a symposium on the challenges and solutions for animal production.

    PubMed

    Seal, Bruce S; Lillehoj, Hyun S; Donovan, David M; Gay, Cyril G

    2013-06-01

    Antibiotics are one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century and will remain an essential tool for treating animal and human diseases in the 21st century. However, antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens and concerns over their extensive use in food animals has garnered global interest in limiting antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Yet, limiting the availability of medical interventions to prevent and control animal diseases on the farm will directly impact global food security and safety as well as animal and human health. Insufficient attention has been given to the scientific breakthroughs and novel technologies that provide alternatives to antibiotics. The objectives of the symposium 'Alternatives to Antibiotics' were to highlight promising research results and novel technologies that could potentially lead to alternatives to conventional antibiotics, and assess challenges associated with their commercialization, and provide actionable strategies to support development of alternative antimicrobials. The symposium focused on the latest scientific breakthroughs and technologies that could provide new options and alternative strategies for preventing and treating diseases of animals. Some of these new technologies have direct applications as medical interventions for human health, but the focus of the symposium was animal production, animal health and food safety during food-animal production. Five subject areas were explored in detail through scientific presentations and expert panel discussions, including: (1) alternatives to antibiotics, lessons from nature; (2) immune modulation approaches to enhance disease resistance and to treat animal diseases; (3) gut microbiome and immune development, health and diseases; (4) alternatives to antibiotics for animal production; and (5) regulatory pathways to enable the licensure of alternatives to antibiotics.

  14. Tools to support maintenance strategies under soft soil conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lambert, J. W. M.; van Meerten, J. J.; Woning, M. P.; Eijbersen, M. J.; Huber, M.

    2015-11-01

    Costs for maintenance of infrastructure in municipalities with soft soil underground conditions, are estimated to be almost 40 % higher than in others. As a result, these municipalities meet financial problems that cause overdue maintenance. In some cases municipalities are even afraid to be unable to offer a minimum service level in future. In common, traditional practice, roads and sewerage systems have been constructed in trenches that consist of sandy material that replaces the upper meters of the soft soil. Under influence of its weight, this causes accelerated settlements of the construction. A number of alternative constructions have been developed, e.g. using light-weight materials to limit settlement velocity. In order to limit future maintenance costs, improvement of maintenance strategies is desired. Tools have been and will be developed to support municipalities in improving their maintenance strategies and save money by doing that. A model (BALANS) that weighs the attractiveness of alternative solutions under different soil, environmental and economic circumstances, will be presented.

  15. Interventions to address the stigma associated with leprosy: a perspective on the issues.

    PubMed

    Cross, Hugh

    2006-08-01

    This paper presents a perspective on stigma as an effect of leprosy. It identifies some of the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to stigma reduction in leprosy and presents a rationale for considering alternative strategies. It is suggested that models used to explain health behavior in developed societies are inappropriate for explaining leprosy stigma or for developing strategies to address it. The author recommends due consideration of the alternative logic that characterizes cultural belief systems in countries where leprosy is a challenge. Criticism of the common practice of information dissemination as a strategy to address leprosy stigma is defended and the merits and limitations of an integrated health service in India is discussed. The author defends the suggestion that the principal objective of stigma interventions should be "normalization". An example of a Nepalese project based on empowerment theory is given to demonstrate how the transformation of identity from outcast to positive change agent, can effect "normalization".

  16. t4 Workshop Report

    PubMed Central

    Silbergeld, Ellen K.; Contreras, Elizabeth Q.; Hartung, Thomas; Hirsch, Cordula; Hogberg, Helena; Jachak, Ashish C.; Jordan, William; Landsiedel, Robert; Morris, Jeffery; Patri, Anil; Pounds, Joel G.; de Vizcaya Ruiz, Andrea; Shvedova, Anna; Tanguay, Robert; Tatarazako, Norihasa; van Vliet, Erwin; Walker, Nigel J.; Wiesner, Mark; Wilcox, Neil; Zurlo, Joanne

    2014-01-01

    Summary In October 2010, a group of experts met as part of the transatlantic think tank for toxicology (t4) to exchange ideas about the current status and future of safety testing of nanomaterials. At present, there is no widely accepted path forward to assure appropriate and effective hazard identification for engineered nanomaterials. The group discussed needs for characterization of nanomaterials and identified testing protocols that incorporate the use of innovative alternative whole models such as zebrafish or C. elegans, as well as in vitro or alternative methods to examine specific functional pathways and modes of action. The group proposed elements of a potential testing scheme for nanomaterials that works towards an integrated testing strategy, incorporating the goals of the NRC report Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy by focusing on pathways of toxic response, and utilizing an evidence-based strategy for developing the knowledge base for safety assessment. Finally, the group recommended that a reliable, open, curated database be developed that interfaces with existing databases to enable sharing of information. PMID:21993959

  17. Spatiotemporal control to eliminate cardiac alternans using isostable reduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, Dan; Moehlis, Jeff

    2017-03-01

    Cardiac alternans, an arrhythmia characterized by a beat-to-beat alternation of cardiac action potential durations, is widely believed to facilitate the transition from normal cardiac function to ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Alternans arises due to an instability of a healthy period-1 rhythm, and most dynamical control strategies either require extensive knowledge of the cardiac system, making experimental validation difficult, or are model independent and sacrifice important information about the specific system under study. Isostable reduction provides an alternative approach, in which the response of a system to external perturbations can be used to reduce the complexity of a cardiac system, making it easier to work with from an analytical perspective while retaining many of its important features. Here, we use isostable reduction strategies to reduce the complexity of partial differential equation models of cardiac systems in order to develop energy optimal strategies for the elimination of alternans. Resulting control strategies require significantly less energy to terminate alternans than comparable strategies and do not require continuous state feedback.

  18. Development of an integrated tobacco endgame strategy.

    PubMed

    van der Eijk, Yvette

    2015-07-01

    In recent years, various tobacco 'endgame' strategies have been suggested as a means to phase out tobacco consumption. Using country examples, this paper discusses three potential strategies: replacing cigarettes with alternative products (harm reduction), denying tobacco sales to people born after a certain year (the tobacco-free generation proposal), and further implementing measures based on the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. It is argued that all strategies have potential issues that could be avoided by combining them into an integrated, sequential endgame that, first, using measures recommended in the WHO FCTC, creates a climate that facilitates the phasing out of cigarettes; second, implements a generational phase out of cigarette sales; and third, simultaneously permits the regulated use of alternative nicotine products. Thus, integrating ideas from various endgame strategies will result in a more effective, resilient tobacco endgame policy. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  19. The Citizen/Teacher Curriculum Council: A Curriculum Development Involvement Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peters, Richard O.

    In most school systems today, curriculum development is the work of specialists who function as consultants to classroom teachers, administrators, and school boards. An alternative is the Citizen/Teacher Curriculum Council (C/TCC) approach, which calls for direct involvement of community members and classroom teachers in curriculum development.…

  20. Non-Govermental Organisations Self-Evaluation: Issue of Concern in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olujide, M. G.

    2005-01-01

    Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) promote alternative development strategies to those provided by the government. The economic recession being witnessed in developing countries like Nigeria and the poor performance of many government development programmes have made NGOs more relevant than ever. NGOs play an increasingly important role in…

  1. The Role of Communication in Alternative Development Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mativo, Kyalo

    Based on an extensive review of the literature, this analysis of the special role of communications in relation to social development examines three major groups of writings: (1) those concerned with perceptions and definitions of early concepts of communication/communication theory and underdevelopment/development, which provide the basis for a…

  2. Profiles in Rural Economic Development: A Guidebook of Selected Successful Rural Area Initiatives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Margaret G.

    This guidebook presents 64 profiles of successful economic development initiatives in the small towns and rural areas of 37 states. Intended for use by rural and small town leaders and rural economic development specialists, the guide provides ideas, encouragement, and an "insider perspective" on alternative rural development strategies.…

  3. Autocratic strategies for alternating games.

    PubMed

    McAvoy, Alex; Hauert, Christoph

    2017-02-01

    Repeated games have a long tradition in the behavioral sciences and evolutionary biology. Recently, strategies were discovered that permit an unprecedented level of control over repeated interactions by enabling a player to unilaterally enforce linear constraints on payoffs. Here, we extend this theory of "zero-determinant" (or, more generally, "autocratic") strategies to alternating games, which are often biologically more relevant than traditional synchronous games. Alternating games naturally result in asymmetries between players because the first move matters or because players might not move with equal probabilities. In a strictly-alternating game with two players, X and Y, we give conditions for the existence of autocratic strategies for player X when (i) X moves first and (ii) Y moves first. Furthermore, we show that autocratic strategies exist even for (iii) games with randomly-alternating moves. Particularly important categories of autocratic strategies are extortionate and generous strategies, which enforce unfavorable and favorable outcomes for the opponent, respectively. We illustrate these strategies using the continuous Donation Game, in which a player pays a cost to provide a benefit to the opponent according to a continuous cooperative investment level. Asymmetries due to alternating moves could easily arise from dominance hierarchies, and we show that they can endow subordinate players with more autocratic strategies than dominant players. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. A Woman's Job Search: Five Strategies for Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reis, Susan L.

    An alternate approach to traditional job search methods which may be helpful to women is presented. The following five strategies are considered: (1) know what you want; (2) develop a network of professional contacts to help identify the hidden job market; (3) be selective in the job search; (4) research job openings thoroughly before deciding to…

  5. Preliminary Study on the Role of Alternative Educational Pathways in Promoting the Use of Problem-Focused Coping Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shankland, Rebecca; Franca, Lionel Riou; Genolini, Christophe M.; Guelfi, Julien-Daniel; Ionescu, Serban

    2009-01-01

    Coping styles are generally considered to be environmentally driven. Up to now, research has mainly focused on family influences. However, some studies underline the effect of educational settings on the development of problem-focused coping strategies. Consistently with previous reports on the enhancement of autonomy and problem-solving in…

  6. Moral injury: A new challenge for complementary and alternative medicine.

    PubMed

    Kopacz, Marek S; Connery, April L; Bishop, Todd M; Bryan, Craig J; Drescher, Kent D; Currier, Joseph M; Pigeon, Wilfred R

    2016-02-01

    Moral injury represents an emerging clinical construct recognized as a source of morbidity in current and former military personnel. Finding effective ways to support those affected by moral injury remains a challenge for both biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine. This paper introduces the concept of moral injury and suggests two complementary and alternative medicine, pastoral care and mindfulness, which may prove useful in supporting military personnel thought to be dealing with moral injury. Research strategies for developing an evidence-base for applying these, and other, complementary and alternative medicine modalities to moral injury are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. 77 FR 41370 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2013 Alternative Contact Strategy Test

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-13

    ... Alternative Contact Strategy Test AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The...-response. This research will be conducted through a series of projects and tests throughout the decade... 2013 Alternative Contact Strategy Test is the first test to support this research. The Census Bureau...

  8. Alternatives to animal testing: A review.

    PubMed

    Doke, Sonali K; Dhawale, Shashikant C

    2015-07-01

    The number of animals used in research has increased with the advancement of research and development in medical technology. Every year, millions of experimental animals are used all over the world. The pain, distress and death experienced by the animals during scientific experiments have been a debating issue for a long time. Besides the major concern of ethics, there are few more disadvantages of animal experimentation like requirement of skilled manpower, time consuming protocols and high cost. Various alternatives to animal testing were proposed to overcome the drawbacks associated with animal experiments and avoid the unethical procedures. A strategy of 3 Rs (i.e. reduction, refinement and replacement) is being applied for laboratory use of animals. Different methods and alternative organisms are applied to implement this strategy. These methods provide an alternative means for the drug and chemical testing, up to some levels. A brief account of these alternatives and advantages associated is discussed in this review with examples. An integrated application of these approaches would give an insight into minimum use of animals in scientific experiments.

  9. Alternatives to animal testing: A review

    PubMed Central

    Doke, Sonali K.; Dhawale, Shashikant C.

    2013-01-01

    The number of animals used in research has increased with the advancement of research and development in medical technology. Every year, millions of experimental animals are used all over the world. The pain, distress and death experienced by the animals during scientific experiments have been a debating issue for a long time. Besides the major concern of ethics, there are few more disadvantages of animal experimentation like requirement of skilled manpower, time consuming protocols and high cost. Various alternatives to animal testing were proposed to overcome the drawbacks associated with animal experiments and avoid the unethical procedures. A strategy of 3 Rs (i.e. reduction, refinement and replacement) is being applied for laboratory use of animals. Different methods and alternative organisms are applied to implement this strategy. These methods provide an alternative means for the drug and chemical testing, up to some levels. A brief account of these alternatives and advantages associated is discussed in this review with examples. An integrated application of these approaches would give an insight into minimum use of animals in scientific experiments. PMID:26106269

  10. Economic Analysis of Alternative Strategies for Detection of ALK Rearrangements in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer.

    PubMed

    Doshi, Shivang; Ray, David; Stein, Karen; Zhang, Jie; Koduru, Prasad; Fogt, Franz; Wellman, Axel; Wat, Ricky; Mathews, Charles

    2016-01-06

    Identification of alterations in ALK gene and development of ALK-directed therapies have increased the need for accurate and efficient detection methodologies. To date, research has focused on the concordance between the two most commonly used technologies, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, inter-test concordance reflects only one, albeit important, aspect of the diagnostic process; laboratories, hospitals, and payors must understand the cost and workflow of ALK rearrangement detection strategies. Through literature review combined with interviews of pathologists and laboratory directors in the U.S. and Europe, a cost-impact model was developed that compared four alternative testing strategies-IHC only, FISH only, IHC pre-screen followed by FISH confirmation, and parallel testing by both IHC and FISH. Interviews were focused on costs of reagents, consumables, equipment, and personnel. The resulting model showed that testing by IHC alone cost less ($90.07 in the U.S., $68.69 in Europe) than either independent or parallel testing by both FISH and IHC ($441.85 in the U.S. and $279.46 in Europe). The strategies differed in cost of execution, turnaround time, reimbursement, and number of positive results detected, suggesting that laboratories must weigh the costs and the clinical benefit of available ALK testing strategies.

  11. Simulating the Effects of Alternative Forest Management Strategies on Landscape Structure

    Treesearch

    Eric J. Gustafson; Thomas Crow

    1996-01-01

    Quantitative, spatial tools are needed to assess the long-term spatial consequences of alternative management strategies for land use planning and resource management. We constructed a timber harvest allocation model (HARVEST) that provides a visual and quantitative means to predict the spatial pattern of forest openings produced by alternative harvest strategies....

  12. Integrating non-animal test information into an adaptive testing strategy - skin sensitization proof of concept case.

    PubMed

    Jaworska, Joanna; Harol, Artsiom; Kern, Petra S; Gerberick, G Frank

    2011-01-01

    There is an urgent need to develop data integration and testing strategy frameworks allowing interpretation of results from animal alternative test batteries. To this end, we developed a Bayesian Network Integrated Testing Strategy (BN ITS) with the goal to estimate skin sensitization hazard as a test case of previously developed concepts (Jaworska et al., 2010). The BN ITS combines in silico, in chemico, and in vitro data related to skin penetration, peptide reactivity, and dendritic cell activation, and guides testing strategy by Value of Information (VoI). The approach offers novel insights into testing strategies: there is no one best testing strategy, but the optimal sequence of tests depends on information at hand, and is chemical-specific. Thus, a single generic set of tests as a replacement strategy is unlikely to be most effective. BN ITS offers the possibility of evaluating the impact of generating additional data on the target information uncertainty reduction before testing is commenced.

  13. Ecdysteroid and chitinase fluctuations in the western tarnished plant bug (Lygus hesperus) prior to molt indicate roles in development

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Vital physiological processes that drive the insect molt represent areas of interest for the development of alternative control strategies. The western tarnished plant bug (Lygus hesperus Knight) is a pest of numerous agronomic and horticultural crops but the development of novel control approaches ...

  14. Diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection in Medicare patients: multicriteria decision analysis.

    PubMed

    Diaz-Ledezma, Claudio; Lichstein, Paul M; Dolan, James G; Parvizi, Javad

    2014-11-01

    In the setting of finite healthcare resources, developing cost-efficient strategies for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis is paramount. The current levels of knowledge allow for PJI diagnostic recommendations based on scientific evidence but do not consider the benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks of the different diagnostic alternatives. We determined the best diagnostic strategy for knee and hip PJI in the ambulatory setting for Medicare patients, utilizing benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks evaluation through multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). The PJI diagnostic definition supported by the Musculoskeletal Infection Society was employed for the MCDA. Using a preclinical model, we evaluated three diagnostic strategies that can be conducted in a Medicare patient seen in the outpatient clinical setting complaining of a painful TKA or THA. Strategies were (1) screening with serum markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR]/C-reactive protein [CRP]) followed by arthrocentesis in positive cases, (2) immediate arthrocentesis, and (3) serum markers requested simultaneously with arthrocentesis. MCDA was conducted through the analytic hierarchy process, comparing the diagnostic strategies in terms of benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks. Strategy 1 was the best alternative to diagnose knee PJI among Medicare patients (normalized value: 0.490), followed by Strategy 3 (normalized value: 0.403) and then Strategy 2 (normalized value: 0.106). The same ranking of alternatives was observed for the hip PJI model (normalized value: 0.487, 0.405, and 0.107, respectively). The sensitivity analysis found this sequence to be robust with respect to benefits, opportunities, and risks. However, if during the decision-making process, cost savings was given a priority of higher than 54%, the ranking for the preferred diagnostic strategy changed. After considering the benefits, opportunities, costs, and risks of the different available alternatives, our preclinical model supports the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommendations regarding the use of serum markers (ESR/CRP) before arthrocentesis as the best diagnostic strategy for PJI among Medicare patients. Level II, economic and decision analysis. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

  15. Rapid and interference-free analysis of nine B-group vitamins in energy drinks using trilinear component modeling of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data.

    PubMed

    Hu, Yong; Wu, Hai-Long; Yin, Xiao-Li; Gu, Hui-Wen; Xiao, Rong; Xie, Li-Xia; Liu, Zhi; Fang, Huan; Wang, Li; Yu, Ru-Qin

    2018-04-01

    The aim of the present work was to develop a rapid and interference-free method based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the simultaneous determination of nine B-group vitamins in various energy drinks. A smart and green strategy that modeled the three-way data array of LC-MS with second-order calibration methods based on alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) and alternating penalty trilinear decomposition (APTLD) algorithms was developed. By virtue of "mathematical separation" and "second-order advantage", the proposed strategy successfully solved the co-eluted peaks and unknown interferents in LC-MS analysis with the elution time less than 4.5min and simple sample preparation. Satisfactory quantitative results were obtained by the ATLD-LC-MS and APTLD-LC-MS methods for the spiked recovery assays, with the average spiked recoveries ranging from 87.2-113.9% to 92.0-111.7%, respectively. These results acquired from the proposed methods were confirmed by the LC-MS/MS method, which shows a quite good consistency with each other. All these results demonstrated that the developed chemometrics-assisted LC-MS strategy had advantages of being rapid, green, accurate and low-cost, and it could be an attractive alternative for the determination of multiple vitamins in complex food matrices, which required no laborious sample preparation, tedious condition optimization or more sophisticated instrumentations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Analysis of IFE, EFE and QSPM matrix on business development strategy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zulkarnain, A.; Wahyuningtias, D.; Putranto, T. S.

    2018-03-01

    IFE matrix, EFE matrix, and QSPM matrix are business strategy tools that can be used to identify the threat, opportunity, weakness, strength as internal, external business factors. The goal of Danti’s Deli Bakery is to provide pastry product and distribute to other food and beverage outlet all around Jakarta. Thus, Danti’s Deli Bakery requires development strategy in order to win the tight competition. Applied descriptive research and data collected from focus group discussion, questionnaire, interview, observation and literature review. The objectives of this paper are (1) to identify and evaluate internal and external factors, (2) to formulate alternative strategy toward business development program, and (3) to give effective recommendation. The result shows that Danti’s Deli Bakery should apply product differentiation strategy. Implementation of this study is providing the recommendation for pastry and bakery industry to establish a successful business.

  17. Society of Gynecologic Oncology Future of Physician Payment Reform Task Force report: The Endometrial Cancer Alternative Payment Model (ECAP).

    PubMed

    Ko, Emily M; Havrilesky, Laura J; Alvarez, Ronald D; Zivanovic, Oliver; Boyd, Leslie R; Jewell, Elizabeth L; Timmins, Patrick F; Gibb, Randall S; Jhingran, Anuja; Cohn, David E; Dowdy, Sean C; Powell, Matthew A; Chalas, Eva; Huang, Yongmei; Rathbun, Jill; Wright, Jason D

    2018-05-01

    Health care in the United States is in the midst of a significant transformation from a "fee for service" to a "fee for value" based model. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 has only accelerated this transition. Anticipating these reforms, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology developed the Future of Physician Payment Reform Task Force (PPRTF) in 2015 to develop strategies to ensure fair value based reimbursement policies for gynecologic cancer care. The PPRTF elected as a first task to develop an Alternative Payment Model for thesurgical management of low risk endometrial cancer. The history, rationale, and conceptual framework for the development of an Endometrial Cancer Alternative Payment Model are described in this white paper, as well as directions forfuture efforts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Comprehensive Metric Education Project: Implementing Metrics at a District Level Administrative Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borelli, Michael L.

    This document details the administrative issues associated with guiding a school district through its metrication efforts. Issues regarding staff development, curriculum development, and the acquisition of instructional resources are considered. Alternative solutions are offered. Finally, an overall implementation strategy is discussed with…

  19. Interpretation and use of evidence in state policymaking: a qualitative analysis

    PubMed Central

    Apollonio, Dorie E; Bero, Lisa A

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Researchers advocating for evidence-informed policy have attempted to encourage policymakers to develop a greater understanding of research and researchers to develop a better understanding of the policymaking process. Our aim was to apply findings drawn from studies of the policymaking process, specifically the theory of policy windows, to identify strategies used to integrate evidence into policymaking and points in the policymaking process where evidence was more or less relevant. Methods Our observational study relied on interviews conducted with 24 policymakers from the USA who had been trained to interpret scientific research in multiple iterations of an evidence-based workshop. Participants were asked to describe cases where they had been involved in making health policy and to provide examples in which research was used, either successfully or unsuccessfully. Interviews were transcribed, independently coded by multiple members of the study team and analysed for content using key words, concepts identified by participants and concepts arising from review of the texts. Results Our results suggest that policymakers who focused on health issues used multiple strategies to encourage evidence-informed policymaking. The respondents used a strict definition of what constituted evidence, and relied on their experience with research to discourage the use of less rigorous research. Their experience suggested that evidence was less useful in identifying problems, encouraging political action or ensuring feasibility and more useful in developing policy alternatives. Conclusions Past research has suggested multiple strategies to increase the use of evidence in policymaking, including the development of rapid-response research and policy-oriented summaries of data. Our findings suggest that these strategies may be most relevant to the policymaking stream, which develops policy alternatives. In addition, we identify several strategies that policymakers and researchers can apply to encourage evidence-informed policymaking. PMID:28219958

  20. Alternative methods for toxicity assessments in fish: comparison of the fish embryo toxicity and the larval growth and survival tests in zebrafish and fathead minnows.

    PubMed

    Jeffries, Marlo K Sellin; Stultz, Amy E; Smith, Austin W; Rawlings, Jane M; Belanger, Scott E; Oris, James T

    2014-11-01

    An increased demand for chemical toxicity evaluations has resulted in the need for alternative testing strategies that address animal welfare concerns. The fish embryo toxicity (FET) test developed for zebrafish (Danio rerio) is one such alternative, and the application of the FET test to other species such as the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) has been proposed. In the present study, the performances of the FET test and the larval growth and survival (LGS; a standard toxicity testing method) test in zebrafish and fathead minnows were evaluated. This required that testing methods for the fathead minnow FET and zebrafish LGS tests be harmonized with existing test methods and that the performance of these testing strategies be evaluated by comparing the median lethal concentrations of 2 reference toxicants, 3,4-dicholoraniline and ammonia, obtained via each of the test types. The results showed that procedures for the zebrafish FET test can be adapted and applied to the fathead minnow. Differences in test sensitivity were observed for 3,4-dicholoraniline but not ammonia; therefore, conclusions regarding which test types offer the least or most sensitivity could not be made. Overall, these results show that the fathead minnow FET test has potential as an alternative toxicity testing strategy and that further analysis with other toxicants is warranted in an effort to better characterize the sensitivity and feasibility of this testing strategy. © 2014 SETAC.

  1. HIGH THROUGHPUT ASSESSMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE COMPOUNDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    High throughput approaches for quantifying chemical hazard, exposure, and sustainability have the potential to dramatically impact the pace and nature of risk assessments. Integrated evaluation strategies developed at the US EPA incorporate inherency,bioactivity,bioavailability, ...

  2. Alternatives to lifting concrete masonry blocks onto rebar: biomechanical and perceptual evaluations.

    PubMed

    Hess, J A; Mizner, R L; Kincl, L; Anton, D

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the use of and barriers to H-block and high lift grouting, two alternatives to lifting concrete masonry blocks onto vertical rebar. Peak and cumulative shoulder motions were evaluated, as well as adoption barriers: H-block cost and stakeholder perceptions. Results indicated that using the alternatives significantly decreased peak shoulder flexion (p < 0.001). A case study indicated that building cost was higher with H-block, but the difference was less than 2% of the total cost. Contractors and specifiers reported important differences in perceptions, work norms, and material use and practices. For example, 48% of specifiers reported that use of high lift grouting was the contractor's choice, while 28% of contractors thought it must be specified. Use of H-block or high-lift grouting should be considered as methods to reduce awkward upper extremity postures. Cost and stakeholders' other perceptions present barriers that are important considerations when developing diffusion strategies for these alternatives. This study provides information from several perspectives about ergonomic controls for a high risk bricklaying task, which will benefit occupational safety experts, health professionals and ergonomists. It adds to the understanding of shoulder stresses, material cost and stakeholder perceptions that will contribute to developing effective diffusion strategies.

  3. Development of a sensitivity and uncertainty analysis tool in R for parametrization of the APEX model

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Hydrologic models are used to simulate the responses of agricultural systems to different inputs and management strategies to identify alternative management practices to cope up with future climate and/or geophysical changes. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) is a model develope...

  4. The alternative strategies of the development of the nuclear power industry in the 21st century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goverdovskii, A. A.; Kalyakin, S. G.; Rachkov, V. I.

    2014-05-01

    This paper emphasizes the urgency of scientific-and-technical and sociopolitical problems of the modern nuclear power industry without solving of which the transition from local nuclear power systems now in operation to a large-scale nuclear power industry would be impossible. The existing concepts of the longterm strategy of the development of the nuclear power industry have been analyzed. On the basis of the scenarios having been developed it was shown that the most promising alternative is the orientation towards the closed nuclear fuel cycle with fast neutron reactors (hereinafter referred to as fast reactors) that would meet the requirements on the acceptable safety. It was concluded that the main provisions of "The Strategy of the Development of the Nuclear Power Industry of Russia for the First Half of the 21st Century" approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in the year 2000 remain the same at present as well, although they require to be elaborated with due regard for new realities in the market for fossil fuels, the state of both the Russian and the world economy, as well as tightening of requirements related to safe operation of nuclear power stations (NPSs) (for example, after the severe accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station, Japan) and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

  5. The skilled nursing care alternative. Interview by Amanda G. Watlington.

    PubMed

    Garrick, R S

    1985-08-01

    With inpatient utilization declining, hospitals today must examine alternative means of serving their communities beyond the provision of inpatient care or face the consequences of idle capacity. Health administrators, in their search for a profitable and needed service to offer their community, are increasingly examining strategies for successfully vertically integrating along the continuum of care. For some, this has meant an expansion into walk-in treatment and diagnostic centers; for others, the strategy of choice is subacute and long-term care. Medicare reimbursement policies are encouraging physicians to rapidly discharge patients from the acute care hospital and utilize other appropriate levels of care. The development of subacute units is, therefore, an important industry response to cost effectively meeting the health needs of the elderly. This month HCSM discusses the skilled nursing alternative with Roger S. Garrick, the president of Merrick, Young & Company, a firm specializing in assisting acute care hospitals in this type of diversification.

  6. An integrated approach to evaluating alternative risk prediction strategies: a case study comparing alternative approaches for preventing invasive fungal disease.

    PubMed

    Sadique, Z; Grieve, R; Harrison, D A; Jit, M; Allen, E; Rowan, K M

    2013-12-01

    This article proposes an integrated approach to the development, validation, and evaluation of new risk prediction models illustrated with the Fungal Infection Risk Evaluation study, which developed risk models to identify non-neutropenic, critically ill adult patients at high risk of invasive fungal disease (IFD). Our decision-analytical model compared alternative strategies for preventing IFD at up to three clinical decision time points (critical care admission, after 24 hours, and end of day 3), followed with antifungal prophylaxis for those judged "high" risk versus "no formal risk assessment." We developed prognostic models to predict the risk of IFD before critical care unit discharge, with data from 35,455 admissions to 70 UK adult, critical care units, and validated the models externally. The decision model was populated with positive predictive values and negative predictive values from the best-fitting risk models. We projected lifetime cost-effectiveness and expected value of partial perfect information for groups of parameters. The risk prediction models performed well in internal and external validation. Risk assessment and prophylaxis at the end of day 3 was the most cost-effective strategy at the 2% and 1% risk threshold. Risk assessment at each time point was the most cost-effective strategy at a 0.5% risk threshold. Expected values of partial perfect information were high for positive predictive values or negative predictive values (£11 million-£13 million) and quality-adjusted life-years (£11 million). It is cost-effective to formally assess the risk of IFD for non-neutropenic, critically ill adult patients. This integrated approach to developing and evaluating risk models is useful for informing clinical practice and future research investment. © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Published by International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) All rights reserved.

  7. Squeezing the funding you need from today's capital sources.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Deborah C

    2010-04-01

    Healthcare providers need to understand traditional and nontraditional financing options and other potential strategies for accessing capital. Common financing options include bonds, commercial lending, acquisition financing, and financing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 232 program. Alternative strategies for accessing capital include joint ventures, equity, sale of assets, fund-raising, capital leases, internal capital, public grants, and grants from foundations.

  8. The unfinished assignment: Educating Moroccan women for development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belhachmi, Zakia

    1987-12-01

    Western theories of development, and the resulting strategies and planning represent major structural barriers to Moroccan Women's Liberation. The author advocates a shift from current anti-participatory strategies to a new people-oriented approach, emphasizing the multiple roles of women within an integrated strategy. This involves linking educational projects with other parts of the infrastructure. Morocco's `way out' of exogenous development, the author contends, is contingent upon an adequate management of the educational system both at the institutional and personal levels. Therefore, educating women can be considered a sine qua non in optimizing conditions leading to endogenous development. The foundation is the establishment or strengthening of a whole infrastructure for the creation, transmission, and application of alternative methods likely to sustain socio-economic opportunities leading to Morocco's self-reliance.

  9. Status Report on Ex-Vessel Coolability and Water Management

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

    Farmer, M. T.; Robb, K. R.

    Specific to BWR plants, current accident management guidance calls for flooding the drywell to a level of approximately 1.2 m (4 feet) above the drywell floor once vessel breach has been determined. While this action can help to submerge ex-vessel core debris, it can also result in flooding the wetwell and thereby rendering the wetwell vent path unavailable. An alternate strategy is being developed in the industry guidance for responding to the severe accident capable vent Order, EA-13-109. The alternate strategy being proposed would throttle the flooding rate to achieve a stable wetwell water level while preserving the wetwell ventmore » path. The overall objective of this work is to upgrade existing analytical tools (i.e. MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH - which have been used as part of the DOE-sponsored Fukushima accident analyses) in order to provide flexible, analytically capable, and validated models to support the development of water throttling strategies for BWRs that are aimed at keeping ex-vessel core debris covered with water while preserving the wetwell vent path.« less

  10. The marketing of partial hospitalization.

    PubMed

    Millsap, P; Brown, E; Kiser, L; Pruitt, D

    1987-09-01

    Health-care professionals are currently operating in the context of a rapidly changing health-care delivery system, including the move away from inpatient services to outpatient services in order to control costs. Those who practice in partial-hospital settings are in a position to offer effective, cost-efficient services; however, there continue to be obstacles which hinder appropriate utilization of the modality. The development and use of a well-designed marketing plan is one strategy for removing these obstacles. This paper presents a brief overview of the marketing process, ideas for developing a marketing plan, and several examples of specific marketing strategies as well as ways to monitor their effectiveness. Partial-hospital providers must take an active role in answering the calls for alternative sources of psychiatric care. A comprehensive, education-oriented marketing approach will increase the public's awareness of such alternatives and enable programs to survive in a competitive environment.

  11. Kawasaki Disease: Etiopathogenesis and Novel Treatment Strategies

    PubMed Central

    Agarwal, Shreya; Agrawal, Devendra K.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Kawasaki disease is an acute febrile systemic vasculitis that predominantly occurs in children below five years of age. Its etiopathogenesis is still not clear, but it is thought to be a complex interplay of genetic factors, infections and immunity. Areas covered This review article discusses in detail Kawasaki disease, with particular emphasis on the recent updates on its pathogenesis and upcoming alternate treatment options. Though self-limiting in many cases, it can lead to severe complications like coronary artery aneurysms and thrombo-embolic occlusions, and hence requires early diagnosis and urgent attention to avoid them. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) with or without aspirin has remained the sole treatment option for these cases, but 10-15% cases develop resistance to this treatment. Expert Commentary There is a need to develop additional treatment strategies for children with Kawasaki disease. Targeting different steps of pathogenesis could provide us with alternate therapeutic options. PMID:27590181

  12. A European perspective on alternatives to animal testing for environmental hazard identification and risk assessment.

    PubMed

    Scholz, Stefan; Sela, Erika; Blaha, Ludek; Braunbeck, Thomas; Galay-Burgos, Malyka; García-Franco, Mauricio; Guinea, Joaquin; Klüver, Nils; Schirmer, Kristin; Tanneberger, Katrin; Tobor-Kapłon, Marysia; Witters, Hilda; Belanger, Scott; Benfenati, Emilio; Creton, Stuart; Cronin, Mark T D; Eggen, Rik I L; Embry, Michelle; Ekman, Drew; Gourmelon, Anne; Halder, Marlies; Hardy, Barry; Hartung, Thomas; Hubesch, Bruno; Jungmann, Dirk; Lampi, Mark A; Lee, Lucy; Léonard, Marc; Küster, Eberhard; Lillicrap, Adam; Luckenbach, Till; Murk, Albertinka J; Navas, José M; Peijnenburg, Willie; Repetto, Guillermo; Salinas, Edward; Schüürmann, Gerrit; Spielmann, Horst; Tollefsen, Knut Erik; Walter-Rohde, Susanne; Whale, Graham; Wheeler, James R; Winter, Matthew J

    2013-12-01

    Tests with vertebrates are an integral part of environmental hazard identification and risk assessment of chemicals, plant protection products, pharmaceuticals, biocides, feed additives and effluents. These tests raise ethical and economic concerns and are considered as inappropriate for assessing all of the substances and effluents that require regulatory testing. Hence, there is a strong demand for replacement, reduction and refinement strategies and methods. However, until now alternative approaches have only rarely been used in regulatory settings. This review provides an overview on current regulations of chemicals and the requirements for animal tests in environmental hazard and risk assessment. It aims to highlight the potential areas for alternative approaches in environmental hazard identification and risk assessment. Perspectives and limitations of alternative approaches to animal tests using vertebrates in environmental toxicology, i.e. mainly fish and amphibians, are discussed. Free access to existing (proprietary) animal test data, availability of validated alternative methods and a practical implementation of conceptual approaches such as the Adverse Outcome Pathways and Integrated Testing Strategies were identified as major requirements towards the successful development and implementation of alternative approaches. Although this article focusses on European regulations, its considerations and conclusions are of global relevance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Education strategies to foster health professional students' clinical reasoning skills.

    PubMed

    Rochmawati, Erna; Wiechula, Rick

    2010-06-01

    Clinical reasoning is an important skill for health professionals that should be developed to achieve high levels of expertise. Several education strategies have been suggested for implementation by health professional educators to foster their students' clinical reasoning skills. The strategies have included the following: problem-based learning, the integrative curriculum, reflection, and concept mapping. This review assesses which is the most effective education strategy for developing the clinical reasoning skills of health professional students. Four publications, from a total of 692 identified records, were included. Overall, this review was not able to make a final conclusion to answer the question. Therefore, there is a need to conduct more studies with larger samples and to undertake research that evaluates the following aspects: more alternate education interventions, variations in the delivery of education interventions, and the cost-effectiveness of implementing education strategies.

  14. The hemibiotrophic cacao pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa depends on a mitochondrial alternative oxidase for biotrophic development

    PubMed Central

    Thomazella, Daniela P T; Teixeira, Paulo José P L; Oliveira, Halley C; Saviani, Elzira E; Rincones, Johana; Toni, Isabella M; Reis, Osvaldo; Garcia, Odalys; Meinhardt, Lyndel W; Salgado, Ione; Pereira, Gonçalo A G

    2012-01-01

    The tropical pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa causes witches’ broom disease in cacao. As a hemibiotrophic fungus, it initially colonizes the living host tissues (biotrophic phase), and later grows over the dead plant (necrotrophic phase). Little is known about the mechanisms that promote these distinct fungal phases or mediate the transition between them. An alternative oxidase gene (Mp-aox) was identified in the M. perniciosa genome and its expression was analyzed througout the fungal life cycle. In addition, the effects of inhibitors of the cytochrome-dependent respiratory chain (CRC) and alternative oxidase (AOX) were evaluated on the in vitro development of M. perniciosa. Larger numbers of Mp-aox transcripts were observed in the biotrophic hyphae, which accordingly showed elevated sensitivity to AOX inhibitors. More importantly, the inhibition of CRC prevented the transition from the biotrophic to the necrotrophic phase, and the combined use of a CRC and AOX inhibitor completely halted fungal growth. On the basis of these results, a novel mechanism is presented in which AOX plays a role in the biotrophic development of M. perniciosa and regulates the transition to its necrotrophic stage. Strikingly, this model correlates well with the infection strategy of animal pathogens, particularly Trypanosoma brucei, which uses AOX as a strategy for pathogenicity. PMID:22443281

  15. Antimicrobial formulary management: meeting the challenge in the community hospital.

    PubMed

    Rush, D R

    1991-01-01

    We established a casework approach to develop an antibiotic formulary for a large community hospital. The program consists of a combination of comprehensive clinical and administrative strategies designed to reduce antimicrobial expenditures and improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing. Strategies included a background document summarizing each pharmacologic group of antimicrobial drugs and formulary preferences, presentations to medical and surgical departments, development of drug use evaluation strategies that complement the development of the formulary, and a monitoring program for nonformulary antibiotic use. The development of a customized microbiologic/antibiotic susceptibility report card specific to the institution's inpatient and outpatient microflora was an integral part of the program. This tool also allowed for the continuous compilation of comparison data and development of prescribing tips. Predetermined criteria were established providing physicians with microorganism susceptibility reports and preferred treatment alternatives linked to pharmacoeconomic concerns. These strategies can be implemented with or without direct clinical pharmacotherapy specialist involvement at the individual patient care level.

  16. Comprehensive Reform for Urban High Schools: A Talent Development Approach. Sociology of Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Legters, Nettie E.; Balfanz, Robert; Jordan, Will J.; McPartland, James M.

    This book offers an alternative to current reform efforts, the talent development approach, detailing organizational, curricular, and instructional strategies that provide practitioners with a blueprint for whole school reform. The book presents the story of what happened in urban high schools when this approach was implemented. There are eight…

  17. Educational Foundations--Alternative Development Strategies: Insurance for a Solvent Community College System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luck, Michael F.

    Educational foundations for raising and allocating private funds have a legitimate place in the community college. They allow a college to chart its growth, anticipate emergencies, and meet the needs of all sectors of the institution. Foundations must utilize an active development program for planning and executing a conscious, continuous effort…

  18. Perspectives and strategies of alternative methods used in the risk assessment of personal care products.

    PubMed

    Quantin, P; Thélu, A; Catoire, S; Ficheux, H

    2015-11-01

    Risk assessment for personal care products requires the use of alternative methods since animal testing is now totally banned. Some of these methods are effective and have been validated by the "European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing"; but there is still a need for development and implementation of methods for specific endpoints. In this review, we have focused on dermal risk assessment because it is the prime route of absorption and main target organ for personal care products. Within this field, various areas must be assessed: irritation, sensitisation and toxicokinetic. Personal care product behaviour after use by the consumer and potential effects on the environment are also discussed. The purpose of this review is to show evolution and the prospects of alternative methods for safety dermal assessment. Assessment strategies must be adapted to the different chemical classes of substances studied but also to the way in which they are used. Finally, experimental and theoretical technical parameters that may impact on measured effects have been identified and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Alternative synthetic approaches for metal-organic frameworks: transformation from solid matters.

    PubMed

    Zhan, Guowu; Zeng, Hua Chun

    2016-12-20

    Developing economic and sustainable synthetic strategies for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is imperative for promoting MOF materials into large scale industrial use. Very recently, an alternative strategy for MOF synthesis by using solvent-insoluble "solid matters" as cation reservoirs and/or templates has been developed to accomplish this goal, in which the solid matters often refer to metals, metal oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, and so forth, but excluding the soluble metal salts which have been prevailingly used in MOF synthesis. Although most of the pioneering activities in this field have just started in the past 5 years, remarkable achievements have been made covering the synthesis, functionalization, positioning, and applications. A great number of MOFs in powder form, thin-films, or membranes, have been prepared through such solid-to-MOF transformations. This field is rapidly developing and expanding, and the number of related scientific publications has strikingly increased over the last few years. The aim of this review is to summarise the latest developments, highlight the present state-of-the-art, and also provide an overview for future research directions.

  20. Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine at Complementary and Alternative Medicine Institutions: Strategies, Competencies, and Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Schiffke, Heather; Fleishman, Susan; Haas, Mitch; Cruser, des Anges; LeFebvre, Ron; Sullivan, Barbara; Taylor, Barry; Gaster, Barak

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Background: As evidence-based medicine (EBM) becomes a standard in health care, it is essential that practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) become experts in searching and evaluating the research literature. In support of this goal, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) provided R25 funding to nine CAM colleges to develop individual programs focused on teaching EBM. An overarching goal of these research education grants has been to provide CAM faculty and students with the skills they need to apply a rigorous evidence-based perspective to their training and practice. Methods/Results: This paper reviews the competencies and teaching strategies developed and implemented to enhance research literacy at all nine R25-funded institutions. While each institution designed approaches suitable for its research culture, the guiding principles were similar: to develop evidence-informed skills and knowledge, thereby helping students and faculty to critically appraise evidence and then use that evidence to guide their clinical practice. Curriculum development and assessment included faculty-driven learning activities and longitudinal curricular initiatives to encourage skill reinforcement and evaluate progress. Conclusion: As the field of integrative medicine matures, the NIH-NCCAM research education grants provide essential training for future clinicians and clinician-researchers. Building this workforce will facilitate multidisciplinary collaborations that address the unique needs for research that informs integrative clinical practice. PMID:25380144

  1. Divorce Mediation and Its Emotional Impact on the Couple and Their Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaslow, Florence W.

    1984-01-01

    Discusses the influence of development on divorce, and presents a diaclectic model of divorce stages. Suggests mediation as an alternative dispute resolution strategy and describes contraindications for both mediation and the adversarial approach. (JAC)

  2. Congestion-Responsive On-Ramp Metering : Before and After Studies - Phase 1

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-07-06

    The objective of this project was to develop recommendations toward a statewide policy of congestion responsive freeway ramp metering operation. The research is performed in two phases. In phase 1, alternative ramp metering activation strategies were...

  3. School Finance. Trends and Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadderman, Margaret, Comp.

    During the past several years, policymakers and practitioners have concentrated their energies on resolving equity/adequacy issues, reforming school tax structures, improving schools' efficiency and cost-effectiveness, developing school-based accountability, and exploring alternative cost-cutting and fundraising strategies. Total expenditures for…

  4. Learning Strategy Selection in the Water Maze and Hippocampal CREB Phosphorylation Differ in Two Inbred Strains of Mice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sung, Jin-Young; Goo, June-Seo; Lee, Dong-Eun; Jin, Da-Qing; Bizon, Jennifer L.; Gallagher, Michela; Han, Jung-Soo

    2008-01-01

    Learning strategy selection was assessed in two different inbred strains of mice, C57BL/6 and DBA/2, which are used for developing genetically modified mouse models. Male mice received a training protocol in a water maze using alternating blocks of visible and hidden platform trials, during which mice escaped to a single location. After training,…

  5. Solar Energy Systems for Ohioan Residential Homeowners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luckett, Rickey D.

    Dwindling nonrenewable energy resources and rising energy costs have forced the United States to develop alternative renewable energy sources. The United States' solar energy industry has seen an upsurge in recent years, and photovoltaic holds considerable promise as a renewable energy technology. The purpose of this case study was to explore homeowner's awareness of the benefits of solar energy. Disruptive-innovation theory was used to explore marketing strategies for conveying information to homeowners about access to new solar energy products and services. Twenty residential homeowners were interviewed face-to-face to explore (a) perceived benefits of solar energy in their county in Ohio, and (b) perceptions on the rationale behind the marketing strategy of solar energy systems sold for residential use. The study findings used inductive analyses and coding interpretation to explore the participants' responses that revealed 3 themes: the existence of environmental benefits for using solar energy systems, the expensive cost of equipment associated with government incentives, and the lack of marketing information that is available for consumer use. The implications for positive social change include the potential to enable corporate leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to develop marketing strategies for renewable energy systems. These strategies may promote use of solar energy systems as a clean, renewable, and affordable alternative electricity energy source for the 21st century.

  6. Economic Analysis of Alternative Strategies for Detection of ALK Rearrangements in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Doshi, Shivang; Ray, David; Stein, Karen; Zhang, Jie; Koduru, Prasad; Fogt, Franz; Wellman, Axel; Wat, Ricky; Mathews, Charles

    2016-01-01

    Identification of alterations in ALK gene and development of ALK-directed therapies have increased the need for accurate and efficient detection methodologies. To date, research has focused on the concordance between the two most commonly used technologies, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, inter-test concordance reflects only one, albeit important, aspect of the diagnostic process; laboratories, hospitals, and payors must understand the cost and workflow of ALK rearrangement detection strategies. Through literature review combined with interviews of pathologists and laboratory directors in the U.S. and Europe, a cost-impact model was developed that compared four alternative testing strategies—IHC only, FISH only, IHC pre-screen followed by FISH confirmation, and parallel testing by both IHC and FISH. Interviews were focused on costs of reagents, consumables, equipment, and personnel. The resulting model showed that testing by IHC alone cost less ($90.07 in the U.S., $68.69 in Europe) than either independent or parallel testing by both FISH and IHC ($441.85 in the U.S. and $279.46 in Europe). The strategies differed in cost of execution, turnaround time, reimbursement, and number of positive results detected, suggesting that laboratories must weigh the costs and the clinical benefit of available ALK testing strategies. PMID:26838801

  7. Integrative tobacco cessation: A survey assessing past quit strategies and future interest.

    PubMed

    Howerter, Amy; Floden, Lysbeth; Matthews, Eva; Muramoto, Myra L

    2016-04-01

    Tobacco cessation remains a public health priority. Unassisted quits are most common despite evidence for a combination of guideline-recommended strategies. This paper reports findings from a pilot study designed to assess past quit strategies and tobacco users' receptiveness to using an integrative clinic that offers both conventional and alternative treatments for future cessation attempts. Participants were recruited from a pool of individuals reporting for jury duty. Paper-pencil surveys assessed smoking, past cessation behaviors, and interest in use of the integrative clinic which offers both conventional and alternative treatments. Current and former smokers (n=304) returned surveys. Using multivariate logistic regression, past physiological quit strategies, past behavioral quit strategies, and use of multiple quit strategies increased agreement with interest in future use of an integrative clinic option. Additionally, there is support for the notion that if such a clinic were offered, smokers may be inclined to use this resource for a future quit attempt. An integrative clinic option for tobacco cessation may encourage smokers to try to quit, especially for those who have used varied cessation strategies in the past. Motivating smokers to use a combined approach for tobacco cessation is a potential future direction for tobacco cessation treatment. Developing and testing an integrative approach may support this effort.

  8. Marine bacteria: potential sources for compounds to overcome antibiotic resistance.

    PubMed

    Eom, Sung-Hwan; Kim, Young-Mog; Kim, Se-Kwon

    2013-06-01

    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most problematic Gram-positive bacterium in the context of public health due to its resistance against almost all available antibiotics except vancomycin and teicoplanin. Moreover, glycopeptide-resistant S. aureus have been emerging with the increasing use of glycopeptides. Recently, resistant strains against linezolid and daptomycin, which are alternative drugs to treat MRSA infection, have also been reported. Thus, the development of new drugs or alternative therapies is clearly a matter of urgency. In response to the antibiotic resistance, many researchers have studied for alternative antibiotics and therapies. In this review, anti-MRSA substances isolated from marine bacteria, with their potential antibacterial effect against MRSA as potential anti-MRSA agents, are discussed and several strategies for overcoming the antibiotic resistance are also introduced. Our objective was to highlight marine bacteria that have potential to lead in developing novel antibiotics or clinically useful alternative therapeutic treatments.

