Downsizing hospital capacity.

PubMed

Doherty, V C; O'Donovan, T R; O'Donovan, P D

1986-04-01

Declining average daily census and overbedding are two challenges facing many hospital administrators. Downsizing, reducing unprofitable or unneeded acute care services, is one way to deal with these challenges. Reviewed here are some of the factors to be considered before undertaking any major downsizing effort.

Downsizing: Measuring the Costs of Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appelbaum, Steven H.; Lavigne-Schmidt, Suzanne; Peytchev, Mihail; Shapiro, Barbara

1999-01-01

Review of literature on downsizing from 1994 to 1998 found evidence that some downsizing is inevitable and can have positive outcomes (increased efficiency, competitiveness, profits). However, poor implementation by unprepared managers makes the experience worse than necessary for individuals and organizations. (SK)

Downsizing: Fat Reduction or Fool's Gold?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teece, Phil

1999-01-01

Discussion of downsizing in organizations focuses on Australian libraries. Topics include rationales