  9. Ranking the strategies for Indian medical tourism sector through the integration of SWOT analysis and TOPSIS method.

    PubMed

    Ajmera, Puneeta

    2017-10-09

    Purpose Organizations have to evaluate their internal and external environments in this highly competitive world. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis is a very useful technique which analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization for taking strategic decisions and it also provides a foundation for the formulation of strategies. But the drawback of SWOT analysis is that it does not quantify the importance of individual factors affecting the organization and the individual factors are described in brief without weighing them. Because of this reason, SWOT analysis can be integrated with any multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) technique like the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), analytical hierarchy process, etc., to evaluate the best alternative among the available strategic alternatives. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, SWOT analysis is integrated with a multicriteria decision-making technique called TOPSIS to rank different strategies for Indian medical tourism in order of priority. Findings SO strategy (providing best facilitation and care to the medical tourists at par to developed countries) is the best strategy which matches with the four elements of S, W, O and T of SWOT matrix and 35 strategic indicators. Practical implications This paper proposes a solution based on a combined SWOT analysis and TOPSIS approach to help the organizations to evaluate and select strategies. Originality/value Creating a new technology or administering a new strategy always has some degree of resistance by employees. To minimize resistance, the author has used TOPSIS as it involves group thinking, requiring every manager of the organization to analyze and evaluate different alternatives and average measure of each parameter in final decision matrix.

  10. Relating Androgen Receptor Conformation to Function in Prostate Cancer Cells

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    line development , but have made progress towards resolving these issues and in development of alternate strategies. Task 1. Development of AR and...conformation. Task 2. Development of LNCaP Cells to Express Human AR mutants. We experienced unexpected difficulties in Task 2. We transfected the TET...Coactivators in AR Transactivation Summary Androgens drive sex differentiation, bone and muscle development , and promote growth of hormone dependent cancers

  11. Biological Control of Mosquito Vectors: Past, Present, and Future

    PubMed Central

    Benelli, Giovanni; Jeffries, Claire L.; Walker, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Mosquitoes represent the major arthropod vectors of human disease worldwide transmitting malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and arboviruses such as dengue virus and Zika virus. Unfortunately, no treatment (in the form of vaccines or drugs) is available for most of these diseases and vector control is still the main form of prevention. The limitations of traditional insecticide-based strategies, particularly the development of insecticide resistance, have resulted in significant efforts to develop alternative eco-friendly methods. Biocontrol strategies aim to be sustainable and target a range of different mosquito species to reduce the current reliance on insecticide-based mosquito control. In this review, we outline non-insecticide based strategies that have been implemented or are currently being tested. We also highlight the use of mosquito behavioural knowledge that can be exploited for control strategies. PMID:27706105

  12. Biological Control of Mosquito Vectors: Past, Present, and Future.

    PubMed

    Benelli, Giovanni; Jeffries, Claire L; Walker, Thomas

    2016-10-03

    Mosquitoes represent the major arthropod vectors of human disease worldwide transmitting malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and arboviruses such as dengue virus and Zika virus. Unfortunately, no treatment (in the form of vaccines or drugs) is available for most of these diseases andvectorcontrolisstillthemainformofprevention. Thelimitationsoftraditionalinsecticide-based strategies, particularly the development of insecticide resistance, have resulted in significant efforts to develop alternative eco-friendly methods. Biocontrol strategies aim to be sustainable and target a range of different mosquito species to reduce the current reliance on insecticide-based mosquito control. In thisreview, weoutline non-insecticide basedstrategiesthat havebeenimplemented orare currently being tested. We also highlight the use of mosquito behavioural knowledge that can be exploited for control strategies.

  13. Continuous infusion of amphotericin B deoxycholate: an innovative, low-cost strategy in antifungal treatment.

    PubMed

    Falci, Diego R; dos Santos, Rodrigo P; Wirth, Fernanda; Goldani, Luciano Z

    2011-03-01

    The combination of amphotericin B and sodium deoxycholate is the formulation most used in clinical practice. The development of new agents such as amphotericin with lipid formulations, caspofungin, voriconazole and other azolic derivatives, promoted alternatives to amphotericin B deoxycholate. However, because of the high cost of these new drugs, their use is difficult in a scenario of limited resources. A few strategies have been devised to make the use of amphotericin B deoxycholate less toxic. In this review, we seek to describe the accumulated knowledge about this molecule, with focus on its use in continuous infusion, which appears to be an alternative to reduce toxicity, while maintaining its clinical efficacy. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  14. A qualitative analysis of email interactions of children who use augmentative and alternative communication.

    PubMed

    Sundqvist, Anett; Rönnberg, Jerker

    2010-12-01

    The aim of this study was to introduce email as a form of interaction for a group of six children who used augmentative and alternative communication. In a 12-week exploratory study, aspects of the email messages sent were analyzed. The content of the messages was analyzed by an inductive qualitative method, and seven descriptive categories emerged. The most frequently occurring categories were Social Etiquette, Personal/Family Statistics and Personal Common Ground. The children utilized different email strategies that included use of most of the above-mentioned categories. Through the email writing practice, the children developed new social skills and increased their social participation. Email practice may be a good strategy to increase children's social networks.

  15. Summary Report for National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) and Centro Para Prevencao da Poluicao (C3P) 2011 International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greene, Brian

    2011-01-01

    The C3P &. NASA International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy was held on November 15-18, 2011 at the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The theme of the workshop was "Global Collaboration in Environmental and Alternative Energy Strategies". The workshop was held at ESTEC's conference center. More than 110 individuals from eleven countries attended the workshop. For the first time since the inception of NASA-C3P workshops, a full day was dedicated to a student session. Fifteen students from around the globe gave oral presentations along with poster displays relating to the latest technologies in environmental and alternative energy strategies. Judges from NASA, C3P and ESA awarded plaques to the top three students. In addition to the students, thirty eight U.S. and international subject matter experts presented on the following general environmental-related topics: (1) Hazardous materials management and substitution in support of space operations (2) Emerging renewable and alternative energy technologies (3) Sustainable development and redevelopment (4) Remediation technologies and strategies The workshop also included a panel discussion on the topic of the challenges of operating installations across borders. Throughout the workshop, attendees heard about the scope of environmental and energy challenges that industry and governments face. They heard about technologies for increasing energy efficiency and increasing use of renewable energy. They learned about ways companies and government agencies are using materials, processes, goods and services in a manner more respectful with the environment and in compliance with health and safety rules. The concept of partnerships and their inherent benefits was evidenced throughout the workshop. Partnering is a key aspect of sustainability because sustainable development is complicated. Through formal presentations and side discussions, attendees commented on the need for continued exploration of joint projects of mutual interest.

  16. Mixed strategies for energy conservation and alternative energy utilization (solar) in buildings. Final report. Volume II. Detailed results. [New York, Atlanta, Omaha, and Albuquerque

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

    None

    1977-06-01

    The mixed-strategy analysis was a tradeoff analysis between energy-conservation methods and an alternative energy source (solar) considering technical and economic benefits. The objective of the analysis was to develop guidelines for: reducing energy requirements; reducing conventional fuel use; and identifying economic alternatives for building owners. The analysis was done with a solar system in place. This makes the study unique in that it is determining the interaction of energy conservation with a solar system. The study, therefore, established guidelines as to how to minimize capital investment while reducing the conventional fuel consumption through either a larger solar system or anmore » energy-conserving technique. To focus the scope of energy-conservation techniques and alternative energy sources considered, five building types (house, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, schools, and office buildings) were selected. Finally, the lists of energy-conservation techniques and alternative energy sources were reduced to lists of manageable size by using technical attributes to select the best candidates for further study. The resultant energy-conservation techniques were described in detail and installed costs determined. The alternative energy source reduced to solar. Building construction characteristics were defined for each building for each of four geographic regions of the country. A mixed strategy consisting of an energy-conservation technique and solar heating/hot water/cooling system was analyzed, using computer simulation to determine the interaction between energy conservation and the solar system. Finally, using FEA fuel-price scenarios and installed costs for the solar system and energy conservation techniques, an economic analysis was performed to determine the cost effectiveness of the combination. (MCW)« less

  17. Guam Strategic Energy Plan

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

    Conrad, M. D.

    2013-07-01

    Describes various energy strategies available to Guam to meet the territory's goal of diversifying fuel sources and reducing fossil energy consumption 20% by 2020.The information presented in this strategic energy plan will be used by the Guam Energy Task Force to develop an energy action plan. Available energy strategies include policy changes, education and outreach, reducing energy consumption at federal facilities, and expanding the use of a range of energy technologies, including buildings energy efficiency and conservation, renewable electricity production, and alternative transportation. The strategies are categorized based on the time required to implement them.

  18. Parrondo's game using a discrete-time quantum walk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandrashekar, C. M.; Banerjee, Subhashish

    2011-04-01

    We present a new form of a Parrondo game using discrete-time quantum walk on a line. The two players A and B with different quantum coins operators, individually losing the game can develop a strategy to emerge as joint winners by using their coins alternatively, or in combination for each step of the quantum walk evolution. We also present a strategy for a player A ( B) to have a winning probability more than player B ( A). Significance of the game strategy in information theory and physical applications are also discussed.

  19. Uterine Tissue Engineering and the Future of Uterus Transplantation.

    PubMed

    Hellström, Mats; Bandstein, Sara; Brännström, Mats

    2017-07-01

    The recent successful births following live donor uterus transplantation are proof-of-concept that absolute uterine factor infertility is a treatable condition which affects several hundred thousand infertile women world-wide due to a dysfunctional uterus. This strategy also provides an alternative to gestational surrogate motherhood which is not practiced in most countries due to ethical, religious or legal reasons. The live donor surgery involved in uterus transplantation takes more than 10 h and is then followed by years of immunosuppressive medication to prevent uterine rejection. Immunosuppression is associated with significant adverse side effects, including nephrotoxicity, increased risk of serious infections, and diabetes. Thus, the development of alternative approaches to treat absolute uterine factor infertility would be desirable. This review discusses tissue engineering principles in general, but also details strategies on how to create a bioengineered uterus that could be used for transplantation, without risky donor surgery and any need for immunosuppression. We discuss scaffolds derived from decellularized organs/tissues which may be recellularized using various types of autologous somatic/stem cells, in particular for uterine tissue engineering. It further highlights the hurdles that lay ahead in developing an alternative to an allogeneic source for uterus transplantation.

  20. Potential preventive strategies and therapies in urinary tract infection.

    PubMed

    Reid, G

    1999-12-01

    There are perhaps five strategies either presently advocated or under investigation for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI): antibiotics, including natural peptides; functional foods; vaccines; probiotics; and miscellaneous, including avoidance of spermicides and maintenance of good hygiene. It is not possible to state the proportion of patients using antibiotics versus foods such as cranberry or using alternative approaches such as avoidance of spermicides. The majority of women who are referred to specialists will be prescribed long-term, low-dose antibiotics. However, given the magnitude of the problem, it is safe to state that large numbers of women are at least experimenting with alternative remedies such as drinking of cranberry juice or ingestion of herbal remedies with a view to enhancing their immune response. Vaccine development remains a long way from human use and has yet to be developed for organisms other than Escherichia coli. The use of probiotics of restore the normal vaginal flora and provide a competitive bacterial barrier to pathogens is close to becoming available as an alternative preventive approach. The next decade should see the introduction of new methods for reduction of the high incidence of UTI and better management of recurring urogenital infections.

  1. An Integrated Data-Driven Strategy for Safe-by-Design Nanoparticles: The FP7 MODERN Project.

    PubMed

    Brehm, Martin; Kafka, Alexander; Bamler, Markus; Kühne, Ralph; Schüürmann, Gerrit; Sikk, Lauri; Burk, Jaanus; Burk, Peeter; Tamm, Tarmo; Tämm, Kaido; Pokhrel, Suman; Mädler, Lutz; Kahru, Anne; Aruoja, Villem; Sihtmäe, Mariliis; Scott-Fordsmand, Janeck; Sorensen, Peter B; Escorihuela, Laura; Roca, Carlos P; Fernández, Alberto; Giralt, Francesc; Rallo, Robert

    2017-01-01

    The development and implementation of safe-by-design strategies is key for the safe development of future generations of nanotechnology enabled products. The safety testing of the huge variety of nanomaterials that can be synthetized is unfeasible due to time and cost constraints. Computational modeling facilitates the implementation of alternative testing strategies in a time and cost effective way. The development of predictive nanotoxicology models requires the use of high quality experimental data on the structure, physicochemical properties and bioactivity of nanomaterials. The FP7 Project MODERN has developed and evaluated the main components of a computational framework for the evaluation of the environmental and health impacts of nanoparticles. This chapter describes each of the elements of the framework including aspects related to data generation, management and integration; development of nanodescriptors; establishment of nanostructure-activity relationships; identification of nanoparticle categories; hazard ranking and risk assessment.

  2. Pre-existing immunity against Ad vectors: humoral, cellular, and innate response, what's important?.

    PubMed

    Fausther-Bovendo, Hugues; Kobinger, Gary P

    2014-01-01

    Pre-existing immunity against human adenovirus (HAd) serotype 5 derived vector in the human population is widespread, thus hampering its clinical use. Various components of the immune system, including neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), Ad specific T cells and type I IFN activated NK cells, contribute to dampening the efficacy of Ad vectors in individuals with pre-existing Ad immunity. In order to circumvent pre-existing immunity to adenovirus, numerous strategies, such as developing alternative Ad serotypes, varying immunization routes and utilizing prime-boost regimens, are under pre-clinical or clinical phases of development. However, these strategies mainly focus on one arm of pre-existing immunity. Selection of alternative serotypes has been largely driven by the absence in the human population of nAbs against them with little attention paid to cross-reactive Ad specific T cells. Conversely, varying the route of immunization appears to mainly rely on avoiding Ad specific tissue-resident T cells. Finally, prime-boost regimens do not actually circumvent pre-existing immunity but instead generate immune responses of sufficient magnitude to confer protection despite pre-existing immunity. Combining the above strategies and thus taking into account all components regulating pre-existing Ad immunity will help further improve the development of Ad vectors for animal and human use.

  3. An Investigation of Extinction-Induced Vocalizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valentino, Amber L.; Shillingsburg, M. Alice; Call, Nathan A.; Burton, Britney; Bowen, Crystal N.

    2011-01-01

    Children with autism have significant communication delays. Although some children develop vocalizations through shaping and differential reinforcement, others rarely exhibit vocalizations, and alternative methods are targeted in intervention. However, vocal language often remains a goal for caregivers and clinicians. Thus, strategies to increase…

  4. Biodiesel Research : Alternative Fuels & Life-Cycle Engineering Program : November 29, 2006 to November 28, 2011

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-12-20

    The primary objective of this project is to develop multiple simulation Testbeds/transportation models to evaluate the impacts of DMA connected vehicle applications and the active and dynamic transportation management (ATDM) strategies. The outputs (...

  5. Non-Specific Microbicide Product Development: Then and Now

    PubMed Central

    Romano, Joseph W.; Robbiani, Melissa; Doncel, Gustavo F.; Moench, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Despite the identification of HIV-1 as the etiological agent responsible for AIDS nearly 30 years ago, a sterilizing vaccine capable of preventing transmission of the virus remains elusive. In response to struggles on the vaccine development front, significant effort has been devoted to preventing the transmission of HIV with alternative products, technologies, and strategies. One of the early alternative HIV prevention strategies was microbicides, which are topical products that can be used to prevent sexual transmission of HIV either vaginally or rectally. First generation microbicide products were designed to be simple gel formulations comprised of readily available active agents that were inexpensive and broadly active (i.e., non-specific). Unfortunately, despite the clinical investigation of multiple product concepts satisfying these requirements, none were shown to be efficacious in pivotal trials. More recently, microbicide and oral prevention strategies involving highly specific and potent anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs have shown to be efficacious in trials. Although building on these successes continues, these products have a number of issues including potential toxicity with long term use, selection of HIV resistance, and cost. Further, all of the original justifications for non-specific microbicide products remain valid. This review provides a brief history of non-specific microbicide development, outlines the evolution to, and limitations of, ARV based microbicides, and summarizes the current activity on non-specific microbicide product development. PMID:22264041

  6. Montana BioDiesel Initiative

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

    Peyton, Brent

    This initiative funding helped put Montana State University (MSU) in a position to help lead in the development of biodiesel production strategies. Recent shortages in electrical power and rising gasoline prices have focused much attention on the development of alternative energy sources that will end our dependence on fossil fuels. In addition, as the concern for environmental impact of utilizing fossil fuels increases, effective strategies must be implemented to reduce emissions or the increased regulations imposed on fossil fuel production will cause economic barriers for their use to continue to increase. Biodiesel has been repeatedly promoted as a more environmentallymore » sound and renewable source of fuel and may prove to be a highly viable solution to provide, at the least, a proportion of our energy needs. Currently there are both practical and economic barriers to the implementation of alternative energy however the advent of these technologies is inevitable. Since many of the same strategies for the storage, transport, and utilization of biodiesel are common with that of fossil fuels, the practical barriers for biodiesel are comparatively minimal. Strategies were developed to harness the CO 2 as feedstock to support the growth of biodiesel producing algae. The initiative funding led to the successful funding of highly rated projects in competitive national grant programs in the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. This funding put MSU in a key position to develop technologies to utilize the CO 2 rich emissions produced in fossil fuel utilization and assembled world experts concerning the growth characteristics of photosynthetic microorganisms capable of producing biodiesel.« less

  7. Introduction to Computers: Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students. Course No. 0200000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chauvenne, Sherry; And Others

    Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS) is a content-centered package of alternative methods and materials designed to assist secondary teachers to meet the needs of mainstreamed learning-disabled and emotionally-handicapped students of various achievement levels in the basic education content courses. This supplementary text and…

  8. Project Cerberus: tobacco industry strategy to create an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    PubMed

    Mamudu, Hadii M; Hammond, Ross; Glantz, Stanton A

    2008-09-01

    Between 1999 and 2001, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and Japan Tobacco International executed Project Cerberus to develop a global voluntary regulatory regime as an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They aimed to develop a global voluntary regulatory code to be overseen by an independent audit body and to focus attention on youth smoking prevention. The International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards announced in September 2001, however, did not have the independent audit body. Although the companies did not stop the FCTC, they continue to promote the International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards youth smoking prevention as an alternative to the FCTC. Public health civil society groups should help policymakers and governments understand the importance of not working with the tobacco industry.

  9. Project Cerberus: Tobacco Industry Strategy to Create an Alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

    PubMed Central

    Mamudu, Hadii M.; Hammond, Ross; Glantz, Stanton A.

    2008-01-01

    Between 1999 and 2001, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and Japan Tobacco International executed Project Cerberus to develop a global voluntary regulatory regime as an alternative to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). They aimed to develop a global voluntary regulatory code to be overseen by an independent audit body and to focus attention on youth smoking prevention. The International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards announced in September 2001, however, did not have the independent audit body. Although the companies did not stop the FCTC, they continue to promote the International Tobacco Products Marketing Standards youth smoking prevention as an alternative to the FCTC. Public health civil society groups should help policymakers and governments understand the importance of not working with the tobacco industry. PMID:18633079

  10. Women's labour and economic globalisation: a participatory workshop created by Alternative Women in Development (Alt-WID).

    PubMed

    Barton, C; Nazombei, E

    2000-03-01

    This article describes the aims, methods, materials and topics used in a participatory workshop created by Alternative Women in Development. The organization aims to bridge the gaps in analyzing human rights and economic justice in both North and South from a feminist perspective through a workshop. This workshop considers the varied roles that women play in the global economy and features a series of anecdotes to illustrate the diverse ways in which globalization affects women in all regions worldwide. The workshop runs for a minimum of 3 hours and is structured as follows: introduction; plenary: identifying the human rights of the women; small-group work, plenary: building a group analysis and discussion of alternatives to the existing policies; and individual and plenary evaluations. Furthermore, four anecdotes used at the workshop are presented. Among the outcomes of the workshop included the identification of the problem causes and development of strategies for action.

  11. A robust and versatile signal-on fluorescence sensing strategy based on SYBR Green I dye and graphene oxide

    PubMed Central

    Qiu, Huazhang; Wu, Namei; Zheng, Yanjie; Chen, Min; Weng, Shaohuang; Chen, Yuanzhong; Lin, Xinhua

    2015-01-01

    A robust and versatile signal-on fluorescence sensing strategy was developed to provide label-free detection of various target analytes. The strategy used SYBR Green I dye and graphene oxide as signal reporter and signal-to-background ratio enhancer, respectively. Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) gene and mercury ion (Hg2+) were selected as target analytes to investigate the generality of the method. The linear relationship and specificity of the detections showed that the sensitive and selective analyses of target analytes could be achieved by the proposed strategy with low detection limits of 0.5 and 2.2 nM for MDR1 gene and Hg2+, respectively. Moreover, the strategy was used to detect real samples. Analytical results of MDR1 gene in the serum indicated that the developed method is a promising alternative approach for real applications in complex systems. Furthermore, the recovery of the proposed method for Hg2+ detection was acceptable. Thus, the developed label-free signal-on fluorescence sensing strategy exhibited excellent universality, sensitivity, and handling convenience. PMID:25565810

  12. Nuclear thermal propulsion test facility requirements and development strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, George C.; Warren, John; Clark, J. S.

    1991-01-01

    The Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) subpanel of the Space Nuclear Propulsion Test Facilities Panel evaluated facility requirements and strategies for nuclear thermal propulsion systems development. High pressure, solid core concepts were considered as the baseline for the evaluation, with low pressure concepts an alternative. The work of the NTP subpanel revealed that a wealth of facilities already exists to support NTP development, and that only a few new facilities must be constructed. Some modifications to existing facilities will be required. Present funding emphasis should be on long-lead-time items for the major new ground test facility complex and on facilities supporting nuclear fuel development, hot hydrogen flow test facilities, and low power critical facilities.

  13. Spatio-temporal regulations and functions of neuronal alternative RNA splicing in developing and adult brains.

    PubMed

    Iijima, Takatoshi; Hidaka, Chiharu; Iijima, Yoko

    2016-08-01

    Alternative pre-mRNA splicing is a fundamental mechanism that generates molecular diversity from a single gene. In the central nervous system (CNS), key neural developmental steps are thought to be controlled by alternative splicing decisions, including the molecular diversity underlying synaptic wiring, plasticity, and remodeling. Significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms and functions of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in neurons through studies in invertebrate systems; however, recent studies have begun to uncover the potential role of neuronal alternative splicing in the mammalian CNS. This article provides an overview of recent findings regarding the regulation and function of neuronal alternative splicing. In particular, we focus on the spatio-temporal regulation of neurexin, a synaptic adhesion molecule, by neuronal cell type-specific factors and neuronal activity, which are thought to be especially important for characterizing neural development and function within the mammalian CNS. Notably, there is increasing evidence that implicates the dysregulation of neuronal splicing events in several neurological disorders. Therefore, understanding the detailed mechanisms of neuronal alternative splicing in the mammalian CNS may provide plausible treatment strategies for these diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

  14. Public Marketing: An Alternative Policy Decision-Making Idea for Small Cities. Community Development Research Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyers, James; And Others

    The concept of public marketing presents a strategy for the systems approach to community development that would facilitate the community decision making process via improved communication. Basic aspects of the social marketing process include: (1) product policy; (2) channels of distribution; (3) pricing (perceived price vs quality and quantity…

  15. Investigating Alternatives to the Fish Early Life-Stage Test: A Strategy for Discovering and Annotating Adverse Outcome Pathways for Early Fish Development

    EPA Science Inventory

    The fish early life-stage (FELS) test (OECD Test Guideline 210) is the primary test used internationally to estimate chronic fish toxicity in support of ecological risk assessments and chemical management programs. As part of an on-going effort to develop efficient and cost-effec...

  16. An improved PID switching control strategy for type 1 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Marchetti, Gianni; Barolo, Massimiliano; Jovanovic, Lois; Zisser, Howard; Seborg, Dale E

    2006-01-01

    In order for an "artificial pancreas" to become a reality for ambulatory use, a practical closed-loop control strategy must be developed and critically evaluated. In this paper, an improved PID control strategy for blood glucose control is proposed and evaluated in silico using a physiologic model of Hovorka et al. The key features of the proposed control strategy are: (i) a switching strategy for initiating PID control after a meal and insulin bolus; (ii) a novel time-varying setpoint trajectory, (iii) noise and derivative filters to reduce sensitivity to sensor noise, and (iv) a systematic controller tuning strategy. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy compares favorably to alternatives for realistic conditions that include meal challenges, incorrect carbohydrate meal estimates, changes in insulin sensitivity, and measurement noise.

  17. Validating module network learning algorithms using simulated data.

    PubMed

    Michoel, Tom; Maere, Steven; Bonnet, Eric; Joshi, Anagha; Saeys, Yvan; Van den Bulcke, Tim; Van Leemput, Koenraad; van Remortel, Piet; Kuiper, Martin; Marchal, Kathleen; Van de Peer, Yves

    2007-05-03

    In recent years, several authors have used probabilistic graphical models to learn expression modules and their regulatory programs from gene expression data. Despite the demonstrated success of such algorithms in uncovering biologically relevant regulatory relations, further developments in the area are hampered by a lack of tools to compare the performance of alternative module network learning strategies. Here, we demonstrate the use of the synthetic data generator SynTReN for the purpose of testing and comparing module network learning algorithms. We introduce a software package for learning module networks, called LeMoNe, which incorporates a novel strategy for learning regulatory programs. Novelties include the use of a bottom-up Bayesian hierarchical clustering to construct the regulatory programs, and the use of a conditional entropy measure to assign regulators to the regulation program nodes. Using SynTReN data, we test the performance of LeMoNe in a completely controlled situation and assess the effect of the methodological changes we made with respect to an existing software package, namely Genomica. Additionally, we assess the effect of various parameters, such as the size of the data set and the amount of noise, on the inference performance. Overall, application of Genomica and LeMoNe to simulated data sets gave comparable results. However, LeMoNe offers some advantages, one of them being that the learning process is considerably faster for larger data sets. Additionally, we show that the location of the regulators in the LeMoNe regulation programs and their conditional entropy may be used to prioritize regulators for functional validation, and that the combination of the bottom-up clustering strategy with the conditional entropy-based assignment of regulators improves the handling of missing or hidden regulators. We show that data simulators such as SynTReN are very well suited for the purpose of developing, testing and improving module network algorithms. We used SynTReN data to develop and test an alternative module network learning strategy, which is incorporated in the software package LeMoNe, and we provide evidence that this alternative strategy has several advantages with respect to existing methods.

  18. An Ontology of Power: Perception and Reality in Conflict

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    synthetic model was developed as the constant comparative analysis was resumed through the application of selected theory toward the original source...The synthetic model represents a series of maxims for the analysis of a complex social system, developed through a study of contemporary national...and categories. A model of strategic agency is proposed as an alternative framework for developing security strategy. The strategic agency model draws

  19. Developing and Testing a Framework for Alternative Ownership, Tenure and Governance Strategies for the Proposed Detroit-Windsor River Crossing - Phase II

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-10-01

    Transportation infrastructures are integral parts of a nations network connectivity. Largescale transportation projects represent major investments devoted to the construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities over an extended period. Typi...

  20. Developing and testing a framework for alternate ownership, tenure and governance strategies for the proposed Detroit-Windsor River crossing : phase II report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-10-01

    Transportation infrastructures are integral parts of a nations network connectivity. Largescale : transportation projects represent major investments devoted to the construction, operation, : and maintenance of facilities over an extended period. ...

  1. Genomics for the identification of novel antimicrobials

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    There is a critical need in animal agriculture for developing novel antimicrobials and alternative strategies to reduce the use of antibiotics and address the challenges of antimicrobial resistance. High-throughput gene expression analysis is providing new tools that are enabling the discovery of h...

  2. Ecosystem Services and Environmental Markets in Chesapeake Bay Restoration

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report contains two separate analyses, both of which make use of an optimization framework previously developed to evaluate trade-offs in alternative restoration strategies to achieve the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The first analysis expands on model app...

  3. Endpoints for Neural Connectivity Including Neurite Outgrowth, Synapse Formation, and Function

    EPA Science Inventory

    A strategy for alternative methods for developmental neurotoxicity testing (DNT) focuses on assessment of chemical effects on conserved neurodevelopmental processes. The development of the brain is an integrated series of steps from the commitment of embryonic cells to become neu...

  4. Some Applications of Graph Theory to Clustering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hubert, Lawrence J.

    1974-01-01

    The connection between graph theory and clustering is reviewed and extended. Major emphasis is on restating, in a graph-theoretic context, selected past work in clustering, and conversely, developing alternative strategies from several standard concepts used in graph theory per se. (Author/RC)

  5. The fitness market: strategic alternative for hospitals?

    PubMed

    Vander Schaaf, D J; Boscarino, J A

    1987-02-01

    In an era of declining inpatient admissions, the development of wellness and fitness programs is proving a successful diversification strategy for increasing revenue while providing community service. This article examines critical assessments that must be made to ensure success for these new programs.

  6. The University and the Community: Planning for an Alternative Form of Educational Service Delivery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strickland, Wayne G.

    1980-01-01

    The planning process and marketing strategy adopted by a large urban postsecondary institution investigating the feasibility of developing a branch campus is described. Among the planning elements were a market analysis and citizen interest survey. (MSE)

  7. Heuristic-based information acquisition and decision making among pilots.

    PubMed

    Wiggins, Mark W; Bollwerk, Sandra

    2006-01-01

    This research was designed to examine the impact of heuristic-based approaches to the acquisition of task-related information on the selection of an optimal alternative during simulated in-flight decision making. The work integrated features of naturalistic and normative decision making and strategies of information acquisition within a computer-based, decision support framework. The study comprised two phases, the first of which involved familiarizing pilots with three different heuristic-based strategies of information acquisition: frequency, elimination by aspects, and majority of confirming decisions. The second stage enabled participants to choose one of the three strategies of information acquisition to resolve a fourth (choice) scenario. The results indicated that task-oriented experience, rather than the information acquisition strategies, predicted the selection of the optimal alternative. It was also evident that of the three strategies available, the elimination by aspects information acquisition strategy was preferred by most participants. It was concluded that task-oriented experience, rather than the process of information acquisition, predicted task accuracy during the decision-making task. It was also concluded that pilots have a preference for one particular approach to information acquisition. Applications of outcomes of this research include the development of decision support systems that adapt to the information-processing capabilities and preferences of users.

  8. Evaluating environmental impacts of alternative construction waste management approaches using supply-chain-linked life-cycle analysis.

    PubMed

    Kucukvar, Murat; Egilmez, Gokhan; Tatari, Omer

    2014-06-01

    Waste management in construction is critical for the sustainable treatment of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) waste materials, and recycling of these wastes has been considered as one of the best strategies in minimization of C&D debris. However, recycling of C&D materials may not always be a feasible strategy for every waste type and therefore recycling and other waste treatment strategies should be supported by robust decision-making models. With the aim of assessing the net carbon, energy, and water footprints of C&D recycling and other waste management alternatives, a comprehensive economic input-output-based hybrid life-cycle assessment model is developed by tracing all of the economy-wide supply-chain impacts of three waste management strategies: recycling, landfilling, and incineration. Analysis results showed that only the recycling of construction materials provided positive environmental footprint savings in terms of carbon, energy, and water footprints. Incineration is a better option as a secondary strategy after recycling for water and energy footprint categories, whereas landfilling is found to be as slightly better strategy when carbon footprint is considered as the main focus of comparison. In terms of construction materials' environmental footprint, nonferrous metals are found to have a significant environmental footprint reduction potential if recycled. © The Author(s) 2014.

  9. Impact of alternative fuels on emissions characteristics of a gas turbine engine - part 1: gaseous and particulate matter emissions.

    PubMed

    Lobo, Prem; Rye, Lucas; Williams, Paul I; Christie, Simon; Uryga-Bugajska, Ilona; Wilson, Christopher W; Hagen, Donald E; Whitefield, Philip D; Blakey, Simon; Coe, Hugh; Raper, David; Pourkashanian, Mohamed

    2012-10-02

    Growing concern over emissions from increased airport operations has resulted in a need to assess the impact of aviation related activities on local air quality in and around airports, and to develop strategies to mitigate these effects. One such strategy being investigated is the use of alternative fuels in aircraft engines and auxiliary power units (APUs) as a means to diversify fuel supplies and reduce emissions. This paper summarizes the results of a study to characterize the emissions of an APU, a small gas turbine engine, burning conventional Jet A-1, a fully synthetic jet fuel, and other alternative fuels with varying compositions. Gas phase emissions were measured at the engine exit plane while PM emissions were recorded at the exit plane as well as 10 m downstream of the engine. Five percent reduction in NO(x) emissions and 5-10% reduction in CO emissions were observed for the alternative fuels. Significant reductions in PM emissions at the engine exit plane were achieved with the alternative fuels. However, as the exhaust plume expanded and cooled, organic species were found to condense on the PM. This increase in organic PM elevated the PM mass but had little impact on PM number.

  10. State of the art on alternative methods to animal testing from an industrial point of view: ready for regulation?

    PubMed

    Ashton, Rachel; De Wever, Bart; Fuchs, Horst W; Gaca, Marianna; Hill, Erin; Krul, Cyrille; Poth, Albrecht; Roggen, Erwin L

    2014-01-01

    Despite changing attitudes towards animal testing and current legislation to protect experimental animals, the rate of animal experiments seems to have changed little in recent years. On May 15-16, 2013, the In Vitro Testing Industrial Platform (IVTIP) held an open meeting to discuss the state of the art in alternative methods, how companies have, can, and will need to adapt and what drives and hinders regulatory acceptance and use. Several key messages arose from the meeting. First, industry and regulatory bodies should not wait for complete suites of alternative tests to become available, but should begin working with methods available right now (e.g., mining of existing animal data to direct future studies, implementation of alternative tests wherever scientifically valid rather than continuing to rely on animal tests) in non-animal and animal integrated strategies to reduce the numbers of animals tested. Sharing of information (communication), harmonization and standardization (coordination), commitment and collaboration are all required to improve the quality and speed of validation, acceptance, and implementation of tests. Finally, we consider how alternative methods can be used in research and development before formal implementation in regulations. Here we present the conclusions on what can be done already and suggest some solutions and strategies for the future.

  11. Integrated continuous bioprocessing: Economic, operational, and environmental feasibility for clinical and commercial antibody manufacture.

    PubMed

    Pollock, James; Coffman, Jon; Ho, Sa V; Farid, Suzanne S

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents a systems approach to evaluating the potential of integrated continuous bioprocessing for monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacture across a product's lifecycle from preclinical to commercial manufacture. The economic, operational, and environmental feasibility of alternative continuous manufacturing strategies were evaluated holistically using a prototype UCL decisional tool that integrated process economics, discrete-event simulation, environmental impact analysis, operational risk analysis, and multiattribute decision-making. The case study focused on comparing whole bioprocesses that used either batch, continuous or a hybrid combination of batch and continuous technologies for cell culture, capture chromatography, and polishing chromatography steps. The cost of goods per gram (COG/g), E-factor, and operational risk scores of each strategy were established across a matrix of scenarios with differing combinations of clinical development phase and company portfolio size. The tool outputs predict that the optimal strategy for early phase production and small/medium-sized companies is the integrated continuous strategy (alternating tangential flow filtration (ATF) perfusion, continuous capture, continuous polishing). However, the top ranking strategy changes for commercial production and companies with large portfolios to the hybrid strategy with fed-batch culture, continuous capture and batch polishing from a COG/g perspective. The multiattribute decision-making analysis highlighted that if the operational feasibility was considered more important than the economic benefits, the hybrid strategy would be preferred for all company scales. Further considerations outside the scope of this work include the process development costs required to adopt continuous processing. © 2017 The Authors Biotechnology Progress published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:854-866, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Biotechnology Progress published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  12. Integrated continuous bioprocessing: Economic, operational, and environmental feasibility for clinical and commercial antibody manufacture

    PubMed Central

    Pollock, James; Coffman, Jon; Ho, Sa V.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a systems approach to evaluating the potential of integrated continuous bioprocessing for monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacture across a product's lifecycle from preclinical to commercial manufacture. The economic, operational, and environmental feasibility of alternative continuous manufacturing strategies were evaluated holistically using a prototype UCL decisional tool that integrated process economics, discrete‐event simulation, environmental impact analysis, operational risk analysis, and multiattribute decision‐making. The case study focused on comparing whole bioprocesses that used either batch, continuous or a hybrid combination of batch and continuous technologies for cell culture, capture chromatography, and polishing chromatography steps. The cost of goods per gram (COG/g), E‐factor, and operational risk scores of each strategy were established across a matrix of scenarios with differing combinations of clinical development phase and company portfolio size. The tool outputs predict that the optimal strategy for early phase production and small/medium‐sized companies is the integrated continuous strategy (alternating tangential flow filtration (ATF) perfusion, continuous capture, continuous polishing). However, the top ranking strategy changes for commercial production and companies with large portfolios to the hybrid strategy with fed‐batch culture, continuous capture and batch polishing from a COG/g perspective. The multiattribute decision‐making analysis highlighted that if the operational feasibility was considered more important than the economic benefits, the hybrid strategy would be preferred for all company scales. Further considerations outside the scope of this work include the process development costs required to adopt continuous processing. © 2017 The Authors Biotechnology Progress published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:854–866, 2017 PMID:28480535

  13. Life Management Skills. Teacher's Guide [and Student Workbook]. Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldstein, Jeren; Walford, Sylvia

    This teacher's guide and student workbook are part of a series of supplementary curriculum packages presenting alternative methods and activities designed to meet the needs of Florida secondary students with mild disabilities or other special learning needs. The Life Management Skills PASS (Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students) teacher's…

  14. Interpretation and use of evidence in state policymaking: a qualitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Apollonio, Dorie E; Bero, Lisa A

    2017-02-20

    Researchers advocating for evidence-informed policy have attempted to encourage policymakers to develop a greater understanding of research and researchers to develop a better understanding of the policymaking process. Our aim was to apply findings drawn from studies of the policymaking process, specifically the theory of policy windows, to identify strategies used to integrate evidence into policymaking and points in the policymaking process where evidence was more or less relevant. Our observational study relied on interviews conducted with 24 policymakers from the USA who had been trained to interpret scientific research in multiple iterations of an evidence-based workshop. Participants were asked to describe cases where they had been involved in making health policy and to provide examples in which research was used, either successfully or unsuccessfully. Interviews were transcribed, independently coded by multiple members of the study team and analysed for content using key words, concepts identified by participants and concepts arising from review of the texts. Our results suggest that policymakers who focused on health issues used multiple strategies to encourage evidence-informed policymaking. The respondents used a strict definition of what constituted evidence, and relied on their experience with research to discourage the use of less rigorous research. Their experience suggested that evidence was less useful in identifying problems, encouraging political action or ensuring feasibility and more useful in developing policy alternatives. Past research has suggested multiple strategies to increase the use of evidence in policymaking, including the development of rapid-response research and policy-oriented summaries of data. Our findings suggest that these strategies may be most relevant to the policymaking stream, which develops policy alternatives. In addition, we identify several strategies that policymakers and researchers can apply to encourage evidence-informed policymaking. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  15. United States transportation fuel economics (1975 - 1995)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alexander, A. D., III

    1975-01-01

    The United States transportation fuel economics in terms of fuel resources options, processing alternatives, and attendant economics for the period 1975 to 1995 are evaluated. The U.S. energy resource base is reviewed, portable fuel-processing alternatives are assessed, and selected future aircraft fuel options - JP fuel, liquid methane, and liquid hydrogen - are evaluated economically. Primary emphasis is placed on evaluating future aircraft fuel options and economics to provide guidance for future strategy of NASA in the development of aviation and air transportation research and technology.

  16. Analysis of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Host Computer Acquisition Process and Potential Application in Department of Defense Acquisitions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-09-01

    defense programs lost far more to inefficient procedures than to fraud and dishonesty * (President’s Commission, l986c:15). Based on the Commission...recommendations from current studies, lessons learned from a successful program, and DOD expert opinions to develop an acquisition management strategy that...established for the alternative(s) selected in the preceding phase. 5. In the concept demonstration/validation phase the technical risk and economic

  17. Multi Criteria Decision Making to evaluate control strategies of contagious animal diseases.

    PubMed

    Mourits, M C M; van Asseldonk, M A P M; Huirne, R B M

    2010-09-01

    The decision on which strategy to use in the control of contagious animal diseases involves complex trade-offs between multiple objectives. This paper describes a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) application to illustrate its potential support to policy makers in choosing the control strategy that best meets all of the conflicting interests. The presented application focused on the evaluation of alternative strategies to control Classical Swine Fever (CSF) epidemics within the European Union (EU) according to the preferences of the European Chief Veterinary Officers (CVO). The performed analysis was centred on the three high-level objectives of epidemiology, economics and social ethics. The appraised control alternatives consisted of the EU compulsory control strategy, a pre-emptive slaughter strategy, a protective vaccination strategy and a suppressive vaccination strategy. Using averaged preference weights of the elicited CVOs, the preference ranking of the control alternatives was determined for six EU regions. The obtained results emphasized the need for EU region-specific control. Individual CVOs differed in their views on the relative importance of the various (sub)criteria by which the performance of the alternatives were judged. Nevertheless, the individual rankings of the control alternatives within a region appeared surprisingly similar. Based on the results of the described application it was concluded that the structuring feature of the MCDM technique provides a suitable tool in assisting the complex decision making process of controlling contagious animal diseases. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Developing a new production host from a blueprint: Bacillus pumilus as an industrial enzyme producer.

    PubMed

    Küppers, Tobias; Steffen, Victoria; Hellmuth, Hendrik; O'Connell, Timothy; Bongaerts, Johannes; Maurer, Karl-Heinz; Wiechert, Wolfgang

    2014-03-24

    Since volatile and rising cost factors such as energy, raw materials and market competitiveness have a significant impact on the economic efficiency of biotechnological bulk productions, industrial processes need to be steadily improved and optimized. Thereby the current production hosts can undergo various limitations. To overcome those limitations and in addition increase the diversity of available production hosts for future applications, we suggest a Production Strain Blueprinting (PSB) strategy to develop new production systems in a reduced time lapse in contrast to a development from scratch.To demonstrate this approach, Bacillus pumilus has been developed as an alternative expression platform for the production of alkaline enzymes in reference to the established industrial production host Bacillus licheniformis. To develop the selected B. pumilus as an alternative production host the suggested PSB strategy was applied proceeding in the following steps (dedicated product titers are scaled to the protease titer of Henkel's industrial production strain B. licheniformis at lab scale): Introduction of a protease production plasmid, adaptation of a protease production process (44%), process optimization (92%) and expression optimization (114%). To further evaluate the production capability of the developed B. pumilus platform, the target protease was substituted by an α-amylase. The expression performance was tested under the previously optimized protease process conditions and under subsequently adapted process conditions resulting in a maximum product titer of 65% in reference to B. licheniformis protease titer. In this contribution the applied PSB strategy performed very well for the development of B. pumilus as an alternative production strain. Thereby the engineered B. pumilus expression platform even exceeded the protease titer of the industrial production host B. licheniformis by 14%. This result exhibits a remarkable potential of B. pumilus to be the basis for a next generation production host, since the strain has still a large potential for further genetic engineering. The final amylase titer of 65% in reference to B. licheniformis protease titer suggests that the developed B. pumilus expression platform is also suitable for an efficient production of non-proteolytic enzymes reaching a final titer of several grams per liter without complex process modifications.

  19. Accounting for no net loss: A critical assessment of biodiversity offsetting metrics and methods.

    PubMed

    Carreras Gamarra, Maria Jose; Lassoie, James Philip; Milder, Jeffrey

    2018-08-15

    Biodiversity offset strategies are based on the explicit calculation of both losses and gains necessary to establish ecological equivalence between impact and offset areas. Given the importance of quantifying biodiversity values, various accounting methods and metrics are continuously being developed and tested for this purpose. Considering the wide array of alternatives, selecting an appropriate one for a specific project can be not only challenging, but also crucial; accounting methods can strongly influence the biodiversity outcomes of an offsetting strategy, and if not well-suited to the context and values being offset, a no net loss outcome might not be delivered. To date there has been no systematic review or comparative classification of the available biodiversity accounting alternatives that aim at facilitating metric selection, and no tools that guide decision-makers throughout such a complex process. We fill this gap by developing a set of analyses to support (i) identifying the spectrum of available alternatives, (ii) understanding the characteristics of each and, ultimately (iii) making the most sensible and sound decision about which one to implement. The metric menu, scoring matrix, and decision tree developed can be used by biodiversity offsetting practitioners to help select an existing metric, and thus achieve successful outcomes that advance the goal of no net loss of biodiversity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Approaches to Develop Alternative Testing Strategies to Inform Human Health Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials.

    PubMed

    Stone, Vicki; Johnston, Helinor J; Balharry, Dominique; Gernand, Jeremy M; Gulumian, Mary

    2016-08-01

    The development of alternative testing strategies (ATS) for hazard assessment of new and emerging materials is high on the agenda of scientists, funders, and regulators. The relatively large number of nanomaterials on the market and under development means that an increasing emphasis will be placed on the use of reliable, predictive ATS when assessing their safety. We have provided recommendations as to how ATS development for assessment of nanomaterial hazard may be accelerated. Predefined search terms were used to identify the quantity and distribution of peer-reviewed publications for nanomaterial hazard assessment following inhalation, ingestion, or dermal absorption. A summary of knowledge gaps relating to nanomaterial hazard is provided to identify future research priorities and areas in which a rich data set might exist to allow ATS identification. Consultation with stakeholders (e.g., academia, industry, regulators) was critical to ensure that current expert opinion was reflected. The gap analysis revealed an abundance of studies that assessed the local and systemic impacts of inhaled particles, and so ATS are available for immediate use. Development of ATS for assessment of the dermal toxicity of chemicals is already relatively advanced, and these models should be applied to nanomaterials as relatively few studies have assessed the dermal toxicity of nanomaterials to date. Limited studies have investigated the local and systemic impacts of ingested nanomaterials. If the recommendations for research prioritization proposed are adopted, it is envisioned that a comprehensive battery of ATS can be developed to support the risk assessment process for nanomaterials. Some alternative models are available for immediate implementation, while others require more developmental work to become widely adopted. Case studies are included that can be used to inform the selection of alternative models and end points when assessing the pathogenicity of fibers and mode of action of nanomaterial toxicity. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

  1. An alternate HIV preventive strategy: sex scripts in media for women of color.

    PubMed

    Medina, Catherine; Rios, Diana I

    2011-01-01

    New cases of HIV/AIDS among women of color in the United States highlight the continuing need for the public and private sectors to develop alternate preventive strategies. The author discusses the conceptual basis for using television sex scripts to incorporate women of color relational needs (trust, romance, sexual pressure) to promote HIV risk-reduction messages through a process of association with the television storyline. Sex scripts are a source of implicit knowledge about how to behave in situations that involve sexual intimacy. The article suggests that sexual scripts prevention messages build on the agency of women through the use of power theory-that is supporting woman's self-power by participating in sexual behavioral change. Implications for sexual equality in media programming are discussed.

  2. Can the HIV-1 splicing machinery be targeted for drug discovery?

    PubMed Central

    Dlamini, Zodwa; Hull, Rodney

    2017-01-01

    HIV-1 is able to express multiple protein types and isoforms from a single 9 kb mRNA transcript. These proteins are also expressed at particular stages of viral development, and this is achieved through the control of alternative splicing and the export of these transcripts from the nucleus. The nuclear export is controlled by the HIV protein Rev being required to transport incompletely spliced and partially spliced mRNA from the nucleus where they are normally retained. This implies a close relationship between the control of alternate splicing and the nuclear export of mRNA in the control of HIV-1 viral proliferation. This review discusses both the processes. The specificity and regulation of splicing in HIV-1 is controlled by the use of specific splice sites as well as exonic splicing enhancer and exonic splicing silencer sequences. The use of these silencer and enhancer sequences is dependent on the serine arginine family of proteins as well as the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein family of proteins that bind to these sequences and increase or decrease splicing. Since alternative splicing is such a critical factor in viral development, it presents itself as a promising drug target. This review aims to discuss the inhibition of splicing, which would stall viral development, as an anti-HIV therapeutic strategy. In this review, the most recent knowledge of splicing in human immunodeficiency viral development and the latest therapeutic strategies targeting human immunodeficiency viral splicing are discussed. PMID:28331370

  3. Estimation of dynamic treatment strategies for maintenance therapy of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: an application of history-adjusted marginal structural models.

    PubMed

    Rosthøj, S; Keiding, N; Schmiegelow, K

    2012-02-28

    Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is treated with long-term intensive chemotherapy. During the latter part of the treatment, the maintenance therapy, the patients receive oral doses of two cytostatics. The doses are tailored to blood counts measured on a weekly basis, and the treatment is therefore highly dynamic. In 1992-1996, the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO) conducted a randomised study (NOPHO-ALL-92) to investigate the effect of a new and more sophisticated dynamic treatment strategy. Unexpectedly, the new strategy worsened the outcome for the girls, whereas there were no treatment differences for the boys. There are as yet no general guidelines for optimising the treatment. On basis of the data from this study, our goal is to formulate an alternative dosing strategy. We use recently developed methods proposed by van der Laan et al. to obtain statistical models that may be used in the guidance of how the physicians should assign the doses to the patients to obtain the target of the treatment. We present a possible strategy and discuss the reliability of this strategy. The implementation is complicated, and we touch upon the limitations of the methods in relation to the formulation of alternative dosing strategies for the maintenance therapy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Issues in Television-Centered Instruction for Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Penelope L.

    1983-01-01

    Discusses trends in adult education and their implications for instructional developers, and notes areas where reviews of research are needed: existing telecourse packages, recruitment and retention of adult learners, effective instructional strategies, logistics and costs of alternate delivery systems, and technical assistance and training needs…

  5. The Old Jalopy Races into the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Considine, Tim

    1993-01-01

    Discusses alternative transportation technological advances in speed, range, battery strategies, and safety facilitated by motor car racing. Presents a historical perspective of the development of steam, electric and gas-powered vehicles and modern versions of electric, and mixed power source cars being tested today. (MCO)

  6. Incorporating ITS into transportation improvement planning : the Seattle Case Study using PRUEVIIN

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-01-01

    This project explored methods to analyze ITS strategies within Major Investment Study (MIS) studies and to apply them in a case study. The case study developed methods to define alternatives, and to estimate impacts and costs at the level required fo...

  7. Turnitin? Turnitoff: The Deskilling of Information Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brabazon, Tara

    2015-01-01

    Plagiarism is a folk devil into which is poured many of the challenges, problems and difficulties confronting higher education. This article investigates how software--Turnitin in particular--is "solving" a particular "crisis" in universities. However, I investigate how alternative strategies for the development of information…

  8. A Study of Authoring Alternatives for Training-Oriented Videodiscs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bunderson, C. Victor; And Others

    This study examined eight areas that are related to the problems of authoring and producing training-oriented videodiscs: the delivery system itself; media selection during instructional systems development; instructional strategies; author mock-up and simulation prior to premastering; premastering; mastering and replication; composition of…

  9. The development and application of multi-criteria decision-making tool with consideration of uncertainty: the selection of a management strategy for the bio-degradable fraction in the municipal solid waste.

    PubMed

    El Hanandeh, Ali; El-Zein, Abbas

    2010-01-01

    A modified version of the multi-criteria decision aid, ELECTRE III has been developed to account for uncertainty in criteria weightings and threshold values. The new procedure, called ELECTRE-SS, modifies the exploitation phase in ELECTRE III, through a new definition of the pre-order and the introduction of a ranking index (RI). The new approach accommodates cases where incomplete or uncertain preference data are present. The method is applied to a case of selecting a management strategy for the bio-degradable fraction in the municipal solid waste of Sydney. Ten alternatives are compared against 11 criteria. The results show that anaerobic digestion (AD) and composting of paper are less environmentally sound options than recycling. AD is likely to out-perform incineration where a market for heating does not exist. Moreover, landfilling can be a sound alternative, when considering overall performance and conditions of uncertainty.

  10. Insight into Alternative Approaches for Control of Avian Influenza in Poultry, with Emphasis on Highly Pathogenic H5N1

    PubMed Central

    Abdelwhab, E. M.; Hafez, Hafez M.

    2012-01-01

    Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of subtype H5N1 causes a devastating disease in poultry but when it accidentally infects humans it can cause death. Therefore, decrease the incidence of H5N1 in humans needs to focus on prevention and control of poultry infections. Conventional control strategies in poultry based on surveillance, stamping out, movement restriction and enforcement of biosecurity measures did not prevent the virus spreading, particularly in developing countries. Several challenges limit efficiency of the vaccines to prevent outbreaks of HPAIV H5N1 in endemic countries. Alternative and complementary approaches to reduce the current burden of H5N1 epidemics in poultry should be encouraged. The use of antiviral chemotherapy and natural compounds, avian-cytokines, RNA interference, genetic breeding and/or development of transgenic poultry warrant further evaluation as integrated intervention strategies for control of HPAIV H5N1 in poultry. PMID:23202521

  11. Interpreting Epidemiological Evidence in the Presence of Multiple Endpoints: An Alternative Analytic Approach using the 9-Year Follow-up of the Seychelles Child Development Study

    PubMed Central

    van Wijngaarden, Edwin; Myers, Gary J.; Thurston, Sally W.; Shamlaye, Conrad F.; Davidson, Philip W.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose The potential for ill-informed causal inference is a major concern in published longitudinal studies evaluating impaired neurological function in children prenatally exposed to background levels of methyl mercury (MeHg). These studies evaluate a large number of developmental tests. We propose an alternative analysis strategy that reduces the number of comparisons tested in these studies. Methods Using data from the 9-year follow-up of 643 children in the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS), we grouped 18 individual endpoints into one overall ordinal outcome variable as well as by developmental domains. Subsequently, ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. Results We did not find an association between prenatal MeHg exposure and developmental outcomes at 9 years of age. Conclusion Our proposed framework is more likely to result in a balanced interpretation of a posteriori associations. In addition, this new strategy should facilitate the use of complex epidemiological data in quantitative risk assessment. PMID:19205720

  12. Interpreting epidemiological evidence in the presence of multiple endpoints: an alternative analytic approach using the 9-year follow-up of the Seychelles child development study.

    PubMed

    van Wijngaarden, Edwin; Myers, Gary J; Thurston, Sally W; Shamlaye, Conrad F; Davidson, Philip W

    2009-08-01

    The potential for ill-informed causal inference is a major concern in published longitudinal studies evaluating impaired neurological function in children prenatally exposed to background levels of methyl mercury (MeHg). These studies evaluate a large number of developmental tests. We propose an alternative analysis strategy that reduces the number of comparisons tested in these studies. Using data from the 9-year follow-up of 643 children in the Seychelles child development study, we grouped 18 individual endpoints into one overall ordinal outcome variable as well as by developmental domains. Subsequently, ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. We did not find an association between prenatal MeHg exposure and developmental outcomes at 9 years of age. Our proposed framework is more likely to result in a balanced interpretation of a posteriori associations. In addition, this new strategy should facilitate the use of complex epidemiological data in quantitative risk assessment.

  13. Strategy for D/He-3 fusion development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Santarius, John F.

    1988-01-01

    It is concluded that Deuterium/Helium-3 fusion faces a more difficult physics development path but an easier technology development path than does Deuterium/Tritium. Early D/He-3 tests in next generation D/T fusion experiments might provide a valuable D/He-3 proof-of-principle at modest cost. At least one high leverage alternate concept should be vigorously pursued. Space applications of D/He-3 fusion are critically important to large scale development.

  14. Testing take-the-best in new and changing environments.

    PubMed

    Lee, Michael D; Blanco, Gabrielle; Bo, Nikole

    2017-08-01

    Take-the-best is a decision-making strategy that chooses between alternatives, by searching the cues representing the alternatives in order of cue validity, and choosing the alternative with the first discriminating cue. Theoretical support for take-the-best comes from the "fast and frugal" approach to modeling cognition, which assumes decision-making strategies need to be fast to cope with a competitive world, and be simple to be robust to uncertainty and environmental change. We contribute to the empirical evaluation of take-the-best in two ways. First, we generate four new environments-involving bridge lengths, hamburger prices, theme park attendances, and US university rankings-supplementing the relatively limited number of naturally cue-based environments previously considered. We find that take-the-best is as accurate as rival decision strategies that use all of the available cues. Secondly, we develop 19 new data sets characterizing the change in cities and their populations in four countries. We find that take-the-best maintains its accuracy and limited search as the environments change, even if cue validities learned in one environment are used to make decisions in another. Once again, we find that take-the-best is as accurate as rival strategies that use all of the cues. We conclude that these new evaluations support the theoretical claims of the accuracy, frugality, and robustness for take-the-best, and that the new data sets provide a valuable resource for the more general study of the relationship between effective decision-making strategies and the environments in which they operate.

  15. Continuity of Operations Plans: Policy and Strategy for K-12 Schools in the State of Florida

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-12-01

    issue that has emerged, as it concerns COOP, involves the need for Florida K-12 school systems to develop these plans. Florida neither requires, as is...test COOPs to ensure functional and recovery capabilities. Issues , such as alternate facilities, computer and informational services, as well as human...policy and strategy components for K-12 schools. D. HYPOTHESIS Within the communities of government, universities and businesses , a COOP has

  16. Cell-free immunology: construction and in vitro expression of a PCR-based library encoding a single-chain antibody repertoire.

    PubMed

    Makeyev, E V; Kolb, V A; Spirin, A S

    1999-02-12

    A novel cloning-independent strategy has been developed to generate a combinatorial library of PCR fragments encoding a murine single-chain antibody repertoire and express it directly in a cell-free system. The new approach provides an effective alternative to the techniques involving in vivo procedures of preparation and handling large libraries of antibodies. The possible use of the described strategy in the ribosome display is discussed.

  17. Elicitors as alternative strategy to pesticides in grapevine? Current knowledge on their mode of action from controlled conditions to vineyard.

    PubMed

    Delaunois, Bertrand; Farace, Giovanni; Jeandet, Philippe; Clément, Christophe; Baillieul, Fabienne; Dorey, Stéphan; Cordelier, Sylvain

    2014-04-01

    Development and optimisation of alternative strategies to reduce the use of classic chemical inputs for protection against diseases in vineyard is becoming a necessity. Among these strategies, one of the most promising consists in the stimulation and/or potentiation of the grapevine defence responses by the means of elicitors. Elicitors are highly diverse molecules both in nature and origins. This review aims at providing an overview of the current knowledge on these molecules and will highlight their potential efficacy from the laboratory in controlled conditions to vineyards. Recent findings and concepts (especially on plant innate immunity) and the new terminology (microbe-associated molecular patterns, effectors, etc.) are also discussed in this context. Other objectives of this review are to highlight the difficulty of transferring elicitors use and results from the controlled conditions to the vineyard, to determine their practical and effective use in viticulture and to propose ideas for improving their efficacy in non-controlled conditions.

  18. Chitosan and Laminarin as Alternatives to Copper for Plasmopara viticola Control: Effect on Grape Amino Acid.

    PubMed

    Garde-Cerdán, T; Mancini, V; Carrasco-Quiroz, M; Servili, A; Gutiérrez-Gamboa, G; Foglia, R; Pérez-Álvarez, E P; Romanazzi, G

    2017-08-30

    Copper fungicide use is limited by the European regulation; therefore, new strategies have been developed to prevent grapevine downy mildew (GDM). However, there is poor information about their effects on grape amino acid composition. This field trial aimed to evaluate the effect on grape amino acid composition of chitosan and of a mixture of laminarin and Saccharomyces extracts (LamE), applied in different strategies with copper hydroxide. The results showed that all the treatments applied to grapevines decreased the concentration of several amino acids. Moreover, treatments that have mostly decreased these compounds are those with copper hydroxide, especially when applied individually. LamE applied individually or alternately with copper hydroxide had the least negative effect on grape amino acid content. These results provide further information about the negative effects of copper on grape quality, which can be reduced when it is used in strategy with LamE or chitosan in GDM control.

  19. Recent advances and strategies in process and strain engineering for the production of butyric acid by microbial fermentation.

    PubMed

    Luo, Hongzhen; Yang, Rongling; Zhao, Yuping; Wang, Zhaoyu; Liu, Zheng; Huang, Mengyu; Zeng, Qingwei

    2018-04-01

    Butyric acid is an important platform chemical, which is widely used in the fields of food, pharmaceutical, energy, etc. Microbial fermentation as an alternative approach for butyric acid production is attracting great attention as it is an environmentally friendly bioprocessing. However, traditional fermentative butyric acid production is still not economically competitive compared to chemical synthesis route, due to the low titer, low productivity, and high production cost. Therefore, reduction of butyric acid production cost by utilization of alternative inexpensive feedstock, and improvement of butyric acid production and productivity has become an important target. Recently, several advanced strategies have been developed for enhanced butyric acid production, including bioprocess techniques and metabolic engineering methods. This review provides an overview of advances and strategies in process and strain engineering for butyric acid production by microbial fermentation. Additionally, future perspectives on improvement of butyric acid production are also proposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Mourning dove hunting regulation strategy based on annual harvest statistics and banding data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Otis, D.L.

    2006-01-01

    Although managers should strive to base game bird harvest management strategies on mechanistic population models, monitoring programs required to build and continuously update these models may not be in place. Alternatively, If estimates of total harvest and harvest rates are available, then population estimates derived from these harvest data can serve as the basis for making hunting regulation decisions based on population growth rates derived from these estimates. I present a statistically rigorous approach for regulation decision-making using a hypothesis-testing framework and an assumed framework of 3 hunting regulation alternatives. I illustrate and evaluate the technique with historical data on the mid-continent mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) population. I evaluate the statistical properties of the hypothesis-testing framework using the best available data on mourning doves (Zenaida macroura). I use these results to discuss practical implementation of the technique as an interim harvest strategy for mourning doves until reliable mechanistic population models and associated monitoring programs are developed.

  1. Alternative Strategies for Control of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacDonald, Bryce I.

    1975-01-01

    Achievement of air quality goals requires careful consideration of alternative control strategies in view of national concerns with energy and the economy. Three strategies which might be used by coal fired steam electric plants to achieve ambient air quality standards for sulfur dioxide have been compared and the analysis presented. (Author/BT)

  2. Development of Procedures for Generating Alternative Allied Health Manpower Requirements and Supply Estimates.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Applied Management Sciences, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.

    This report presents results of a project to assess the adequacy of existing data sources on the supply of 21 allied health occupations in order to develop improved data collection strategies and improved procedures for estimation of manpower needs. Following an introduction, chapter 2 provides a discussion of the general phases of the project and…

  3. The Evolution of Alternative Rural Development Strategies in Ethiopia; Implications for Employment and Income Distribution. African Rural Employment Paper No. 12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tecle, Tesfai

    As Ethiopia has designed and implemented numerous intensive (geographically concentrated) and minimum-package rural development programs between 1967-75, the purpose of this monograph is to: (1) trace the evolution of these package projects; (2) analyze package performances; and (3) identify the implications for Ethiopian planners and policy…

  4. Recent progress in understanding host mucosal response to avian coccidiosis and development of alternative strategies to mitigate the use of antibiotics in animal production

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    As the world population grows and developing countries become more affluent, the global consumption of meat will increase by more than 50% within the next 10 years. Confronting the increased demand for poultry food products are emerging field diseases, increasing regulatory bans of antimicrobial gro...

  5. Life support technology investment strategies for flight programs: An application of decision analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schlater, Nelson J.; Simonds, Charles H.; Ballin, Mark G.

    1993-01-01

    Applied research and technology development (R&TD) is often characterized by uncertainty, risk, and significant delays before tangible returns are obtained. Given the increased awareness of limitations in resources, effective R&TD today needs a method for up-front assessment of competing technologies to help guide technology investment decisions. Such an assessment approach must account for uncertainties in system performance parameters, mission requirements and architectures, and internal and external events influencing a development program. The methodology known as decision analysis has the potential to address these issues. It was evaluated by performing a case study assessment of alternative carbon dioxide removal technologies for NASA's proposed First Lunar Outpost program. An approach was developed that accounts for the uncertainties in each technology's cost and performance parameters as well as programmatic uncertainties such as mission architecture. Life cycle cost savings relative to a baseline, adjusted for the cost of money, was used as a figure of merit to evaluate each of the alternative carbon dioxide removal technology candidates. The methodology was found to provide a consistent decision-making strategy for development of new life support technology. The case study results provided insight that was not possible from more traditional analysis approaches.

  6. Alternative Loglinear Smoothing Models and Their Effect on Equating Function Accuracy. Research Report. ETS RR-09-48

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moses, Tim; Holland, Paul

    2009-01-01

    This simulation study evaluated the potential of alternative loglinear smoothing strategies for improving equipercentile equating function accuracy. These alternative strategies use cues from the sample data to make automatable and efficient improvements to model fit, either through the use of indicator functions for fitting large residuals or by…

  7. Design and Control of Integrated Systems for Hydrogen Production and Power Generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Georgis, Dimitrios

    Growing concerns on CO2 emissions have led to the development of highly efficient power plants. Options for increased energy efficiencies include alternative energy conversion pathways, energy integration and process intensification. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) constitute a promising alternative for power generation since they convert the chemical energy electrochemically directly to electricity. Their high operating temperature shows potential for energy integration with energy intensive units (e.g. steam reforming reactors). Although energy integration is an essential tool for increased efficiencies, it leads to highly complex process schemes with rich dynamic behavior, which are challenging to control. Furthermore, the use of process intensification for increased energy efficiency imposes an additional control challenge. This dissertation identifies and proposes solutions on design, operational and control challenges of integrated systems for hydrogen production and power generation. Initially, a study on energy integrated SOFC systems is presented. Design alternatives are identified, control strategies are proposed for each alternative and their validity is evaluated under different operational scenarios. The operational range of the proposed control strategies is also analyzed. Next, thermal management of water gas shift membrane reactors, which are a typical application of process intensification, is considered. Design and operational objectives are identified and a control strategy is proposed employing advanced control algorithms. The performance of the proposed control strategy is evaluated and compared with classical control strategies. Finally SOFC systems for combined heat and power applications are considered. Multiple recycle loops are placed to increase design flexibility. Different operational objectives are identified and a nonlinear optimization problem is formulated. Optimal designs are obtained and their features are discussed and compared. The results of the dissertation provide a deeper understanding on the design, operational and control challenges of the above systems and can potentially guide further commercialization efforts. In addition to this, the results can be generalized and used for applications from the transportation and residential sector to large--scale power plants.

  8. Alternative methods for the control of postharvest citrus diseases.

    PubMed

    Talibi, I; Boubaker, H; Boudyach, E H; Ait Ben Aoumar, A

    2014-07-01

    The postharvest diseases of citrus fruit cause considerable losses during storage and transportation. These diseases are managed principally by the application of synthetic fungicides. However, the increasing concern for health hazards and environmental pollution due to chemical use has required the development of alternative strategies for the control of postharvest citrus diseases. Management of postharvest diseases using microbial antagonists, natural plant-derived products and Generally Recognized As Safe compounds has been demonstrated to be most suitable to replace the synthetic fungicides, which are either being banned or recommended for limited use. However, application of these alternatives by themselves may not always provide a commercially acceptable level of control of postharvest citrus diseases comparable to that obtained with synthetic fungicides. To provide more effective disease control, a multifaceted approach based on the combination of different postharvest treatments has been adopted. Actually, despite the distinctive features of these alternative methods, several reasons hinder the commercial use of such treatments. Consequently, research should emphasize the development of appropriate tools to effectively implement these alternative methods to commercial citrus production. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  9. Annual Screening Strategies in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Gene Mutation Carriers: A Comparative Effectiveness Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Lowry, Kathryn P.; Lee, Janie M.; Kong, Chung Y.; McMahon, Pamela M.; Gilmore, Michael E.; Cott Chubiz, Jessica E.; Pisano, Etta D.; Gatsonis, Constantine; Ryan, Paula D.; Ozanne, Elissa M.; Gazelle, G. Scott

    2011-01-01

    Background While breast cancer screening with mammography and MRI is recommended for BRCA mutation carriers, there is no current consensus on the optimal screening regimen. Methods We used a computer simulation model to compare six annual screening strategies [film mammography (FM), digital mammography (DM), FM and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or DM and MRI contemporaneously, and alternating FM/MRI or DM/MRI at six-month intervals] beginning at ages 25, 30, 35, and 40, and two strategies of annual MRI with delayed alternating DM/FM to clinical surveillance alone. Strategies were evaluated without and with mammography-induced breast cancer risk, using two models of excess relative risk. Input parameters were obtained from the medical literature, publicly available databases, and calibration. Results Without radiation risk effects, alternating DM/MRI starting at age 25 provided the highest life expectancy (BRCA1: 72.52 years, BRCA2: 77.63 years). When radiation risk was included, a small proportion of diagnosed cancers were attributable to radiation exposure (BRCA1: <2%, BRCA2: <4%). With radiation risk, alternating DM/MRI at age 25 or annual MRI at age 25/delayed alternating DM at age 30 were most effective, depending on the radiation risk model used. Alternating DM/MRI starting at age 25 also had the highest number of false-positive screens/person (BRCA1: 4.5, BRCA2: 8.1). Conclusions Annual MRI at 25/delayed alternating DM at age 30 is likely the most effective screening strategy in BRCA mutation carriers. Screening benefits, associated risks and personal acceptance of false-positive results, should be considered in choosing the optimal screening strategy for individual women. PMID:21935911

  10. Evaluation of Heliostat Standby Aiming Strategies to Reduce Avian Flux Hazards and Impacts on Operational Performance

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

    Wendelin, Timothy J; Ho, Clifford K.; Horstman, Luke

    This paper presents a study of alternative heliostat standby aiming strategies and their impact on avian flux hazards and operational performance of a concentrating solar power plant. A mathematical model was developed that predicts the bird-feather temperature as a function of solar irradiance, thermal emittance, convection, and thermal properties of the feather. The irradiance distribution in the airspace above the Ivanpah Unit 2 heliostat field was simulated using a ray-trace model for two different times of the day, four days of the year, and nine different standby aiming strategies. The impact of the alternative aiming strategies on operational performance wasmore » assessed by comparing the heliostat slew times from standby position to the receiver for the different aiming strategies. Increased slew times increased a proxy start-up time that reduced the simulated annual energy production. Results showed that spreading the radial aim points around the receiver to a distance of ~150 m or greater reduced the hazardous exposure times that the feather temperature exceeded the hazard metric of 160 degrees C. The hazardous exposure times were reduced by ~23% and 90% at a radial spread of aim points extending to 150 m and 250 m, respectively, but the simulated annual energy production decreased as a result of increased slew times. Single point-focus aiming strategies were also evaluated, but these strategies increased the exposure hazard relative to other aiming strategies.« less

  11. Fuel Cycle Analysis Framework Base Cases for the IAEA/INPRO GAINS Collaborative Project

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

    Brent Dixon

    Thirteen countries participated in the Collaborative Project GAINS “Global Architecture of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems Based on Thermal and Fast Reactors Including a Closed Fuel Cycle”, which was the primary activity within the IAEA/INPRO Program Area B: “Global Vision on Sustainable Nuclear Energy” for the last three years. The overall objective of GAINS was to develop a standard framework for assessing future nuclear energy systems taking into account sustainable development, and to validate results through sample analyses. This paper details the eight scenarios that constitute the GAINS framework base cases for analysis of the transition to future innovative nuclear energymore » systems. The framework base cases provide a reference for users of the framework to start from in developing and assessing their own alternate systems. Each base case is described along with performance results against the GAINS sustainability evaluation metrics. The eight cases include four using a moderate growth projection and four using a high growth projection for global nuclear electricity generation through 2100. The cases are divided into two sets, addressing homogeneous and heterogeneous scenarios developed by GAINS to model global fuel cycle strategies. The heterogeneous world scenario considers three separate nuclear groups based on their fuel cycle strategies, with non-synergistic and synergistic cases. The framework base case analyses results show the impact of these different fuel cycle strategies while providing references for future users of the GAINS framework. A large number of scenario alterations are possible and can be used to assess different strategies, different technologies, and different assumptions about possible futures of nuclear power. Results can be compared to the framework base cases to assess where these alternate cases perform differently versus the sustainability indicators.« less

  12. Prediction of skin sensitizers using alternative methods to animal experimentation.

    PubMed

    Johansson, Henrik; Lindstedt, Malin

    2014-07-01

    Regulatory frameworks within the European Union demand that chemical substances are investigated for their ability to induce sensitization, an adverse health effect caused by the human immune system in response to chemical exposure. A recent ban on the use of animal tests within the cosmetics industry has led to an urgent need for alternative animal-free test methods that can be used for assessment of chemical sensitizers. To date, no such alternative assay has yet completed formal validation. However, a number of assays are in development and the understanding of the biological mechanisms of chemical sensitization has greatly increased during the last decade. In this MiniReview, we aim to summarize and give our view on the recent progress of method development for alternative assessment of chemical sensitizers. We propose that integrated testing strategies should comprise complementary assays, providing measurements of a wide range of mechanistic events, to perform well-educated risk assessments based on weight of evidence. © 2014 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

  13. Selection of sustainable seaweed and grouper aquaculture development strategy: a case of Pulau Panjang, Serang Regency Banten Province

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soejarwo, P. A.; Fitriyanny, W. P.; Heriati, A.; Hakim, A. R.

    2018-03-01

    Due to their high-income contribution, seaweed and grouper aquacultures are important activities in Pulau Panjang community. Determining alternative strategies in developing sustainable aquaculture for seaweed and grouper and their priority factors from theses aquaculture activities are done using TOPSIS and AHP analysis. It was found that the development strategy that must be taken is the option to maintain aquaculture activities, while, environment factor is the highest priority to maintain seaweed and grouper aquaculture in Pulau Panjang. Then three priorities are obtained from environment factor. The first is to maintain the water quality by the growth requirements of seaweed and grouper by encouraging the formation of “Environmental Community Awareness” that involved the active participation of the community to maintain quality and carrying capacity of the environment. Second is to use of natural or artificial coastal protectors (soft structure). The third priority strategy is integration and real implementation of heavy metal pollution control between government, industry sector and society.

  14. Systems Operations Studies for Automated Guideway Transit Systems : Quantitative Analysis of Alternative AGT Operational Control Strategies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1981-10-01

    The objectives of the Systems Operation Studies (SOS) for automated guideway transit (AGT) systems are to develop models for the analysis of system operations, to evaluate performance and cost, and to establish guidelines for the design and operation...

  15. A Simple Approach To Assessing Copper Pitting Corrosion Tendenices and Developing Control Strategies

    EPA Science Inventory

    The objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of a simple pipe loop system and protocol to predict localized corrosion, and to assess treatment alternatives for a drinking water that has been associated with customer complaints of pinhole leaks.

  16. Creating and Implementing Diverse Development Strategies to Support Extension Centers and Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Page, Christopher S.; Kern, Michael A.

    2018-01-01

    Declining government funding for higher education requires colleges and universities to seek alternative revenue streams, including through philanthropic fund-raising. Extension-based subject matter centers and other programs can benefit from the thoughtful supplementation of traditional revenue sources with individual, corporate, and private…

  17. Nonchemical, cultural management strategies to suppress phytophthora root rot in northern highbush blueberry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phytophthora cinnamomi causes root rot of highbush blueberry and decreases plant growth, yield, and profitability for growers. Fungicides can suppress root rot, but cannot be used in certified organic production systems and fungicide resistance may develop. Alternative, non-chemical, cultural manag...

  18. Development and construct validity of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Observer Form.

    PubMed

    Reddy, Linda A; Fabiano, Gregory; Dudek, Christopher M; Hsu, Louis

    2013-12-01

    Research on progress monitoring has almost exclusively focused on student behavior and not on teacher practices. This article presents the development and validation of a new teacher observational assessment (Classroom Strategies Scale) of classroom instructional and behavioral management practices. The theoretical underpinnings and empirical basis for the instructional and behavioral management scales are presented. The Classroom Strategies Scale (CSS) evidenced overall good reliability estimates including internal consistency, interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, and freedom from item bias on important teacher demographics (age, educational degree, years of teaching experience). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) of CSS data from 317 classrooms were carried out to assess the level of empirical support for (a) a 4 first-order factor theory concerning teachers' instructional practices, and (b) a 4 first-order factor theory concerning teachers' behavior management practice. Several fit indices indicated acceptable fit of the (a) and (b) CFA models to the data, as well as acceptable fit of less parsimonious alternative CFA models that included 1 or 2 second-order factors. Information-theory-based indices generally suggested that the (a) and (b) CFA models fit better than some more parsimonious alternative CFA models that included constraints on relations of first-order factors. Overall, CFA first-order and higher order factor results support the CSS-Observer Total, Composite, and subscales. Suggestions for future measurement development efforts are outlined. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Trends in recombinant protein use in animal production.

    PubMed

    Gifre, Laia; Arís, Anna; Bach, Àlex; Garcia-Fruitós, Elena

    2017-03-04

    Recombinant technologies have made possible the production of a broad catalogue of proteins of interest, including those used for animal production. The most widely studied proteins for the animal sector are those with an important role in reproduction, feed efficiency, and health. Nowadays, mammalian cells and fungi are the preferred choice for recombinant production of hormones for reproductive purposes and fibrolytic enzymes to enhance animal performance, respectively. However, the development of low-cost products is a priority, particularly in livestock. The study of cell factories such as yeast and bacteria has notably increased in the last decades to make the new developed reproductive hormones and fibrolytic enzymes a real alternative to the marketed ones. Important efforts have also been invested to developing new recombinant strategies for prevention and therapy, including passive immunization and modulation of the immune system. This offers the possibility to reduce the use of antibiotics by controlling physiological processes and improve the efficacy of preventing infections. Thus, nowadays different recombinant fibrolytic enzymes, hormones, and therapeutic molecules with optimized properties have been successfully produced through cost-effective processes using microbial cell factories. However, despite the important achievements for reducing protein production expenses, alternative strategies to further reduce these costs are still required. In this context, it is necessary to make a giant leap towards the use of novel strategies, such as nanotechnology, that combined with recombinant technology would make recombinant molecules affordable for animal industry.

  20. Cost-Effectiveness of Chagas Disease Vector Control Strategies in Northwestern Argentina

    PubMed Central

    Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M.; Spillmann, Cynthia; Zaidenberg, Mario; Kitron, Uriel; Gürtler, Ricardo E.

    2009-01-01

    Background Control and prevention of Chagas disease rely mostly on residual spraying of insecticides. In Argentina, vector control shifted from a vertical to a fully horizontal strategy based on community participation between 1992 and 2004. The effects of such strategy on Triatoma infestans, the main domestic vector, and on disease transmission have not been assessed. Methods and Findings Based on retrospective (1993–2004) records from the Argentinean Ministry of Health for the Moreno Department, Northwestern Argentina, we performed a cost-effectiveness (CE) analysis and compared the observed CE of the fully horizontal vector control strategy with the expected CE for a vertical or a mixed (i.e., vertical attack phase followed by horizontal surveillance) strategy. Total direct costs (in 2004 US$) of the horizontal and mixed strategies were, respectively, 3.3 and 1.7 times lower than the costs of the vertical strategy, due to reductions in personnel costs. The estimated CE ratios for the vertical, mixed and horizontal strategies were US$132, US$82 and US$45 per averted human case, respectively. When per diems were excluded from the costs (i.e., simulating the decentralization of control activities), the CE of vertical, mixed and horizontal strategies was reduced to US$60, US$42 and US$32 per averted case, respectively. Conclusions and Significance The mixed strategy would have averted between 1.6 and 4.0 times more human cases than the fully horizontal strategy, and would have been the most cost-effective option to interrupt parasite transmission in the Department. In rural and dispersed areas where waning vertical vector programs cannot accomplish full insecticide coverage, alternative strategies need to be developed. If properly implemented, community participation represents not only the most appealing but also the most cost-effective alternative to accomplish such objectives. PMID:19156190

  1. Alternative IT Sourcing Strategies: From the Campus to the Cloud. ECAR Key Findings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldstein, Philip J.

    2009-01-01

    This document presents the key findings from the 2009 ECAR (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research) study, "Alternative IT Sourcing Strategies: From the Campus to the Cloud," by Philip J. Goldstein. The study explores a multitude of strategies used by colleges and university information technology organizations to deliver the breadth of technologies…

  2. A Conceptual framework of Strategy, Structure and Innovative Behaviour for the Development of a Dynamic Simulation Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konstantopoulos, Nikolaos; Trivellas, Panagiotis; Reklitis, Panagiotis

    2007-12-01

    According to many researchers of organizational theory, a great number of problems encountered by the manufacturing firms are due to their failure to foster innovative behaviour by aligning business strategy and structure. From this point of view, the fit between strategy and structure is essential in order to facilitate firms' innovative behaviour. In the present paper, we adopt Porter's typology to operationalise business strategy (cost leadership, innovative and marketing differentiation, and focus). Organizational structure is built on four dimensions (centralization, formalization, complexity and employees' initiatives to implement new ideas). Innovativeness is measured as product innovation, process and technological innovation. This study provides the necessary theoretical framework for the development of a dynamic simulation method, although the simulation of social events is a quite difficult task, considering that there are so many alternatives (not all well understood).

  3. Joint Peru/United States report on Peru/United States cooperative energy assessment. Volume 1. Executive summary, main report and appendices

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

    Not Available

    1979-08-01

    In 1978, the US and Peru conducted a comprehensive assessment of Peru's energy resources, needs, and uses and developed several alternative energy strategies that utilize the available resources to meet their energy requirements. This Volume I reports the findings of the assessment and contains the executive summary, the main report, and five appendices of information that support the integrated energy supply and demand analysis. The following chapters are included: The Energy Situation in Peru (economic context and background, energy resources and production, energy consumption patterns); Reference Supply and Demand Projection (approach, procedures, and assumptions; economic projections; energy demand and supplymore » projections; supply/demand integration; uncertainties); and The Development of Strategies and Options (the analysis of options; strategies; increased use of renewables, hydropower, coal; increased energy efficiency; and financial analysis of strategies).« less

  4. An integrated approach to place Green Infrastructure strategies in marginalized communities and evaluate stormwater mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garcia-Cuerva, Laura; Berglund, Emily Zechman; Rivers, Louie

    2018-04-01

    Increasing urbanization augments impervious surface area, which results in increased run off volumes and peak flows. Green Infrastructure (GI) approaches are a decentralized alternative for sustainable urban stormwater and provide an array of ecosystem services and foster community building by enhancing neighborhood aesthetics, increasing property value, and providing shared green spaces. While projects involving sustainability concepts and environmental design are favored in privileged communities, marginalized communities have historically been located in areas that suffer from environmental degradation. Underprivileged communities typically do not receive as many social and environmental services as advantaged communities. This research explores GI-based management strategies that are evaluated at the watershed scale to improve hydrological performance by mitigating storm water run off volumes and peak flows. GI deployment strategies are developed to address environmental justice issues by prioritizing placement in communities that are underprivileged and locations with high outreach potential. A hydrologic/hydraulic stormwater model is developed using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM 5.1) to simulate the impacts of alternative management strategies. Management scenarios include the implementation of rain water harvesting in private households, the decentralized implementation of bioretention cells in private households, the centralized implementation of bioretention cells in municipally owned vacant land, and combinations of those strategies. Realities of implementing GI on private and public lands are taken into account to simulate various levels of coverage and routing for bioretention cell scenarios. The effects of these strategies are measured by the volumetric reduction of run off and reduction in peak flow; social benefits are not evaluated. This approach is applied in an underprivileged community within the Walnut Creek Watershed in Raleigh, North Carolina.

  5. Meeting Report: Alternatives for Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing

    PubMed Central

    Lein, Pamela; Locke, Paul; Goldberg, Alan

    2007-01-01

    Developmental neurotoxicity testing (DNT) is perceived by many stakeholders to be an area in critical need of alternatives to current animal testing protocols and guidelines. To address this need, the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Toxicology Program are collaborating in a program called TestSmart DNT, the goals of which are to: (a) develop alternative methodologies for identifying and prioritizing chemicals and exposures that may cause developmental neurotoxicity in humans; (b) develop the policies for incorporating DNT alternatives into regulatory decision making; and (c) identify opportunities for reducing, refining, or replacing the use of animals in DNT. The first TestSmart DNT workshop was an open registration meeting held 13–15 March 2006 in Reston, Virginia. The primary objective was to bring together stakeholders (test developers, test users, regulators, and advocates for children’s health, animal welfare, and environmental health) and individuals representing diverse disciplines (developmental neurobiology, toxicology, policy, and regulatory science) from around the world to share information and concerns relating to the science and policy of DNT. Individual presentations are available at the CAAT TestSmart website. This report provides a synthesis of workgroup discussions and recommendations for future directions and priorities, which include initiating a systematic evaluation of alternative models and technologies, developing a framework for the creation of an open database to catalog DNT data, and devising a strategy for harmonizing the validation process across international jurisdictional borders. PMID:17520065

  6. Meeting report: alternatives for developmental neurotoxicity testing.

    PubMed

    Lein, Pamela; Locke, Paul; Goldberg, Alan

    2007-05-01

    Developmental neurotoxicity testing (DNT) is perceived by many stakeholders to be an area in critical need of alternatives to current animal testing protocols and guidelines. To address this need, the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Toxicology Program are collaborating in a program called TestSmart DNT, the goals of which are to: (a) develop alternative methodologies for identifying and prioritizing chemicals and exposures that may cause developmental neurotoxicity in humans; (b) develop the policies for incorporating DNT alternatives into regulatory decision making; and (c) identify opportunities for reducing, refining, or replacing the use of animals in DNT. The first TestSmart DNT workshop was an open registration meeting held 13-15 March 2006 in Reston, Virginia. The primary objective was to bring together stakeholders (test developers, test users, regulators, and advocates for children's health, animal welfare, and environmental health) and individuals representing diverse disciplines (developmental neurobiology, toxicology, policy, and regulatory science) from around the world to share information and concerns relating to the science and policy of DNT. Individual presentations are available at the CAAT TestSmart website. This report provides a synthesis of workgroup discussions and recommendations for future directions and priorities, which include initiating a systematic evaluation of alternative models and technologies, developing a framework for the creation of an open database to catalog DNT data, and devising a strategy for harmonizing the validation process across international jurisdictional borders.

  7. Impact of greenhouse gas metrics on the quantification of agricultural emissions and farm-scale mitigation strategies: a New Zealand case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reisinger, Andy; Ledgard, Stewart

    2013-06-01

    Agriculture emits a range of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gas metrics allow emissions of different gases to be reported in a common unit called CO2-equivalent. This enables comparisons of the efficiency of different farms and production systems and of alternative mitigation strategies across all gases. The standard metric is the 100 year global warming potential (GWP), but alternative metrics have been proposed and could result in very different CO2-equivalent emissions, particularly for CH4. While significant effort has been made to reduce uncertainties in emissions estimates of individual gases, little effort has been spent on evaluating the implications of alternative metrics on overall agricultural emissions profiles and mitigation strategies. Here we assess, for a selection of New Zealand dairy farms, the effect of two alternative metrics (100 yr GWP and global temperature change potentials, GTP) on farm-scale emissions and apparent efficiency and cost effectiveness of alternative mitigation strategies. We find that alternative metrics significantly change the balance between CH4 and N2O; in some cases, alternative metrics even determine whether a specific management option would reduce or increase net farm-level emissions or emissions intensity. However, the relative ranking of different farms by profitability or emissions intensity, and the ranking of the most cost-effective mitigation options for each farm, are relatively unaffected by the metric. We conclude that alternative metrics would change the perceived significance of individual gases from agriculture and the overall cost to farmers if a price were applied to agricultural emissions, but the economically most effective response strategies are unaffected by the choice of metric.

  8. Alternative conceptions of introductory geoscience students and a method to decrease them

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kortz, Karen Melissa

    College students often leave introductory geoscience courses with alternative conceptions, and these alternative conceptions are a barrier to their grasp of geological conceptions. This dissertation clarifies the problem and suggests pedagogical strategies for correcting it. It is an integration of research on students' conceptions of geoscience topics with the application of that knowledge to the development of materials to change these conceptions to be more scientifically accurate. This research identifies and documents alternative conceptions students have in several key geoscience topics and the consequences of these alternative conception in terms of preventing understanding. After documenting the alternative conceptions, I investigate their sources. In addition, I develop ways in which the alternative conceptions can be addressed in classrooms in terms of non-traditional teaching techniques, and I assess the success of these methods. Chapter 1 addresses alternative conceptions in general introductory geoscience topics. I use known student alternative conceptions to develop a series of interactive materials to help reduce students' alternative conceptions. After their development, I assess the efficacy of these materials, and my research indicates that they are successful in helping students better learn the geoscience concepts. Chapter 2 deals with a particularly difficult topic for students---that of phylogenetic systematics. Students have an intuitive way of categorizing organisms, and this categorization is different from the system used by experts within the field. My investigation indicates the conceptual change required of students to fully understand the topic leads to great difficulties with learning. Drawing upon results of the research in Chapter 1, I developed and assessed interactive materials to help students better understand phylogenetic systematics. Using the insight gained from Chapters 1 and 2, Chapters 3 and 4 further examine students' conceptions in an area critical to understanding geology: rocks and their formation. My research indicates that students view rocks as objects independent from the processes that form and change them. In addition, I document students' alternative conceptions of rocks. Using these alternative conceptions, I look more deeply into the underlying factors that cause the difficulties students have with learning rocks, their formation, and their importance to the geosciences.

  9. Upper Limb Immobilisation: A Neural Plasticity Model with Relevance to Poststroke Motor Rehabilitation

    PubMed Central

    Furlan, Leonardo; Conforto, Adriana Bastos; Cohen, Leonardo G.; Sterr, Annette

    2016-01-01

    Advances in our understanding of the neural plasticity that occurs after hemiparetic stroke have contributed to the formulation of theories of poststroke motor recovery. These theories, in turn, have underpinned contemporary motor rehabilitation strategies for treating motor deficits after stroke, such as upper limb hemiparesis. However, a relative drawback has been that, in general, these strategies are most compatible with the recovery profiles of relatively high-functioning stroke survivors and therefore do not easily translate into benefit to those individuals sustaining low-functioning upper limb hemiparesis, who otherwise have poorer residual function. For these individuals, alternative motor rehabilitation strategies are currently needed. In this paper, we will review upper limb immobilisation studies that have been conducted with healthy adult humans and animals. Then, we will discuss how the findings from these studies could inspire the creation of a neural plasticity model that is likely to be of particular relevance to the context of motor rehabilitation after stroke. For instance, as will be elaborated, such model could contribute to the development of alternative motor rehabilitation strategies for treating poststroke upper limb hemiparesis. The implications of the findings from those immobilisation studies for contemporary motor rehabilitation strategies will also be discussed and perspectives for future research in this arena will be provided as well. PMID:26843992

  10. Re-powering and site recycling in a competitive environment

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

    Taylor, A.; Kahn, E.P.

    1991-03-01

    Re-powering and site recycling are strategies designed to expand electric generating capacity by using depreciated assets. The resource base for the these strategies is large. By 1995, over 170,000 MW of fossil-fired capacity will be in excess of thirty years old, and approaching the end of its conventional economic lifetime. This paper explores how these assets might be developed using competitive market forces. While some re-powering is being pursued under traditional ratebase regulation, there are four other generic alternatives. These are: (1) utility investment at fixed prices with regulatory pre-approval, (2) utility investment under competitive bidding, (3) utility leasing formore » private producer development, and (4) utility sale of sites for private producer development. Issues associated with each alternative are explored and illustrated with examples. State regulatory policy will be the critical determinant of whether a market develops for depreciated power plants. Financial incentives will stimulate utilities to re-deploy depreciated assets. This means some form of profit-sharing between customers and shareholders of the grains from asset sales. Different approaches to profit sharing are reviewed. These developments are still in an experimental state, however, and no single approach appears to have emerged as a dominant trend. 36 refs., 1 tab.« less

  11. Opportunities for Automation of Student Aid Processing in Postsecondary Institutions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    St. John, Edward P.

    1986-01-01

    An overview of the options and opportunities postsecondary institutions should consider when developing plans for student aid automation is provided. The role of automation in the financial aid office, interfaces with institutional and external systems, alternative approaches to automation, and the need for an institutional strategy for automation…

  12. Gilligan's Moral Orientation Hypothesis: Strategies of Justification and Practical Deliberation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keefer, Matthew Wilks

    Previous studies failed to determine whether Gilligan's (1982) justice and care perspectives represent two distinct orientations of moral reasoning. Using methods developed in research on reasoning and discourse processes, a study used a discursive framework to validate an alternate methodology for the investigation of moral orientation reasoning.…

  13. Phytochemicals as potential antibiotic alternatives to promote growth and enhance host health

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Globally, there is an increasing concern on emerging drug-resistant “superbugs” and the lack of new antibiotics for treating human and animal diseases. For instance, in livestock animals, there is a timely need to develop strategies to replace antibiotics in food-producing animals, with especially ...

  14. Scheduling language and algorithm development study. Volume 1, phase 2: Design considerations for a scheduling and resource allocation system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morrell, R. A.; Odoherty, R. J.; Ramsey, H. R.; Reynolds, C. C.; Willoughby, J. K.; Working, R. D.

    1975-01-01

    Data and analyses related to a variety of algorithms for solving typical large-scale scheduling and resource allocation problems are presented. The capabilities and deficiencies of various alternative problem solving strategies are discussed from the viewpoint of computer system design.

  15. Successful establishment of the invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta in Taiwan: Insights into interactions of alternative social forms

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Understanding the factors underlying the successful establishment of invasive ant species is critical for developing quarantine strategies to prevent additional invasions as well as for determining how such species overcome the selective pressures occurring in invaded areas. Although several studies...

  16. Genetically-engineered baculovirus pesticides and their environmental safety

    Treesearch

    H. Alan Wood; Yu Zailin

    1991-01-01

    Baculoviruses such as the Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LdMNPV) are ecologically attractive alternatives to chemical insect pesticides but have a slow rate of control. To overcome this we have developed and are field testing an environmentally acceptable strategy which can be used for the introduction and expression of pesticide-...

  17. 77 FR 47482 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of Proposed Rule Change...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-08

    ... securities of companies located in developed countries. Other Investment Practices and Strategies To respond... and corporate actions. Depositary Receipts are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying..., purchase securities of any issuer (except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its...

  18. Risk Mechanisms in Development: Some Conceptual and Methodological Considerations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Connor, Thomas G.; Rutter, Michael

    1996-01-01

    Comments on problems raised in this special issue, focusing on the distinctive aspects of the risk research reported. Highlights issues like sample characteristics, measurement strategies, specificity of risk factors, and risk mechanisms. Discusses the challenges of integrating alternative models of risk, with special references to research into…

  19. Commentary: Using Potential Outcomes to Understand Causal Mediation Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imai, Kosuke; Jo, Booil; Stuart, Elizabeth A.

    2011-01-01

    In this commentary, we demonstrate how the potential outcomes framework can help understand the key identification assumptions underlying causal mediation analysis. We show that this framework can lead to the development of alternative research design and statistical analysis strategies applicable to the longitudinal data settings considered by…

  20. TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED FOR ALTERNATIVE ANALYSES FOR A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (TRACE) IN SUPPORT OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent trends in current and evolving environmental regulatory strategies dictate that EPA will have to rely more heavily on predictive modeling technologies in carrying out the increasingly complex array of exposure and risk assessments necessary in developing scientifically def...

  1. Teacher Thoughts on Infographics as Alternative Assessment: A Post-Secondary Educational Exploration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gover, Glen Bruce

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative phenomenological case study is designed to investigate the learning outcomes, lived experiences, and perceptions of eight post-secondary teachers participating in a sketch-based infographic development training program. This research is designed to assess the viability of infographics as a learning and assessment strategy,…

  2. Industrial Sector Energy Efficiency Modeling (ISEEM) Framework Documentation

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

    Karali, Nihan; Xu, Tengfang; Sathaye, Jayant

    2012-12-12

    The goal of this study is to develop a new bottom-up industry sector energy-modeling framework with an agenda of addressing least cost regional and global carbon reduction strategies, improving the capabilities and limitations of the existing models that allows trading across regions and countries as an alternative.

  3. Drying based on temperature-detection-assisted control in microwave-assisted pulse-spouted vacuum drying.

    PubMed

    Cao, Xiaohuang; Zhang, Min; Qian, He; Mujumdar, Arun S

    2017-06-01

    An online temperature-detection-assisted control system of microwave-assisted pulse-spouted vacuum drying was newly developed. By using this system, temperature control can be automatically and continuously adjusted based on the detection of drying temperature and preset temperature. Various strategies for constant temperature control, linear temperature control and three-step temperature control were applied to drying carrot cubes. Drying kinetics and the quality of various temperature-controlled strategies online are evaluated for the new drying technology as well as its suitability as an alternative drying method. Drying time in 70 °C mode 1 had the shortest drying time and lowest energy consumption in all modes. A suitable colour, highest re-hydration ratio and fracture-hardness, and longest drying time occurred in 30-40-50 °C mode 3. The number of hot spots was reduced in 40-50-60 °C mode 3. Acceptable carrot snacks were obtained in 50-60-70 °C mode 3 and 70 °C mode 2. All temperature curves showed that the actual temperatures followed the preset temperatures appropriately. With this system, a linear temperature-controlled strategy and a three-step temperature-controlled strategy can improve product quality and heating non-uniformity compared to constant temperature control, but need greater energy consumption and longer drying time. A temperature-detection-assisted control system was developed for providing various drying strategies as a suitable alternative in making a snack product. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  4. Software reliability through fault-avoidance and fault-tolerance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vouk, Mladen A.; Mcallister, David F.

    1993-01-01

    Strategies and tools for the testing, risk assessment and risk control of dependable software-based systems were developed. Part of this project consists of studies to enable the transfer of technology to industry, for example the risk management techniques for safety-concious systems. Theoretical investigations of Boolean and Relational Operator (BRO) testing strategy were conducted for condition-based testing. The Basic Graph Generation and Analysis tool (BGG) was extended to fully incorporate several variants of the BRO metric. Single- and multi-phase risk, coverage and time-based models are being developed to provide additional theoretical and empirical basis for estimation of the reliability and availability of large, highly dependable software. A model for software process and risk management was developed. The use of cause-effect graphing for software specification and validation was investigated. Lastly, advanced software fault-tolerance models were studied to provide alternatives and improvements in situations where simple software fault-tolerance strategies break down.

  5. Elements of an Alternative to Nuclear Power as a Response to the Energy-Environment Crisis in India: Development as Freedom and a Sustainable Energy Utility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathai, Manu V.

    2009-01-01

    Even as the conventional energy system is fundamentally challenged by the "energy-environment crisis," its adherents have presented the prospect of "abundant" and purportedly "green" nuclear power as part of a strategy to address the crisis. Surveying the development of nuclear power in India, this article finds that…

  6. Nice or effective? Social problem solving strategies in patients with major depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Thoma, Patrizia; Schmidt, Tobias; Juckel, Georg; Norra, Christine; Suchan, Boris

    2015-08-30

    Our study addressed distinct aspects of social problem solving in 28 hospitalized patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 28 matched healthy controls. Three scenario-based tests assessed the ability to infer the mental states of story characters in difficult interpersonal situations, the capacity to freely generate good strategies for dealing with such situations and the ability to identify the best solutions among less optimal alternatives. Also, standard tests assessing attention, memory, executive function and trait empathy were administered. Compared to controls, MDD patients showed impaired interpretation of other peoples' sarcastic remarks but not of the mental states underlying other peoples' actions. Furthermore, MDD patients generated fewer strategies that were socially sensitive and practically effective at the same time or at least only socially sensitive. Overall, while the free generation of adequate strategies for difficult social situations was impaired, recognition of optimal solutions among alternatives was spared in MDD patients. Higher generation scores were associated with higher trait empathy and cognitive flexibility scores. We suggest that this specific pattern of impairments ought to be considered in the development of therapies addressing impaired social skills in MDD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Reasoning strategies used by students to solve stoichiometry problems and its relationship to alternative conceptions, prior knowledge, and cognitive variables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Astudillo, Luisa Rojas; Niaz, Mansoor

    1996-06-01

    Achievement in science depends on a series of factors that characterize the cognitive abilities of the students and the complex interactions between these factors and the environment that intervenes in the formation of students' background. The objective of this study is to: a) investigate reasoning strategies students use in solving stoichiometric problems; b) explore the relation between these strategies and alternative conceptions, prior knowledge and cognitive variables; and c) interpret the results within an epistemological framework. Results obtained show how stoichiometric relations produce conflicting situations for students, leading to conceptual misunderstanding of concepts, such as mass, atoms and moles. The wide variety of strategies used by students attest to the presence of competing and conflicting frameworks (progressive transitions, cf. Lakatos, 1970), leading to greater conceptual understanding. It is concluded that the methodology developed in this study (based on a series of closely related probing questions, generally requiring no calculations, that elicit student conceptual understanding to varying degrees within an intact classroom context) was influential in improving student performance. This improvement in performance, however, does not necessarily affect students' hard core of beliefs.

  8. Environmental evaluation of alternatives for long-term management of Defense high-level radioactive wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

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

    Not Available

    1982-09-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering the selection of a strategy for the long-term management of the defense high-level wastes at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). This report describes the environmental impacts of alternative strategies. These alternative strategies include leaving the calcine in its present form at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), or retrieving and modifying the calcine to a more durable waste form and disposing of it either at the INEL or in an offsite repository. This report addresses only the alternatives for a program to manage the high-level waste generated at the ICPP. 24more » figures, 60 tables.« less

  9. The importance of functional form in optimal control solutions of problems in population dynamics

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Runge, M.C.; Johnson, F.A.

    2002-01-01

    Optimal control theory is finding increased application in both theoretical and applied ecology, and it is a central element of adaptive resource management. One of the steps in an adaptive management process is to develop alternative models of system dynamics, models that are all reasonable in light of available data, but that differ substantially in their implications for optimal control of the resource. We explored how the form of the recruitment and survival functions in a general population model for ducks affected the patterns in the optimal harvest strategy, using a combination of analytical, numerical, and simulation techniques. We compared three relationships between recruitment and population density (linear, exponential, and hyperbolic) and three relationships between survival during the nonharvest season and population density (constant, logistic, and one related to the compensatory harvest mortality hypothesis). We found that the form of the component functions had a dramatic influence on the optimal harvest strategy and the ultimate equilibrium state of the system. For instance, while it is commonly assumed that a compensatory hypothesis leads to higher optimal harvest rates than an additive hypothesis, we found this to depend on the form of the recruitment function, in part because of differences in the optimal steady-state population density. This work has strong direct consequences for those developing alternative models to describe harvested systems, but it is relevant to a larger class of problems applying optimal control at the population level. Often, different functional forms will not be statistically distinguishable in the range of the data. Nevertheless, differences between the functions outside the range of the data can have an important impact on the optimal harvest strategy. Thus, development of alternative models by identifying a single functional form, then choosing different parameter combinations from extremes on the likelihood profile may end up producing alternatives that do not differ as importantly as if different functional forms had been used. We recommend that biological knowledge be used to bracket a range of possible functional forms, and robustness of conclusions be checked over this range.

  10. The need for strategic tax planning among nonprofit hospitals.

    PubMed

    Smith, Pamela C

    2005-01-01

    Strategic tax planning issues are important to the nonprofit health care sector, despite its philanthropic mission. The consolidation of the industry has led management to fight for resources and develop alternative strategies for raising money. When management evaluates alternative collaborative structures to increase efficiency, the impact on governance structures must also be considered. The increased governmental scrutiny of joint ventures within the health care sector warrants management's attention as well. The financial incentives must be considered, along with the various tax policy implications of cross-sector collaborations.

  11. A methodology to modify land uses in a transit oriented development scenario.

    PubMed

    Sahu, Akshay

    2018-05-01

    Developing nations are adopting transit oriented development (TOD) strategies to decongest their transportation systems. These strategies are often adopted after the preparation of land use plans. The goal of this study was to build a methodology to modify these land uses using soft computing. This can help to achieve alternate land use plans relevant to TOD. The methodology incorporates TOD characteristics and objectives. Global TOD parameters (density, diversity, and distance to transit) were studied. Expert opinions gave weights and ranges for the parameters in an Indian TOD scenario. Rules to allocate land use was developed. Objective functions were defined. Four objectives were used. First was to maximize employment density, residential density and percent of mix land use. Second was to shape density and diversity with respect to distance. Third was to minimize degree of land use change, and fourth was to increase compactness of the land use allocation. The methodology was applied to two sectors of Naya Raipur, the new planned administrative capital of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The city has implemented TOD in the form of Bus rapid transit system (BRTS) over an existing land use. Thousand random plans were generated through the methodology. Top 30 plans were selected as parent population for modifications through genetic algorithm (GA). Alternate plans were generated at the end of GA cycle. The best alternate plan was compared with successful BRTS and TOD land uses for its merits and demerits. It was also compared with the initial land use plan for empirical validation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Practical methods for generating alternating magnetic fields for biomedical research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christiansen, Michael G.; Howe, Christina M.; Bono, David C.; Perreault, David J.; Anikeeva, Polina

    2017-08-01

    Alternating magnetic fields (AMFs) cause magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to dissipate heat while leaving surrounding tissue unharmed, a mechanism that serves as the basis for a variety of emerging biomedical technologies. Unfortunately, the challenges and costs of developing experimental setups commonly used to produce AMFs with suitable field amplitudes and frequencies present a barrier to researchers. This paper first presents a simple, cost-effective, and robust alternative for small AMF working volumes that uses soft ferromagnetic cores to focus the flux into a gap. As the experimental length scale increases to accommodate animal models (working volumes of 100s of cm3 or greater), poor thermal conductivity and volumetrically scaled core losses render that strategy ineffective. Comparatively feasible strategies for these larger volumes instead use low loss resonant tank circuits to generate circulating currents of 1 kA or greater in order to produce the comparable field amplitudes. These principles can be extended to the problem of identifying practical routes for scaling AMF setups to humans, an infrequently acknowledged challenge that influences the extent to which many applications of MNPs may ever become clinically relevant.

  13. Simultaneous determination of α-asarone and β-asarone in Acorus tatarinowii using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence coupled with chemometrics methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bai, Xue-Mei; Liu, Tie; Liu, De-Long; Wei, Yong-Ju

    2018-02-01

    A chemometrics-assisted excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence method was proposed for simultaneous determination of α-asarone and β-asarone in Acorus tatarinowii. Using the strategy of combining EEM data with chemometrics methods, the simultaneous determination of α-asarone and β-asarone in the complex Traditional Chinese medicine system was achieved successfully, even in the presence of unexpected interferents. The physical or chemical separation step was avoided due to the use of ;mathematical separation;. Six second-order calibration methods were used including parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD), alternating penalty trilinear decomposition (APTLD), self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD), the unfolded partial least-squares (U-PLS) and multidimensional partial least-squares (N-PLS) with residual bilinearization (RBL). In addition, HPLC method was developed to further validate the presented strategy. Consequently, for the validation samples, the analytical results obtained by six second-order calibration methods were almost accurate. But for the Acorus tatarinowii samples, the results indicated a slightly better predictive ability of N-PLS/RBL procedure over other methods.

  14. Polygyny, mate-guarding, and posthumous fertilization as alternative male mating strategies.

    PubMed

    Zamudio, K R; Sinervo, B

    2000-12-19

    Alternative male mating strategies within populations are thought to be evolutionarily stable because different behaviors allow each male type to successfully gain access to females. Although alternative male strategies are widespread among animals, quantitative evidence for the success of discrete male strategies is available for only a few systems. We use nuclear microsatellites to estimate the paternity rates of three male lizard strategies previously modeled as a rock-paper-scissors game. Each strategy has strengths that allow it to outcompete one morph, and weaknesses that leave it vulnerable to the strategy of another. Blue-throated males mate-guard their females and avoid cuckoldry by yellow-throated "sneaker" males, but mate-guarding is ineffective against aggressive orange-throated neighbors. The ultradominant orange-throated males are highly polygynous and maintain large territories; they overpower blue-throated neighbors and cosire offspring with their females, but are often cuckolded by yellow-throated males. Finally, yellow-throated sneaker males sire offspring via secretive copulations and often share paternity of offspring within a female's clutch. Sneaker males sire more offspring posthumously, indicating that sperm competition may be an important component of their strategy.

  15. Assessment of combating-desertification strategies using the linear assignment method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan Sadeghravesh, Mohammad; Khosravi, Hassan; Ghasemian, Soudeh

    2016-04-01

    Nowadays desertification, as a global problem, affects many countries in the world, especially developing countries like Iran. With respect to increasing importance of desertification and its complexity, the necessity of attention to the optimal combating-desertification alternatives is essential. Selecting appropriate strategies according to all effective criteria to combat the desertification process can be useful in rehabilitating degraded lands and avoiding degradation in vulnerable fields. This study provides systematic and optimal strategies of combating desertification by use of a group decision-making model. To this end, the preferences of indexes were obtained through using the Delphi model, within the framework of multi-attribute decision making (MADM). Then, priorities of strategies were evaluated by using linear assignment (LA) method. According to the results, the strategies to prevent improper change of land use (A18), development and reclamation of plant cover (A23), and control overcharging of groundwater resources (A31) were identified as the most important strategies for combating desertification in this study area. Therefore, it is suggested that the aforementioned ranking results be considered in projects which control and reduce the effects of desertification and rehabilitate degraded lands.

  16. Life support technology investment strategies for flight programs: An application of decision analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schlater, Nelson J.; Simonds, Charles H.; Ballin, Mark G.

    1993-01-01

    Applied research and technology development (R&TD) is often characterized by uncertainty, risk, and significant delays before tangible returns are obtained. Given the increased awareness of limitations in resources, effective R&TD today needs a method for up-front assessment of competing technologies to help guide technology investment decisions. Such an assessment approach must account for uncertainties in system performance parameters, mission requirements and architectures, and internal and external events influencing a development program. The methodology known as decision analysis has the potential to address these issues. It was evaluated by performing a case study assessment of alternative carbon dioxide removal technologies for NASA"s proposed First Lunar Outpost program. An approach was developed that accounts for the uncertainties in each technology's cost and performance parameters as well as programmatic uncertainties such as mission architecture. Life cycle cost savings relative to a baseline, adjusted for the cost of money, was used as a figure of merit to evaluate each of the alternative carbon dioxide removal technology candidates. The methodology was found to provide a consistent decision-making strategy for the develpoment of new life support technology. The case study results provided insight that was not possible from more traditional analysis approaches.

  17. Life-cycle energy impacts for adapting an urban water supply system to droughts.

    PubMed

    Lam, Ka Leung; Stokes-Draut, Jennifer R; Horvath, Arpad; Lane, Joe L; Kenway, Steven J; Lant, Paul A

    2017-12-15

    In recent years, cities in some water stressed regions have explored alternative water sources such as seawater desalination and potable water recycling in spite of concerns over increasing energy consumption. In this study, we evaluate the current and future life-cycle energy impacts of four alternative water supply strategies introduced during a decade-long drought in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. These strategies were: seawater desalination, indirect potable water recycling, network integration, and rainwater tanks. Our work highlights the energy burden of alternative water supply strategies which added approximately 24% life-cycle energy use to the existing supply system (with surface water sources) in SEQ even for a current post-drought low utilisation status. Over half of this additional life-cycle energy use was from the centralised alternative supply strategies. Rainwater tanks contributed an estimated 3% to regional water supply, but added over 10% life-cycle energy use to the existing system. In the future scenario analysis, we compare the life-cycle energy use between "Normal", "Dry", "High water demand" and "Design capacity" scenarios. In the "Normal" scenario, a long-term low utilisation of the desalination system and the water recycling system has greatly reduced the energy burden of these centralised strategies to only 13%. In contrast, higher utilisation in the unlikely "Dry" and "Design capacity" scenarios add 86% and 140% to life-cycle energy use of the existing system respectively. In the "High water demand" scenario, a 20% increase in per capita water use over 20 years "consumes" more energy than is used by the four alternative strategies in the "Normal" scenario. This research provides insight for developing more realistic long-term scenarios to evaluate and compare life-cycle energy impacts of drought-adaptation infrastructure and regional decentralised water sources. Scenario building for life-cycle assessments of water supply systems should consider i) climate variability and, therefore, infrastructure utilisation rate, ii) potential under-utilisation for both installed centralised and decentralised sources, and iii) the potential energy penalty for operating infrastructure well below its design capacity (e.g., the operational energy intensity of the desalination system is three times higher at low utilisation rates). This study illustrates that evaluating the life-cycle energy use and intensity of these type of supply sources without considering their realistic long-term operating scenario(s) can potentially distort and overemphasise their energy implications. To other water stressed regions, this work shows that managing long-term water demand is also important, in addition to acknowledging the energy-intensive nature of some alternative water sources. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Developing a strategic marketing plan for physical and occupational therapy services: a collaborative project between a critical access hospital and a graduate program in health care management.

    PubMed

    Kash, Bita A; Deshmukh, A A

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a marketing plan for the Physical and Occupational Therapy (PT/OT) department at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). We took the approach of understanding and analyzing the rural community and health care environment, problems faced by the PT/OT department, and developing a strategic marketing plan to resolve those problems. We used hospital admissions data, public and physician surveys, a SWOT analysis, and tools to evaluate alternative strategies. Lack of awareness and negative perception were key issues. Recommended strategies included building relationships with physicians, partnering with the school district, and enhancing the wellness program.

  19. Alternative/Complementary Approaches to Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levy, Susan E.; Hyman, Susan L.

    2002-01-01

    This article reviews common complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) treatments used to address symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders, including vitamin supplements, medications, antibiotics, antifungals, diet strategies, chelation/mercury detoxification, and nonbiologic treatments. Strategies that professionals may use in assessing the…

  20. Measuring decision weights in recognition experiments with multiple response alternatives: comparing the correlation and multinomial-logistic-regression methods.

    PubMed

    Dai, Huanping; Micheyl, Christophe

    2012-11-01

    Psychophysical "reverse-correlation" methods allow researchers to gain insight into the perceptual representations and decision weighting strategies of individual subjects in perceptual tasks. Although these methods have gained momentum, until recently their development was limited to experiments involving only two response categories. Recently, two approaches for estimating decision weights in m-alternative experiments have been put forward. One approach extends the two-category correlation method to m > 2 alternatives; the second uses multinomial logistic regression (MLR). In this article, the relative merits of the two methods are discussed, and the issues of convergence and statistical efficiency of the methods are evaluated quantitatively using Monte Carlo simulations. The results indicate that, for a range of values of the number of trials, the estimated weighting patterns are closer to their asymptotic values for the correlation method than for the MLR method. Moreover, for the MLR method, weight estimates for different stimulus components can exhibit strong correlations, making the analysis and interpretation of measured weighting patterns less straightforward than for the correlation method. These and other advantages of the correlation method, which include computational simplicity and a close relationship to other well-established psychophysical reverse-correlation methods, make it an attractive tool to uncover decision strategies in m-alternative experiments.

  1. The Scenario of the Potential Analysis Alternative Energy in Order to Strengthening District's Energy Resilience (The Case Study in South Sumatera Province)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferry Muhrom, Muhammad; Ronny Rahman Nitibaskara, Tb; Herdiansyah, Herdis; Sari, Ravita

    2017-10-01

    The current development of fossil energy, which is the driving force of the economy in Indonesia, is a non-renewable energy and is in need to know when it will be exhausted so it may be replaced with renewable energy. Many powerplant systems in Indonesia are still using conventional system that utilizes fossil energy as the primary energy in the process of electricity generation. The occurrence of electrical energy crisis is marked by several electricity blackout phenomenon in some areas in South Sumatera province rotately, which is the proof that the installed power capacity has exceeded the capacity of generation power. Interconnection among several islands, namely Java Island, Sumatera Island, and Bali Island which has been interconnected with closed loop system through transmission network has not been able to overcome the electrical energy crisis. This paper aims to create alternative energy potential scenarios in the province of South Sumatera in sequence/ranking by using quantitative methods with sequential explanatory model formulated in the determination of alternative energy strategies then analyzed by using Analitycal Hierarchy Process(AHP) method. The simulation results from this research indicate that geothermal energy potentials get the highest value so that it becomes the priority of alternative energy strategy in South Sumatera Province.

  2. [Therapeutic education in pediatric dentistry: analysis of obstacles and levers to the development of programmes in France in 2016].

    PubMed

    Marquillier, Thomas; Trentesaux, Thomas; Gagnayre, Rémi

    2017-01-01

    Over recent years, therapeutic patient education has become part of dental medicine. Management of early childhood caries, known to be a very common chronic disease, has evolved to include an educational dimension. The objective of this study was to identify the levers and barriers to the development of formalized therapeutic education programmes and alternatives. A comprehensive exploratory qualitative study was conducted between November 2015 and June 2016 on a targeted sample of 15 people aware of the problem of TPE in dentistry. The study showed that TPE training in dentistry is underdeveloped, despite its numerous benefits: change of the healthcare professional's approach, implementation of structured educational programmes, development of research, etc. There are many obstacles to the development of TPE programmes: insufficient resources, rigid legislation or lack of knowledge of TPE practices. The dental profession is an obstacle itself because of its lack of understanding and variable degrees of integration the medical community. There are multiple levers, but the main ones are changing attitudes of the profession and the provision of resources to develop TPE. Although alternatives to TPE programmes exist (accompanying measures, short educational strategies, connected health), they cannot replace TPE. More educational strategies must be developed in the field of dentistry. However, the framework of TPE must be adapted to the profession to ensure good uptake.

  3. Rule Driven Multi-Objective Management (RDMOM) - An Alternative Form for Describing and Developing Effective Water Resources Management Strategies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheer, D. P.

    2011-12-01

    Economics provides a model for describing human behavior applied to the management of water resources, but that model assumes, among other things, that managers have a way of directly relating immediate actions to long-term economic outcomes. This is rarely the case in water resources problems where uncertainty has significant impacts on the effectiveness of management strategies and where the management objectives are very difficult to commensurate. The difficulty in using economics is even greater in multiparty disputes, where each party has a different relative value for each of the management objectives, and many of the management objectives are shared. A three step approach to collaborative decision making can overcome these difficulties. The first step involves creating science based performance measures and evaluation tools to estimate the effect of alternative management strategies on each of the non-commensurate objectives. The second step involves developing short-term surrogate operating objectives that implicitly deal with all of the aspects of the long term uncertainty. Management that continually "optimizes" the short-term objectives subject to physical and other constraints that change through time can be characterized as Rule Driven Multi-Objective Management (RDMOM). RDMOM strategies are then tested in simulation models to provide the basis for evaluating performance measures. Participants in the collaborative process then engage in multiparty discussions that create new alternatives, and "barter" a deal. RDMOM does not assume that managers fully understand the link between current actions and long term goals. Rather, it assumes that managers operate to achieve short-term surrogate objectives which they believe will achieve an appropriate balance of both short and long-term incommensurable benefits. A reservoir rule curve is a simple, but often not particularly effective, example of the real-world implementation of RDMOM. Water managers find they can easily describe and explain their written and unwritten protocols using the RDMOM, and that the use of short-term surrogates is both intellectually appealing and pragmatic. The identification of operating targets as short-term surrogates leads naturally to a critical discussion of long-term objectives, and to the development of performance measures for the long-term objectives. The transparency and practical feasibility RDMOM based strategies is often crucial to the success of collaborative efforts. Complex disputes in the Delaware and Susquehanna Basins, the Everglades and Lower East Coast South Florida, Southern Nevada, Washington DC and many others have been resolved using RDMOM strategies.

  4. Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians Energy Conservation and Options Analysis - Final Report

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

    Paul Turner

    2008-07-11

    The Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians was awarded a grant through the Department of Energy First Steps program in June of 2006. The primary purpose of the grant was to enable the Tribe to develop energy conservation policies and a strategy for alternative energy resource development. All of the work contemplated by the grant agreement has been completed and the Tribe has begun implementing the resource development strategy through the construction of a 1.0 MW grid-connected photovoltaic system designed to offset a portion of the energy demand generated by current and projected land uses on the Tribe’s Reservation. Implementation ofmore » proposed energy conservation policies will proceed more deliberately as the Tribe acquires economic development experience sufficient to evaluate more systematically the interrelationships between conservation and its economic development goals.« less

  5. Analysis of the proposed EU regulation concerning biocide products and its opportunities for alternative approaches and a toxicology for the 21st century (t4 report).

    PubMed

    Ferrario, Daniele; Rabbit, Richard R

    2012-01-01

    On June 12, 2009, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation concerning the placement on the market and use of biocidal products, which, when it enters into force on January 1, 2013, will repeal and replace Directive 98/8/EC. The main reason for the revision of the current Directive was to promote best practices for environmental and human health protection, along with implementation of current developments in safety testing in order to create safer biocides. Moreover, the proposed Regulation aims to take into consideration the newest legislation on chemicals. This article evaluates the proposed Regulation in comparison to Directive 98/8/EC. Although the new proposal requires the sharing of vertebrate animal test data, both for product authorization and for newly developed active substances, it misses - in contrast to REACH - the opportunity to recognize the accelerating development of alternative approaches to animal testing, most recently with new momentum provided by "Toxicity Testing for the 21st Century", and to support the evolution of toxicology towards a new approach to testing. The new methods promise not only to decrease animal pain and suffering, but also to provide faster results and better prediction for human risk assessment compared to traditional methods. Unfortunately, methods mandated for human risk assessment in the proposal are still mainly based on traditional animal study extrapolation. We put forward and discuss possible alternative strategies, such as in vitro testing, integrated testing strategies, toxicokinetics, "omics", systems biology, bioinformatics, and computational modeling, all of which could be more encouraged by the proposal. Current opportunities to improve our tools for biocide risk assessment are discussed, delineating advantages, limitations, and development needs. It is suggested to open the proposed Regulation to alternative approaches that are based on human biology more than on extrapolation from animals to humans.

  6. Development and face validation of strategies for improving consultation skills.

    PubMed

    Lefroy, Janet; Thomas, Adam; Harrison, Chris; Williams, Stephen; O'Mahony, Fidelma; Gay, Simon; Kinston, Ruth; McKinley, R K

    2014-12-01

    While formative workplace based assessment can improve learners' skills, it often does not because the procedures used do not facilitate feedback which is sufficiently specific to scaffold improvement. Provision of pre-formulated strategies to address predicted learning needs has potential to improve the quality and automate the provision of written feedback. To systematically develop, validate and maximise the utility of a comprehensive list of strategies for improvement of consultation skills through a process involving both medical students and their clinical primary and secondary care tutors. Modified Delphi study with tutors, modified nominal group study with students with moderation of outputs by consensus round table discussion by the authors. 35 hospital and 21 GP tutors participated in the Delphi study and contributed 153 new or modified strategies. After review of these and the 205 original strategies, 265 strategies entered the nominal group study to which 46 year four and five students contributed, resulting in the final list of 249 validated strategies. We have developed a valid and comprehensive set of strategies which are considered useful by medical students. This list can be immediately applied by any school which uses the Calgary Cambridge Framework to inform the content of formative feedback on consultation skills. We consider that the list could also be mapped to alternative skills frameworks and so be utilised by schools which do not use the Calgary Cambridge Framework.

  7. Model For Marketing Strategy Decision Based On Multicriteria Decicion Making: A Case Study In Batik Madura Industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anna, I. D.; Cahyadi, I.; Yakin, A.

    2018-01-01

    Selection of marketing strategy is a prominent competitive advantage for small and medium enterprises business development. The selection process is is a multiple criteria decision-making problem, which includes evaluation of various attributes or criteria in a process of strategy formulation. The objective of this paper is to develop a model for the selection of a marketing strategy in Batik Madura industry. The current study proposes an integrated approach based on analytic network process (ANP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to determine the best strategy for Batik Madura marketing problems. Based on the results of group decision-making technique, this study selected fourteen criteria, including consistency, cost, trend following, customer loyalty, business volume, uniqueness manpower, customer numbers, promotion, branding, bussiness network, outlet location, credibility and the inovation as Batik Madura marketing strategy evaluation criteria. A survey questionnaire developed from literature review was distributed to a sample frame of Batik Madura SMEs in Pamekasan. In the decision procedure step, expert evaluators were asked to establish the decision matrix by comparing the marketing strategy alternatives under each of the individual criteria. Then, considerations obtained from ANP and TOPSIS methods were applied to build the specific criteria constraints and range of the launch strategy in the model. The model in this study demonstrates that, under current business situation, Straight-focus marketing strategy is the best marketing strategy for Batik Madura SMEs in Pamekasan.

  8. 10th Anniversary Focus: From mainstream 'environmental economics' to 'sustainability economics'. On the need for new thinking.

    PubMed

    Söderbaum, Peter

    2008-12-01

    Traditional ideas of science as being separate and separable from ideology and politics have to be reconsidered. Each interpretation of sustainable development is not only scientific but at the same time ideological. For this reason our ideas about good science should also be related to normal imperatives of democracy. Mainstream neoclassical economics is specific in scientific and ideological terms. This paradigm is useful for some purposes and has played a role as a mental map in guiding us towards economic growth and other ideas about progress in society and the economy. Sustainable development, however, represents an ideological turn in our ideas about progress and it is no longer clear that neoclassical theory will be enough. Alternative perspectives in economics are being developed as part of a pluralistic strategy and the monopoly position of neoclassical economists at university departments of economics is thereby challenged. A 'political economic person' is suggested as alternative (complement) to Economic Man assumptions and a 'political economic organization' to be compared with the neoclassical profit maximizing firm. Alternative ways of understanding markets and international trade, efficiency, decision-making, monitoring and assessment are also needed. It is argued that such an alternative mental map is useful for actors who take the challenge of sustainable development seriously.

  9. Clinical practice guidelines in complementary and alternative medicine. An analysis of opportunities and obstacles. Practice and Policy Guidelines Panel, National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine.

    PubMed

    1997-01-01

    An estimated 1 of 3 Americans uses some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as acupuncture, homeopathy, or herbal medicine. In 1995, the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine convened an expert panel to examine the role of clinical practice guidelines in CAM. The panel concluded that CAM practices currently are unsuitable for the development of evidence-based practice guidelines, in part because of the lack of relevant outcomes data from well-designed clinical trials. Moreover, the notions of standardization and appropriateness, inherent in guideline development, face challenging methodologic problems when applied to CAM, which considers many different treatment practices appropriate and encourages highly individualized care. Due to different belief systems and divergent theories about the nature of health and illness, CAM disciplines have fundamental differences in how they define target conditions, causes of disease, interventions, and outcome measures of effectiveness. These differences are even more striking when compared with those used by Western medicine. The panel made a series of recommendations on strategies to strengthen the evidence base for future guideline development in CAM and to meet better the current information needs of clinicians, patients, and guideline developers who seek information about CAM treatments.

  10. Comparative field trial of alternative vector control strategies for non-domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata.

    PubMed

    Ferral, Jhibran; Chavez-Nuñez, Leysi; Euan-Garcia, Maria; Ramirez-Sierra, Maria Jesus; Najera-Vazquez, M Rosario; Dumonteil, Eric

    2010-01-01

    Chagas disease is a major vector-borne disease, and regional initiatives based on insecticide spraying have successfully controlled domiciliated vectors in many regions. Non-domiciliated vectors remain responsible for a significant transmission risk, and their control is a challenge. We performed a proof-of-concept field trial to test alternative strategies in rural Yucatan, Mexico. Follow-up of house infestation for two seasons following the interventions confirmed that insecticide spraying should be performed annually for the effective control of Triatoma dimidiata; however, it also confirmed that insect screens or long-lasting impregnated curtains may represent good alternative strategies for the sustained control of these vectors. Ecosystemic peridomicile management would be an excellent complementary strategy to improve the cost-effectiveness of interventions. Because these strategies would also be effective against other vector-borne diseases, such as malaria or dengue, they could be integrated within a multi-disease control program.

  11. ARS Research Review on "Recent progress in developing alternative strategies to antibiotics in poultry production"

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The global animal industry needs to address the increasing regulatory restrictions on the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in animal production. Many AGPs have already been restricted by animal farms in the European Union and soon other countries are expected to be under increasing scrutin...

  12. Developing and testing a framework for alternative ownership, tenure and governance strategies for the proposed Detroit-Windsor River crossing : phase I report, February 2009.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-02-01

    This study focuses on a proposed international crossing across the Detroit River, connecting the cities of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Canada, and replacing the current Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, both built during the late 1920s...

  13. Skillstreaming in Early Childhood: Teaching Prosocial Skills to the Preschool and Kindergarten Child.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGinnis, Ellen; Goldstein, Arnold P.

    Teaching prosocial behavioral alternatives at an early age may enhance a child's personal development and help prevent more serious difficulties in later childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. This book provides classroom teachers and others working with young children with a guiding strategy and concrete techniques for instruction in…

  14. Promoting Social and Emotional Development in Deaf Children. The PATHS Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenberg, Mark T.; Kusche, Carol A.

    This book explains the background and rationale for the PATHS (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies) curriculum, reports the results of 4 years of research on its use with children who are deaf, and explores theoretical and practical concerns in the implementation of school-based mental health promotion programs. It emphasizes the crucial…

  15. Strategies for field use of baculoviruses

    Treesearch

    J.D. Podgwaite

    1985-01-01

    In recent years, there has been increased awareness in maintaining the quality of the environment. This has led to the development and use of microbial agents as alternatives to chemicals for controlling noxious insect populations. The insect pathogens in the family Baculoviridae, by virtue of their specificity, virulence, and safety for nontarget species, have become...

  16. Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Alternative Treatment Plans for School Age Children Diagnosed with ADHD.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carbonell, Claudia L.

    This literature review of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reviews the diagnosis and treatment options for children diagnosed with ADHD. It describes the complexity of ADHD, its symptoms, treatments, and implications on a child's social and academic development as well as strategies for assisting such children. Individual sections…

  17. Recent progress in developing alternative strategies against enteric pathogens causing intestinal dysbiosis

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    By 2050, the population is expected to increase to more than nine billion people; as a result of this anticipated growth, the demand for high protein poultry meat products is expected to increase anywhere from 70 to 100%. Therefore, poultry sectors including industry, government, and academia are c...

  18. Developing a Marketing Strategy for an Early Childhood Education Program in Hawaii.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammon, Virginia

    A marketing plan designed to increase enrollment and community support for early childhood education programs in Hawaii is presented. Expansion, economic and demographic trends, changes in state funding policies, and inadequate marketing had resulted in a drop in alternative school enrollment. The resulting support base was unable to support…

  19. Lecturers' Attitudes Towards the use of Technology: Alternative Strategies for Faculty Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hacifazlioglu, Ozge; Sacli, Oser Asim; Yengin, Ilker

    2007-01-01

    For the last two decades of this age of globalization we are living, technological advancement remarked every aspect of our lives significantly and especially the developments in the information technologies has revolutionized the teaching and learning centered activities as well as the research related activities in higher education. Apart from…

  20. Innovation, Research and Professional Development in Higher Education: Learning from Our Own Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Leonor Margalef; Roblin, Natalie Pareja

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes and analyses an innovative experience carried out by a group of lecturers from the Psychopedagogy Faculty of the University of Alcala, involved in an action research process with the purpose of reflecting about our own practice and constructing alternative teaching strategies to facilitate students' reflective, autonomous and…

  1. Various antibiotic alternative strategies to reduce pathogen-induced inflammation and to maintain gut homeostasis in broiler chickens

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The gut represents a continuously evolving ecosystem consisting of trillions of commensal bacteria living in symbiosis with the host. This host-microbe interplay plays a crucial role in physiological development and health of the host. There is increasing evidence that shows a dynamic interaction b...

  2. Development of an alternative testing strategy for the fish early life-stage (FELS) test using the AOP framework

    EPA Science Inventory

    Currently, the fish early life-stage (FELS) test (OECD 210) is the primary guideline used to estimate chronic toxicity of regulated chemicals. Although already more cost-efficient than adult fish tests, the FELS test has some important drawbacks. Both industry and regulatory inst...

  3. Production, distribution, and cost of oxygenated gasoline blends as a CO control strategy

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

    Holmes, J.G; Dworsky, B.S.

    1988-01-01

    During the past two decades, efforts to reduce the contribution of automotive emissions to air pollution have focused principally on the development of more stringent emission standards for new vehicles, and the use of inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs. Despite the achievements in the last few years, motor vehicles have remained a major source of air pollution in urban areas. Further reductions in either the emission standards or in I/M program pass/fail cutpoints are not politically feasible, and alternative methods to achieve emission reductions are being investigated. One potential method is through the use of alternative fuels that can reducemore » tailpipe emissions. For example, the addition of alcohol or ether into gasoline has been shown to lean out the engine and cut carbon monoxide emissions. This paper compares the costs of producing and distribution methanol, ethanol, and MTBE blends as part of a carbon monoxide control strategy. It addresses the costs of production, distribution, infrastructure development, and retailing associated with each fuel blend.« less

  4. Hunting for the function of orphan GPCRs – beyond the search for the endogenous ligand

    PubMed Central

    Ahmad, Raise; Wojciech, Stefanie; Jockers, Ralf

    2015-01-01

    Seven transmembrane-spanning proteins (7TM), also called GPCRs, are among the most versatile and evolutionary successful protein families. Out of the 400 non-odourant members identified in the human genome, approximately 100 remain orphans that have not been matched with an endogenous ligand. Apart from the classical deorphanization strategies, several alternative strategies provided recent new insights into the function of these proteins, which hold promise for high therapeutic potential. These alternative strategies consist of the phenotypical characterization of organisms silenced or overexpressing orphan 7TM proteins, the search for constitutive receptor activity and formation of protein complexes including 7TM proteins as well as the development of synthetic, surrogate ligands. Taken together, a variety of ligand-independent functions can be attributed to orphan 7TM proteins that range from constitutive activity to complex formation with other proteins and include ‘true’ orphans for which no ligand exist and ‘conditional’ orphans that behave like orphans in the absence of ligand and as non-orphans in the presence of ligand. PMID:25231237

  5. Coupling of radiofrequency with magnetic nanoparticles treatment as an alternative physical antibacterial strategy against multiple drug resistant bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chaurasia, Akhilesh K.; Thorat, Nanasaheb D.; Tandon, Anshula; Kim, Jin-Hahn; Park, Sung Ha; Kim, Kyeong Kyu

    2016-09-01

    Antibiotic resistant bacteria not only affect human health and but also threatens the safety in hospitals and among communities. However, the emergence of drug resistant bacteria is inevitable due to evolutionary selection as a consequence of indiscriminate antibiotic usage. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a novel strategy by which pathogenic bacteria can be eliminated without triggering resistance. We propose a novel magnetic nanoparticle-based physical treatment against pathogenic bacteria, which blocks biofilm formation and kills bacteria. In this approach, multiple drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 and uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 are trapped to the positively charged magnetic core-shell nanoparticles (MCSNPs) by electrostatic interaction. All the trapped bacteria can be completely killed within 30 min owing to the loss of membrane potential and dysfunction of membrane-associated complexes when exposed to the radiofrequency current. These results indicate that MCSNP-based physical treatment can be an alternative antibacterial strategy without leading to antibiotic resistance, and can be used for many purposes including environmental and therapeutic applications.

  6. Coupling of radiofrequency with magnetic nanoparticles treatment as an alternative physical antibacterial strategy against multiple drug resistant bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Chaurasia, Akhilesh K.; Thorat, Nanasaheb D.; Tandon, Anshula; Kim, Jin-Hahn; Park, Sung Ha; Kim, Kyeong Kyu

    2016-01-01

    Antibiotic resistant bacteria not only affect human health and but also threatens the safety in hospitals and among communities. However, the emergence of drug resistant bacteria is inevitable due to evolutionary selection as a consequence of indiscriminate antibiotic usage. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a novel strategy by which pathogenic bacteria can be eliminated without triggering resistance. We propose a novel magnetic nanoparticle-based physical treatment against pathogenic bacteria, which blocks biofilm formation and kills bacteria. In this approach, multiple drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 and uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 are trapped to the positively charged magnetic core-shell nanoparticles (MCSNPs) by electrostatic interaction. All the trapped bacteria can be completely killed within 30 min owing to the loss of membrane potential and dysfunction of membrane-associated complexes when exposed to the radiofrequency current. These results indicate that MCSNP-based physical treatment can be an alternative antibacterial strategy without leading to antibiotic resistance, and can be used for many purposes including environmental and therapeutic applications. PMID:27670157

  7. The U.S. Gas Flooding Experience: CO2 Injection Strategies and Impact on Ultimate Recovery

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

    Nunez-Lopez, Vanessa; Hosseini, Seyyed; Gil-Egui, Ramon

    The Permian Basin in West Texas and southwestern New Mexico has seen 45 years of oil reserve growth through CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR). More than 60 CO2 EOR projects are currently active in the region’s limestone, sandstone and dolomite reservoirs. Water alternating gas (WAG) has been the development strategy of choice in the Permian for several technical and economic reasons. More recently, the technology started to get implemented in the much more porous and permeable clastic depositional systems of the onshore U.S. Gulf Coast. Continued CO2 injection (CGI), as opposed to WAG, was selected as the injection strategymore » to develop Gulf Coast oil fields, where CO2 injection volumes are significantly larger (up to 6 times larger) than those of the Permian. We conducted a compositional simulation based study with the objective of comparing the CO2 utilization ratios (volume of CO2 injected to produce a barrel of oil) of 4 conventional and novel CO2 injection strategies: (1) continuous gas injection (CGI), (2) water alternating gas (WAG), (3) water curtain injection (WCI), and (4) WAG and WCI combination. These injection scenarios were simulated using the GEM module from the Computer Modeling Group (CMG). GEM is an advanced general equation-of-state compositional simulator, which includes equation of state, CO2 miscible flood, CO2/brine interactions, and complex phase behavior. The simulator is set up to model three fluid phases including water, oil, and gas. Our study demonstrates how the selected field development strategy has a significant impact on the ultimate recovery of CO2-EOR projects, with GCI injection providing maximum oil recovery in absolute volume terms, but with WAG offering a more balanced technical-economical approach.« less

  8. Reducing ambulance response times using discrete event simulation.

    PubMed

    Wei Lam, Sean Shao; Zhang, Zhong Cheng; Oh, Hong Choon; Ng, Yih Ying; Wah, Win; Hock Ong, Marcus Eng

    2014-01-01

    The objectives of this study are to develop a discrete-event simulation (DES) model for the Singapore Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and to demonstrate the utility of this DES model for the evaluation of different policy alternatives to improve ambulance response times. A DES model was developed based on retrospective emergency call data over a continuous 6-month period in Singapore. The main outcome measure is the distribution of response times. The secondary outcome measure is ambulance utilization levels based on unit hour utilization (UHU) ratios. The DES model was used to evaluate different policy options in order to improve the response times, while maintaining reasonable fleet utilization. Three policy alternatives looking at the reallocation of ambulances, the addition of new ambulances, and alternative dispatch policies were evaluated. Modifications of dispatch policy combined with the reallocation of existing ambulances were able to achieve response time performance equivalent to that of adding 10 ambulances. The median (90th percentile) response time was 7.08 minutes (12.69 minutes). Overall, this combined strategy managed to narrow the gap between the ideal and existing response time distribution by 11-13%. Furthermore, the median UHU under this combined strategy was 0.324 with an interquartile range (IQR) of 0.047 versus a median utilization of 0.285 (IQR of 0.051) resulting from the introduction of additional ambulances. Response times were shown to be improved via a more effective reallocation of ambulances and dispatch policy. More importantly, the response time improvements were achieved without a reduction in the utilization levels and additional costs associated with the addition of ambulances. We demonstrated the effective use of DES as a versatile platform to model the dynamic system complexities of Singapore's national EMS systems for the evaluation of operational strategies to improve ambulance response times.

  9. A High-Authority/Low-Authority Control Strategy for Coupled Aircraft-Style Bays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schiller, N. H.; Fuller, C. R.; Cabell, R. H.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents a numerical investigation of an active structural acoustic control strategy for coupled aircraft-style bays. While structural coupling can destabilize or limit the performance of some model-based decentralized control systems, fullycoupled centralized control strategies are impractical for typical aircraft containing several hundred bays. An alternative is to use classical rate feedback with matched, collocated transducer pairs to achieve active damping. Unfortunately, due to the conservative nature of this strategy, stability is guaranteed at the expense of achievable noise reduction. Therefore, this paper describes the development of a combined control strategy using robust active damping in addition to a high-authority controller based on linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) theory. The combined control system is evaluated on a tensioned, two-bay model using piezoceramic actuators and ideal point velocity sensors. Transducer placement on the two-bay structure is discussed, and the advantages of a combined control strategy are presented.

  10. Towards antibody-drug conjugates and prodrug strategies with extracellular stimuli-responsive drug delivery in the tumor microenvironment for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Joubert, Nicolas; Denevault-Sabourin, Caroline; Bryden, Francesca; Viaud-Massuard, Marie-Claude

    2017-12-15

    The design of innovative anticancer chemotherapies with superior antitumor efficacy and reduced toxicity continues to be a challenging endeavor. Recently, the success of Adcetris ® and Kadcyla ® made antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) serious contenders to reach the envied status of Paul Ehrlich's "magic bullet". However, ADCs classically target overexpressed and internalizing antigens at the surface of cancer cells, and in solid tumors are associated with poor tumor penetration, insufficient targeting in heterogeneous tumors, and appearance of several resistance mechanisms. In this context, alternative non-internalizing ADCs and prodrugs have been developed to circumvent these limitations, in which the drug can be selectively released by an extracellular stimulus in the tumor microenvironment. Each strategy and method of activation will be discussed as potential alternatives to internalizing ADCs for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Pathway analysis from lists of microRNAs: common pitfalls and alternative strategy

    PubMed Central

    Godard, Patrice; van Eyll, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. As such, monitoring miRNA expression has been increasingly used to assess their role in regulatory mechanisms of biological processes. In large scale studies, once miRNAs of interest have been identified, the target genes they regulate are often inferred using algorithms or databases. A pathway analysis is then often performed in order to generate hypotheses about the relevant biological functions controlled by the miRNA signature. Here we show that the method widely used in scientific literature to identify these pathways is biased and leads to inaccurate results. In addition to describing the bias and its origin we present an alternative strategy to identify potential biological functions specifically impacted by a miRNA signature. More generally, our study exemplifies the crucial need of relevant negative controls when developing, and using, bioinformatics methods. PMID:25800743

  12. Surveillance strategies for Classical Swine Fever in wild boar – a comprehensive evaluation study to ensure powerful surveillance

    PubMed Central

    Schulz, Katja; Peyre, Marisa; Staubach, Christoph; Schauer, Birgit; Schulz, Jana; Calba, Clémentine; Häsler, Barbara; Conraths, Franz J.

    2017-01-01

    Surveillance of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) should not only focus on livestock, but must also include wild boar. To prevent disease transmission into commercial pig herds, it is therefore vital to have knowledge about the disease status in wild boar. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of alternative surveillance strategies for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in wild boar and compared them with the currently implemented conventional approach. The evaluation protocol was designed using the EVA tool, a decision support tool to help in the development of an economic and epidemiological evaluation protocol for surveillance. To evaluate the effectiveness of the surveillance strategies, we investigated their sensitivity and timeliness. Acceptability was analysed and finally, the cost-effectiveness of the surveillance strategies was determined. We developed 69 surveillance strategies for comparative evaluation between the existing approach and the novel proposed strategies. Sampling only within sub-adults resulted in a better acceptability and timeliness than the currently implemented strategy. Strategies that were completely based on passive surveillance performance did not achieve the desired detection probability of 95%. In conclusion, the results of the study suggest that risk-based approaches can be an option to design more effective CSF surveillance strategies in wild boar. PMID:28266576

  13. Surveillance strategies for Classical Swine Fever in wild boar - a comprehensive evaluation study to ensure powerful surveillance.

    PubMed

    Schulz, Katja; Peyre, Marisa; Staubach, Christoph; Schauer, Birgit; Schulz, Jana; Calba, Clémentine; Häsler, Barbara; Conraths, Franz J

    2017-03-07

    Surveillance of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) should not only focus on livestock, but must also include wild boar. To prevent disease transmission into commercial pig herds, it is therefore vital to have knowledge about the disease status in wild boar. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of alternative surveillance strategies for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in wild boar and compared them with the currently implemented conventional approach. The evaluation protocol was designed using the EVA tool, a decision support tool to help in the development of an economic and epidemiological evaluation protocol for surveillance. To evaluate the effectiveness of the surveillance strategies, we investigated their sensitivity and timeliness. Acceptability was analysed and finally, the cost-effectiveness of the surveillance strategies was determined. We developed 69 surveillance strategies for comparative evaluation between the existing approach and the novel proposed strategies. Sampling only within sub-adults resulted in a better acceptability and timeliness than the currently implemented strategy. Strategies that were completely based on passive surveillance performance did not achieve the desired detection probability of 95%. In conclusion, the results of the study suggest that risk-based approaches can be an option to design more effective CSF surveillance strategies in wild boar.

  14. Alcohol-fueled vehicles: An alternative fuels vehicle, emissions, and refueling infrastructure technology assessment

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

    McCoy, G.A.; Kerstetter, J.; Lyons, J.K.

    1993-06-01

    Interest in alternative motor vehicle fuels has grown tremendously over the last few years. The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the California Clean Air Act are primarily responsible for this resurgence and have spurred both the motor fuels and vehicle manufacturing industries into action. For the first time, all three U.S. auto manufacturers are offering alternative fuel vehicles to the motoring public. At the same time, a small but growing alternative fuels refueling infrastructure is beginning to develop across the country. Although the recent growth in alternative motor fuels use is impressive,more » their market niche is still being defined. Environmental regulations, a key driver behind alternative fuel use, is forcing both car makers and the petroleum industry to clean up their products. As a result, alternative fuels no longer have a lock on the clean air market and will have to compete with conventional vehicles in meeting stringent future vehicle emission standards. The development of cleaner burning gasoline powered vehicles has signaled a shift in the marketing of alternative fuels. While they will continue to play a major part in the clean vehicle market, alternative fuels are increasingly recognized as a means to reduce oil imports. This new role is clearly defined in the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. The Act identifies alternative fuels as a key strategy for reducing imports of foreign oil and mandates their use for federal and state fleets, while reserving the right to require private and municipal fleet use as well.« less

  15. American Academy of Pediatrics. The use of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatrics.

    PubMed

    Kemper, Kathi J; Vohra, Sunita; Walls, Richard

    2008-12-01

    The American Academy of Pediatrics is dedicated to optimizing the well-being of children and advancing family-centered health care. Related to these goals, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and, as a result, the need to provide information and support for pediatricians. From 2000 to 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics convened and charged the Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine to address issues related to the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and to develop resources to educate physicians, patients, and families. One of these resources is this report describing complementary and alternative medicine services, current levels of utilization and financial expenditures, and associated legal and ethical considerations. The subject of complementary and alternative medicine is large and diverse, and consequently, an in-depth discussion of each method of complementary and alternative medicine is beyond the scope of this report. Instead, this report will define terms; describe epidemiology; outline common types of complementary and alternative medicine therapies; review medicolegal, ethical, and research implications; review education and training for complementary and alternative medicine providers; provide resources for learning more about complementary and alternative medicine; and suggest communication strategies to use when discussing complementary and alternative medicine with patients and families.

  16. Role of Educational Strategies for Human Resources in Green Infrastructure Operation and Maintenance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebrahimi, G.; Thurm, B.; Öberg, G.

    2014-12-01

    Rainwater harvesting and water reuse are receiving increasing attention as they hold the potential to effectively improve water conservation efforts. While many technical solutions have been developed, alternative water systems in built environments face significant challenges in the implementation and operational phases. The aim of this study is to examine obstacles to the implementation of alternative water systems in practice and identify criteria of feasible and sustainable solutions that allow bypassing of the identified obstacles. Interviews were conducted with planners, system designers and operators to find out which factors that central actors believe influence successful implementation of such systems. The results were analyzed in light of the literature. The actual performance of the water harvesting and reuse systems in four recently built green buildings in the Province of British Columbia, Canada was analyzed in light of the predicted outcome, according to the criteria identified in the interviews. It was found that the major obstacle to success is that the practical challenges involved in the implementation of alternative systems are underestimated. This, for example, leads to that education strategies for operational staff are not developed, and the staff is left floundering. This study highlights the importance of recognizing the need for strategic and directed educational programs for the human resources who are involved in operating and maintaining rainwater harvesting and water reuse systems.

  17. [Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas: technique and results].

    PubMed

    Bruners, P; Penzkofer, T; Günther, R W; Mahnken, A

    2009-08-01

    Osteoid osteoma is a benign primary bone tumor that typically occurs in children and young adults. Besides local pain, which is often worse at night, prompt relief due to medication with acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) is characteristic for this bone lesion. Because long-term medication with ASS does not represent an alternative treatment strategy due to its potentially severe side effects, different minimally invasive image-guided techniques for the therapy of osteoid osteoma have been developed. In this context radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular has become part of the clinical routine. The technique and results of image-guided RF ablation are compared to alternative treatment strategies. Using this technique, an often needle-shaped RF applicator is percutaneously placed into the tumor under image guidance. Then a high-frequency alternating current is applied by the tip of the applicator which leads to ionic motion within the tissue resulting in local heat development and thus in thermal destruction of the surrounding tissue including the tumor. The published primary and secondary success rates of this technique are 87 and 83 %, respectively. Surgical resection and open curettage show comparable success rates but are associated with higher complication rates. In addition image-guided RF ablation of osteoid osteomas is associated with low costs. In conclusion image-guided RF ablation can be considered the gold standard for the treatment of osteoid osteoma.

  18. Evaluation of bovine viral diarrhoea virus control strategies in dairy herds in Hokkaido, Japan, using stochastic modelling.

    PubMed

    Sekiguchi, S; Presi, P; Omori, R; Staerk, K; Schuppers, M; Isoda, N; Yoshikawa, Y; Umemura, T; Nakayama, H; Fujii, Y; Sakoda, Y

    2018-02-01

    Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection in cattle can result in growth retardation, reduced milk production, reproductive disorders and death. Persistently infected animals are the primary source of infection. In Hokkaido, Japan, all cattle entering shared pastures in summer are vaccinated before movement for disease control. Additionally, these cattle may be tested for BVDV and culled if positive. However, the effectiveness of this control strategy aiming to reduce the number of BVDV-infected animals has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various test-and-cull and/or vaccination strategies on BVDV control in dairy farms in two districts of Hokkaido, Nemuro and Hiyama. A stochastic model was developed to compare the different control strategies over a 10-year period. The model was individual-based and simulated disease dynamics both within and between herds. Parameters included in the model were obtained from the literature, the Hokkaido government and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Nine different scenarios were compared as follows: no control, test-and-cull strategies based on antigen testing of either calves or only cattle entering common pastures, vaccination of all adult cattle or only cattle entering shared pastures and combinations thereof. The results indicate that current strategies for BVDV control in Hokkaido slightly reduced the number of BVDV-infected animals; however, alternative strategies such as testing all calves and culling any positives or vaccinating all susceptible adult animals dramatically reduced those. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the comparison of the effectiveness between the current strategies in Hokkaido and the alternative strategies for BVDV control measures. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  19. Training Pragmatic Language Skills through Alternate Strategies with a Blind Multiply Handicapped Child.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, C. J.; Johnson, C. J.

    1988-01-01

    A blind multiply handicapped preschooler was taught to respond appropriately to two adjacency pair types ("where question-answer" and "comment-acknowledgement"). The two alternative language acquisition strategies available to blind children were encouraged: echolalia to maintain communicative interactions and manual searching…

  20. Workgroup Report: Incorporating In Vitro Alternative Methods for Developmental Neurotoxicity into International Hazard and Risk Assessment Strategies

    PubMed Central

    Coecke, Sandra; Goldberg, Alan M; Allen, Sandra; Buzanska, Leonora; Calamandrei, Gemma; Crofton, Kevin; Hareng, Lars; Hartung, Thomas; Knaut, Holger; Honegger, Paul; Jacobs, Miriam; Lein, Pamela; Li, Abby; Mundy, William; Owen, David; Schneider, Steffen; Silbergeld, Ellen; Reum, Torsten; Trnovec, Tomas; Monnet-Tschudi, Florianne; Bal-Price, Anna

    2007-01-01

    This is the report of the first workshop on Incorporating In Vitro Alternative Methods for Developmental Neurotoxicity (DNT) Testing into International Hazard and Risk Assessment Strategies, held in Ispra, Italy, on 19–21 April 2005. The workshop was hosted by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) and jointly organized by ECVAM, the European Chemical Industry Council, and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. The primary aim of the workshop was to identify and catalog potential methods that could be used to assess how data from in vitro alternative methods could help to predict and identify DNT hazards. Working groups focused on two different aspects: a) details on the science available in the field of DNT, including discussions on the models available to capture the critical DNT mechanisms and processes, and b) policy and strategy aspects to assess the integration of alternative methods in a regulatory framework. This report summarizes these discussions and details the recommendations and priorities for future work. PMID:17589601

  1. APT drug R&D: the right active ingredient in the right presentation for the right therapeutic use.

    PubMed

    Cavalla, David

    2009-11-01

    Drug repurposing, in which an established active pharmaceutical ingredient is applied in a new way - for example, for a new indication, and often combined with an alternative method of presentation, such as a novel delivery route - is an evolving strategy for pharmaceutical R&D. This article discusses examples of the success of this strategy, and presents an analysis of sales of US pharmaceutical products that suggests that this low-risk approach to new product development retains substantial commercial value.

  2. Antimicrobial growth promoter use in livestock: a requirement to understand their modes of action to develop effective alternatives.

    PubMed

    Brown, Kirsty; Uwiera, Richard R E; Kalmokoff, Martin L; Brooks, Steve P J; Inglis, G Douglas

    2017-01-01

    Antimicrobial agents (AMAs) have been used in agriculture since the 1950s as growth-promoting agents [antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs)]. They have provided benefits to the agricultural industry by increasing production efficiencies and maximising livestock health, yet the potential risks surrounding resistance to AMAs in medically important pathogenic bacteria have enhanced public and government scrutiny regarding AMA use in agriculture. Although it is recognised that AGP administration can select for resistance to AMAs in enteric bacteria of livestock, conclusive evidence showing a link between resistant bacteria from livestock and human health is lacking (e.g. transmission of resistant zoonotic pathogens). Livestock production output must be increased significantly due to the increase in global population, and thus the identification of non-AMA alternatives to AGP use is required. One strategy employed to identify alternatives to AGPs is an observational empirical methodology, but this approach has failed to deliver effective alternatives. A second approach is aimed at understanding the mechanisms involved in AGP function and developing alternatives that mimic the physiological responses to AGPs. New evidence indicates that AGP function is more complex than merely affecting enteric bacterial populations, and AGPs likely function by directly or indirectly modulating host responses such as the immune system. As such, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms associated with AMA function as AGPs will facilitate the development of effective alternatives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

  3. Optimization of European call options considering physical delivery network and reservoir operation rules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Wei-Chen; Hsu, Nien-Sheng; Cheng, Wen-Ming; Yeh, William W.-G.

    2011-10-01

    This paper develops alternative strategies for European call options for water purchase under hydrological uncertainties that can be used by water resources managers for decision making. Each alternative strategy maximizes its own objective over a selected sequence of future hydrology that is characterized by exceedance probability. Water trade provides flexibility and enhances water distribution system reliability. However, water trade between two parties in a regional water distribution system involves many issues, such as delivery network, reservoir operation rules, storage space, demand, water availability, uncertainty, and any existing contracts. An option is a security giving the right to buy or sell an asset; in our case, the asset is water. We extend a flow path-based water distribution model to include reservoir operation rules. The model simultaneously considers both the physical distribution network as well as the relationships between water sellers and buyers. We first test the model extension. Then we apply the proposed optimization model for European call options to the Tainan water distribution system in southern Taiwan. The formulation lends itself to a mixed integer linear programming model. We use the weighing method to formulate a composite function for a multiobjective problem. The proposed methodology provides water resources managers with an overall picture of water trade strategies and the consequence of each strategy. The results from the case study indicate that the strategy associated with a streamflow exceedence probability of 50% or smaller should be adopted as the reference strategy for the Tainan water distribution system.

  4. Polygyny, mate-guarding, and posthumous fertilization as alternative male mating strategies

    PubMed Central

    Zamudio, Kelly R.; Sinervo, Barry

    2000-01-01

    Alternative male mating strategies within populations are thought to be evolutionarily stable because different behaviors allow each male type to successfully gain access to females. Although alternative male strategies are widespread among animals, quantitative evidence for the success of discrete male strategies is available for only a few systems. We use nuclear microsatellites to estimate the paternity rates of three male lizard strategies previously modeled as a rock-paper-scissors game. Each strategy has strengths that allow it to outcompete one morph, and weaknesses that leave it vulnerable to the strategy of another. Blue-throated males mate-guard their females and avoid cuckoldry by yellow-throated “sneaker” males, but mate-guarding is ineffective against aggressive orange-throated neighbors. The ultradominant orange-throated males are highly polygynous and maintain large territories; they overpower blue-throated neighbors and cosire offspring with their females, but are often cuckolded by yellow-throated males. Finally, yellow-throated sneaker males sire offspring via secretive copulations and often share paternity of offspring within a female's clutch. Sneaker males sire more offspring posthumously, indicating that sperm competition may be an important component of their strategy. PMID:11106369

  5. Investigation of molecular mechanisms and regulatory pathways of pro-angiogenic nanorods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nethi, Susheel Kumar; Veeriah, Vimal; Barui, Ayan Kumar; Rajendran, Saranya; Mattapally, Saidulu; Misra, Sanjay; Chatterjee, Suvro; Patra, Chitta Ranjan

    2015-05-01

    Angiogenesis, a process involving the growth of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature, plays a crucial role in various pathophysiological conditions. We have previously demonstrated that europium hydroxide [EuIII(OH)3] nanorods (EHNs) exhibit pro-angiogenic properties through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. Considering the enormous implication of angiogenesis in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer, it is essential to understand in-depth molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways in order to develop the most efficient and effective alternative treatment strategy for CVDs. However, the exact underlying mechanism and cascade signaling pathways behind the pro-angiogenic properties exhibited by EHNs still remain unclear. Herein, we report for the first time that the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a redox signaling molecule, generated by these EHNs activates the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) that promotes the nitric oxide (NO) production in a PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt dependent manner, eventually triggering angiogenesis. We intensely believe that the investigation and understanding of the in-depth molecular mechanism and signaling pathways of EHNs induced angiogenesis will help us in developing an effective alternative treatment strategy for cardiovascular related and ischemic diseases where angiogenesis plays an important role.Angiogenesis, a process involving the growth of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature, plays a crucial role in various pathophysiological conditions. We have previously demonstrated that europium hydroxide [EuIII(OH)3] nanorods (EHNs) exhibit pro-angiogenic properties through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. Considering the enormous implication of angiogenesis in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer, it is essential to understand in-depth molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways in order to develop the most efficient and effective alternative treatment strategy for CVDs. However, the exact underlying mechanism and cascade signaling pathways behind the pro-angiogenic properties exhibited by EHNs still remain unclear. Herein, we report for the first time that the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a redox signaling molecule, generated by these EHNs activates the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) that promotes the nitric oxide (NO) production in a PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt dependent manner, eventually triggering angiogenesis. We intensely believe that the investigation and understanding of the in-depth molecular mechanism and signaling pathways of EHNs induced angiogenesis will help us in developing an effective alternative treatment strategy for cardiovascular related and ischemic diseases where angiogenesis plays an important role. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01327e

  6. Scope of Algae as Third Generation Biofuels

    PubMed Central

    Behera, Shuvashish; Singh, Richa; Arora, Richa; Sharma, Nilesh Kumar; Shukla, Madhulika; Kumar, Sachin

    2015-01-01

    An initiative has been taken to develop different solid, liquid, and gaseous biofuels as the alternative energy resources. The current research and technology based on the third generation biofuels derived from algal biomass have been considered as the best alternative bioresource that avoids the disadvantages of first and second generation biofuels. Algal biomass has been investigated for the implementation of economic conversion processes producing different biofuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biohydrogen, and other valuable co-products. In the present review, the recent findings and advance developments in algal biomass for improved biofuel production have been explored. This review discusses about the importance of the algal cell contents, various strategies for product formation through various conversion technologies, and its future scope as an energy security. PMID:25717470

  7. The implications of UPE for teacher education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, A. R.; Greenland, J. J.

    1983-06-01

    The huge and sudden increase in the demand for qualified teachers which UPE has occasioned is obliging many countries to develop alternatives to conventional initial training, notably `distance' programmes and the use of headteachers as trainers of their staff. Universal primary, but not secondary, education also implies changing the content of the training curriculum. All these innovations should not be viewed as threatening constraints but as opportunities for progress towards a policy of lifelong professional development. Features of such a policy would include a review of the respective contributions of initial, induction and inservice training, school-based and school-focussed alternatives to `the course', a concern with the cost-effectiveness of different strategies, and the active involvement of teachers in their own training.

  8. US North Slope gas and Asian LNG markets

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Attanasi, E.D.

    1994-01-01

    Prospects for export of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Alaska's North Slope are assessed. Projected market conditions to 2010 show that new LNG capacity beyond announced expansions will be needed to meet regional demand and that supplies will probably come from outside the region. The estimated delivered costs of likely suppliers show that Alaska North Slope gas will not be competitive. The alternative North Slope gas development strategies of transport and sale to the lower 48 states and use on the North Slope for either enhanced oil recovery or conversion to liquids are examined. The alternative options require delaying development until US gas prices increase, exhaustion of certain North Slope oil fields, or advances occur in gas to liquid fuels conversion technology. ?? 1995.

  9. Efficacy of phase 3 trial of RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine: The need for an alternative development plan.

    PubMed

    Mahmoudi, Shima; Keshavarz, Hossein

    2017-09-02

    Although vaccines would be the ideal tool for control, prevention, elimination, and eradication of many infectious diseases, developing of parasites vaccines such as malaria vaccine is very complex. The most advanced malaria vaccine candidate RTS,S, a pre-erythrocytic vaccine, has been recommended for licensure by EMEA. The results of this phase III trial suggest that this candidate malaria vaccine has relatively little efficacy, and the vaccine apparently will not meet the goal of malaria eradication by itself. Since there are many vaccine candidates in the pipeline 1 that are being evaluated in vaccine trials, further study on using of alternative parasite targets and vaccination strategies are highly recommended.

  10. Performing 'pragmatic holism': Professionalisation and the holistic discourse of non-medically qualified acupuncturists and homeopaths in the United Kingdom.

    PubMed

    Givati, Assaf

    2015-01-01

    Complementary and alternative medicine practitioners have often utilised 'holism' as a key identification mark of their practice, distancing themselves from 'the reductionist biomedicine'. However, the past couple of decades have witnessed increased engagement of several complementary and alternative medicines in professionalisation, which includes a degree of biomedical alignment while 'reducing' holistic claims in order to provide practice with a 'credible outlook' and move closer to the mainstream, a development which challenges the role of holism in complementary and alternative medicine practices. This article explores the strategies by which two groups of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, namely, non-medically qualified acupuncturists and homeopaths in the United Kingdom, pragmatically accommodate holistic notions as a professional resource, a process of negotiation between maintaining their holistic premise, on the one hand, and the drive to professionalise and enhance their societal status, on the other. Based on in-depth interviews with non-medically qualified acupuncture and homeopathy practitioners and school principals, textual analysis of practitioners' web sites and observation of practice, the findings demonstrate the dynamic approach to 'holism' in complementary and alternative medicine practice. This discourse, through which practitioners use a range of strategies in order to 'narrow' or 'expand' their holistic expression, can be described as 'pragmatic holism', by which they try to make gains from the formalisation/standardisation processes, without losing the therapies' holistic outlook and appeal. © The Author(s) 2014.

  11. Advanced Extravehicular Activity Breakout Group Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kosmo, Joseph J.; Perka, Alan; Walz, Carl; Cobb, Sharon; Hanford, Anthony; Eppler, Dean

    2005-01-01

    This viewgraph document summarizes the workings of the Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA) Breakout group in a Martian environment. The group was tasked with: identifying potential contaminants and pathways for AEVA systems with respect to forward and backward contamination; identifying plausible mitigation alternatives and obstacles for pertinent missions; identifying topics that require further research and technology development and discuss development strategies with uncertain Planetary Protection (PP) requirements; Identifying PP requirements that impose the greatest mission/development costs; Identifying PP requirements/topics that require further definition;

  12. 76 FR 27850 - Irish Potatoes Grown in Washington; Modification of the Rules and Regulations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-13

    ... continue exploring alternative marketing strategies. DATES: Effective July 1, 2011; comments received by... opportunity to continue exploring alternative marketing strategies. The authority for regulation is provided... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Marketing Service 7 CFR Part 946 [Doc. No. AMS-FV-11-0024...

  13. Alternative Youth Employment Strategies Project: Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadd, Susan; And Others

    The Alternative Youth Employment Strategies (AYES) Project began as one of the demonstration projects funded under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Project Act in 1980. The program, which features three training models, is targeted toward high-risk, disadvantaged youth, especially minority youths from urban areas who had prior involvement…

  14. Reaching Students in Online Courses Using Alternative Formats

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fidaldo, Patricia; Thormann, Joan

    2017-01-01

    This research was conducted to explore whether students enrolled in graduate level courses found some Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies useful and if they actually used them. The strategies we investigated were presenting course information in alternative formats including PowerPoints with voiceover, screencasts, and videos as an…

  15. Optimizing efficiency of height modeling for extensive forest inventories.

    Treesearch

    T.M. Barrett

    2006-01-01

    Although critical to monitoring forest ecosystems, inventories are expensive. This paper presents a generalizable method for using an integer programming model to examine tradeoffs between cost and estimation error for alternative measurement strategies in forest inventories. The method is applied to an example problem of choosing alternative height-modeling strategies...

  16. Strategies Reported Used by Instructors to Address Student Alternate Conceptions in Chemical Equilibrium

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piquette, Jeff S.; Heikkinen, Henry W.

    2005-01-01

    This study explores general-chemistry instructors' awareness of and ability to identify and address common student learning obstacles in chemical equilibrium. Reported instructor strategies directed at remediating student alternate conceptions were investigated and compared with successful, literature-based conceptual change methods. Fifty-two…

  17. Identify and Translate Learnings from On-Going Assay ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Presentation for FDA-CFSAN ILSI workshop on State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments Presentation for FDA-CFSAN ILSI workshop on State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments

  18. 20170228 - Identify and Translate Learnings from On-Going ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Presentation for FDA-CFSAN ILSI workshop on State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments Presentation for FDA-CFSAN ILSI workshop on State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments

  19. Alternatives Reality: What to Expect from Future Allocations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sedlacek, Verne O.

    2014-01-01

    For well more than a decade, the "endowment model" of investing has been synonymous with increasing allocations to alternative investment strategies, defined largely as hedge funds, private real estate, private equity and venture capital and other, generally less liquid or illiquid strategies compared to public markets. This trend…

  20. How community action, science and common sense can work together to develop an alternative way to combat desertification.

    PubMed

    Bethune, Shirley; Schachtschneider, Klaudia

    2004-12-01

    The Spitzkoppe Community Campsite in western Namibia lies in an area with very limited water resources. Water scarcity places a constraint on community income generation and development opportunities. The existing water resources are overexploited and to ensure future water security, the community must take sustainable water management into consideration in their daily lives and business ventures, including tourism. This has been successfully achieved at the Spitzkoppe Community Campsite through a combination of high community motivation, organisation and action, the involvement of researchers and trainers in water resource management and support from developers. The most appropriate water management solutions were found through ongoing practical testing of different strategies and technologies over two years. This paper presents a case study of a community-based tourist camp at Spitzkoppe and traces the community's progress towards developing an alternative way to combat desertification and a potentially lucrative tourist business.

  1. Presenting evidence and summary measures to best inform societal decisions when comparing multiple strategies.

    PubMed

    Eckermann, Simon; Willan, Andrew R

    2011-07-01

    Multiple strategy comparisons in health technology assessment (HTA) are becoming increasingly important, with multiple alternative therapeutic actions, combinations of therapies and diagnostic and genetic testing alternatives. Comparison under uncertainty of incremental cost, effects and cost effectiveness across more than two strategies is conceptually and practically very different from that for two strategies, where all evidence can be summarized in a single bivariate distribution on the incremental cost-effectiveness plane. Alternative methods for comparing multiple strategies in HTA have been developed in (i) presenting cost and effects on the cost-disutility plane and (ii) summarizing evidence with multiple strategy cost-effectiveness acceptability (CEA) and expected net loss (ENL) curves and frontiers. However, critical questions remain for the analyst and decision maker of how these techniques can be best employed across multiple strategies to (i) inform clinical and cost inference in presenting evidence, and (ii) summarize evidence of cost effectiveness to inform societal reimbursement decisions where preferences may be risk neutral or somewhat risk averse under the Arrow-Lind theorem. We critically consider how evidence across multiple strategies can be best presented and summarized to inform inference and societal reimbursement decisions, given currently available methods. In the process, we make a number of important original findings. First, in presenting evidence for multiple strategies, the joint distribution of costs and effects on the cost-disutility plane with associated flexible comparators varying across replicates for cost and effect axes ensure full cost and effect inference. Such inference is usually confounded on the cost-effectiveness plane with comparison relative to a fixed origin and axes. Second, in summarizing evidence for risk-neutral societal decision making, ENL curves and frontiers are shown to have advantages over the CEA frontier in directly presenting differences in expected net benefit (ENB). The CEA frontier, while identifying strategies that maximize ENB, only presents their probability of maximizing net benefit (NB) and, hence, fails to explain why strategies maximize ENB at any given threshold value. Third, in summarizing evidence for somewhat risk-averse societal decision making, trade-offs between the strategy maximizing ENB and other potentially optimal strategies with higher probability of maximizing NB should be presented over discrete threshold values where they arise. However, the probabilities informing these trade-offs and associated discrete threshold value regions should be derived from bilateral CEA curves to prevent confounding by other strategies inherent in multiple strategy CEA curves. Based on these findings, a series of recommendations are made for best presenting and summarizing cost-effectiveness evidence for reimbursement decisions when comparing multiple strategies, which are contrasted with advice for comparing two strategies. Implications for joint research and reimbursement decisions are also discussed.

  2. Medical group mergers: strategies for success.

    PubMed

    Latham, Will

    2014-01-01

    As consolidation sweeps over the healthcare industry, many medical groups are considering mergers with other groups as an alternative to employment. While mergers are challenging and fraught with risk, an organized approach to the merger process can dramatically increase the odds for success. Merging groups need to consider the benefits they seek from a merger, identify the obstacles that must be overcome to merge, and develop alternatives to overcome those obstacles. This article addresses the benefits to be gained and issues to be addressed, and provides a tested roadmap that has resulted in many successful medical group mergers.

  3. Fabrication strategies, sensing modes and analytical applications of ratiometric electrochemical biosensors.

    PubMed

    Jin, Hui; Gui, Rijun; Yu, Jianbo; Lv, Wei; Wang, Zonghua

    2017-05-15

    Previously developed electrochemical biosensors with single-electric signal output are probably affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In contrast, the ratiometric electrochemical biosensors (RECBSs) with dual-electric signal outputs have an intrinsic built-in correction to the effects from system or background electric signals, and therefore exhibit a significant potential to improve the accuracy and sensitivity in electrochemical sensing applications. In this review, we systematically summarize the fabrication strategies, sensing modes and analytical applications of RECBSs. First, the different fabrication strategies of RECBSs were introduced, referring to the analytes-induced single- and dual-dependent electrochemical signal strategies for RECBSs. Second, the different sensing modes of RECBSs were illustrated, such as differential pulse voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, alternating current voltammetry, electrochemiluminescence, and so forth. Third, the analytical applications of RECBSs were discussed based on the types of target analytes. Finally, the forthcoming development and future prospects in the research field of RECBSs were also highlighted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Alternative approaches to conventional treatment of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women.

    PubMed

    Foxman, Betsy; Buxton, Miatta

    2013-04-01

    The increasing resistance of uropathogens to antibiotics and recognition of the generally self-limiting nature of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) suggest that it is time to reconsider empirical treatment of UTI using antibiotics. Identifying new and effective strategies to prevent recurrences and alternative treatment strategies are a high priority. We review the recent literature regarding the effects of functional food products, probiotics, vaccines, and alternative treatments on treating and preventing UTI.

  5. Using scenario analysis to determine managed care strategy.

    PubMed

    Krentz, S E; Gish, R S

    2000-09-01

    In today's volatile healthcare environment, traditional planning tools are inadequate to guide financial managers of provider organizations in developing managed care strategies. These tools often disregard the uncertainty surrounding market forces such as employee benefit structure, the future of Medicare managed care, and the impact of consumer behavior. Scenario analysis overcomes this limitation by acknowledging the uncertain healthcare environment and articulating a set of plausible alternative futures, thus supplying financial executives with the perspective to craft strategies that can improve the market position of their organizations. By being alert for trigger points that might signal the rise of a specific scenario, financial managers can increase their preparedness for changes in market forces.

  6. The use of gaming strategies in a transcultural setting.

    PubMed

    Gary, R; Marrone, S; Boyles, C

    1998-01-01

    Saudi Arabia's vast economic resources have enabled the development of state-of-the-art hospitals. Nurses recruited from around the world staff these hospitals creating one of the most multicultural practice settings in the world. Ethnic, educational, and experiential diversity; language and communication barriers; and alternative ways of knowing and learning challenge nurse educators to be more creative and explore opportunities for greater participation and learning among various cultural groups. Gaming, as a teaching-learning strategy for multicultural participants, affords the necessary flexibility and nonthreatening atmosphere which facilitates positive interactions among different, and often competing, communication patterns and learning styles. This article explores how and why gaming is as an effective educational strategy in a transcultural setting.

  7. Needs assessment: blueprint for a nurse graduate orientation employer toolkit.

    PubMed

    Cylke, Katherine

    2012-01-01

    Southern Nevada nurse employers are resistant to hiring new graduate nurses (NGNs) because of their difficulties in making the transition into the workplace. At the same time, employers consider nurse residencies cost-prohibitive. Therefore, an alternative strategy was developed to assist employers with increasing the effectiveness of existing NGN orientation programs. A needs assessment of NGNs, employers, and nursing educators was completed, and the results were used to develop a toolkit for employers.

  8. Assessing Forelimb Function after Unilateral Cervical SCI using Novel Tasks: Limb Step-alternation, Postural Instability and Pasta Handling

    PubMed Central

    Schallert, Timothy; Schmidt, Christine E.

    2013-01-01

    Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) can cause devastating neurological deficits, including impairment or loss of upper limb and hand function. A majority of the spinal cord injuries in humans occur at the cervical levels. Therefore, developing cervical injury models and developing relevant and sensitive behavioral tests is of great importance. Here we describe the use of a newly developed forelimb step-alternation test after cervical spinal cord injury in rats. In addition, we describe two behavioral tests that have not been used after spinal cord injury: a postural instability test (PIT), and a pasta-handling test. All three behavioral tests are highly sensitive to injury and are easy to use. Therefore, we feel that these behavioral tests can be instrumental in investigating therapeutic strategies after cSCI. PMID:24084700

  9. Assessing forelimb function after unilateral cervical SCI using novel tasks: limb step-alternation, postural instability and pasta handling.

    PubMed

    Khaing, Zin Z; Geissler, Sydney A; Schallert, Timothy; Schmidt, Christine E

    2013-09-16

    Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) can cause devastating neurological deficits, including impairment or loss of upper limb and hand function. A majority of the spinal cord injuries in humans occur at the cervical levels. Therefore, developing cervical injury models and developing relevant and sensitive behavioral tests is of great importance. Here we describe the use of a newly developed forelimb step-alternation test after cervical spinal cord injury in rats. In addition, we describe two behavioral tests that have not been used after spinal cord injury: a postural instability test (PIT), and a pasta-handling test. All three behavioral tests are highly sensitive to injury and are easy to use. Therefore, we feel that these behavioral tests can be instrumental in investigating therapeutic strategies after cSCI.

  10. Role of thought-related beliefs and coping strategies in the escalation of intrusive thoughts: an analog to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    PubMed

    Marcks, Brook A; Woods, Douglas W

    2007-11-01

    Cognitive-behavioral models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) assume that obsessions have their origin in normal intrusive thoughts. These models propose that certain beliefs, such as thought-action fusion (TAF) beliefs, combined with the use of ineffective coping strategies, such as thought suppression, lead to the development of OCD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between these variables in a non-clinical sample in addition to exploring the effects of an alternative, acceptance-based coping strategy. This study explored the relationship between TAF beliefs, thought suppression, and OC-consistent symptoms via mediational analyses. Results showed that thought suppression mediated the relationship between TAF beliefs and OC-consistent symptoms. This study also experimentally examined the effects of various coping strategies (suppression, acceptance, or monitor-only) on the frequency of a distressing intrusion and appraisal ratings (e.g., anxiety, guilt, responsibility) after a TAF induction. Spontaneous suppression in the monitor-only group made comparisons of the experimental data difficult. However, analyses provided preliminary evidence suggesting that thought suppression is related to more intrusions, higher levels of anxiety, and negative appraisals, whereas an acceptance-based approach may be a useful alternative. Additional findings, limitations of the current study, and directions for future research are discussed.

  11. Extreme ultraviolet resist materials for sub-7 nm patterning.

    PubMed

    Li, Li; Liu, Xuan; Pal, Shyam; Wang, Shulan; Ober, Christopher K; Giannelis, Emmanuel P

    2017-08-14

    Continuous ongoing development of dense integrated circuits requires significant advancements in nanoscale patterning technology. As a key process in semiconductor high volume manufacturing (HVM), high resolution lithography is crucial in keeping with Moore's law. Currently, lithography technology for the sub-7 nm node and beyond has been actively investigated approaching atomic level patterning. EUV technology is now considered to be a potential alternative to HVM for replacing in some cases ArF immersion technology combined with multi-patterning. Development of innovative resist materials will be required to improve advanced fabrication strategies. In this article, advancements in novel resist materials are reviewed to identify design criteria for establishment of a next generation resist platform. Development strategies and the challenges in next generation resist materials are summarized and discussed.

  12. Design and validation of an ontology-driven animal-free testing strategy for developmental neurotoxicity testing.

    PubMed

    Hessel, Ellen V S; Staal, Yvonne C M; Piersma, Aldert H

    2018-03-13

    Developmental neurotoxicity entails one of the most complex areas in toxicology. Animal studies provide only limited information as to human relevance. A multitude of alternative models have been developed over the years, providing insights into mechanisms of action. We give an overview of fundamental processes in neural tube formation, brain development and neural specification, aiming at illustrating complexity rather than comprehensiveness. We also give a flavor of the wealth of alternative methods in this area. Given the impressive progress in mechanistic knowledge of human biology and toxicology, the time is right for a conceptual approach for designing testing strategies that cover the integral mechanistic landscape of developmental neurotoxicity. The ontology approach provides a framework for defining this landscape, upon which an integral in silico model for predicting toxicity can be built. It subsequently directs the selection of in vitro assays for rate-limiting events in the biological network, to feed parameter tuning in the model, leading to prediction of the toxicological outcome. Validation of such models requires primary attention to coverage of the biological domain, rather than classical predictive value of individual tests. Proofs of concept for such an approach are already available. The challenge is in mining modern biology, toxicology and chemical information to feed intelligent designs, which will define testing strategies for neurodevelopmental toxicity testing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. A strategy for controlling the marketing of tobacco products: a regulated market model

    PubMed Central

    Borland, R

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To outline a novel strategy for controlling the tobacco market. Arguments: More comprehensive controls over the tobacco market are essential and long overdue. Effective controls need to encourage the development of less harmful products; control commercial communication to ensure that potential harms are highlighted relative to any benefits; and provide mechanisms to move consumers away from tobacco use, or at least towards less harmful alternatives. Achieving this by regulating the existing industry is one strategy. This paper puts the case for an alternative: to have marketing controlled by an agency (called here the Tobacco Products Agency, or TPA) which tendered to manufacturers for product and which distributed to retailers in ways that reduce incentives to bend or break the law. The TPA would be backed by legislation that made tobacco a controlled substance with possession sale and use only allowed as permitted by the regulations, which in reality would be only as provided by the TPA. Conclusions: The overall effect of such a model, which we call a "regulated market model", would be to eliminate most of the incentives and remaining opportunities for commercial promotion of tobacco and to create incentives to encourage the development of less harmful tobacco products. Such a model preserves the competition inherent in a free market, but directs it towards the challenge of reducing the harm from tobacco use. PMID:14660771

  14. A strategy for controlling the marketing of tobacco products: a regulated market model.

    PubMed

    Borland, R

    2003-12-01

    To outline a novel strategy for controlling the tobacco market. More comprehensive controls over the tobacco market are essential and long overdue. Effective controls need to encourage the development of less harmful products; control commercial communication to ensure that potential harms are highlighted relative to any benefits; and provide mechanisms to move consumers away from tobacco use, or at least towards less harmful alternatives. Achieving this by regulating the existing industry is one strategy. This paper puts the case for an alternative: to have marketing controlled by an agency (called here the Tobacco Products Agency, or TPA) which tendered to manufacturers for product and which distributed to retailers in ways that reduce incentives to bend or break the law. The TPA would be backed by legislation that made tobacco a controlled substance with possession sale and use only allowed as permitted by the regulations, which in reality would be only as provided by the TPA. The overall effect of such a model, which we call a "regulated market model", would be to eliminate most of the incentives and remaining opportunities for commercial promotion of tobacco and to create incentives to encourage the development of less harmful tobacco products. Such a model preserves the competition inherent in a free market, but directs it towards the challenge of reducing the harm from tobacco use.

  15. Using an Enhanced Conflict Map in the Classroom (Photoelectric Effect) Based on Lakatosian Heuristic Principle Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oh, Jun-Young

    2011-01-01

    Researchers have shown that most students resist changes to their core beliefs by offering auxiliary hypotheses at the first sign of the development of conceptual change. Studies have viewed student reaction to discrepant events as an important clue in helping researchers understand not only the structure of alternative concepts (Niaz,…

  16. Bioconjugated gold nanoparticles accelerate the growth of new blood vessels through redox signaling.

    PubMed

    Nethi, Susheel Kumar; Mukherjee, Sudip; Veeriah, Vimal; Barui, Ayan Kumar; Chatterjee, Suvro; Patra, Chitta Ranjan

    2014-11-28

    We have designed and developed novel pro-angiogenic bio-synthesized gold nanoconjugates (b-Au-HP) that make new blood vessels, as observed by several in vitro and in vivo assays, suggesting their future potential applications in alternative treatment strategies for wound healing, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and ischemic diseases using a nanomedicine approach.

  17. Habitat acquisition strategies for grassland birds in an urbanizing landscape

    Treesearch

    Stephanie A. Snyder; James R. Miller; Adam M. Skibbe; Robert G. Haight

    2007-01-01

    Habitat protection for grassland birds is an important component of open space land acquisition in suburban Chicago. We use optimization decision models to develop recommendations for land protection and analyze tradeoffs between alternative goals. One goal is to acquire (and restore if necessary) as much grassland habitat as possible for a given budget. Because a...

  18. Transcriptional control by G-quadruplexes: In vivo roles and perspectives for specific intervention.

    PubMed

    Armas, Pablo; David, Aldana; Calcaterra, Nora B

    2017-01-01

    G-quadruplexes are non-canonical DNA secondary structures involved in several genomic and molecular processes. Here, we summarize the main G-quadruplex features and evidences proving the in vivo role on the transcriptional regulation of genes required for zebrafish embryonic development. We also discuss alternative strategies for specifically interfering G-quadruplex in vivo.

  19. Defense Science and Technology Strategy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-09-01

    I 3 IV. The Science and Technology Program .................... 15 Advanced Concept Technology Demomstrations...product and process concepts that pcrmit us to tailor, modify, and optimize the manufactUriiig process; develop sensors a-t i~a Mcrials that will detect...It can be used during concept formulations to expand the range of technical, operational, and system alternatives evaluated. The technology can

  20. An Evaluation of the Preschool PATHS Curriculum on the Development of Preschool Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Cerian; Cline, Tony

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated the efficacy of preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), an early years curriculum designed to improve children's social and emotional competence, and reduce problem behaviour. Fifty-seven children aged three to four years took part in the study over one academic year. The control group (Group 1) received…

  1. Three Approaches to Preschoolers' Social and Emotional Competence: A Summary of Impact and Implementation Findings from Head Start CARES

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MDRC, 2015

    2015-01-01

    This summary describes the Head Start CARES research project, which evaluated three classroom-based approaches to enhancing children's social-emotional development: (1) The Incredible Years Teacher Training Program; (2) Preschool PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies); and (3) Tools of the Mind--Play. The three social-emotional…

  2. Planning Community School Centers. #2 in a Series of 6 Booklets.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Educational Facilities Labs., Inc., New York, NY.

    This booklet is the second in a series that examines community school centers. Because the exact nature of the planning process for a community school center must be developed in context, specific procedures are not prescribed. Rather, the issues that should be considered are outlined, alternative strategies and solutions are analyzed, and common…

  3. Effect of dietary capsicum and turmeric oleoresins on host-pathogen interaction in experimental necrotic enteritis in three commercial broiler chicken breeds

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Necrotic enteritis (NE) is among the most economically important enteric diseases affecting the poultry industry worldwide. In an effort to develop alternatives to antibiotics strategies to reduce the negative impact of NE to gut health, we investigated the efficacy of dietary phytonutrient mixture...

  4. Immune role of gut microbiota and effect of dietary capsicum and turmeric oleoresins on Necrotic enteritis susceptibility in three commercial broiler chicken breeds

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Necrotic enteritis (NE) is among the most economically important enteric diseases affecting the poultry industry worldwide. In an effort to develop alternatives to antibiotics strategies to reduce the negative impact of NE to gut health, we investigated the efficacy of a dietary phytonutrient mixtu...

  5. Students' Learning Assessment Practices Used by Jordanian Teachers of Mathematics for Grades (1-6)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abed, Eman Rasmi; Abu Awwad, Ferial Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to investigate the students' learning assessment practices used by Jordanian teachers of mathematics for grades (1-6) in Amman. The sample of the study consists of (402) teachers. A questionnaire of (72) items are developed on four domains, namely: questions, homework, exams, and alternative strategies. Validity and reliability are…

  6. Proof of concept for the use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination in Lake Hartwell

    Treesearch

    James M. Lazorchak; Michael B. Griffith; Marc Mills; Joseph Schubauer-Berigan; Frank McCormick; Richard Brenner; Craig Zeller

    2015-01-01

    The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) develops methods and tools for evaluating risk management strategies for sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other legacy pollutants. Monitored natural recovery is a risk management alternative that relies on existing physical, chemical, and biological...

  7. Connecting with Others: Lessons for Teaching Social and Emotional Competence, Grades K-2 [and] Grades 3-5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Rita C.

    The Connecting with Others program, initially developed to teach prosocial skills to special-needs students within regular classroom settings, offers an alternative strategy to classroom management and discipline through instruction in self-regulation skills and conflict resolution. The program for elementary grades consists of a K-2 volume and…

  8. The picture exchange communication system.

    PubMed

    Bondy, A S; Frost, L A

    1998-01-01

    The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed as a means to teach children with autism and related developmental disabilities a rapidly acquired, self-initiating, functional communication system. Its theoretical roots combine principles from applied behavior analysis and guidelines established within the field of alternative and augmentative communication. This approach has several potential advantages relative to imitation-based strategies (both vocal and gestural) and symbol selection strategies. The system begins with the exchange of simple icons but rapidly builds "sentence" structure. The system also emphasizes developing the request function prior to developing responding to simple questions and commenting. The development of requesting with a sentence structure also permits the rapid development of attributes more traditionally taught within a receptive mode. The relationship between the introduction of PECS and various other behavioral issues (i.e., social approach and behavior management) as well as its relationship to the codevelopment of speech are reviewed.

  9. Faculty development initiatives to advance research literacy and evidence-based practice at CAM academic institutions.

    PubMed

    Long, Cynthia R; Ackerman, Deborah L; Hammerschlag, Richard; Delagran, Louise; Peterson, David H; Berlin, Michelle; Evans, Roni L

    2014-07-01

    To present the varied approaches of 9 complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) institutions (all grantees of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) used to develop faculty expertise in research literacy and evidence-based practice (EBP) in order to integrate these concepts into CAM curricula. A survey to elicit information on the faculty development initiatives was administered via e-mail to the 9 program directors. All 9 completed the survey, and 8 grantees provided narrative summaries of faculty training outcomes. The grantees found the following strategies for implementing their programs most useful: assess needs, develop and adopt research literacy and EBP competencies, target early adopters and change leaders, employ best practices in teaching and education, provide meaningful incentives, capitalize on resources provided by grant partners, provide external training opportunities, and garner support from institutional leadership. Instructional approaches varied considerably across grantees. The most common were workshops, online resources, in-person short courses, and in-depth seminar series developed by the grantees. Many also sent faculty to intensive multiday extramural training programs. Program evaluation included measuring participation rates and satisfaction and the integration of research literacy and EBP learning objectives throughout the academic curricula. Most grantees measured longitudinal changes in beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and competencies with repeated faculty surveys. A common need across all 9 CAM grantee institutions was foundational training for faculty in research literacy and EBP. Therefore, each grantee institution developed and implemented a faculty development program. In developing the framework for their programs, grantees used strategies that were viewed critical for success, including making them multifaceted and unique to their specific institutional needs. These strategies, in conjunction with the grantees' instructional approaches, can be of practical use in other CAM and non-CAM academic environments considering the introduction of research literacy and EBP competencies into their curricula.

  10. Regional economic impacts of current and proposed management alternatives for Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Richardson, Leslie; Huber, Chris; Koontz, Lynne

    2012-01-01

    The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes. The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of California's San Francisco Bay and one of seven refuges in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. For Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan planning, a regional economic analysis provides a means of estimating how current management (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: (1) it illustrates the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge's contribution to the local community, and (2) it can help in determining whether economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. This report first presents a description of the local community and economy near the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Next, the methods used to conduct a regional economic impact analysis are described. An analysis of the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan management strategies that could affect stakeholders, residents, and the local economy is then presented. The management activities of economic concern in this analysis are: * Spending in the local community by Refuge visitors; * Refuge personnel salary spending; and * Refuge purchases of goods and services within the local community.

  11. Cost effectiveness of alternative imaging strategies for the diagnosis of small-bowel Crohn's disease.

    PubMed

    Levesque, Barrett G; Cipriano, Lauren E; Chang, Steven L; Lee, Keane K; Owens, Douglas K; Garber, Alan M

    2010-03-01

    The cost effectiveness of alternative approaches to the diagnosis of small-bowel Crohn's disease is unknown. This study evaluates whether computed tomographic enterography (CTE) is a cost-effective alternative to small-bowel follow-through (SBFT) and whether capsule endoscopy is a cost-effective third test in patients in whom a high suspicion of disease remains after 2 previous negative tests. A decision-analytic model was developed to compare the lifetime costs and benefits of each diagnostic strategy. Patients were considered with low (20%) and high (75%) pretest probability of small-bowel Crohn's disease. Effectiveness was measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. Parameter assumptions were tested with sensitivity analyses. With a moderate to high pretest probability of small-bowel Crohn's disease, and a higher likelihood of isolated jejunal disease, follow-up evaluation with CTE has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of less than $54,000/QALY-gained compared with SBFT. The addition of capsule endoscopy after ileocolonoscopy and negative CTE or SBFT costs greater than $500,000 per QALY-gained in all scenarios. Results were not sensitive to costs of tests or complications but were sensitive to test accuracies. The cost effectiveness of strategies depends critically on the pretest probability of Crohn's disease and if the terminal ileum is examined at ileocolonoscopy. CTE is a cost-effective alternative to SBFT in patients with moderate to high suspicion of small-bowel Crohn's disease. The addition of capsule endoscopy as a third test is not a cost-effective third test, even in patients with high pretest probability of disease. Copyright 2010 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The ecology of population dispersal: Modeling alternative basin-plateau foraging strategies to explain the Numic expansion.

    PubMed

    Magargal, Kate E; Parker, Ashley K; Vernon, Kenneth Blake; Rath, Will; Codding, Brian F

    2017-07-08

    The expansion of Numic speaking populations into the Great Basin required individuals to adapt to a relatively unproductive landscape. Researchers have proposed numerous social and subsistence strategies to explain how and why these settlers were able to replace any established populations, including private property and intensive plant processing. Here we evaluate these hypotheses and propose a new strategy involving the use of landscape fire to increase resource encounter rates. Implementing a novel, spatially explicit, multi-scalar prey choice model, we examine how individual decisions approximating each alternative strategy (private property, anthropogenic fire, and intensive plant processing) would aggregate at the patch and band level to confer an overall benefit to this colonizing population. Analysis relies on experimental data reporting resource profitability and abundance, ecological data on the historic distribution of vegetation patches, and ethnohistoric data on the distribution of Numic bands. Model results show that while resource privatization and landscape fires produce a substantial advantage, intensified plant processing garners the greatest benefit. The relative benefits of alternative strategies vary significantly across ecological patches resulting in variation across ethnographic band ranges. Combined, a Numic strategy including all three alternatives would substantially increase subsistence yields. The application of a strategy set that includes landscape fire, privatization and intensified processing of seeds and nuts, explains why the Numa were able to outcompete local populations. This approach provides a framework to help explain how individual decisions can result in such population replacement events throughout human history. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Mapping performance of the fishery industries innovation: A survey in the North Coast of Java

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yusuf, M.; Legowo, A. M.; Albaarri, A. N.; Darmanto, Y. S.; Agustini, T. W.; Setyastuti, A. I.

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to put the performance indicators of industry innovation fisheries which would be used as inputs to create innovation strategies in order to win the market competition, especially in USA. Survey and in-depth interviews were conducted on 10 industries with shrimp, tuna and crab commodities representing the fishery industry in Indonesia to USA export destination. The result of mapping performance of innovation indicators of Indonesian Fishery Industry resulted the 10’s strategies alternative to win the market. Based on survey result indicate that “the regulation of catch and/or harvest of cultivation factor” is considered the weakest factor in develop innovation with a score of 3.3, while the international trade factor are considered as the strongest factor in developing innovation development with scores 5,0. Aggressive strategy by strengthening the strength owned by the internal industry was by always looking at the opportunity, so that they could take the opportunity to win the market competition at the right time.

  14. ORNL Remedial Action Program strategy (FY 1987-FY 1992)

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

    Trabalka, J.R.; Myrick, T.E.

    1987-12-01

    Over 40 years of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) operations have produced a diverse legacy of contaminated inactive facilities, research areas, and waste disposal areas that are potential candidates for remedial action. The ORNL Remedial Action Program (RAP) represents a comprehensive effort to meet new regulatory requirements and ensure adequate protection of on-site workers, the public, and the environment by providing appropriate corrective measures at over 130 sites contaminated historically with radioactive, hazardous chemical, or mixed wastes. A structured path of program planning, site characterization, alternatives assessment, technology development, engineering design, continued site maintenance and surveillance, interim corrective action, andmore » eventual site closure or decommissioning is required to meet these objectives. This report documents the development of the Remedial Action Program, through its preliminary characterization, regulatory interface, and strategy development activities. It provides recommendations for a comprehensive, long-term strategy consistent with existing technical, institutional, and regulatory information, along with a six-year plan for achieving its initial objectives. 53 refs., 8 figs., 12 tabs.« less

  15. Evaluation of different end-of-life management alternatives for used natural cork stoppers through life cycle assessment.

    PubMed

    Demertzi, Martha; Dias, Ana Cláudia; Matos, Arlindo; Arroja, Luís Manuel

    2015-12-01

    An important aspect of sustainable development is the implementation of effective and sustainable waste management strategies. The present study focuses on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to different waste management strategies for natural cork stoppers, namely incineration at a municipal solid waste incinerator, landfilling in a sanitary landfill, and recycling. In the literature, there are no LCA studies analyzing in detail the end-of-life stage of natural cork stoppers as well as other cork products. In addition, cork is usually treated as wood at the end-of-life stage. Thus, the outcome of this study can provide an important insight into this matter. The results showed that different management alternatives, namely incineration and recycling, could be chosen depending on the impact category considered. The former alternative presented the best environmental results in the impact categories of climate change, ozone depletion and acidification, while the latter for photochemical ozone formation and mineral and fossil resource depletion. The landfilling alternative did not present the best environmental performance in any of the impact categories. However, when the biogenic carbon dioxide emission was assessed for the climate change category, the landfilling alternative was found to be the most effective since most of the biogenic carbon would be permanently stored in the cork products and not emitted into the atmosphere. A sensitivity analysis was performed and the results showed that there are various parameters that can significantly influence the results (e.g., carbon content in cork and decay rate of cork in the landfill). Thus, LCA studies should include a detailed description concerning their assumptions when the end-of-life stage is included in the boundaries since they can influence the results, and furthermore, to facilitate the comparison of different end-of-life scenarios. The present study and the obtained results could be useful for the decision-making process concerning public solid waste policies and industrial strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Regenerative medicine provides alternative strategies for the treatment of anal incontinence.

    PubMed

    Gräs, Søren; Tolstrup, Cæcilie Krogsgaard; Lose, Gunnar

    2017-03-01

    Anal incontinence is a common disorder but current treatment modalities are not ideal and the development of new treatments is needed. The aim of this review was to identify the existing knowledge of regenerative medicine strategies in the form of cellular therapies or bioengineering as a treatment for anal incontinence caused by anal sphincter defects. PubMed was searched for preclinical and clinical studies in English published from January 2005 to January 2016. Animal studies have demonstrated that cellular therapy in the form of local injections of culture-expanded skeletal myogenic cells stimulates repair of both acute and 2 - 4-week-old anal sphincter injuries. The results from a small clinical trial with ten patients and a case report support the preclinical findings. Animal studies have also demonstrated that local injections of mesenchymal stem cells stimulate repair of sphincter injuries, and a complex bioengineering strategy for creation and implantation of an intrinsically innervated internal anal sphincter construct has been successfully developed in a series of animal studies. Cellular therapies with myogenic cells and mesenchymal stem cells and the use of bioengineering technology to create an anal sphincter are new potential strategies to treat anal incontinence caused by anal sphincter defects, but the clinical evidence is extremely limited. The use of culture-expanded autologous skeletal myogenic cells has been most intensively investigated and several clinical trials were ongoing at the time of this report. The cost-effectiveness of such a therapy is an issue and muscle fragmentation is suggested as a simple alternative.

  17. Evolving effective behaviours to interact with tag-based populations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yucel, Osman; Crawford, Chad; Sen, Sandip

    2015-07-01

    Tags and other characteristics, externally perceptible features that are consistent among groups of animals or humans, can be used by others to determine appropriate response strategies in societies. This usage of tags can be extended to artificial environments, where agents can significantly reduce cognitive effort spent on appropriate strategy choice and behaviour selection by reusing strategies for interacting with new partners based on their tags. Strategy selection mechanisms developed based on this idea have successfully evolved stable cooperation in games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma game but relies upon payoff sharing and matching methods that limit the applicability of the tag framework. Our goal is to develop a general classification and behaviour selection approach based on the tag framework. We propose and evaluate alternative tag matching and adaptation schemes for a new, incoming individual to select appropriate behaviour against any population member of an existing, stable society. Our proposed approach allows agents to evolve both the optimal tag for the environment as well as appropriate strategies for existing agent groups. We show that these mechanisms will allow for robust selection of optimal strategies by agents entering a stable society and analyse the various environments where this approach is effective.

  18. Nine Days to Oder: An Alternate NATO Strategy for Central Region, Europe.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-06-01

    in the formulation of the air campaign plans. To all these colleagues in the profession of arms, the authors offer their thanks. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...Risk Assessment ...................... 144 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Page XI. THE COST OF THE ALTERNATE STRATEGY ... ........... ... 149 XII. PACT...Encyclopedia of Military History, p. 261. 2. Basil Liddell Hart, The Sword and the Pen, p. 319. 3. Ibid., p. 318. 3 CHAPTER II SOVIET STRATEGY AND PACT

  19. Constructing the effect of alternative intervention strategies on historic epidemics.

    PubMed

    Cook, A R; Gibson, G J; Gottwald, T R; Gilligan, C A

    2008-10-06

    Data from historical epidemics provide a vital and sometimes under-used resource from which to devise strategies for future control of disease. Previous methods for retrospective analysis of epidemics, in which alternative interventions are compared, do not make full use of the information; by using only partial information on the historical trajectory, augmentation of control may lead to predictions of a paradoxical increase in disease. Here we introduce a novel statistical approach that takes full account of the available information in constructing the effect of alternative intervention strategies in historic epidemics. The key to the method lies in identifying a suitable mapping between the historic and notional outbreaks, under alternative control strategies. We do this by using the Sellke construction as a latent process linking epidemics. We illustrate the application of the method with two examples. First, using temporal data for the common human cold, we show the improvement under the new method in the precision of predictions for different control strategies. Second, we show the generality of the method for retrospective analysis of epidemics by applying it to a spatially extended arboreal epidemic in which we demonstrate the relative effectiveness of host culling strategies that differ in frequency and spatial extent. Some of the inferential and philosophical issues that arise are discussed along with the scope of potential application of the new method.

  20. 76 FR 10530 - Supplemental Proposed Rule of Source Specific Federal Implementation Plan for Implementing Best...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-25

    ... proposed post-control BART limit of 0.012 lb/MMBtu on Units 1-3. C. Modeling and Demonstrating Reasonable... a different alternative emissions control strategy would achieve more progress than EPA's BART... Background for Proposing To Approve an Alternative Emissions Control Strategy as Achieving Better Progress...

  1. 77 FR 47361 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2013 Alternative Contact Strategy Test

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-08

    ... research will be conducted through a series of projects and tests throughout the decade. Contact involving... 2020 Research and Testing Project tests and design options for the 2020 Census. II. Method of... Alternative Contact Strategy Test is the first test to support this research. The Census Bureau will test...

  2. Supporting Alternative Strategies for Learning Chemical Applications of Group Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southam, Daniel C.; Lewis, Jennifer E.

    2013-01-01

    A group theory course for chemists was taught entirely with process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) to facilitate alternative strategies for learning. Students completed a test of one aspect of visuospatial aptitude to determine their individual approaches to solving spatial tasks, and were sorted into groups for analysis on the basis of…

  3. Alternative Teaching Strategies; Helping Behaviorally Troubled Children Achieve. A Guide for Teachers and Psychologists.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swift, Marshall S.; Spivack, George

    This book provides (1) specific information about overt classroom behaviors that affect or reflect academic success or failure, and (2) information and suggestions about alternative teaching strategies that may be used to increase behavioral effectiveness and subsequent academic achievement. The focus of the book is on specific behaviors, behavior…

  4. Social Competence and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies--PATHS Preschool Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arda, Tugce Burcu; Ocak, Sakire

    2012-01-01

    In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)--Preschool Curriculum on Preschool Children's Social Skills. The six years old children (N = 95) and their teachers (N =7) were included in participant group in Izmir. With a pretest-intervention-posttest design, data was collected through…

  5. Socioeconomic evaluation of broad-scale land management strategies.

    Treesearch

    Lisa K. Crone; Richard W. Haynes

    2001-01-01

    This paper examines the socioeconomic effects of alternative management strategies for Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the interior Columbia basin. From a broad-scale perspective, there is little impact or variation between alternatives in terms of changes in total economic activity or social conditions in the region. However, adopting a finer...

  6. Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS): Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Humphrey, Neil; Barlow, Alexandra; Wigelsworth, Michael; Lendrum, Ann; Pert, Kirsty; Joyce, Craig; Stephens, Emma; Wo, Lawrence; Squires, Garry; Woods, Kevin; Calam, Rachel; Harrison, Mark; Turner, Alex; Humphrey, Neil

    2015-01-01

    Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) is a school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum that aims to help children in primary school manage their behaviour, understand their emotions, and work well with others. PATHS consists of a series of lessons that cover topics such as identifying and labelling feelings, controlling…

  7. Read Across Approaches: Chemical Structure and Bioactivity ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Presentation for FDA-CFSAN and ILSI workshop on Workshop on State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments Presentation for FDA-CFSAN and ILSI workshop on Workshop: State of the Science on Alternatives to Animal Testing and Integration of Testing Strategies for Food Safety Assessments

  8. Alternative IT Sourcing Strategies: Six Views

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahon, Ed; McPherson, Michael R.; Vaughan, Joseph; Rowe, Theresa; Pickett, Michael P.; Bielec, John A.

    2011-01-01

    IT leaders today must not only provide but also decide: which tools and services should they continue to supply, which are better delivered by others, and perhaps most critically, which methods from among the bewildering array of alternative sourcing strategies will best serve their faculty, staff, and students. In 2009, the EDUCAUSE Center for…

  9. The impact of two multiple-choice question formats on the problem-solving strategies used by novices and experts.

    PubMed

    Coderre, Sylvain P; Harasym, Peter; Mandin, Henry; Fick, Gordon

    2004-11-05

    Pencil-and-paper examination formats, and specifically the standard, five-option multiple-choice question, have often been questioned as a means for assessing higher-order clinical reasoning or problem solving. This study firstly investigated whether two paper formats with differing number of alternatives (standard five-option and extended-matching questions) can test problem-solving abilities. Secondly, the impact of the alternatives number on psychometrics and problem-solving strategies was examined. Think-aloud protocols were collected to determine the problem-solving strategy used by experts and non-experts in answering Gastroenterology questions, across the two pencil-and-paper formats. The two formats demonstrated equal ability in testing problem-solving abilities, while the number of alternatives did not significantly impact psychometrics or problem-solving strategies utilized. These results support the notion that well-constructed multiple-choice questions can in fact test higher order clinical reasoning. Furthermore, it can be concluded that in testing clinical reasoning, the question stem, or content, remains more important than the number of alternatives.

  10. [Optimizing carbon/energy metabolism to enhance monellin production by Pichia pastoris].

    PubMed

    Huai, Qiangqiang; Jia, Luqiang; Ding, Jian; Chen, Shanshan; Sun, Jiaowen; Shi, Zhongping

    2018-02-25

    In heterologous protein productions by Pichia pastoris, methanol induction is generally initiated when cell density reaches very high level. However, this traditional strategy suffers with the problems of difficulty in DO control, toxic by-metabolites accumulation and low targeted protein titer. Therefore, initiating methanol induction at lower cell concentration is considered as an alternative strategy to overcome those problems. However, the methanol/energy regulation mechanisms of initiating induction at lower concentration are not clear and seldom reported. In this article, with monellin production as a prototype, we analyzed the methanol/energy metabolism in protein expression process using the strategies of initiating induction at both higher/lower cells concentrations. We attempted to interpret the advantages of the "alternative" strategy, via online measurements of methanol consumption, CO₂ production and O₂ uptake rates. When adopting this "alternative" strategy and maintaining temperature at 30 °C, carbon flux ratio directing into monellin precursors synthesis reached the highest level of 65%. In addition, monellin synthesis was completely associated with cell growth.

  11. The future (r)evolution of preimplantation genetic diagnosis/human leukocyte antigen testing: ethical reflections.

    PubMed

    de Wert, Guido; Liebaers, Inge; Van de Velde, Hilde

    2007-09-01

    There has been increasing support for combining preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for specific diseases with a test for human leukocyte antigens (HLA) because the generation of HLA-matched umbilical cord blood cells may save the life of a diseased sibling. To date, this procedure has taken place in the context of conceiving another child--PGD/HLA testing type 1. However, it may well become possible to perform PGD/HLA testing outside this context, that is, to select matched embryos from which embryonic stem cells could be derived and used in cell therapy--PGD/HLA testing type 2. A proactive ethical analysis is needed and is presented in this article. Although PGD/HLA testing type 1 can be morally justified, the risks, pitfalls, and practical limitations of this procedure make it necessary to develop alternative strategies. PGD/HLA testing type 2 may provide an alternative strategy. From an ethical point of view, the controversial issue is that this procedure creates embryos purely for instrumental use. However, given the dominant view that the preimplantation embryo has only limited moral value, this alternative may be as morally justified as PGD/HLA testing type 1.

  12. Animals and the 3Rs in toxicology research and testing: The way forward.

    PubMed

    Stokes, W S

    2015-12-01

    Despite efforts to eliminate the use of animals in testing and the availability of many accepted alternative methods, animals are still widely used for toxicological research and testing. While research using in vitro and computational models has dramatically increased in recent years, such efforts have not yet measurably impacted animal use for regulatory testing and are not likely to do so for many years or even decades. Until regulatory authorities have accepted test methods that can totally replace animals and these are fully implemented, large numbers of animals will continue to be used and many will continue to experience significant pain and distress. In order to positively impact the welfare of these animals, accepted alternatives must be implemented, and efforts must be directed at eliminating pain and distress and reducing animal numbers. Animal pain and distress can be reduced by earlier predictive humane endpoints, pain-relieving medications, and supportive clinical care, while sequential testing and routine use of integrated testing and decision strategies can reduce animal numbers. Applying advances in science and technology to the development of scientifically sound alternative testing models and strategies can improve animal welfare and further reduce and replace animal use. © The Author(s) 2015.

  13. Strategy alternatives for homeland air and cruise missile defense.

    PubMed

    Murphy, Eric M; Payne, Michael D; Vanderwoude, Glenn W

    2010-10-01

    Air and cruise missile defense of the U.S. homeland is characterized by a requirement to protect a large number of critical assets nonuniformly dispersed over a vast area with relatively few defensive systems. In this article, we explore strategy alternatives to make the best use of existing defense resources and suggest this approach as a means of reducing risk while mitigating the cost of developing and acquiring new systems. We frame the issue as an attacker-defender problem with simultaneous moves. First, we outline and examine the relatively simple problem of defending comparatively few locations with two surveillance systems. Second, we present our analysis and findings for a more realistic scenario that includes a representative list of U.S. critical assets. Third, we investigate sensitivity to defensive strategic choices in the more realistic scenario. As part of this investigation, we describe two complementary computational methods that, under certain circumstances, allow one to reduce large computational problems to a more manageable size. Finally, we demonstrate that strategic choices can be an important supplement to material solutions and can, in some cases, be a more cost-effective alternative. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

  14. Edge guided image reconstruction in linear scan CT by weighted alternating direction TV minimization.

    PubMed

    Cai, Ailong; Wang, Linyuan; Zhang, Hanming; Yan, Bin; Li, Lei; Xi, Xiaoqi; Li, Jianxin

    2014-01-01

    Linear scan computed tomography (CT) is a promising imaging configuration with high scanning efficiency while the data set is under-sampled and angularly limited for which high quality image reconstruction is challenging. In this work, an edge guided total variation minimization reconstruction (EGTVM) algorithm is developed in dealing with this problem. The proposed method is modeled on the combination of total variation (TV) regularization and iterative edge detection strategy. In the proposed method, the edge weights of intermediate reconstructions are incorporated into the TV objective function. The optimization is efficiently solved by applying alternating direction method of multipliers. A prudential and conservative edge detection strategy proposed in this paper can obtain the true edges while restricting the errors within an acceptable degree. Based on the comparison on both simulation studies and real CT data set reconstructions, EGTVM provides comparable or even better quality compared to the non-edge guided reconstruction and adaptive steepest descent-projection onto convex sets method. With the utilization of weighted alternating direction TV minimization and edge detection, EGTVM achieves fast and robust convergence and reconstructs high quality image when applied in linear scan CT with under-sampled data set.

  15. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-05-01

    The Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma analyzes a range of transportation and resource management challenges and documents a holistic set of alternative transportation strategi...

  16. A simulation model to estimate the cost and effectiveness of alternative dialysis initiation strategies.

    PubMed

    Lee, Chris P; Chertow, Glenn M; Zenios, Stefanos A

    2006-01-01

    Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require dialysis to maintain survival. The optimal timing of dialysis initiation in terms of cost-effectiveness has not been established. We developed a simulation model of individuals progressing towards ESRD and requiring dialysis. It can be used to analyze dialysis strategies and scenarios. It was embedded in an optimization frame worked to derive improved strategies. Actual (historical) and simulated survival curves and hospitalization rates were virtually indistinguishable. The model overestimated transplantation costs (10%) but it was related to confounding by Medicare coverage. To assess the model's robustness, we examined several dialysis strategies while input parameters were perturbed. Under all 38 scenarios, relative rankings remained unchanged. An improved policy for a hypothetical patient was derived using an optimization algorithm. The model produces reliable results and is robust. It enables the cost-effectiveness analysis of dialysis strategies.

  17. Using population viability criteria to assess strategies to minimize disease threats for an endangered carnivore.

    PubMed

    Doak, Daniel F; Bakker, Victoria J; Vickers, Winston

    2013-04-01

    Outbreaks of infectious disease represent serious threats to the viability of many vertebrate populations, but few studies have included quantitative evaluations of alternative approaches to the management of disease. The most prevalent management approach is monitoring for and rapid response to an epizootic. An alternative is vaccination of a subset of the free-living population (i.e., a "vaccinated core") such that some individuals are partially or fully immune in the event of an epizootic. We developed a simulation model describing epizootic dynamics, which we then embedded in a demographic simulation to assess these alternative approaches to managing rabies epizootics in the island fox (Urocyon littoralis), a species composed of only 6 small populations on the California Channel Islands. Although the monitor and respond approach was superior to the vaccinated-core approach for some transmission models and parameter values, this type of reactive management did not protect the population from rabies under many disease-transmission assumptions. In contrast, a logistically feasible program of prophylactic vaccination for part of the wild population yielded low extinction probabilities across all likely disease-transmission scenarios, even with recurrent disease introductions. Our use of a single metric of successful management-probability of extreme endangerment (i.e., quasi extinction)-to compare very different management approaches allowed an objective assessment of alternative strategies for controlling the threats posed by infectious disease outbreaks. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

  18. Video prompting versus other instruction strategies for persons with Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Perilli, Viviana; Lancioni, Giulio E; Hoogeveen, Frans; Caffó, Alessandro; Singh, Nirbhay; O'Reilly, Mark; Sigafoos, Jeff; Cassano, Germana; Oliva, Doretta

    2013-06-01

    Two studies assessed the effectiveness of video prompting as a strategy to support persons with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease in performing daily activities. In study I, video prompting was compared to an existing strategy relying on verbal instructions. In study II, video prompting was compared to another existing strategy relying on static pictorial cues. Video prompting and the other strategies were counterbalanced across tasks and participants and compared within alternating treatments designs. Video prompting was effective in all participants. Similarly effective were the other 2 strategies, and only occasional differences between the strategies were reported. Two social validation assessments showed that university psychology students and graduates rated the patients' performance with video prompting more favorably than their performance with the other strategies. Video prompting may be considered a valuable alternative to the other strategies to support daily activities in persons with Alzheimer's disease.

  19. Use of apixaban after development of suspected rivaroxaban-induced hepatic steatosis; a case report.

    PubMed

    Anastasia, Emily J; Rosenstein, Robert S; Bergsman, Jeffrey A; Parra, David

    2015-09-01

    Postmarketing reports have emerged associating rivaroxaban with drug-induced liver injury (DILI); however, management strategies of patients with suspected rivaroxaban-induced liver injury requiring continued anticoagulation have not been published. The present report describes a 67-year-old male with atrial fibrillation receiving rivaroxaban who developed a 16-fold elevation in alanine transaminase, a nearly two-fold elevation in total bilirubin, and ultrasound confirmed hepatic steatosis. The patient was switched from rivaroxaban to apixaban with subsequent rapid resolution of laboratory abnormalities. Rapid improvement in liver function tests despite use of an alternative factor Xa inhibitor suggests that rivaroxaban's mechanism of hepatotoxicity may be unrelated to its pharmacologic action. When using rivaroxaban, clinicians should be aware of the small but potentially serious risk of DILI. Because most anticoagulants have been associated with DILI, selection of an alternative anticoagulant may be challenging; however, the use of apixaban in this case suggests it may be a reasonable alternative.

  20. Evolution of alternative methodologies of scorpion antivenoms production.

    PubMed

    Carmo, A O; Chatzaki, M; Horta, C C R; Magalhães, B F; Oliveira-Mendes, B B R; Chávez-Olórtegui, C; Kalapothakis, E

    2015-04-01

    Scorpionism represents a serious public health problem resulting in the death of children and debilitated individuals. Scorpion sting treatment employs various strategies including the use of specific medicines such as antiserum, especially for patients with severe symptoms. In 1909 Charles Todd described the production of an antiserum against the venom of the scorpion Buthus quinquestriatus. Based on Todd's work, researchers worldwide began producing antiserum using the same approach i.e., immunization of horses with crude venom as antigen. Despite achieving satisfactory results using this approach, researchers in this field have developed alternative approaches for the production of scorpion antivenom serum. In this review, we describe the work published by experts in toxinology to the development of scorpion venom antiserum. Methods and results describing the use of specific antigens, detoxified venom or toxins, purified toxins and or venom fractions, native toxoids, recombinant toxins, synthetic peptides, monoclonal and recombinant antibodies, and alternative animal models are presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The Development of English as a Second Language With and Without Specific Language Impairment: Clinical Implications.

    PubMed

    Paradis, Johanne

    2016-02-01

    The purpose of this research forum article is to provide an overview of typical and atypical development of English as a second language (L2) and to present strategies for clinical assessment with English language learners (ELLs). A review of studies examining the lexical, morphological, narrative, and verbal memory abilities of ELLs is organized around 3 topics: timeframe and characteristics of typical English L2 development, comparison of the English L2 development of children with and without specific language impairment (SLI), and strategies for more effective assessment with ELLs. ELLs take longer than 3 years to converge on monolingual norms and approach monolingual norms asynchronously across linguistic subdomains. Individual variation is predicted by age, first language, language learning aptitude, length of exposure to English in school, maternal education, and richness of the English environment outside school. ELLs with SLI acquire English more slowly than ELLs with typical development; their morphological and nonword repetition abilities differentiate them the most. Use of strategies such as parent questionnaires on first language development and ELL norm referencing can result in accurate discrimination of ELLs with SLI. Variability in the language abilities of ELLs presents challenges for clinical practice. Increased knowledge of English language learning development with and without SLI together with evidence-based alternative assessment strategies can assist in overcoming these challenges.

  2. Hydrologic response to and recovery from differing silvicultural systems in a deciduous forest landscape with seasonal snow cover

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buttle, J. M.; Beall, F. D.; Webster, K. L.; Hazlett, P. W.; Creed, I. F.; Semkin, R. G.; Jeffries, D. S.

    2018-02-01

    Hydrological consequences of alternative harvesting strategies in deciduous forest landscapes with seasonal snow cover have received relatively little attention. Most forest harvesting experiments in landscapes with seasonal snow cover have focused on clearcutting in coniferous forests. Few have examined alternative strategies such as selection or shelterwood cutting in deciduous stands whose hydrologic responses to harvesting may differ from those of conifers. This study presents results from a 31-year examination of hydrological response to and recovery from alternative harvesting strategies in a deciduous forest landscape with seasonal snow cover in central Ontario, Canada. A quantitative means of assessing hydrologic recovery to harvesting is also developed. Clearcutting resulted in increased water year (WY) runoff. This was accompanied by increased runoff in all seasons, with greatest relative increases in Summer. Direct runoff and baseflow from treatment catchments generally increased following harvesting, although annual peak streamflow did not. Largest increases in WY runoff and seasonal runoff as well as direct runoff and baseflow generally occurred in the selection harvest catchment, likely as a result of interception of hillslope runoff by a forest access road and redirection to the stream channel. Hydrologic recovery appeared to begin towards the end of the experimental period for several streamflow metrics but was incomplete for all harvesting strategies 15 years after harvesting. Geochemical tracing indicated that harvesting enhanced the relative importance of surface and near-surface water pathways on catchment slopes for all treatments, with the clearcut catchment showing the most pronounced and prolonged response. Such insights into water partitioning between flow pathways may assist assessments of the ecological and biogeochemical consequences of forest disturbance.

  3. The emergence of trust in clinics of alternative medicine.

    PubMed

    Pedersen, Inge Kryger; Hansen, Vibeke Holm; Grünenberg, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    Demands for alternative medicine have increased since the 1970s in nations in which western scientific evidence has become the basis for health care. This paradox has been the impetus to examine how trust emerges in clinics of alternative medicine. Alternative practitioners are self-regulated and the clients pay out of their own pockets to attend non-authorised treatments with very limited scientific evidence of their effects. Trust is a key issue in this context. However, only a few studies have dealt with the ways in which alternative practitioners win their clients' trust. Drawing on three qualitative studies and informing the empirical findings with a sociological concept of trust, this article provides new empirical insights on how trust emerges in Danish clinics of acupuncture, reflexology and homeopathy. The analysis demonstrates how trust is situational and emerges through both clients' susceptibility and practitioners' individual skill development and strategies, as well as from objects, place and space. Trust is developed on relational and bodily as well as material grounds. It is argued that the dynamics and elements of trust identified do not only minimalise uncertainties but sometimes convert these uncertainties into productive new ways for clients to address their ailments, life circumstances and perspectives. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  4. Microalgal bioengineering for sustainable energy development: Recent transgenesis and metabolic engineering strategies.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Chiranjib; Singh, Puneet Kumar; Shukla, Pratyoosh

    2016-03-01

    Exploring the efficiency of algae to produce remarkable products can be directly benefitted by studying its mechanism at systems level. Recent advents in biotechnology like flux balance analysis (FBA), genomics and in silico proteomics minimize the wet lab exertion. It is understood that FBA predicts the metabolic products, metabolic pathways and alternative pathway to maximize the desired product, and these are key components for microalgae bio-engineering. This review encompasses recent transgenesis techniques and metabolic engineering strategies applied to different microalgae for improving different traits. Further it also throws light on RNAi and riboswitch engineering based methods which may be advantageous for high throughput microalgal research. A valid and optimally designed microalga can be developed where every engineering strategies meet each other successfully and will definitely fulfill the market needs. It is also to be noted that Omics (viz. genetic and metabolic manipulation with bioinformatics) should be integrated to develop a strain which could prove to be a futuristic solution for sustainable development for energy. Copyright © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. IARC classes 1 and 2 carcinogens are successfully identified by an alternative strategy that detects DNA-reactivity and cell transformation ability of chemicals.

    PubMed

    Benigni, Romualdo; Bossa, Cecilia; Battistelli, Chiara Laura; Tcheremenskaia, Olga

    2013-12-12

    For decades, traditional toxicology has been the ultimate source of information on the carcinogenic potential of chemicals; however with increasing demand on regulation of chemicals and decreasing resources for testing, opportunities to accept "alternative" approaches have dramatically expanded. The need for tools able to identify carcinogens in shorter times and at a lower cost in terms of animal lives and money is still an open issue, and the present strategies and regulations for carcinogenicity pre-screening do not adequately protect human health. In previous papers, we have proposed an integrated in vitro/in silico strategy that detects DNA-reactivity and tissue disorganization/disruption by chemicals, and we have shown that the combination of Salmonella and Structural Alerts for the DNA-reactive carcinogens, and in vitro cell transformation assays for nongenotoxic carcinogens permits the identification of a very large proportion (up to 95%) of rodent carcinogens, while having a considerable specificity with the rodent noncarcinogens. In the present paper we expand the previous investigation and show that this alternative strategy identifies correctly IARC Classes 1 and 2 carcinogens. If implemented, this alternative strategy can contribute to improve the protection of human health while decreasing the use of animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Effectiveness of Citrus Fruits on Helicobacter pylori

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    It is known that Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric carcinoma. Due to the increased side effects of the treatment regimens and the development of antimicrobial resistance, a number of natural compounds have been tested as potential alternatives. In this review, we will examine the current knowledge on the effect of Citrus fruits and their derivatives against H. pylori, highlighting the remaining outstanding questions on the development of novel therapeutic strategies. PMID:28408943

  7. Space station needs, attributes and architectural options study. Briefing material, mid-term review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    User mission requirements and their relationship to the current space transportation system are examined as a means of assuring the infusion of corporate ideas and knowledge in the space station program. Specific tasks include developing strategies to develop user consistency; determine DOD implication and requirements; and foster industry involvement in the space station. Mission alternatives; accrued benefits; program options; system attributes and characteristics; and a recommended plan for space station evolution are covered.

  8. Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies.

    PubMed

    Cloyd, Raymond A

    2015-04-09

    Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems.

  9. Ecology of Fungus Gnats (Bradysia spp.) in Greenhouse Production Systems Associated with Disease-Interactions and Alternative Management Strategies

    PubMed Central

    Cloyd, Raymond A.

    2015-01-01

    Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops mainly due to the direct feeding damage caused by the larvae, and the ability of larvae to transmit certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Currently, insecticides and biological control agents are being used successively to deal with fungus gnat populations in greenhouse production systems. However, these strategies may only be effective as long as greenhouse producers also implement alternative management strategies such as cultural, physical, and sanitation. This includes elimination of algae, and plant and growing medium debris; placing physical barriers onto the growing medium surface; and using materials that repel fungus gnat adults. This article describes the disease-interactions associated with fungus gnats and foliar and soil-borne diseases, and the alternative management strategies that should be considered by greenhouse producers in order to alleviate problems with fungus gnats in greenhouse production systems. PMID:26463188

  10. A novel training approach to activate alternative behaviors for smoking in depressed smokers.

    PubMed

    Kopetz, Catalina; MacPherson, Laura; Mitchell, Avery D; Houston-Ludlam, Alexandra N; Wiers, Reinout W

    2017-02-01

    The current research developed and tested a novel training strategy to alter the implicit associations between alternative behaviors to smoking and negative affect, and explored its effects on depressive symptoms and on smoking behavior as part of a quit attempt. Using a joystick, participants identified as smokers with depressive symptoms were trained to approach alternative behaviors to smoking in the context of negative affect. Specifically, in the experimental condition, participants were trained to avoid smoking-related targets and to approach alternative activities. In the control condition, participants pushed and pulled an equal amount of smoking and alternative activity-related targets. Compared with the participants in the control condition, those in the experimental condition showed an increase in the accessibility of the alternative activity relative to smoking and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Smoking outcomes did not differ significantly across the 2 conditions. Taken together these results indicate that the value of alternative behaviors to smoking can be modified in the lab without participants' conscious intentions with implications for depressive symptomatology. Future research is required to explore the impact of such training on smoking outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. Alternative Energy Development and China's Energy Future

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

    Zheng, Nina; Fridley, David

    2011-06-15

    In addition to promoting energy efficiency, China has actively pursued alternative energy development as a strategy to reduce its energy demand and carbon emissions. One area of particular focus has been to raise the share of alternative energy in China’s rapidly growing electricity generation with a 2020 target of 15% share of total primary energy. Over the last ten years, China has established several major renewable energy regulations along with programs and subsidies to encourage the growth of non-fossil alternative energy including solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, geothermal and biomass power as well as biofuels and coal alternatives. This study thusmore » seeks to examine China’s alternative energy in terms of what has and will continue to drive alternative energy development in China as well as analyze in depth the growth potential and challenges facing each specific technology. This study found that despite recent policies enabling extraordinary capacity and investment growth, alternative energy technologies face constraints and barriers to growth. For relatively new technologies that have not achieved commercialization such as concentrated solar thermal, geothermal and biomass power, China faces technological limitations to expanding the scale of installed capacity. While some alternative technologies such as hydropower and coal alternatives have been slowed by uneven and often changing market and policy support, others such as wind and solar PV have encountered physical and institutional barriers to grid integration. Lastly, all alternative energy technologies face constraints in human resources and raw material resources including land and water, with some facing supply limitations in critical elements such as uranium for nuclear, neodymium for wind and rare earth metals for advanced solar PV. In light of China’s potential for and barriers to growth, the resource and energy requirement for alternative energy technologies were modeled and scenario analysis used to evaluate the energy and emission impact of two pathways of alternative energy development. The results show that China can only meets its 2015 and 2020 targets for non-fossil penetration if it successfully achieves all of its capacity targets for 2020 with continued expansion through 2030. To achieve this level of alternative generation, significant amounts of raw materials including 235 Mt of concrete, 54 Mt of steel, 5 Mt of copper along with 3 billion tons of water and 64 thousand square kilometers of land are needed. China’s alternative energy supply will likely have relatively high average energy output to fossil fuel input ratio of 42 declining to 26 over time, but this ratio is largely skewed by nuclear and hydropower capacity. With successful alternative energy development, 32% of China’s electricity and 21% of its total primary energy will be supplied by alternative energy by 2030. Compared to the counterfactual baseline in which alternative energy development stumbles and China does not meet its capacity targets until 2030, alternative energy development can displace 175 Mtce of coal inputs per year and 2080 Mtce cumulatively from power generation by 2030. In carbon terms, this translates into 5520 Mt of displaced CO 2 emissions over the twenty year period, with more than half coming from expanded nuclear and wind power generation. These results illustrate the critical role that alternative energy development can play alongside energy efficiency in reducing China’s energy-related carbon emissions.« less

  12. T-Cell-Based Immunotherapy for Osteosarcoma: Challenges and Opportunities

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhan; Li, Binghao; Ren, Yingqing; Ye, Zhaoming

    2016-01-01

    Even though combining surgery with chemotherapy has significantly improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients, advanced, metastatic, or recurrent osteosarcomas are often non-responsive to chemotherapy, making development of novel efficient therapeutic methods an urgent need. Adoptive immunotherapy has the potential to be a useful non-surgical modality for treatment of osteosarcoma. Recently, alternative strategies, including immunotherapies using naturally occurring or genetically modified T cells, have been found to hold promise in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In this review, we will discuss possible T-cell-based therapies against osteosarcoma with a special emphasis on combination strategies to improve the effectiveness of adoptive T cell transfer and, thus, to provide a rationale for the clinical development of immunotherapies. PMID:27683579

  13. Factoring nonviral gene therapy into a cure for hemophilia A.

    PubMed

    Gabrovsky, Vanessa; Calos, Michele P

    2008-10-01

    Gene therapy for hemophilia A has fallen short of success despite several clinical trials conducted over the past decade. Challenges to its success include vector immunogenicity, insufficient transgene expression levels of Factor VIII, and inhibitor antibody formation. Gene therapy has been dominated by the use of viral vectors, as well as the immunogenic and oncogenic concerns that accompany these strategies. Because of the complexity of viral vectors, the development of nonviral DNA delivery methods may provide an efficient and safe alternative for the treatment of hemophilia A. New types of nonviral strategies, such as DNA integrating vectors, and the success of several nonviral animal studies, suggest that nonviral gene therapy has curative potential and justifies its clinical development.

  14. Coupling Cover Crops with Alternative Swine Manure Application Strategies: Manure-15N Tracer Studies

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Integration of rye cover crops with alternative liquid swine (Sus scrofa L.) manure application strategies may enhance retention of manure N in corn (Zea mays L.) - soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cropping systems. The objective of this study was to quantify uptake of manure derived-N by a rye (Seca...

  15. Disciplinary Practices in Schools and Principles of Alternatives to Corporal Punishment Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moyo, George; Khewu, Noncedo P. D.; Bayaga, Anass

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study was to determine the consistency prevailing between the disciplinary practices in the schools and the principles of the Alternatives-to-Corporal Punishment strategy. The three main research questions that guided the study were to determine (1) How much variance of offences can be explained by disciplinary measures of…

  16. The pros and cons of masked priming.

    PubMed

    Forster, K I

    1998-03-01

    Masked priming paradigms offer the promise of tapping automatic, strategy-free lexical processing, as evidenced by the lack of expectancy disconfirmation effects, and proportionality effects in semantic priming experiments. But several recent findings suggest the effects may be prelexical. These findings concern nonword priming effects in lexical decision and naming, the effects of mixed-case presentation on nonword priming, and the dependence of priming on the nature of the distractors in lexical decision, suggesting possible strategy effects. The theory underlying each of these effects is discussed, and alternative explanations are developed that do not preclude a lexical basis for masked priming effects.

  17. Product line management in oncology: a Canadian experience.

    PubMed

    Wodinsky, H B; Egan, D; Markel, F

    1988-01-01

    More competition for finite resources and increasing regulation have led many hospitals to consider a strategic reorganization. Recently, one common reorganization strategy has been"product line management." Product line management can be broadly defined in terms of centralized program management, planning, and marketing strategies. In Canada, while strategic driving forces may be different, a product line management alternative has arisen in one of the most potentially complex product lines, cancer services. This article compares and contrasts the theoretical model for product line management development, with special reference to cancer services, to the experience of one Canadian medical center and cancer center.

  18. Fermi paradox and alternative strategies for SETI programs - The anthropic principle and the search for close solar analogs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fracassini, Massimo; Pasinetti Fracassini, Laura E.; Pasinetti, Antonio L.

    1988-07-01

    The Anthropic Principle, a new trend of modern cosmology, claims that the origin of life and the development of intelligent beings on the Earth is the result of highly selective biological processes, strictly tuned in the fundamental physical characteristics of the Universe. This principle could account for the failure of some programs of search for extraterrestrial intelligences (SETI) and suggests the search for strict solar analogs as a primary target for SETI strategies. In this connection, the authors have selected 22 solar analogs and discussed their choice.

  19. Efficient identification of context dependent subgroups of risk from genome wide association studies

    PubMed Central

    Dyson, Greg; Sing, Charles F.

    2014-01-01

    We have developed a modified Patient Rule-Induction Method (PRIM) as an alternative strategy for analyzing representative samples of non-experimental human data to estimate and test the role of genomic variations as predictors of disease risk in etiologically heterogeneous sub-samples. A computational limit of the proposed strategy is encountered when the number of genomic variations (predictor variables) under study is large (> 500) because permutations are used to generate a null distribution to test the significance of a term (defined by values of particular variables) that characterizes a sub-sample of individuals through the peeling and pasting processes. As an alternative, in this paper we introduce a theoretical strategy that facilitates the quick calculation of Type I and Type II errors in the evaluation of terms in the peeling and pasting processes carried out in the execution of a PRIM analysis that are underestimated and non-existent, respectively, when a permutation-based hypothesis test is employed. The resultant savings in computational time makes possible the consideration of larger numbers of genomic variations (an example genome wide association study is given) in the selection of statistically significant terms in the formulation of PRIM prediction models. PMID:24570412

  20. Negotiating competency, professionalism and risk: the integration of complementary and alternative medicine by nurses and midwives in NHS hospitals.

    PubMed

    Cant, Sarah; Watts, Peter; Ruston, Annmarie

    2011-02-01

    This qualitative interview study examined the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by nurses and midwives in NHS hospital settings in 2008 in the UK. It showed that the groundswell of interest in CAM in the 1990s had diminished by this time due to changes to policy and funding, and increasingly stringent clinical governance. Nevertheless, CAM provided an opportunity for committed and self-motivated practitioners to extend their therapeutic repertoire and develop affective dimensions of practice. However, the integration of CAM did not afford the autonomy, status and material gains traditionally associated with a collective professional project. In practice, occupational strategies were individualistic, and grounded in the assertion of competency through expressions of professionalism rather than the credentialism which underpins classic professionalisation. Central to these strategies was CAM related risk, which became a means by which to claim occupational space. However, the extent to which the adoption of CAM enhanced the nurses' and midwives' roles was limited by traditional medical authority; the uncertain status of CAM knowledge; and the absence of collective strategies - which together often left practitioners in a position of vulnerability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. [Aedes aegypti control strategies: a review].

    PubMed

    Zara, Ana Laura de Sene Amâncio; Santos, Sandra Maria Dos; Fernandes-Oliveira, Ellen Synthia; Carvalho, Roberta Gomes; Coelho, Giovanini Evelim

    2016-01-01

    to describe the main strategies to control Aedes aegypti, with emphasis on promising technological innovations for use in Brazil. this study is a non-systematic review of the literature. several technologies have been developed as alternatives in the control of Ae. aegypti, using different mechanisms of action, such as selective monitoring of the infestation, social interventions, dispersing insecticides, new biological control agents and molecular techniques for population control of mosquitoes, also considering the combination between them. Evolving technologies require evaluation of the effectiveness, feasibility and costs of implementation strategies as complementary to the actions already recommended by the National Program for Dengue Control. the integration of different compatible and effective vector control strategies, considering the available technologies and regional characteristics, appears to be a viable method to try to reduce the infestation of mosquitoes and the incidence of arbovirus transmitted by them.

  2. Uncovering Collaborative Literacy Strategies, Alternative Assessments, and a Personalized Behavior Plan to Support Learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LaMantia, Dana J.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to delve into the challenges of collaborative literacy instruction, literacy assessments, and the development of behavior plans in order to support Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) learners in an urban classroom setting. The DSM-IV states that the neuropsychiatry syndrome of ADHD affects approximately…

  3. Transcriptional control by G-quadruplexes: In vivo roles and perspectives for specific intervention

    PubMed Central

    Armas, Pablo; David, Aldana; Calcaterra, Nora B.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT G-quadruplexes are non-canonical DNA secondary structures involved in several genomic and molecular processes. Here, we summarize the main G-quadruplex features and evidences proving the in vivo role on the transcriptional regulation of genes required for zebrafish embryonic development. We also discuss alternative strategies for specifically interfering G-quadruplex in vivo. PMID:27696937

  4. Teaching Future K-8 Teachers the Language of Newton: A Case Study of Collaboration and Change in University Physics Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briscoe, Carol; Prayaga, Chandra S.

    2004-01-01

    This interpretive case study describes a collaborative project involving a physics professor and a science educator. We report what was learned about factors that influenced the professor's development of teaching strategies, alternative to lecture, that were intended to promote prospective teachers' meaningful learning and their use of canonical…

  5. Development of Examination Behaviour Inventory: An Integrity Measure for Prevention of Cheating in School Exams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ossai, Moses C.; Ethe, Nathaniel; Okwudei, Chukuka A.; Edougha, Dennis E.

    2014-01-01

    Cheating in examinations is an educational menace that has threatened the very essence of schooling in most countries of the world. Therefore, it has become imperative for researchers in education to seek alternative strategies for curbing it in order to restore the dignity of school examinations as an instrument for assessing actual educational…

  6. Greener "Solutions" for the Organic Chemistry Teaching Lab: Exploring the Advantages of Alternative Reaction Media

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenzie, Lallie C.; Huffman, Lauren M.; Hutchison, James E.; Rogers, Courtney E.; Goodwin, Thomas E.; Spessard, Gary O.

    2009-01-01

    A major approach for implementing green chemistry is the discovery and development of synthetic strategies that reduce the quantity of solvent needed, eliminate it altogether, or rely on new reaction media. An increasing number of examples have demonstrated that greener reaction solvents or media can enhance performance as well as reduce hazard.…

  7. Assessing Pricing and Aid Strategies: Rethinking Planning and Evaluation Practices. AIR 1994 Annual Forum Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    St. John, Edward P.

    This paper explores the need for a better understanding of the influences of prices and student aid on student enrollment and college budgets. The theory of net price has not been found to adequately explain changes in enrollment. Based on a critical review of recent research on student price response, this paper develops an alternative approach…

  8. Designing and Testing Evaluation Tools to Inform Foundation Education Reforms and Build Grantee Capacity. WCER Working Paper No. 2010-1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimball, Steven M.; Lander, Rachel; Thorn, Christopher A.

    2010-01-01

    Beginning in 2002, The Chicago Community Trust embarked on an ambitious grant- making strategy to improve education outcomes primarily in the city of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. Known as The Education Initiative, this effort focused on three priority grant areas: literacy, professional development, and alternative models of schools. In…

  9. Probability matching and strategy availability.

    PubMed

    Koehler, Derek J; James, Greta

    2010-09-01

    Findings from two experiments indicate that probability matching in sequential choice arises from an asymmetry in strategy availability: The matching strategy comes readily to mind, whereas a superior alternative strategy, maximizing, does not. First, compared with the minority who spontaneously engage in maximizing, the majority of participants endorse maximizing as superior to matching in a direct comparison when both strategies are described. Second, when the maximizing strategy is brought to their attention, more participants subsequently engage in maximizing. Third, matchers are more likely than maximizers to base decisions in other tasks on their initial intuitions, suggesting that they are more inclined to use a choice strategy that comes to mind quickly. These results indicate that a substantial subset of probability matchers are victims of "underthinking" rather than "overthinking": They fail to engage in sufficient deliberation to generate a superior alternative to the matching strategy that comes so readily to mind.

  10. Aptamer-Based Analysis: A Promising Alternative for Food Safety Control

    PubMed Central

    Amaya-González, Sonia; de-los-Santos-Álvarez, Noemí; Miranda-Ordieres, Arturo J.; Lobo-Castañón, Maria Jesús

    2013-01-01

    Ensuring food safety is nowadays a top priority of authorities and professional players in the food supply chain. One of the key challenges to determine the safety of food and guarantee a high level of consumer protection is the availability of fast, sensitive and reliable analytical methods to identify specific hazards associated to food before they become a health problem. The limitations of existing methods have encouraged the development of new technologies, among them biosensors. Success in biosensor design depends largely on the development of novel receptors with enhanced affinity to the target, while being stable and economical. Aptamers fulfill these characteristics, and thus have surfaced as promising alternatives to natural receptors. This Review describes analytical strategies developed so far using aptamers for the control of pathogens, allergens, adulterants, toxins and other forbidden contaminants to ensure food safety. The main progresses to date are presented, highlighting potential prospects for the future. PMID:24287543

  11. Nanomaterials incorporated ultrasound contrast agents for cancer theranostics

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Lei; Ke, Heng-Te

    2016-01-01

    Nanotechnology provides various nanomaterials with tremendous functionalities for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Recently, theranostics has been developed as an alternative strategy for efficient cancer treatment through combination of imaging diagnosis and therapeutic interventions under the guidance of diagnostic results. Ultrasound (US) imaging shows unique advantages with excellent features of real-time imaging, low cost, high safety and portability, making US contrast agents (UCAs) an ideal platform for construction of cancer theranostic agents. This review focuses on the development of nanomaterials incorporated multifunctional UCAs serving as theranostic agents for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, via conjugation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs), CuS nanoparticles, DNA, siRNA, gold nanoparticles (GNPs), gold nanorods (GNRs), gold nanoshell (GNS), graphene oxides (GOs), polypyrrole (PPy) nanocapsules, Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles and so on to different types of UCAs. The cancer treatment could be more effectively and accurately carried out under the guidance and monitoring with the help of the achieved theranostic agents. Furthermore, nanomaterials incorporated theranostic agents based on UCAs can be designed and constructed by demand for personalized and accurate treatment of cancer, demonstrating their great potential to address the challenges of cancer heterogeneity and adaptation, which can provide alternative strategies for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. PMID:27807499

  12. Alternative approaches to myeloid suppressor cell therapy in transplantation: comparing regulatory macrophages to tolerogenic DCs and MDSCs

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Several types of myeloid suppressor cell are currently being developed as cell-based immunosuppressive agents. Despite detailed knowledge about the molecular and cellular functions of these cell types, expert opinions differ on how to best implement such therapies in solid organ transplantation. Efforts in our laboratory to develop a cell-based medicinal product for promoting tolerance in renal transplant patients have focused on a type of suppressor macrophage, which we call the regulatory macrophage (M reg). Our favoured clinical strategy is to administer donor-derived M regs to recipients one week prior to transplantation. In contrast, many groups working with tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) advocate post-transplant administration of recipient-derived cells. A third alternative, using myeloid-derived suppressor cells, presumably demands that cells are given around the time of transplantation, so that they can infiltrate the graft to create a suppressive environment. On present evidence, it is not possible to say which cell type and treatment strategy might be clinically superior. This review seeks to position our basic scientific and early-stage clinical studies of human regulatory macrophages within the broader context of myeloid suppressor cell therapy in transplantation. PMID:23369628

  13. Maternal Strategies to Access Food Differ by Food Security Status.

    PubMed

    Gorman, Kathleen S; McCurdy, Karen; Kisler, Tiffani; Metallinos-Katsaras, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    Household food insecurity is associated with health and behavior risk. Much less is known about how food insecurity is related to strategies that adults use in accessing food: how and where they shop, use of alternative food sources, and their ability to manage resources. To examine how maternal behaviors, including shopping, accessing alternative sources of food, and managing resources, are related to household food security status (HHFSS). Cross-sectional study collecting survey data on HHFSS, shopping behaviors, use of alternative food sources, and managing resources obtained from low-income mothers of preschool-aged children. One hundred sixty-four low-income mothers of young children (55% Hispanic) from two communities in Rhode Island. HHFSS was measured using 10 items from the 18-item Core Food Security Module to assess adult food security. Mothers were surveyed about where, when, and how often they shopped; the strategies they use when shopping; their use of alternative sources of food, including federal, state, and local assistance; and their ability to manage their resources. Analysis of variance and χ 2 analyses assessed the associations between demographic variables, shopping, accessing alternative food sources, and managing resources, and HHFSS. Multivariate logistic regression assessed the associations between HHFSS and maternal demographic variables, food shopping, strategies, alternative sources of food, and ability to manage resources. Maternal age and language spoken at home were significantly associated with HHFSS; food insecurity was 10% more likely among older mothers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.17) and 2.5 times more likely among Spanish-speaking households (compared with non-Spanish speaking [aOR 3.57, 95% CI 1.25 to 10.18]). Food insecurity was more likely among mothers reporting more informal strategies (aOR 1.98, 95% CI 1.28 to 3.01; P<0.05) and perceiving greater inability to manage resources (aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.98; P<0.05). The results suggest that low-income mothers use a variety of strategies to feed their families and that the strategies they use vary by HHFSS. Community nutrition programs and providers will need to consider these strategies when counseling families at risk for food insecurity and provide guidance to minimize the influence on healthy food choices. Copyright © 2017 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Maternal Strategies to Access Food Differ by Food Security Status

    PubMed Central

    Gorman, Kathleen S.; McCurdy, Karen; Kisler, Tiffani; Metallinos-Katsaras, Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    Background Household food insecurity is associated with health and behavior risk. Much less is known about how food insecurity is related to strategies that adults use in accessing food: how and where they shop, use of alternative food sources and their ability to manage resources. Objective To examine how maternal behaviors including shopping, accessing alternative sources of food and managing resources are related to household food security status (HHFSS). Design Cross-sectional study collecting survey data on HHFSS, shopping behaviors, use of alternative food sources and managing resources obtained from low income mothers of preschoolers. Participants 164 low-income mothers of young children (55% Hispanic) from two communities in Rhode Island. Measures HHFSS was measured using ten items from the 18-item Core Food Security Module to assess adult food security. Mothers were surveyed about where, when and how often they shopped; the strategies they use when shopping; their use of alternative sources of food including federal, state and local assistance; and their ability to manage their resources. Statistical analyses Analysis of Variance and Chi-square analyses assessed the associations between demographic variables, shopping, accessing alternative food sources and managing resources, and HHFSS. Multivariate logistic regression assessed the associations between HHFSS and maternal demographic variables, food shopping strategies, alternative sources of food and ability to manage resources. Results Maternal age and language spoken at home were significantly associated with HHFSS; food insecurity was 10% more likely among older mothers (AOR=1.10; 95% CI 1.03-1.17) and 2.5 times more likely among Spanish speaking households (compared to non-Spanish speaking-AOR=3.57; 95% CI 1.25-10.18). Food insecurity was more likely among mothers reporting more informal strategies (AOR=1.98; 95% CI 1.28-3.01, p<.05) and perceiving greater inability to manage resources (AOR=1.60; 95% CI 1.30-1.98, p<.05). Conclusions The results suggest that low-income mothers use a variety of strategies in order to feed their families and that the strategies they use vary by HHFSS. Community nutrition programs and providers will need to consider these strategies when counseling families at risk for food insecurity and provide guidance to minimize the impact on healthy food choices. PMID:27614689

  15. Alternative strategies: a better alternative.

    PubMed

    Doody, Dennis

    2010-05-01

    Alternatives can be defined as being any financial asset other than traditional stocks and bonds. They include marketable alternatives, private capital, and equity real estate. There are two primary reasons for investing in alternatives: the potential for greater return and the opportunity to diversify a portfolio. Although alternatives were challenged in the highly volatile environment that existed in 2008 and early 2009, they generally lived up to expectations.

  16. Empirical study of the dependence of the results of multivariable flexible survival analyses on model selection strategy.

    PubMed

    Binquet, C; Abrahamowicz, M; Mahboubi, A; Jooste, V; Faivre, J; Bonithon-Kopp, C; Quantin, C

    2008-12-30

    Flexible survival models, which avoid assumptions about hazards proportionality (PH) or linearity of continuous covariates effects, bring the issues of model selection to a new level of complexity. Each 'candidate covariate' requires inter-dependent decisions regarding (i) its inclusion in the model, and representation of its effects on the log hazard as (ii) either constant over time or time-dependent (TD) and, for continuous covariates, (iii) either loglinear or non-loglinear (NL). Moreover, 'optimal' decisions for one covariate depend on the decisions regarding others. Thus, some efficient model-building strategy is necessary.We carried out an empirical study of the impact of the model selection strategy on the estimates obtained in flexible multivariable survival analyses of prognostic factors for mortality in 273 gastric cancer patients. We used 10 different strategies to select alternative multivariable parametric as well as spline-based models, allowing flexible modeling of non-parametric (TD and/or NL) effects. We employed 5-fold cross-validation to compare the predictive ability of alternative models.All flexible models indicated significant non-linearity and changes over time in the effect of age at diagnosis. Conventional 'parametric' models suggested the lack of period effect, whereas more flexible strategies indicated a significant NL effect. Cross-validation confirmed that flexible models predicted better mortality. The resulting differences in the 'final model' selected by various strategies had also impact on the risk prediction for individual subjects.Overall, our analyses underline (a) the importance of accounting for significant non-parametric effects of covariates and (b) the need for developing accurate model selection strategies for flexible survival analyses. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Rendezvous strategy impacts on CTV avionics design, system reliability requirements, and available collision avoidance maneuvers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donovan, William J.; Davis, John E.

    1991-01-01

    Rockwell International is conducting an ongoing program to develop avionics architectures that provide high intrinsic value while meeting all mission objectives. Studies are being conducted to determine alternative configurations that have low life-cycle cost and minimum development risk, and that minimize launch delays while providing the reliability level to assure a successful mission. This effort is based on four decades of providing ballistic missile avionics to the United States Air Force and has focused on the requirements of the NASA Cargo Transfer Vehicle (CTV) program in 1991. During the development of architectural concepts it became apparent that rendezvous strategy issues have an impact on the architecture of the avionics system. This is in addition to the expected impact on propulsion and electrical power duration, flight profiles, and trajectory during approach.

  18. Lessons From Recruitment to an Internet-Based Survey for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Comparison of Free and Fee-Based Methods.

    PubMed

    Davies, Benjamin; Kotter, Mark

    2018-02-05

    Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) is a syndrome of subacute cervical spinal cord compression due to spinal degeneration. Although DCM is thought to be common, many fundamental questions such as the natural history and epidemiology of DCM remain unknown. In order to answer these, access to a large cohort of patients with DCM is required. With its unrivalled and efficient reach, the Internet has become an attractive tool for medical research and may overcome these limitations in DCM. The most effective recruitment strategy, however, is unknown. To compare the efficacy of fee-based advertisement with alternative free recruitment strategies to a DCM Internet health survey. An Internet health survey (SurveyMonkey) accessed by a new DCM Internet platform (myelopathy.org) was created. Using multiple survey collectors and the website's Google Analytics, the efficacy of fee-based recruitment strategies (Google AdWords) and free alternatives (including Facebook, Twitter, and myelopathy.org) were compared. Overall, 760 surveys (513 [68%] fully completed) were accessed, 305 (40%) from fee-based strategies and 455 (60%) from free alternatives. Accounting for researcher time, fee-based strategies were more expensive ($7.8 per response compared to $3.8 per response for free alternatives) and identified a less motivated audience (Click-Through-Rate of 5% compared to 57% using free alternatives) but were more time efficient for the researcher (2 minutes per response compared to 16 minutes per response for free methods). Facebook was the most effective free strategy, providing 239 (31%) responses, where a single message to 4 existing communities yielded 133 (18%) responses within 7 days. The Internet can efficiently reach large numbers of patients. Free and fee-based recruitment strategies both have merits. Facebook communities are a rich resource for Internet researchers. ©Benjamin Davies, Mark Kotter. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 05.02.2018.

  19. Lessons From Recruitment to an Internet-Based Survey for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Comparison of Free and Fee-Based Methods

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Background Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) is a syndrome of subacute cervical spinal cord compression due to spinal degeneration. Although DCM is thought to be common, many fundamental questions such as the natural history and epidemiology of DCM remain unknown. In order to answer these, access to a large cohort of patients with DCM is required. With its unrivalled and efficient reach, the Internet has become an attractive tool for medical research and may overcome these limitations in DCM. The most effective recruitment strategy, however, is unknown. Objective To compare the efficacy of fee-based advertisement with alternative free recruitment strategies to a DCM Internet health survey. Methods An Internet health survey (SurveyMonkey) accessed by a new DCM Internet platform (myelopathy.org) was created. Using multiple survey collectors and the website’s Google Analytics, the efficacy of fee-based recruitment strategies (Google AdWords) and free alternatives (including Facebook, Twitter, and myelopathy.org) were compared. Results Overall, 760 surveys (513 [68%] fully completed) were accessed, 305 (40%) from fee-based strategies and 455 (60%) from free alternatives. Accounting for researcher time, fee-based strategies were more expensive ($7.8 per response compared to $3.8 per response for free alternatives) and identified a less motivated audience (Click-Through-Rate of 5% compared to 57% using free alternatives) but were more time efficient for the researcher (2 minutes per response compared to 16 minutes per response for free methods). Facebook was the most effective free strategy, providing 239 (31%) responses, where a single message to 4 existing communities yielded 133 (18%) responses within 7 days. Conclusions The Internet can efficiently reach large numbers of patients. Free and fee-based recruitment strategies both have merits. Facebook communities are a rich resource for Internet researchers. PMID:29402760

  20. Alternatives to national average income data as eligibility criteria for international subsidies: a social justice perspective.

    PubMed

    Shebaya, Sirine; Sutherland, Andrea; Levine, Orin; Faden, Ruth

    2010-12-01

    Current strategies to address global inequities in access to life-saving vaccines use averaged national income data to determine eligibility. While largely successful in the lowest income countries, we argue that this approach could lead to significant inefficiencies from the standpoint of justice if applied to middle-income countries, where income inequalities are large and lead to national averages that obscure truly needy populations. Instead, we suggest alternative indicators more sensitive to social justice concerns that merit consideration by policy-makers developing new initiatives to redress health inequities in middle-income countries. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. A framework program for the teaching of alternative methods (replacement, reduction, refinement) to animal experimentation.

    PubMed

    Daneshian, Mardas; Akbarsha, Mohammad A; Blaauboer, Bas; Caloni, Francesca; Cosson, Pierre; Curren, Rodger; Goldberg, Alan; Gruber, Franz; Ohl, Frauke; Pfaller, Walter; van der Valk, Jan; Vinardell, Pilar; Zurlo, Joanne; Hartung, Thomas; Leist, Marcel

    2011-01-01

    Development of improved communication and education strategies is important to make alternatives to the use of animals, and the broad range of applications of the 3Rs concept better known and understood by different audiences. For this purpose, the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing in Europe (CAAT-Europe) together with the Transatlantic Think Tank for Toxicology (t(4)) hosted a three-day workshop on "Teaching Alternative Methods to Animal Experimentation". A compilation of the recommendations by a group of international specialists in the field is summarized in this report. Initially, the workshop participants identified the different audience groups to be addressed and also the communication media that may be used. The main outcome of the workshop was a framework for a comprehensive educational program. The modular structure of the teaching program presented here allows adaptation to different audiences with their specific needs; different time schedules can be easily accommodated on this basis. The topics cover the 3Rs principle, basic research, toxicological applications, method development and validation, regulatory aspects, case studies and ethical aspects of 3Rs approaches. This expert consortium agreed to generating teaching materials covering all modules and providing them in an open access online repository.

  2. 13th Meeting of the Scientific Group on Methodologies for the Safety Evaluation of Chemicals (SGOMSEC): alternative testing methodologies for ecotoxicity.

    PubMed Central

    Walker, C; Kaiser, K; Klein, W; Lagadic, L; Peakall, D; Sheffield, S; Soldan, T; Yasuno, M

    1998-01-01

    There is growing public pressure to minimize the use of vertebrates in ecotoxicity testing; therefore, effective alternatives to toxicity tests causing suffering are being sought. This report discusses alternatives and differs in some respects from the reports of the other three groups because the primary concern is with harmful effects of chemicals at the level of population and above rather than with harmful effects upon individuals. It is concluded that progress toward the objective of minimizing testing that causes suffering would be served by the following initiatives--a clearer definition of goals and strategies when undertaking testing procedures; development of alternative assays, including in vitro test systems, that are based on new technology; development of nondestructive assays for vertebrates (e.g., biomarkers) that do not cause suffering; selection of most appropriate species, strains, and developmental stages for testing procedures (but no additional species for basic testing); better integrated and more flexible testing procedures incorporating biomarker responses, ecophysiological concepts, and ecological end points (progress in this direction depends upon expert judgment). In general, testing procedures could be made more realistic, taking into account problems with mixtures, and with volatile or insoluble chemicals. PMID:9599690

  3. INVESTIGATING ALTERNATIVES TO THE FISH EARLY-LIFE STAGE TEST: A STRATEGY FOR DISCOVERING AND ANNOTATING ADVERSE OUTCOME PATHWAYS FOR EARLY FISH DEVELOPMENT

    PubMed Central

    Villeneuve, Daniel; Volz, David C; Embry, Michelle R; Ankley, Gerald T; Belanger, Scott E; Léonard, Marc; Schirmer, Kristin; Tanguay, Robert; Truong, Lisa; Wehmas, Leah

    2014-01-01

    The fish early-life stage (FELS) test (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] test guideline 210) is the primary test used internationally to estimate chronic fish toxicity in support of ecological risk assessments and chemical management programs. As part of an ongoing effort to develop efficient and cost-effective alternatives to the FELS test, there is a need to identify and describe potential adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) relevant to FELS toxicity. To support this endeavor, the authors outline and illustrate an overall strategy for the discovery and annotation of FELS AOPs. Key events represented by major developmental landmarks were organized into a preliminary conceptual model of fish development. Using swim bladder inflation as an example, a weight-of-evidence–based approach was used to support linkage of key molecular initiating events to adverse phenotypic outcomes and reduced young-of-year survival. Based on an iterative approach, the feasibility of using key events as the foundation for expanding a network of plausible linkages and AOP knowledge was explored and, in the process, important knowledge gaps were identified. Given the scope and scale of the task, prioritization of AOP development was recommended and key research objectives were defined relative to factors such as current animal-use restrictions in the European Union and increased demands for fish toxicity data in chemical management programs globally. The example and strategy described are intended to guide collective efforts to define FELS-related AOPs and develop resource-efficient predictive assays that address the toxicological domain of the OECD 210 test. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:158–169. © 2013 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PMID:24115264

  4. Cost-effectiveness analysis of mammography and clinical breast examination strategies

    PubMed Central

    Ahern, Charlotte Hsieh; Shen, Yu

    2009-01-01

    Purpose Breast cancer screening by mammography and clinical breast exam are commonly used for early tumor detection. Previous cost-effectiveness studies considered mammography alone or did not account for all relevant costs. In this study, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of screening schedules recommended by three major cancer organizations and compared them with alternative strategies. We considered costs of screening examinations, subsequent work-up, biopsy, and treatment interventions after diagnosis. Methods We used a microsimulation model to generate women’s life histories, and assessed screening and treatment impacts on survival. Using statistical models, we accounted for age-specific incidence, preclinical disease duration, and age-specific sensitivity and specificity for each screening modality. The outcomes of interest were quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) saved and total costs with a 3% annual discount rate. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were used to compare strategies. Sensitivity analyses were performed by varying some of the assumptions. Results Compared to guidelines from the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, alternative strategies were more efficient. Mammography and clinical breast exam in alternating years from ages 40 to 79 was a cost-effective alternative compared to the guidelines, costing $35,500 per QALY saved compared with no screening. The American Cancer Society guideline was the most effective and the most expensive, costing over $680,000 for an added QALY compared to the above alternative. Conclusion Screening strategies with lower costs and benefits comparable to those currently recommended should be considered for implementation in practice and for future guidelines. PMID:19258473

  5. Pattern of informed consent acquisition in patients undergoing emergent endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke

    PubMed Central

    Qureshi, Adnan I; Gilani, Sarwat; Adil, Malik M; Majidi, Shahram; Hassan, Ameer E; Miley, Jefferson T; Rodriguez, Gustavo J

    2014-01-01

    Background Telephone consent and two physician consents based on medical necessity are alternate strategies for time sensitive medical decisions but are not uniformly accepted for clinical practice or recruitment into clinical trials. We determined the rate of and associated outcomes with alternate consenting strategies in consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients receiving emergent endovascular treatment. Methods We divided patients into those treated based on in-person consent and those based on alternate strategies. We identified clinical and procedural differences and differences in hospital outcomes: symptomatic ICH and favorable outcome (defined by modified Rankin Scale of 0–2 at discharge) based on consenting methodology. Results Of a total of 159 patients treated, 119 were treated based on in-person consent (by the patient in 27 and legally authorized representative in 92 procedures). Another 40 patients were treated using alternate strategies (20 telephone consents and 20 two physician consents based on medical necessity). There was no difference in the mean ages and proportion of men among the two groups based on consenting methodology. There was a significantly greater time interval incurred between CT scan and initiation of endovascular procedure in those in whom in-person consent was obtained (117 ± 65 min versus 101 ± 45 min, p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in rates of ICH (9% versus 8%, p = 0.9), or favorable outcome at discharge (28% versus 30%, p = 0.8). Conclusions Consent through alternate strategies does not adversely affect procedural characteristics or outcome of patients and may be more time efficient than in-person consenting process. PMID:25132906

  6. Integrating human resources and program-planning strategies.

    PubMed

    Smith, J E

    1989-06-01

    The integration of human resources management (HRM) strategies with long-term program-planning strategies in hospital pharmacy departments is described. HRM is a behaviorally based, comprehensive strategy for the effective management and use of people that seeks to achieve coordination and integration with overall planning strategies and other managerial functions. It encompasses forecasting of staffing requirements; determining work-related factors that are strong "motivators" and thus contribute to employee productivity and job satisfaction; conducting a departmental personnel and skills inventory; employee career planning and development, including training and education programs; strategies for promotion and succession, including routes of advancement that provide alternatives to the managerial route; and recruitment and selection of new personnel to meet changing departmental needs. Increased competitiveness among hospitals and a shortage of pharmacists make it imperative that hospital pharmacy managers create strategies to attract, develop, and retain the right individuals to enable the department--and the hospital as a whole--to grow and change in response to the changing health-care environment in the United States. Pharmacy managers would be greatly aided in this mission by the establishment of a well-defined, national strategic plan for pharmacy programs and services that includes an analysis of what education and training are necessary for their successful accomplishment. Creation of links between overall program objectives and people-planning strategies will aid hospital pharmacy departments in maximizing the long-term effectiveness of their practice.

  7. Subcutaneous transplantation of embryonic pancreas for correction of type 1 diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Gunawardana, Subhadra C.; Benninger, Richard K. P.; Piston, David W.

    2009-01-01

    Islet transplantation is a promising therapeutic approach for type 1 diabetes. However, current success rates are low due to progressive graft failure in the long term and inability to monitor graft development in vivo. Other limitations include the necessity of initial invasive surgery and continued immunosuppressive therapy. We report an alternative transplantation strategy with the potential to overcome these problems. This technique involves transplantation of embryonic pancreatic tissue into recipients’ subcutaneous space, eliminating the need for invasive surgery and associated risks. Current results in mouse models of type 1 diabetes show that embryonic pancreatic transplants in the subcutaneous space can normalize blood glucose homeostasis and achieve extensive endocrine differentiation and vascularization. Furthermore, modern imaging techniques such as two-photon excitation microscopy (TPEM) can be employed to monitor transplants through the intact skin in a completely noninvasive manner. Thus, this strategy is a convenient alternative to islet transplantation in diabetic mice and has the potential to be translated to human clinical applications with appropriate modifications. PMID:19066321

  8. Chemically controlled closed-loop insulin delivery.

    PubMed

    Ravaine, Valérie; Ancla, Christophe; Catargi, Bogdan

    2008-11-24

    Alternative treatments for diabetes are currently being investigated to improve both patient comfort and avoid complications due to hyperglycaemia episodes. In the absence of a cure like pancreas or beta-islets transplants, the ideal method would be an artificial "closed-loop" system able to mimic pancreas activity. This would operate continuously and automatically, causing appropriate response to losses and gains in glucose levels. Chemically controlled closed-loop insulin delivery has been explored by two main strategies. The first one consists in delivering insulin with a glucose-responsive matrix. Polymeric hydrogels that swell or shrink according to the glucose concentration allow delivering insulin doses adapted to the glucose concentration. The second strategy consists in modifying insulin itself with glucose-sensitive functional groups that trigger its activity. Recent developments made in these areas represent significant progress in terms of biocompatibility, selectivity, pharmacokinetics, and easiness of administration, as required for in vivo applications. Although some issues still have to be overcome, this field of research is promising as a possible alternative to other approaches for diabetes treatment.

  9. Decision-making and evacuation planning for flood risk management in the Netherlands.

    PubMed

    Kolen, Bas; Helsloot, Ira

    2014-07-01

    A traditional view of decision-making for evacuation planning is that, given an uncertain threat, there is a deterministic way of defining the best decision. In other words, there is a linear relation between threat, decision, and execution consequences. Alternatives and the impact of uncertainties are not taken into account. This study considers the 'top strategic decision-making' for mass evacuation owing to flooding in the Netherlands. It reveals that the top strategic decision-making process itself is probabilistic because of the decision-makers involved and their crisis managers (as advisers). The paper concludes that deterministic planning is not sufficient, and it recommends probabilistic planning that considers uncertainties in the decision-making process itself as well as other uncertainties, such as forecasts, citizens responses, and the capacity of infrastructure. This results in less optimistic, but more realistic, strategies and a need to pay attention to alternative strategies. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

  10. Economic, ecological, food safety, and social consequences of the deployment of bt transgenic plants.

    PubMed

    Shelton, A M; Zhao, J-Z; Roush, R T

    2002-01-01

    Transgenic plants expressing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), are revolutionizing agriculture. Bt, which had limited use as a foliar insecticide, has become a major insecticide because genes that produce Bt toxins have been engineered into major crops grown on 11.4 million ha worldwide in 2000. Based on the data collected to date, generally these crops have shown positive economic benefits to growers and reduced the use of other insecticides. The potential ecological and human health consequences of Bt plants, including effects on nontarget organisms, food safety, and the development of resistant insect populations, are being compared for Bt plants and alternative insect management strategies. Scientists do not have full knowledge of the risks and benefits of any insect management strategies. Bt plants were deployed with the expectation that the risks would be lower than current or alternative technologies and that the benefits would be greater. Based on the data to date, these expectations seem valid.

  11. Development of a diabetes treatment simulation model: with application to assessing alternative treatment intensification strategies on survival and diabetes-related complications.

    PubMed

    Chen, J; Alemao, E; Yin, D; Cook, J

    2008-06-01

    The objective of this analysis is to project the long-term impacts on life expectancy and occurrence over 5, 10, and 40 years of microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes when using different haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) thresholds for intensifying treatment of type 2 diabetes. A flexible, discrete-event simulation model has been developed to evaluate alternative treatment strategies based on the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes Model. In the present analysis, the model is used to investigate the impact of alternative HbA1c thresholds for treatment intensification ranging from 7.0 to 9.0%. For each intensification strategy, the model is run using 80 simulated patients for each of 1224 patient profiles from the Real-Life Effectiveness and Care Patterns of Diabetes Management study (for a total of 97,920 simulated patients) to project the number of patients who will experience diabetes-related complications over time. The use of lower HbA1c thresholds for intensifying treatment is associated with improved long-term outcomes. When the HbA1c threshold for intensifying therapy from oral treatment to basal insulin (T1) is 7.0% and the threshold for intensifying basal insulin to multiple-dose insulin (T2) is 7.0%, simulated patients spend 54% of their time with HbA1c >7.0%, but 95% of their time with HbA1c >7.0% if T1 and T2 are set to 9.0%. More aggressive or proactive treatment postures are projected to reduce clinical events, including diabetes-related deaths and diabetes-related complications, particularly myocardial infarctions (MIs). When T1 and T2 are set to 7.0%, there are 592 fewer diabetes-related deaths in the first 5 years of the simulation and 3740 fewer deaths over 40 years compared with the results when T1 and T2 are set to 9.0%. These decreases in deaths were also associated with a 0.35 year gain in projected life expectancy. Compared with an aggressive strategy with both T1 and T2 being 7%, 644 more patients are projected to experience at least one episode of MI in the first 5 years if treatment intensification is delayed until HbA1c reaches 9.0%. This number increases over time, reaching 2906 additional patients experiencing at least one MI over a 40-year time period. We report results from a discrete-event simulation model to explore the impact of alternative treatment strategies for patients with type 2 diabetes. Strategies that intensify therapy (in response to rising HbA1c levels) at lower HbA1c thresholds (e.g. 7.0%) are associated with enhanced projected long-term health outcomes.

  12. Considerations for a business model for the effective integration of novel biomarkers into drug development.

    PubMed

    Frueh, Felix W

    2008-11-01

    It is 10 years since the introduction of trastuzumab into the US market, and we are still waiting for a validation of the business case for biomarker-driven drug development. While many reasons for the lack of duplication of this model may exist, the need for accelerated innovation in drug development paired with the opportunity of integrating biomarker-driven research into drug development programs may lead to new and creative ways of fostering the cooperation between drug developers and test manufacturers. The rapid increase in knowledge about biomarkers and our understanding of disease and disease mechanisms open unprecedented prospects to make not only better, more informed decisions regarding patient care, but also strategic decisions during drug development. This requires that a biomarker strategy becomes an integral part of (early) drug development and that new, innovative paths are tried towards a model that combines the scientific approach with an economically feasible implementation strategy. Collaborative research, the use of new communication tools, the exploration of alternative ways to position a product in the market, and other considerations are part of such a strategy. This perspective article illustrates the current landscape and takes a look at some of these new ways for more effectively integrating biomarkers into drug development.

  13. Navigation strategy training using virtual reality in six chronic stroke patients: A novel and explorative approach to the rehabilitation of navigation impairment.

    PubMed

    Claessen, Michiel H G; van der Ham, Ineke J M; Jagersma, Elbrich; Visser-Meily, Johanna M A

    2016-10-01

    Recent studies have shown that navigation impairment is a common complaint after brain injury. Effective training programmes aiming to improve navigation ability in neurological patients are, however, scarce. The few reported programmes are merely focused on recalling specific routes rather than encouraging brain-damaged patients to use an alternative navigation strategy, applicable to any route. Our aim was therefore to investigate the feasibility of a (virtual reality) navigation training as a tool to instruct chronic stroke patients to adopt an alternative navigation strategy. Navigation ability was systematically assessed before the training. The training approach was then determined based on the individual pattern of navigation deficits of each patient. The use of virtual reality in the navigation strategy training in six middle-aged stroke patients was found to be highly feasible. Furthermore, five patients learned to (partially) apply an alternative navigation strategy in the virtual environment, suggesting that navigation strategies are mouldable rather than static. In the evaluation of their training experiences, the patients judged the training as valuable and proposed some suggestions for further improvement. The notion that the navigation strategy people use can be influenced after a short training procedure is a novel finding and initiates a direction for future studies.

  14. Strategy over operation: neural activation in subtraction and multiplication during fact retrieval and procedural strategy use in children.

    PubMed

    Polspoel, Brecht; Peters, Lien; Vandermosten, Maaike; De Smedt, Bert

    2017-09-01

    Arithmetic development is characterized by strategy shifts between procedural strategy use and fact retrieval. This study is the first to explicitly investigate children's neural activation associated with the use of these different strategies. Participants were 26 typically developing 4th graders (9- to 10-year-olds), who, in a behavioral session, were asked to verbally report on a trial-by-trial basis how they had solved 100 subtraction and multiplication items. These items were subsequently presented during functional magnetic resonance imaging. An event-related design allowed us to analyze the brain responses during retrieval and procedural trials, based on the children's verbal reports. During procedural strategy use, and more specifically for the decomposition of operands strategy, activation increases were observed in the inferior and superior parietal lobes (intraparietal sulci), inferior to superior frontal gyri, bilateral areas in the occipital lobe, and insular cortex. For retrieval, in comparison to procedural strategy use, we observed increased activity in the bilateral angular and supramarginal gyri, left middle to inferior temporal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and superior medial frontal gyrus. No neural differences were found between the two operations under study. These results are the first in children to provide direct evidence for alternate neural activation when different arithmetic strategies are used and further unravel that previously found effects of operation on brain activity reflect differences in arithmetic strategy use. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4657-4670, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Alternative Strategies to Improve and Expand the Delivery of Vocational Education in Small, Rural, and/or Isolated Secondary Schools in Hawaii.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu. Office of the Director for Vocational Education.

    Intended for administrators of schools within the Hawaii Department of Education, this document provides descriptions of 34 alternative strategies implemented by small, rural, and/or isolated secondary schools across the nation to improve the quality of their vocational programs. Introductory materials discuss the document's purpose, the need for…

  16. Editor's Perspective Article: Alternative Certification Teachers--Strategies for the Transition to a New Career

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Brian R.

    2015-01-01

    New teachers who are prepared to teach through alternative certification pathways may find the transition to a new career stressful and tumultuous. There are techniques that can be used to help make the transition easier on new teachers as they begin their new careers. This article explores several strategies for new teachers, which include…

  17. Strategy for distribution of influenza vaccine to high-risk groups and children.

    PubMed

    Longini, Ira M; Halloran, M Elizabeth

    2005-02-15

    Despite evidence that vaccinating schoolchildren against influenza is effective in limiting community-level transmission, the United States has had a long-standing government strategy of recommending that vaccine be concentrated primarily in high-risk groups and distributed to those people who keep the health system and social infrastructure operating. Because of this year's influenza vaccine shortage, a plan was enacted to distribute the limited vaccine stock to these groups first. This vaccination strategy, based on direct protection of those most at risk, has not been very effective in reducing influenza morbidity and mortality. Although it is too late to make changes this year, the current influenza vaccine crisis affords the opportunity to examine an alternative for future years. The alternative plan, supported by mathematical models and influenza field studies, would be to concentrate vaccine in schoolchildren, the population group most responsible for transmission, while also covering the reachable high-risk groups, who would also receive considerable indirect protection. In conjunction with a plan to ensure an adequate vaccine supply, this alternative influenza vaccination strategy would help control interpandemic influenza and be instrumental in preparing for pandemic influenza. The effectiveness of the alternative plan could be assessed through nationwide community studies.

  18. Evidence for an alternation strategy in time-place learning.

    PubMed

    Pizzo, Matthew J; Crystal, Jonathon D

    2004-11-30

    Many different conclusions concerning what type of mechanism rats use to solve a daily time-place task have emerged in the literature. The purpose of this study was to test three competing explanations of time-place discrimination. Rats (n = 10) were tested twice daily in a T-maze, separated by approximately 7 h. Food was available at one location in the morning and another location in the afternoon. After the rats learned to visit each location at the appropriate time, tests were omitted to evaluate whether the rats were utilizing time-of-day (i.e., a circadian oscillator) or an alternation strategy (i.e., visiting a correct location is a cue to visit the next location). Performance on this test was significantly lower than chance, ruling out the use of time-of-day. A phase advance of the light cycle was conducted to test the alternation strategy and timing with respect to the light cycle (i.e., an interval timer). There was no difference between probe and baseline performance. These results suggest that the rats used an alternation strategy to meet the temporal and spatial contingencies in the time-place task.

  19. Development of a simple intensified fermentation strategy for growth of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1: Physiological responses to changing environmental conditions.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Castané, Alfred; Li, Hong; Thomas, Owen R T; Overton, Tim W

    2018-06-01

    The development of a simple pH-stat fed-batch fermentation strategy for the production of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 and magnetosomes (nanoscale magnetic organelles with biotechnological applications) is described. Flow cytometry was exploited as a powerful analytical tool for process development, enabling rapid monitoring of cell morphology, physiology and polyhydroxyalkanoate production. The pH-stat fed-batch growth strategy was developed by varying the concentrations of the carbon source (lactic acid) and the alternative electron acceptor (sodium nitrate) in the feed. Growth conditions were optimized on the basis of biomass concentration, cellular magnetism (indicative of magnetosome production), and intracellular iron concentration. The highest biomass concentration and cellular iron content achieved were an optical density at 565 nm of 15.5 (equivalent to 4.2 g DCW·L -1 ) and 33.1 mg iron·g -1 DCW, respectively. This study demonstrates the importance of analyzing bacterial physiology during fermentation development and will potentially aid the industrial production of magnetosomes, which can be used in a wide range of biotechnology and healthcare applications. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Biochips: non-conventional strategies for biosensing elements immobilization.

    PubMed

    Marquette, Christophe A; Corgier, Benjamin P; Heyries, Kevin A; Blum, Loic J

    2008-01-01

    The present article draws a general picture of non-conventional methods for biomolecules immobilization. The technologies presented are based either on original solid supports or on innovative immobilization processes. Polydimethylsiloxane elastomer will be presented as a popular immobilization support within the biochip developer community. Electro-addressing of biomolecules at the surface of conducting biochips will appear to be an interesting alternative to immobilization processes based on surface functionalization. Finally, bead-assisted biomolecules immobilization will be presented as an open field of research for biochip developments.

  1. Network simulation modeling of equine infectious anemia in the non-racehorse population in Japan.

    PubMed

    Hayama, Yoko; Kobayashi, Sota; Nishida, Takeshi; Muroga, Norihiko; Tsutsui, Toshiyuki

    2012-01-01

    An equine infectious anemia (EIA) transmission model was developed by constructing a network structure of horse movement patterns in a non-racehorse population. This model was then used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of several EIA surveillance strategies. Because EIA had not been detected in Japan since 1993, it was appropriate to review the current surveillance strategy, which aims to eradicate EIA by intensive testing, and to consider alternative strategies suitable for the current EIA status in Japan. The non-racehorse population was divided into four sectors based on horse usage: the equestrian sector, private owner sector, exhibition sector, and fattening sector. To evaluate the risk of disease spread within and between sectors accompanied by horse movements, a stochastic individual-based network model was developed based on a previous survey of horse movement patterns. Surveillance parameters such as targeting sectors and frequency of testing were added into the model to compare surveillance strategies. The disease spread heterogeneously among sectors. Infection occurred mainly in the equestrian sector; the infection was less disseminated in other sectors. Therefore, we considered that the equestrian sector posed a higher risk of disease dissemination within and between sectors through horse movements. However, surveillance strategies targeting only the equestrian sector were not effective enough for early detection of the disease. Alternatively, targeting horses that moved permanently and those in the private owner sector in addition to the equestrian sector is recommended to achieve effectiveness equivalent to that of the current surveillance. In terms of surveillance efficacy, by increasing the testing interval (once yearly to once every 3 years), this testing scheme could reduce the number of tested horses to 44% of the current surveillance, while maintaining almost equivalent effectiveness. Intensive strategies targeting high-risk populations are considered to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of surveillance. The approach in this study may be helpful in the decision-making process that is involved in setting up strategies for risk-based surveillance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Communication-based assessment of developmental age for young children with developmental disabilities.

    PubMed

    DeVeney, Shari L; Hoffman, Lesa; Cress, Cynthia J

    2012-06-01

    In this study, the authors compared a multiple-domain strategy for assessing developmental age of young children with developmental disabilities who were at risk for long-term reliance on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with a communication-based strategy composed of receptive language and communication indices that may be less affected by physically challenging tasks than traditional developmental age scores. Participants were 42 children (age 9-27 months) with developmental disabilities and who were at risk for long-term reliance on AAC. Children were assessed longitudinally in their homes at 3 occasions over 18 months using multiple-domain and communication-based measures. Confirmatory factor analysis examined dimensionality across the measures, and age-equivalence scores under each strategy were compared, where possible. The communication-based latent factor of developmental age demonstrated good reliability and was almost perfectly correlated with the multiple-domain latent factor. However, the mean age-equivalence score of the communication-based assessment significantly exceeded that of the multiple-domain assessment by 5.3 months across ages. Clinicians working with young children with developmental disabilities should consider a communication-based approach as an alternative developmental age assessment strategy for characterizing children's capabilities, identifying challenges, and developing interventions. A communication-based developmental age estimation is sufficiently reliable and may result in more valid inferences about developmental age for children whose developmental or cognitive age scores may otherwise be limited by their physical capabilities.

  3. A New Strategy to Control and Eradicate "Undruggable" Oncogenic K-RAS-Driven Pancreatic Cancer: Molecular Insights and Core Principles Learned from Developmental and Evolutionary Biology.

    PubMed

    Van Sciver, Robert E; Lee, Michael P; Lee, Caroline Dasom; Lafever, Alex C; Svyatova, Elizaveta; Kanda, Kevin; Colliver, Amber L; Siewertsz van Reesema, Lauren L; Tang-Tan, Angela M; Zheleva, Vasilena; Bwayi, Monicah N; Bian, Minglei; Schmidt, Rebecca L; Matrisian, Lynn M; Petersen, Gloria M; Tang, Amy H

    2018-05-14

    Oncogenic K-RAS mutations are found in virtually all pancreatic cancers, making K-RAS one of the most targeted oncoproteins for drug development in cancer therapies. Despite intense research efforts over the past three decades, oncogenic K-RAS has remained largely "undruggable". Rather than targeting an upstream component of the RAS signaling pathway (i.e., EGFR/HER2) and/or the midstream effector kinases (i.e., RAF/MEK/ERK/PI3K/mTOR), we propose an alternative strategy to control oncogenic K-RAS signal by targeting its most downstream signaling module, Seven-In-Absentia Homolog (SIAH). SIAH E3 ligase controls the signal output of oncogenic K-RAS hyperactivation that drives unchecked cell proliferation, uncontrolled tumor growth, and rapid cancer cell dissemination in human pancreatic cancer. Therefore, SIAH is an ideal therapeutic target as it is an extraordinarily conserved downstream signaling gatekeeper indispensable for proper RAS signaling. Guided by molecular insights and core principles obtained from developmental and evolutionary biology, we propose an anti-SIAH-centered anti-K-RAS strategy as a logical and alternative anticancer strategy to dampen uncontrolled K-RAS hyperactivation and halt tumor growth and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. The clinical utility of developing SIAH as both a tumor-specific and therapy-responsive biomarker, as well as a viable anti-K-RAS drug target, is logically simple and conceptually innovative. SIAH clearly constitutes a major tumor vulnerability and K-RAS signaling bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Given the high degree of evolutionary conservation in the K-RAS/SIAH signaling pathway, an anti-SIAH-based anti-PDAC therapy will synergize with covalent K-RAS inhibitors and direct K-RAS targeted initiatives to control and eradicate pancreatic cancer in the future.

  4. Effectiveness of alternative rail passenger equipment crashworthiness strategies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-04-04

    Crashworthiness strategies, which include crash energy : management (CEM), pushback couplers, and push/pull : operation, are evaluated and compared under specific collision : conditions. Comparisons of three strategies are evaluated in : this paper: ...

  5. CON4EI: Development of serious eye damage and eye irritation testing strategies with respect to the requirements of the UN GHS/EU CLP hazard categories.

    PubMed

    Verstraelen, Sandra; Van Rompay, An R

    2018-06-01

    The main objective of the CON4EI (CONsortium for in vitro Eye Irritation testing strategy) project (2015-2016) was to develop tiered, non-animal testing strategies for serious eye damage and eye irritation assessment in relation to the most important drivers of classification. The serious eye damage and eye irritation potential of a set of 80 chemicals was identified based on existing in vivo Draize eye test data and testing was conducted using the following eight alternative test methods: BCOP (Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability)+histopathology, BCOP-LLBO (BCOP Laser Light-Based Opacitometer), ICE (Isolated Chicken Eye)+histopathology, STE (Short Term Exposure), EpiOcular™ EIT (EpiOcular Eye Irritation Test), EpiOcular™ ET-50 (EpiOcular™ Time-to-toxicity), SkinEthic™ HCE EIT (SkinEthic™ Human Corneal Epithelial Eye Irritation Test), and SMI (Slug Mucosal Irritation). Project management decided to not include the ICE data in this project since the execution showed relevant, and not predictable, deviations from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guideline (TG) 438 and Guidance Document 160. At this stage, the outcome of these deviations has not been fully assessed. In addition to these alternative test methods, the computational models Toxtree and Case Ultra were taken into account. This project assessed the relevance of these test methods, their applicability domains and limitations in terms of 'drivers of classification', and their strengths and weaknesses. In this way, methods were identified that fit into a tiered-testing strategy for serious eye damage/eye irritation assessment to distinguish United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UN GHS) Category 1 (Cat 1) chemicals from non-Cat 1 chemicals and address the gap namely distinguish between Category 2 (Cat 2) and Cat 1 chemicals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A novel methodology to characterize interfacility transfer strategies in a trauma transfer network.

    PubMed

    Gomez, David; Haas, Barbara; Larsen, Kristian; Alali, Aziz S; MacDonald, Russell D; Singh, Jeffrey M; Tien, Homer; Iwashyna, Theodore J; Rubenfeld, Gordon; Nathens, Avery B

    2016-10-01

    More than half of severely injured patients are initially transported from the scene of injury to nontrauma centers (NTCs), with many requiring subsequent transfer to trauma center (TC) care. Definitive care in the setting of severe injury is time sensitive. However, transferring severely injured patients from an NTC is a complex process often fraught with delays. Selection of the receiving TC and the mode of interfacility transport both strongly influence total transfer time and are highly amenable to quality improvement initiatives. We analyzed transfer strategies, defined as the pairing of a destination and mode of transport (land vs. rotary wing vs. fixed wing), for severely injured adult patients. Existing transfer strategies at each NTC were derived from trauma registry data. Geographic Information Systems network analysis was used to identify the strategy that minimized transfer times the most as well as alternate strategies (+15 or +30 minutes) for each NTC. Transfer network efficiency was characterized based on optimality and stability. We identified 7,702 severely injured adult patients transferred from 146 NTCs to 9 TCs. Nontrauma centers transferred severely injured patients to a median of 3 (interquartile range, 1-4) different TCs and utilized a median of 4 (interquartile range, 2-6) different transfer strategies. After allowing for the use of alternate transfer strategies, 73.1% of severely injured patients were transported using optimal/alternate strategies, and only 40.4% of NTCs transferred more than 90% of patients using an optimal/alternate transfer strategy. Three quarters (75.5%) of transfers occurred between NTCs and their most common receiving TC. More than a quarter of patients with severe traumatic injuries undergoing interfacility transport to a TC in Ontario are consistently transported using a nonoptimal combination of destination and mode of transport. Our novel analytic approach can be easily adapted to different system configurations and provides actionable data that can be provided to NTCs and other stakeholders. Therapeutic study, level IV.

  7. Representational change and strategy use in children's number line estimation during the first years of primary school.

    PubMed

    White, Sonia L J; Szűcs, Dénes

    2012-01-04

    The objective of this study was to scrutinize number line estimation behaviors displayed by children in mathematics classrooms during the first three years of schooling. We extend existing research by not only mapping potential logarithmic-linear shifts but also provide a new perspective by studying in detail the estimation strategies of individual target digits within a number range familiar to children. Typically developing children (n = 67) from Years 1-3 completed a number-to-position numerical estimation task (0-20 number line). Estimation behaviors were first analyzed via logarithmic and linear regression modeling. Subsequently, using an analysis of variance we compared the estimation accuracy of each digit, thus identifying target digits that were estimated with the assistance of arithmetic strategy. Our results further confirm a developmental logarithmic-linear shift when utilizing regression modeling; however, uniquely we have identified that children employ variable strategies when completing numerical estimation, with levels of strategy advancing with development. In terms of the existing cognitive research, this strategy factor highlights the limitations of any regression modeling approach, or alternatively, it could underpin the developmental time course of the logarithmic-linear shift. Future studies need to systematically investigate this relationship and also consider the implications for educational practice.

  8. Representational change and strategy use in children's number line estimation during the first years of primary school

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The objective of this study was to scrutinize number line estimation behaviors displayed by children in mathematics classrooms during the first three years of schooling. We extend existing research by not only mapping potential logarithmic-linear shifts but also provide a new perspective by studying in detail the estimation strategies of individual target digits within a number range familiar to children. Methods Typically developing children (n = 67) from Years 1-3 completed a number-to-position numerical estimation task (0-20 number line). Estimation behaviors were first analyzed via logarithmic and linear regression modeling. Subsequently, using an analysis of variance we compared the estimation accuracy of each digit, thus identifying target digits that were estimated with the assistance of arithmetic strategy. Results Our results further confirm a developmental logarithmic-linear shift when utilizing regression modeling; however, uniquely we have identified that children employ variable strategies when completing numerical estimation, with levels of strategy advancing with development. Conclusion In terms of the existing cognitive research, this strategy factor highlights the limitations of any regression modeling approach, or alternatively, it could underpin the developmental time course of the logarithmic-linear shift. Future studies need to systematically investigate this relationship and also consider the implications for educational practice. PMID:22217191

  9. Avian influenza pandemic preparedness: developing prepandemic and pandemic vaccines against a moving target

    PubMed Central

    Singh, Neetu; Pandey, Aseem; Mittal, Suresh K.

    2010-01-01

    The unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses within the past ten years and their extreme lethality to poultry and humans has underscored their potential to cause an influenza pandemic. Combating the threat of an impending H5N1 influenza pandemic will require a combination of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical intervention strategies. The emergence of the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 emphasised the unpredictable nature of a pandemic influenza. Undoubtedly, vaccines offer the most viable means to combat a pandemic threat. Current egg-based influenza vaccine manufacturing strategies are unlikely to be able to cater to the huge, rapid global demand because of the anticipated scarcity of embryonated eggs in an avian influenza pandemic and other factors associated with the vaccine production process. Therefore, alternative, egg-independent vaccine manufacturing strategies should be evaluated to supplement the traditional egg-derived influenza vaccine manufacturing. Furthermore, evaluation of dose-sparing strategies that offer protection with a reduced antigen dose will be critical for pandemic influenza preparedness. Development of new antiviral therapeutics and other, nonpharmaceutical intervention strategies will further supplement pandemic preparedness. This review highlights the current status of egg-dependent and egg-independent strategies against an avian influenza pandemic. PMID:20426889

  10. Russia: update on animal experiments and alternatives in education.

    PubMed

    Jukes, Nick

    2008-01-01

    Progress continues in Russia with growing awareness and implementation of alternatives in education. Further outreach visits and negotiations for replacement have been made by InterNICHE campaigners. Russian language information resources have been complemented by the distribution of translated freeware physiology and pharmacology alternatives; and the InterNICHE Alternatives Loan Systems continue to provide valuable hands-on access to a range of learning tools. Donations of computers and alternatives have established exemplary multimedia laboratories, with software having directly replaced the annual use of several thousand animals. New agreements have been made with institutes to abandon animal experiments for teaching purposes. Work to consolidate the successes is being done, and Russian teachers have begun to present at conferences to share their experiences of implementation. Further development and implementation of alternatives is being achieved through grant funding from the InterNICHE Humane Education Award. Using a different approach, cases of determined conscientious objection have included a campaign against the use of stolen companion animals for surgery practice in the Russian Far East, and a continuing legal challenge to experiments at Moscow State University. This multi-pronged, decentralised and culturally appropriate campaigning strategy has proved to be an effective approach to achieving sustainable change in Russia.

  11. Alternative Splicing of hTERT Pre-mRNA: A Potential Strategy for the Regulation of Telomerase Activity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xuewen; Wang, Yuchuan; Chang, Guangming; Wang, Feng; Wang, Fei; Geng, Xin

    2017-03-07

    The activation of telomerase is one of the key events in the malignant transition of cells, and the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is indispensable in the process of activating telomerase. The pre-mRNA alternative splicing of hTERT at the post-transcriptional level is one of the mechanisms for the regulation of telomerase activity. Shifts in splicing patterns occur in the development, tumorigenesis, and response to diverse stimuli in a tissue-specific and cell type-specific manner. Despite the regulation of telomerase activity, the alternative splicing of hTERT pre-mRNA may play a role in other cellular functions. Modulating the mode of hTERT pre-mRNA splicing is providing a new precept of therapy for cancer and aging-related diseases. This review focuses on the patterns of hTERT pre-mRNA alternative splicing and their biological functions, describes the potential association between the alternative splicing of hTERT pre-mRNA and telomerase activity, and discusses the possible significance of the alternative splicing of the hTERT pre-mRNA in the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of cancer and aging-related diseases.

  12. An Alternative Front End Analysis Strategy for Complex Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-01

    Mutual trust Trust across and between team members Team/collective efficacy How well the team works together effectively Team/collective orientation...and experts. Finally, it has been shown that one effect of expertise is the development of applicable schemas, which, in turn, reduce the working ...TASK NUMBER 409 5e. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Army Research Institute

  13. Evaluation of two evapotranspiration approaches simulated with the CSM-CERES-Maize model under different irrigation strategies and the impact on maize growth, development and soil moisture content for semi-arid conditions

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Water deficit is the most common adverse environmental condition that can seriously reduce crop productivity. Crop simulation models could assist in determining alternate crop management scenarios to deal with water-limited conditions. However, prior to the application of crop models, the appropriat...

  14. Bridging the Field Trip Gap: Integrating Web-Based Video as a Teaching and Learning Partner in Interior Design Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roehl, Amy

    2013-01-01

    This study utilizes web-based video as a strategy to transfer knowledge about the interior design industry in a format that interests the current generation of students. The model of instruction developed is based upon online video as an engaging, economical, and time-saving alternative to a field trip, guest speaker, or video teleconference.…

  15. Report of the Computer Assisted Instruction Project in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hannah, Kathryn

    Since August of 1976, the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary has developed and implemented a four-phase computer assisted instruction (CAI) project. In Phase I, the pilot project to demonstrate effectiveness of CAI as an alternative teaching strategy in that setting has been completed and replication is on-going. In Phase II,…

  16. Village Infrastructure Kit-Alpha. Global Innovation and Strategy Center

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-05-01

    populations in the world. These kits could be capable of providing renewable energy, water, and telecommunication services, and therefore could impact...for development. The VIKA team adhered to the following five parameters during research efforts: Make available potable water, renewable energy...ENERGY Solar Energy Overview Solar energy is a renewable source that can provide an alternative to the electrical grid. It is an increasingly

  17. What Kind of Actions Are Appropriate? Eco-School Teachers' and Instructors' Ranking of Sustainability-Promoting Actions as Content in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stagell, Ulrica; Almers, Ellen; Askerlund, Per; Apelqvist, Magnus

    2014-01-01

    Based on the consideration that learning about different action alternatives and strategies are essential parts of ESD, this quantitative study focuses Eco-School teachers' and instructors' views on including different sustainability-promoting actions in teaching practices. Direct actions, and actions that take place in the private sphere were…

  18. Peer Ratings: Scoring Strategy Development and Reliability Demonstration on Air Force Basic Trainees. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borman, Walter C.; Rosse, Rodney L.

    As an alternative for or adjunct to paper-and-pencil tests for predicting personnel performance, the United States Air Force studied the use of peer ratings as an evaluative tool. Purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of peer ratings among Air Force basic trainees. Peer ratings were obtained from more than 27,000…

  19. Antimicrobial Resistance: Its Surveillance, Impact, and Alternative Management Strategies in Dairy Animals

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Chetan; Rokana, Namita; Chandra, Mudit; Singh, Brij Pal; Gulhane, Rohini Devidas; Gill, Jatinder Paul Singh; Ray, Pallab; Puniya, Anil Kumar; Panwar, Harsh

    2018-01-01

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one among the most common priority areas identified by both national and international agencies, is mushrooming as a silent pandemic. The advancement in public health care through introduction of antibiotics against infectious agents is now being threatened by global development of multidrug-resistant strains. These strains are product of both continuous evolution and un-checked antimicrobial usage (AMU). Though antibiotic application in livestock has largely contributed toward health and productivity, it has also played significant role in evolution of resistant strains. Although, a significant emphasis has been given to AMR in humans, trends in animals, on other hand, are not much emphasized. Dairy farming involves surplus use of antibiotics as prophylactic and growth promoting agents. This non-therapeutic application of antibiotics, their dosage, and withdrawal period needs to be re-evaluated and rationally defined. A dairy animal also poses a serious risk of transmission of resistant strains to humans and environment. Outlining the scope of the problem is necessary for formulating and monitoring an active response to AMR. Effective and commendably connected surveillance programs at multidisciplinary level can contribute to better understand and minimize the emergence of resistance. Besides, it requires a renewed emphasis on investments into research for finding alternate, safe, cost effective, and innovative strategies, parallel to discovery of new antibiotics. Nevertheless, numerous direct or indirect novel approaches based on host–microbial interaction and molecular mechanisms of pathogens are also being developed and corroborated by researchers to combat the threat of resistance. This review places a concerted effort to club the current outline of AMU and AMR in dairy animals; ongoing global surveillance and monitoring programs; its impact at animal human interface; and strategies for combating resistance with an extensive overview on possible alternates to current day antibiotics that could be implemented in livestock sector. PMID:29359135

  20. Antimicrobial Resistance: Its Surveillance, Impact, and Alternative Management Strategies in Dairy Animals.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Chetan; Rokana, Namita; Chandra, Mudit; Singh, Brij Pal; Gulhane, Rohini Devidas; Gill, Jatinder Paul Singh; Ray, Pallab; Puniya, Anil Kumar; Panwar, Harsh

    2017-01-01

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one among the most common priority areas identified by both national and international agencies, is mushrooming as a silent pandemic. The advancement in public health care through introduction of antibiotics against infectious agents is now being threatened by global development of multidrug-resistant strains. These strains are product of both continuous evolution and un-checked antimicrobial usage (AMU). Though antibiotic application in livestock has largely contributed toward health and productivity, it has also played significant role in evolution of resistant strains. Although, a significant emphasis has been given to AMR in humans, trends in animals, on other hand, are not much emphasized. Dairy farming involves surplus use of antibiotics as prophylactic and growth promoting agents. This non-therapeutic application of antibiotics, their dosage, and withdrawal period needs to be re-evaluated and rationally defined. A dairy animal also poses a serious risk of transmission of resistant strains to humans and environment. Outlining the scope of the problem is necessary for formulating and monitoring an active response to AMR. Effective and commendably connected surveillance programs at multidisciplinary level can contribute to better understand and minimize the emergence of resistance. Besides, it requires a renewed emphasis on investments into research for finding alternate, safe, cost effective, and innovative strategies, parallel to discovery of new antibiotics. Nevertheless, numerous direct or indirect novel approaches based on host-microbial interaction and molecular mechanisms of pathogens are also being developed and corroborated by researchers to combat the threat of resistance. This review places a concerted effort to club the current outline of AMU and AMR in dairy animals; ongoing global surveillance and monitoring programs; its impact at animal human interface; and strategies for combating resistance with an extensive overview on possible alternates to current day antibiotics that could be implemented in livestock sector.

  1. An Integrated Approach Is Needed for Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management: Insights from Ecosystem-Level Management Strategy Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Fulton, Elizabeth A.; Smith, Anthony D. M.; Smith, David C.; Johnson, Penelope

    2014-01-01

    An ecosystem approach is widely seen as a desirable goal for fisheries management but there is little consensus on what strategies or measures are needed to achieve it. Management strategy evaluation (MSE) is a tool that has been widely used to develop and test single species fisheries management strategies and is now being extended to support ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM). We describe the application of MSE to investigate alternative strategies for achieving EBFM goals for a complex multispecies fishery in southeastern Australia. The study was undertaken as part of a stakeholder driven process to review and improve the ecological, economic and social performance of the fishery. An integrated management strategy, involving combinations of measures including quotas, gear controls and spatial management, performed best against a wide range of objectives and this strategy was subsequently adopted in the fishery, leading to marked improvements in performance. Although particular to one fishery, the conclusion that an integrated package of measures outperforms single focus measures we argue is likely to apply widely in fisheries that aim to achieve EBFM goals. PMID:24454722

  2. Development of Potent, Selective SRPK1 Inhibitors as Potential Topical Therapeutics for Neovascular Eye Disease.

    PubMed

    Batson, Jennifer; Toop, Hamish D; Redondo, Clara; Babaei-Jadidi, Roya; Chaikuad, Apirat; Wearmouth, Stephen F; Gibbons, Brian; Allen, Claire; Tallant, Cynthia; Zhang, Jingxue; Du, Chunyun; Hancox, Jules C; Hawtrey, Tom; Da Rocha, Joana; Griffith, Renate; Knapp, Stefan; Bates, David O; Morris, Jonathan C

    2017-03-17

    Serine/arginine-protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) regulates alternative splicing of VEGF-A to pro-angiogenic isoforms and SRPK1 inhibition can restore the balance of pro/antiangiogenic isoforms to normal physiological levels. The lack of potency and selectivity of available compounds has limited development of SRPK1 inhibitors, with the control of alternative splicing by splicing factor-specific kinases yet to be translated. We present here compounds that occupy a binding pocket created by the unique helical insert of SRPK1, and trigger a backbone flip in the hinge region, that results in potent (<10 nM) and selective inhibition of SRPK1 kinase activity. Treatment with these inhibitors inhibited SRPK1 activity and phosphorylation of serine/arginine splicing factor 1 (SRSF1), resulting in alternative splicing of VEGF-A from pro-angiogenic to antiangiogenic isoforms. This property resulted in potent inhibition of blood vessel growth in models of choroidal angiogenesis in vivo. This work identifies tool compounds for splice isoform selective targeting of pro-angiogenic VEGF, which may lead to new therapeutic strategies for a diversity of diseases where dysfunctional splicing drives disease development.

  3. Cost-effectiveness analysis: should it be required for drug registration and beyond?

    PubMed

    Arnold, Renée J Goldberg

    2007-11-01

    Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is applied in situations where trade-offs exist, typically, greater benefit for an increased cost over an alternative therapy or strategic option versus usual care. CEA is useful where a new strategy is more costly but expected to be more effective or where a new strategy is less costly but less effective. A good example for the relevance of CEA is the unanimous recommendation of a US federal vaccine advisory panel to vaccinate 11-year-old girls against cervical cancer. This recommendation was at least partly because of data showing the relative cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccine. In this era of finite budgets, CEA may facilitate drug development, drug approval, patient segmentation and pricing model development throughout the drug lifecycle continuum.

  4. 'Man Up': the importance and strategy for placing male reproductive health centre stage in the political and research agenda.

    PubMed

    Barratt, Christopher L R; De Jonge, Christopher J; Sharpe, Richard M

    2018-04-01

    Approximately 1 in 20 young men today have sperm counts low enough to impair fertility, whereas this may not have been the case historically. The cause(s) of such a decline in male reproductive health is unknown, despite it being a global health issue. Concomitantly, little progress has been made in answering fundamental questions in andrology or in developing new diagnostic tools or alternative management strategies to ICSI in infertile men. We advocate formulation of a detailed roadmap for male reproductive health to facilitate development of a research agenda that highlights the present unmet needs and key unanswered questions, and seeks to deliver effective funding and investment to address them. This vision we term 'a Male Reproductive Health Ecosystem'.

  5. Antimicrobial Peptides: Diversity, Mechanism of Action and Strategies to Improve the Activity and Biocompatibility In Vivo

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Prashant; Kizhakkedathu, Jayachandran N.; Straus, Suzana K.

    2018-01-01

    Antibiotic resistance is projected as one of the greatest threats to human health in the future and hence alternatives are being explored to combat resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown great promise, because use of AMPs leads bacteria to develop no or low resistance. In this review, we discuss the diversity, history and the various mechanisms of action of AMPs. Although many AMPs have reached clinical trials, to date not many have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to issues with toxicity, protease cleavage and short half-life. Some of the recent strategies developed to improve the activity and biocompatibility of AMPs, such as chemical modifications and the use of delivery systems, are also reviewed in this article. PMID:29351202

  6. New Tools and Methods for Assessing Risk-Management Strategies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-03-01

    Theories to evaluate the risks and benefits of various acquisition alternatives and allowed researchers to monitor the process students used to make a...revealed distinct risk-management strategies. 15. SUBJECT TERMS risk managements, acquisition process, expected value theory , multi-attribute utility theory ...Utility Theories to evaluate the risks and benefits of various acquisition alternatives, and allowed us to monitor the process subjects used to arrive at

  7. Evaluating alternative fuel treatment strategies to reduce wildfire losses in a Mediterranean area

    Treesearch

    Michele Salis; Maurizio Laconi; Alan A. Ager; Fermin J. Alcasena; Bachisio Arca; Olga Lozano; Ana Fernandes de Oliveira; Donatella Spano

    2016-01-01

    The goal of this work is to evaluate by a modeling approach the effectiveness of alternative fuel treatment strategies to reduce potential losses from wildfires in Mediterranean areas. We compared strategic fuel treatments located near specific human values vs random locations, and treated 3, 9 and 15% of a 68,000 ha study area located in Sardinia, Italy. The...

  8. Malaria vaccines: the case for a whole-organism approach.

    PubMed

    Pinzon-Charry, Alberto; Good, Michael F

    2008-04-01

    Malaria is a significant health problem causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Vaccine development has been an imperative for decades. However, the intricacy of the parasite's lifecycle coupled with the lack of evidence for robust infection-induced immunity has made vaccine development exceptionally difficult. To review some of the key advances in the field and discuss potential ways forward for a whole-organism vaccine. The authors searched PubMed using the words 'malaria and vaccine'. We searched for manuscripts detailing antigen characterisation and vaccine strategies with emphasis on subunit versus whole-parasite approaches. Abstracts were selected and relevant articles are discussed. The searches were not restricted by language or date. The early cloning of malaria antigens has fuelled rapid development of subunit vaccines. However, the disappointing results of clinical trials have resulted in reappraisal of current strategies. Whole-parasite approaches have re-emerged as an alternative strategy. Immunization using radiation or genetically attenuated sporozoites has been shown to result in sterile immunity and immunization with blood-stage parasites curtailed by antimalarials has demonstrated delayed parasitemia in rodent models as well as in human malaria.

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

    Wellman, Dawn M.; Freshley, Mark D.; Truex, Michael J.

    Current requirements for site remediation and closure are standards-based and are often overly conservative, costly, and in some cases, technically impractical to achieve. Use of risk-informed alternate endpoints provide a means to achieve remediation goals that are permitted by regulations and are protective of human health and the environment. Alternate endpoints enable establishing a path for cleanup that may include intermediate remedial milestones and transition points and/or regulatory alternatives to standards-based remediation. A framework is presented that is centered around developing and refining conceptual models in conjunction with assessing risks and potential endpoints as part of a system-based assessment thatmore » integrates site data with scientific understanding of processes that control the distribution and transport of contaminants in the subsurface and pathways to receptors. This system based assessment and subsequent implementation of the remediation strategy with appropriate monitoring are targeted at providing a holistic approach to addressing risks to human health and the environment. This holistic approach also enables effective predictive analysis of contaminant behavior to provide defensible criteria and data for making long-term decisions. Developing and implementing an alternate endpoint-based approach for remediation and waste site closure presents a number of challenges and opportunities. Categories of these challenges include scientific and technical, regulatory, institutional, and budget and resource allocation issues. Opportunities exist for developing and implementing systems-based approaches with respect to supportive characterization, monitoring, predictive modeling, and remediation approaches.« less

  10. Spatial pattern dynamics due to the fitness gradient flux in evolutionary games.

    PubMed

    deForest, Russ; Belmonte, Andrew

    2013-06-01

    We introduce a nondiffusive spatial coupling term into the replicator equation of evolutionary game theory. The spatial flux is based on motion due to local gradients in the relative fitness of each strategy, providing a game-dependent alternative to diffusive coupling. We study numerically the development of patterns in one dimension (1D) for two-strategy games including the coordination game and the prisoner's dilemma, and in two dimensions (2D) for the rock-paper-scissors game. In 1D we observe modified traveling wave solutions in the presence of diffusion, and asymptotic attracting states under a frozen-strategy assumption without diffusion. In 2D we observe spiral formation and breakup in the frozen-strategy rock-paper-scissors game without diffusion. A change of variables appropriate to replicator dynamics is shown to correctly capture the 1D asymptotic steady state via a nonlinear diffusion equation.

  11. Rational and irrational clinical strategies for collaborative medicine.

    PubMed

    Hammerly, Milt

    2002-01-01

    Individual practitioners and health care systems/organizations increasingly understand the rationale for collaborative medicine. An absence of collaboration can compromise the quality and safety of patient care. But having a rationale to provide collaborative medicine without also having a rational clinical strategy can be equally compromising to the quality and safety of patient care. Reasonable evidentiary criteria must be used to determine whether specific therapies merit inclusion or exclusion in a collaborative medicine model. Ranking therapies hierarchically on the basis of their risk-benefit ratio simplifies matching of therapies with the needs of the patient. A unifying taxonomy that categorizes all therapies (complementary/alternative and conventional) on the basis of how we think they work (presumed mechanisms of action) facilitates development of a clinical strategy for collaborative medicine. On the basis of these principles, a rational clinical strategy for collaborative medicine is described to help optimize the quality and safety of patient care.

  12. Spatial pattern dynamics due to the fitness gradient flux in evolutionary games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    deForest, Russ; Belmonte, Andrew

    2013-06-01

    We introduce a nondiffusive spatial coupling term into the replicator equation of evolutionary game theory. The spatial flux is based on motion due to local gradients in the relative fitness of each strategy, providing a game-dependent alternative to diffusive coupling. We study numerically the development of patterns in one dimension (1D) for two-strategy games including the coordination game and the prisoner's dilemma, and in two dimensions (2D) for the rock-paper-scissors game. In 1D we observe modified traveling wave solutions in the presence of diffusion, and asymptotic attracting states under a frozen-strategy assumption without diffusion. In 2D we observe spiral formation and breakup in the frozen-strategy rock-paper-scissors game without diffusion. A change of variables appropriate to replicator dynamics is shown to correctly capture the 1D asymptotic steady state via a nonlinear diffusion equation.

  13. Multicriteria analysis as a tool to investigate compatibility between conservation and development on Salina Island, Aeolian Archipelago, Italy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bodini, Antonio; Giavelli, Giovanni

    1992-09-01

    Several multicriteria evaluation techniques have been developed since the 1970s. The need to compare different territorial policies has justified their introduction into environmental research. These methods are based on the numerical manipulation of heterogeneous information, which varies in terms of reference scale and type of measure (continuous, ordinal, qualitative, binary, etc.). During recent years, diverse investigations have focused on general conditions on Salina, the “green island” of the Aeolian archipelago. Such studies, within an interdisciplinary project, aimed to explore the possibility of implementing conservation strategies that are compatible with human needs, landscape preservation, and sustainable economic development. Three different evaluation techniques are applied, namely multicriteria weighted concordance and discordance analysis and a qualitative procedure. They are used to compare four alternative plans for the socioeconomic development of Salina Island. These plans lie between extreme alternatives: total protection of natural resources and maximizing economic development based on tourism. The plans are compared to each other on the basis of 14 criteria that reflect the socioenvironmental perception of Salina's inhabitants. The approach used in this research seems particularly fruitful because of its flexibility: it offers decision makers the chance to manage heterogeneous data and information that is not easily quantifiable. Such “soft” information helps to evaluate environmental conditions more precisely, and to make a less damaging choice among alternative development plans.

  14. Transcriptome analyses and differential gene expression in a non-model fish species with alternative mating tactics

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Social dominance is important for the reproductive success of males in many species. In the black-faced blenny (Tripterygion delaisi) during the reproductive season, some males change color and invest in nest making and defending a territory, whereas others do not change color and ‘sneak’ reproductions when females lay their eggs. Using RNAseq, we profiled differential gene expression between the brains of territorial males, sneaker males, and females to study the molecular signatures of male dimorphism. Results We found that more genes were differentially expressed between the two male phenotypes than between males and females, suggesting that during the reproductive period phenotypic plasticity is a more important factor in differential gene expression than sexual dimorphism. The territorial male overexpresses genes related to synaptic plasticity and the sneaker male overexpresses genes involved in differentiation and development. Conclusions Previously suggested candidate genes for social dominance in the context of alternative mating strategies seem to be predominantly species-specific. We present a list of novel genes which are differentially expressed in Tripterygion delaisi. This is the first genome-wide study for a molecular non-model species in the context of alternative mating strategies and provides essential information for further studies investigating the molecular basis of social dominance. PMID:24581002

  15. Transcriptome analyses and differential gene expression in a non-model fish species with alternative mating tactics.

    PubMed

    Schunter, Celia; Vollmer, Steven V; Macpherson, Enrique; Pascual, Marta

    2014-02-28

    Social dominance is important for the reproductive success of males in many species. In the black-faced blenny (Tripterygion delaisi) during the reproductive season, some males change color and invest in nest making and defending a territory, whereas others do not change color and 'sneak' reproductions when females lay their eggs. Using RNAseq, we profiled differential gene expression between the brains of territorial males, sneaker males, and females to study the molecular signatures of male dimorphism. We found that more genes were differentially expressed between the two male phenotypes than between males and females, suggesting that during the reproductive period phenotypic plasticity is a more important factor in differential gene expression than sexual dimorphism. The territorial male overexpresses genes related to synaptic plasticity and the sneaker male overexpresses genes involved in differentiation and development. Previously suggested candidate genes for social dominance in the context of alternative mating strategies seem to be predominantly species-specific. We present a list of novel genes which are differentially expressed in Tripterygion delaisi. This is the first genome-wide study for a molecular non-model species in the context of alternative mating strategies and provides essential information for further studies investigating the molecular basis of social dominance.

  16. Shifting from clonal to sexual reproduction in aphids: physiological and developmental aspects.

    PubMed

    Le Trionnaire, Gaël; Hardie, Jim; Jaubert-Possamai, Stéphanie; Simon, Jean-Christophe; Tagu, Denis

    2008-08-01

    Developmental biology is one of the fastest growing and fascinating research fields in life sciences. Among the wide range of embryonic development, a fundamental difference exists between organisms with sexual or asexual development. Aphids are unusual organisms which display alternative pathways of sexual and asexual development, the orientation of the pathway being determined by environmental conditions. These insects offer an adapted system in which to study developmental plasticity, because a side-by-side comparison of sexual and asexual development can be made in individuals with the same genotype. In this review, we describe the developmental mechanisms that have evolved in aphids for alternative sexual and asexual reproduction. In particular, we discuss how environmental cues orientate the reproductive mode of aphids from signal perception to endocrine regulation, and propose a comparative analysis of sexual and asexual gametogenesis and embryogenesis, which has been possible due to the development of molecular methods. As a result of the recent development of genomic resources in aphids, we expect these species will permit major advances in the study of the genomic basis underlying the choice of developmental fate and multiple reproduction strategies.

  17. Metabolomics in transfusion medicine.

    PubMed

    Nemkov, Travis; Hansen, Kirk C; Dumont, Larry J; D'Alessandro, Angelo

    2016-04-01

    Biochemical investigations on the regulatory mechanisms of red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) metabolism have fostered a century of advances in the field of transfusion medicine. Owing to these advances, storage of RBCs and PLT concentrates has become a lifesaving practice in clinical and military settings. There, however, remains room for improvement, especially with regard to the introduction of novel storage and/or rejuvenation solutions, alternative cell processing strategies (e.g., pathogen inactivation technologies), and quality testing (e.g., evaluation of novel containers with alternative plasticizers). Recent advancements in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and systems biology, the bioinformatics integration of omics data, promise to speed up the design and testing of innovative storage strategies developed to improve the quality, safety, and effectiveness of blood products. Here we review the currently available metabolomics technologies and briefly describe the routine workflow for transfusion medicine-relevant studies. The goal is to provide transfusion medicine experts with adequate tools to navigate through the otherwise overwhelming amount of metabolomics data burgeoning in the field during the past few years. Descriptive metabolomics data have represented the first step omics researchers have taken into the field of transfusion medicine. However, to up the ante, clinical and omics experts will need to merge their expertise to investigate correlative and mechanistic relationships among metabolic variables and transfusion-relevant variables, such as 24-hour in vivo recovery for transfused RBCs. Integration with systems biology models will potentially allow for in silico prediction of metabolic phenotypes, thus streamlining the design and testing of alternative storage strategies and/or solutions. © 2015 AABB.

  18. Plant Perception and Short-Term Responses to Phytophagous Insects and Mites.

    PubMed

    Santamaria, M Estrella; Arnaiz, Ana; Gonzalez-Melendi, Pablo; Martinez, Manuel; Diaz, Isabel

    2018-05-03

    Plant⁻pest relationships involve complex processes encompassing a network of molecules, signals, and regulators for overcoming defenses they develop against each other. Phytophagous arthropods identify plants mainly as a source of food. In turn, plants develop a variety of strategies to avoid damage and survive. The success of plant defenses depends on rapid and specific recognition of the phytophagous threat. Subsequently, plants trigger a cascade of short-term responses that eventually result in the production of a wide range of compounds with defense properties. This review deals with the main features involved in the interaction between plants and phytophagous insects and acari, focusing on early responses from the plant side. A general landscape of the diverse strategies employed by plants within the first hours after pest perception to block the capability of phytophagous insects to develop mechanisms of resistance is presented, with the potential of providing alternatives for pest control.

  19. The yellow fever 17D virus as a platform for new live attenuated vaccines.

    PubMed

    Bonaldo, Myrna C; Sequeira, Patrícia C; Galler, Ricardo

    2014-01-01

    The live-attenuated yellow fever 17D virus is one of the most outstanding human vaccines ever developed. It induces efficacious immune responses at a low production cost with a well-established manufacture process. These advantages make the YF17D virus attractive as a vector for the development of new vaccines. At the beginning of vector development studies, YF17D was genetically manipulated to express other flavivirus prM and E proteins, components of the viral envelope. While these 17D recombinants are based on the substitution of equivalent YF17D genes, other antigens from unrelated pathogens have also been successfully expressed and delivered by recombinant YF17D viruses employing alternative strategies for genetic manipulation of the YF17D genome. Herein, we discuss these strategies in terms of possibilities of single epitope or larger sequence expression and the main properties of these replication-competent viral platforms.

  20. The yellow fever 17D virus as a platform for new live attenuated vaccines

    PubMed Central

    Bonaldo, Myrna C; Sequeira, Patrícia C; Galler, Ricardo

    2014-01-01

    The live-attenuated yellow fever 17D virus is one of the most outstanding human vaccines ever developed. It induces efficacious immune responses at a low production cost with a well-established manufacture process. These advantages make the YF17D virus attractive as a vector for the development of new vaccines. At the beginning of vector development studies, YF17D was genetically manipulated to express other flavivirus prM and E proteins, components of the viral envelope. While these 17D recombinants are based on the substitution of equivalent YF17D genes, other antigens from unrelated pathogens have also been successfully expressed and delivered by recombinant YF17D viruses employing alternative strategies for genetic manipulation of the YF17D genome. Herein, we discuss these strategies in terms of possibilities of single epitope or larger sequence expression and the main properties of these replication-competent viral platforms. PMID:24553128

  1. A brief history of vaccines: smallpox to the present.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Jennifer L

    2013-01-01

    Modern vaccine history began in the late 18th century with the discovery of smallpox immunization by Edward Jenner. This pivotal step led to substantial progress in prevention of infectious diseases with inactivated vaccines for multiple infectious diseases, including typhoid, plague and cholera. Each advance produced significant decreases in infection-associated morbidity and mortality, thus shaping our modem cultures. As knowledge of microbiology and immunology grew through the 20th century, techniques were developed for cell culture of viruses. This allowed for rapid advances in prevention of polio, varicella, influenza and others. Finally, recent research has led to development of alternative vaccine strategies through use of vectored antigens, pathogen subunits (purified proteins or polysaccharides) or genetically engineered antigens. As the science of vaccinology continues to rapidly evolve, knowledge of the past creates added emphasis on the importance of developing safe and effective strategies for infectious disease prevention in the 21st century.

  2. Exploring the Assessment of the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders With the Personality Assessment Inventory.

    PubMed

    Busch, Alexander J; Morey, Leslie C; Hopwood, Christopher J

    2017-01-01

    Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM-5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) contains an alternative model for the diagnosis of personality disorder involving the assessment of 25 traits and a global level of overall personality functioning. There is hope that this model will be increasingly used in clinical and research settings, and the ability to apply established instruments to assess these concepts could facilitate this process. This study sought to develop scoring algorithms for these alternative model concepts using scales from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). A multiple regression strategy used to predict scores in 2 undergraduate samples on DSM-5 alternative model instruments: the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) and the General Personality Pathology scale (GPP; Morey et al., 2011 ). These regression functions resulted in scores that demonstrated promising convergent and discriminant validity across the alternative model concepts, as well as a factor structure in a cross-validation sample that was congruent with the putative structure of the alternative model traits. Results were linked to the PAI community normative data to provide normative information regarding these alternative model concepts that can be used to identify elevated traits and personality functioning level scores.

  3. Early intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Bryant, Richard A

    2007-02-01

    The potentially debilitating effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has created much interest in early intervention strategies that can reduce PTSD. This review critiques the evidence for psychological debriefing approaches and alternate early intervention strategies. The review critiques the randomized controlled trials of psychological debriefing, and early provision of cognitive behavior therapy. The latter approach involves therapy attention on acutely traumatized individuals who are high risk for PTSD development, and particularly in people with acute stress disorder (ASD). Psychological debriefing does not prevent PTSD. Cognitive behaviour therapy strategies have proven efficacy in reducing subsequent PTSD in ASD populations. Despite the promising evidence for early provision of CBT, many people do not benefit from CBT. This review concludes with consideration of major challenges facing early intervention approaches in the context of terrorist attacks and mass disasters.

  4. A simulations approach for meta-analysis of genetic association studies based on additive genetic model.

    PubMed

    John, Majnu; Lencz, Todd; Malhotra, Anil K; Correll, Christoph U; Zhang, Jian-Ping

    2018-06-01

    Meta-analysis of genetic association studies is being increasingly used to assess phenotypic differences between genotype groups. When the underlying genetic model is assumed to be dominant or recessive, assessing the phenotype differences based on summary statistics, reported for individual studies in a meta-analysis, is a valid strategy. However, when the genetic model is additive, a similar strategy based on summary statistics will lead to biased results. This fact about the additive model is one of the things that we establish in this paper, using simulations. The main goal of this paper is to present an alternate strategy for the additive model based on simulating data for the individual studies. We show that the alternate strategy is far superior to the strategy based on summary statistics.

  5. Is Accelerated Partner Therapy (APT) a cost-effective alternative to routine patient referral partner notification in the UK? Preliminary cost-consequence analysis of an exploratory trial.

    PubMed

    Roberts, Tracy E; Tsourapas, Angelos; Sutcliffe, Lorna; Cassell, Jackie; Estcourt, Claudia

    2012-02-01

    To undertake a cost-consequence analysis to assess two new models of partner notification (PN), known as Accelerated Partner Therapy (APT Hotline and APT Pharmacy), as compared with routine patient referral PN, for sex partners of people with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and non-gonococcal urethritis. Comparison of costs and outcomes alongside an exploratory trial involving two genitourinary medicine clinics and six community pharmacies. Index patients selected the PN method (APT Hotline, APT Pharmacy or routine PN) for their partners. Clinics and pharmacies recorded cost and resource use data including duration of consultation and uptake of treatment pack. Cost data were collected prospectively for two out of three interventions, and data were synthesised and compared in terms of effectiveness and costs. Routine PN had the lowest average cost per partner treated (approximately £46) compared with either APT Hotline (approximately £54) or APT Pharmacy (approximately £53) strategies. The cost-consequence analysis revealed that APT strategies were more costly but also more effective at treating partners compared to routine PN. The hotline strategy costs more than both the alternative PN strategies. If we accept that strategies which identify and treat partners the fastest are likely to be the most effective in reducing reinfection and onward transmission, then APT Hotline appears an effective PN strategy by treating the highest number of partners in the shortest duration. Whether the additional benefit is worth the additional cost cannot be determined in this preliminary analysis. These data will be useful for informing development of future randomised controlled trials of APT.

  6. Transition-Metal Substitution Doping in Synthetic Atomically Thin Semiconductors

    DOE PAGES

    Gao, Jian; Kim, Young Duck; Liang, Liangbo; ...

    2016-09-20

    Semiconductor impurity doping has enabled an entire generation of technology. The emergence of alternative semiconductor material systems, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), requires the development of scalable doping strategies. We report an unprecedented one-pot synthesis for transition-metal substitution in large-area, synthetic monolayer TMDCs. Electron microscopy, optical and electronic transport characterization and ab initio calculations indicate that our doping strategy preserves the attractive qualities of TMDC monolayers, including semiconducting transport and strong direct-gap luminescence. These results are expected to encourage exploration of transition-metal substitution in two-dimensional systems, potentially enabling next-generation optoelectronic technology in the atomically-thin regime.

  7. Methods in preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Lizcano Gil, Luis Arturo; Lucena, Carolina; Lucena, Elkin

    2001-01-01

    Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a new strategy, orientated toward primary prevention of congenital anomalies in couples with reproductive risk, such as advanced maternal age, carriers of chromosomal abnormalities, and carriers of monogenic conditions. For these patients, PGD is an acceptable alternative to prenatal diagnosis, mainly in those countries where pregnancy interruption is forbidden by law. PGD effectively avoids the implications linked to traditional prenatal diagnosis. Centres that provide medical servicies on reproductive biomedicine are responsible for the development and improvement of this new prevention strategy. Thanks to advances in micromanipulation techniques, associated with recent progress in molecular genetics, PGD may be employed for any genetic condition in the future.

  8. The risks and alternatives to physical punishment use with children.

    PubMed

    Ateah, Christine A; Secco, M Loretta; Woodgate, Roberta L

    2003-01-01

    Despite strong evidence of negative developmental outcomes resulting from the use of physical (or corporal) punishment with children, its use by parents and other caregivers is common. Such negative outcomes include child aggression, mental health issues, and physical abuse. Health care providers have a responsibility to promote disciplinary strategies that facilitate positive parent-children relationships and keep children's self-esteem and bodies healthy and intact. The incidence, factors, and outcomes associated with parental use of physical punishment are reviewed and useful advice for parents and age-appropriate disciplinary strategies and resources are outlined for the various stages of child development from infancy to school age.

  9. Environmental value considerations in public attitudes about alternative energy development in Oregon and Washington.

    PubMed

    Steel, Brent S; Pierce, John C; Warner, Rebecca L; Lovrich, Nicholas P

    2015-03-01

    The 2013 Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy signed by the Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington and the Premier of British Columbia launched a broadly announced public commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through multiple strategies. Those strategies include the development and increased use of renewable energy sources. The initiative recognized that citizens are both a central component in abating greenhouse gas emissions with regard to their energy use behaviors, and are important participants in the public policymaking process at both state and local levels of government. The study reported here examines whether either support or opposition to state government leadership in the development of alternative energy technologies can be explained by environmental values as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP). The research results are based on mail surveys of randomly selected households conducted throughout Oregon and Washington in late 2009 and early 2010. Findings suggest that younger and more highly educated respondents are significantly more likely than older and less educated respondents to either support or strongly support government policies to promote bioenergy, wind, geothermal, and solar energy. Those respondents with higher NEP scores are also more supportive of government promotion of wind, geothermal, and solar technologies than are those with lower NEP scores. Support for wave energy does not show a statistical correlation with environmental values, maybe a reflection of this technology's nascent level of development. The paper concludes with a consideration of the implications of these findings for environmental management.

  10. Biodiesel biorefinery: opportunities and challenges for microbial production of fuels and chemicals from glycerol waste.

    PubMed

    Almeida, João R M; Fávaro, Léia C L; Quirino, Betania F

    2012-07-18

    The considerable increase in biodiesel production worldwide in the last 5 years resulted in a stoichiometric increased coproduction of crude glycerol. As an excess of crude glycerol has been produced, its value on market was reduced and it is becoming a "waste-stream" instead of a valuable "coproduct". The development of biorefineries, i.e. production of chemicals and power integrated with conversion processes of biomass into biofuels, has been singled out as a way to achieve economically viable production chains, valorize residues and coproducts, and reduce industrial waste disposal. In this sense, several alternatives aimed at the use of crude glycerol to produce fuels and chemicals by microbial fermentation have been evaluated. This review summarizes different strategies employed to produce biofuels and chemicals (1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol, ethanol, n-butanol, organic acids, polyols and others) by microbial fermentation of glycerol. Initially, the industrial use of each chemical is briefly presented; then we systematically summarize and discuss the different strategies to produce each chemical, including selection and genetic engineering of producers, and optimization of process conditions to improve yield and productivity. Finally, the impact of the developments obtained until now are placed in perspective and opportunities and challenges for using crude glycerol to the development of biodiesel-based biorefineries are considered. In conclusion, the microbial fermentation of glycerol represents a remarkable alternative to add value to the biodiesel production chain helping the development of biorefineries, which will allow this biofuel to be more competitive.

  11. Environmental Value Considerations in Public Attitudes About Alternative Energy Development in Oregon and Washington

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steel, Brent S.; Pierce, John C.; Warner, Rebecca L.; Lovrich, Nicholas P.

    2015-03-01

    The 2013 Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy signed by the Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington and the Premier of British Columbia launched a broadly announced public commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through multiple strategies. Those strategies include the development and increased use of renewable energy sources. The initiative recognized that citizens are both a central component in abating greenhouse gas emissions with regard to their energy use behaviors, and are important participants in the public policymaking process at both state and local levels of government. The study reported here examines whether either support or opposition to state government leadership in the development of alternative energy technologies can be explained by environmental values as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP). The research results are based on mail surveys of randomly selected households conducted throughout Oregon and Washington in late 2009 and early 2010. Findings suggest that younger and more highly educated respondents are significantly more likely than older and less educated respondents to either support or strongly support government policies to promote bioenergy, wind, geothermal, and solar energy. Those respondents with higher NEP scores are also more supportive of government promotion of wind, geothermal, and solar technologies than are those with lower NEP scores. Support for wave energy does not show a statistical correlation with environmental values, maybe a reflection of this technology's nascent level of development. The paper concludes with a consideration of the implications of these findings for environmental management.

  12. The teaching-learning approach and critical thinking development: a qualitative exploration of Taiwanese nursing students.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chun-Chih; Han, Chin-Yen; Pan, I-Ju; Chen, Li-Chin

    2015-01-01

    Health care professionals are challenged by the complexities of the health care environment. This study uses a qualitative approach to explore how teaching strategy affects the development of critical thinking (CT) among Taiwanese baccalaureate-level nursing students. Data collected from 109 students' reflection reports were analyzed using content analysis. Three categories generated by the analysis were the teaching-learning strategy, enhancing CT, and transiting into a different learning style. The teaching-learning strategy consisted of concept mapping, question and answer, and real-life case studies. CT was enhanced alternately by self-directed learning, the realization of the gap between known and unknown, and connecting the gap between theoretical nursing knowledge and clinical practice. The study results emphasize participants' perceptions of becoming a critical thinker, turning into an active learner, and eventually achieving self-confidence. These learning effects invest the wisdom of teaching-learning with a far-reaching significance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Synthetic biology approaches to biological containment: pre-emptively tackling potential risks

    PubMed Central

    Krüger, Antje; Csibra, Eszter; Gianni, Edoardo

    2016-01-01

    Biocontainment comprises any strategy applied to ensure that harmful organisms are confined to controlled laboratory conditions and not allowed to escape into the environment. Genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs), regardless of the nature of the modification and how it was established, have potential human or ecological impact if accidentally leaked or voluntarily released into a natural setting. Although all evidence to date is that GEMs are unable to compete in the environment, the power of synthetic biology to rewrite life requires a pre-emptive strategy to tackle possible unknown risks. Physical containment barriers have proven effective but a number of strategies have been developed to further strengthen biocontainment. Research on complex genetic circuits, lethal genes, alternative nucleic acids, genome recoding and synthetic auxotrophies aim to design more effective routes towards biocontainment. Here, we describe recent advances in synthetic biology that contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop new and improved genetic, semantic, metabolic and mechanistic plans for the containment of GEMs. PMID:27903826

  14. Synthetic biology approaches to biological containment: pre-emptively tackling potential risks.

    PubMed

    Torres, Leticia; Krüger, Antje; Csibra, Eszter; Gianni, Edoardo; Pinheiro, Vitor B

    2016-11-30

    Biocontainment comprises any strategy applied to ensure that harmful organisms are confined to controlled laboratory conditions and not allowed to escape into the environment. Genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs), regardless of the nature of the modification and how it was established, have potential human or ecological impact if accidentally leaked or voluntarily released into a natural setting. Although all evidence to date is that GEMs are unable to compete in the environment, the power of synthetic biology to rewrite life requires a pre-emptive strategy to tackle possible unknown risks. Physical containment barriers have proven effective but a number of strategies have been developed to further strengthen biocontainment. Research on complex genetic circuits, lethal genes, alternative nucleic acids, genome recoding and synthetic auxotrophies aim to design more effective routes towards biocontainment. Here, we describe recent advances in synthetic biology that contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop new and improved genetic, semantic, metabolic and mechanistic plans for the containment of GEMs. © 2016 The Author(s).

  15. Oligo/Polynucleotide-Based Gene Modification: Strategies and Therapeutic Potential

    PubMed Central

    Sargent, R. Geoffrey; Kim, Soya

    2011-01-01

    Oligonucleotide- and polynucleotide-based gene modification strategies were developed as an alternative to transgene-based and classical gene targeting-based gene therapy approaches for treatment of genetic disorders. Unlike the transgene-based strategies, oligo/polynucleotide gene targeting approaches maintain gene integrity and the relationship between the protein coding and gene-specific regulatory sequences. Oligo/polynucleotide-based gene modification also has several advantages over classical vector-based homologous recombination approaches. These include essentially complete homology to the target sequence and the potential to rapidly engineer patient-specific oligo/polynucleotide gene modification reagents. Several oligo/polynucleotide-based approaches have been shown to successfully mediate sequence-specific modification of genomic DNA in mammalian cells. The strategies involve the use of polynucleotide small DNA fragments, triplex-forming oligonucleotides, and single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides to mediate homologous exchange. The primary focus of this review will be on the mechanistic aspects of the small fragment homologous replacement, triplex-forming oligonucleotide-mediated, and single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide-mediated gene modification strategies as it relates to their therapeutic potential. PMID:21417933

  16. A lignocellulosic ethanol strategy via nonenzymatic sugar production: process synthesis and analysis.

    PubMed

    Han, Jeehoon; Luterbacher, Jeremy S; Alonso, David Martin; Dumesic, James A; Maravelias, Christos T

    2015-04-01

    The work develops a strategy for the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. In this strategy, the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions are simultaneously converted to sugars using a γ-valerolactone (GVL) solvent containing a dilute acid catalyst. To effectively recover GVL for reuse as solvent and biomass-derived lignin for heat and power generation, separation subsystems, including a novel CO2-based extraction for the separation of sugars from GVL, lignin and humins have been designed. The sugars are co-fermented by yeast to produce ethanol. Furthermore, heat integration to reduce utility requirements is performed. It is shown that this strategy leads to high ethanol yields and the total energy requirements could be satisfied by burning the lignin. The integrated strategy using corn stover feedstock leads to a minimum selling price of $5 per gallon of gasoline equivalent, which suggests that it is a promising alternative to current biofuels production approaches. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Towards development of novel immunization strategies against leishmaniasis using PLGA nanoparticles loaded with kinetoplastid membrane protein-11.

    PubMed

    Santos, Diego M; Carneiro, Marcia W; de Moura, Tatiana R; Fukutani, Kiyoshi; Clarencio, Jorge; Soto, Manuel; Espuelas, Socorro; Brodskyn, Claudia; Barral, Aldina; Barral-Netto, Manoel; de Oliveira, Camila I

    2012-01-01

    Vaccine development has been a priority in the fight against leishmaniases, which are vector-borne diseases caused by Leishmania protozoa. Among the different immunization strategies employed to date is inoculation of plasmid DNA coding for parasite antigens, which has a demonstrated ability to induce humoral and cellular immune responses. In this sense, inoculation of plasmid DNA encoding Leishmania kinetoplasmid membrane protein-11 (KMP-11) was able to confer protection against visceral leishmaniasis. However, recently the use of antigen delivery systems such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles has also proven effective for eliciting protective immune responses. In the present work, we tested two immunization strategies with the goal of obtaining protection, in terms of lesion development and parasite load, against cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis. One strategy involved immunization with plasmid DNA encoding L. infantum chagasi KMP-11. Alternatively, mice were primed with PLGA nanoparticles loaded with the recombinant plasmid DNA and boosted using PLGA nanoparticles loaded with recombinant KMP-11. Both immunization strategies elicited detectable cellular immune responses with the presence of both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines; mice receiving the recombinant PLGA nanoparticle formulations also demonstrated anti-KMP-11 IgG1 and IgG2a. Mice were then challenged with L. braziliensis, in the presence of sand fly saliva. Lesion development was not inhibited following either immunization strategy. However, immunization with PLGA nanoparticles resulted in a more prominent reduction in parasite load at the infection site when compared with immunization using plasmid DNA alone. This effect was associated with a local increase in interferon-gamma and in tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Both immunization strategies also resulted in a lower parasite load in the draining lymph nodes, albeit not significantly. Our results encourage the pursuit of immunization strategies employing nanobased delivery systems for vaccine development against cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis infection.

  18. Use of augmentative and alternative communication strategies by family members in the intensive care unit.

    PubMed

    Broyles, Lauren M; Tate, Judith A; Happ, Mary Beth

    2012-03-01

    Little is known about communication between patients and their family members during critical illness and mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit, including use of augmentative and alternative communication tools and strategies. To identify (1) which augmentative and alternative communication tools families use with nonspeaking intensive care patients and how they are used, and (2) what families and nurses say about communication of family members with nonspeaking intensive care patients. A qualitative secondary analysis was conducted of existing data from a clinical trial testing interventions to improve communication between nurses and intensive care patients. Narrative study data (field notes, intervention logs, nurses' interviews) from 127 critically ill adults were reviewed for evidence of family involvement with augmentative and alternative communication tools. Qualitative content analysis was applied for thematic description of family members' and nurses' accounts of patient-family communication. Family involvement with augmentative and alternative communication tools was evident in 44% of the 93 patients who completed the parent study protocol. Spouses or significant others communicated with patients most often. Main themes describing patient-family communication included (1) families being unprepared and unaware, (2) families' perceptions of communication effectiveness, (3) nurses deferring to or guiding patient-family communication, (4) patients' communication characteristics, and (5) families' experience with and interest in augmentative and alternative communication tools. Assessment by skilled bedside clinicians can reveal patients' communication potential and facilitate useful augmentative and alternative communication tools and strategies for patients and their families.

  19. Development of an integrated economic and ecological framework for ecosystem-based fisheries management in New England

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, D.; Hoagland, P.; Dalton, T. M.; Thunberg, E. M.

    2012-09-01

    We present an integrated economic-ecological framework designed to help assess the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) in New England. We develop the framework by linking a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of a coastal economy to an end-to-end (E2E) model of a marine food web for Georges Bank. We focus on the New England region using coastal county economic data for a restricted set of industry sectors and marine ecological data for three top level trophic feeding guilds: planktivores, benthivores, and piscivores. We undertake numerical simulations to model the welfare effects of changes in alternative combinations of yields from feeding guilds and alternative manifestations of biological productivity. We estimate the economic and distributional effects of these alternative simulations across a range of consumer income levels. This framework could be used to extend existing methodologies for assessing the impacts on human communities of groundfish stock rebuilding strategies, such as those expected through the implementation of the sector management program in the US northeast fishery. We discuss other possible applications of and modifications and limitations to the framework.

  20. International regulatory requirements for skin sensitization testing.

    PubMed

    Daniel, Amber B; Strickland, Judy; Allen, David; Casati, Silvia; Zuang, Valérie; Barroso, João; Whelan, Maurice; Régimbald-Krnel, M J; Kojima, Hajime; Nishikawa, Akiyoshi; Park, Hye-Kyung; Lee, Jong Kwon; Kim, Tae Sung; Delgado, Isabella; Rios, Ludmila; Yang, Ying; Wang, Gangli; Kleinstreuer, Nicole

    2018-06-01

    Skin sensitization test data are required or considered by chemical regulation authorities around the world. These data are used to develop product hazard labeling for the protection of consumers or workers and to assess risks from exposure to skin-sensitizing chemicals. To identify opportunities for regulatory uses of non-animal replacements for skin sensitization tests, the needs and uses for skin sensitization test data must first be clarified. Thus, we reviewed skin sensitization testing requirements for seven countries or regions that are represented in the International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods (ICATM). We noted the type of skin sensitization data required for each chemical sector and whether these data were used in a hazard classification, potency classification, or risk assessment context; the preferred tests; and whether alternative non-animal tests were acceptable. An understanding of national and regional regulatory requirements for skin sensitization testing will inform the development of ICATM's international strategy for the acceptance and implementation of non-animal alternatives to assess the health hazards and risks associated with potential skin sensitizers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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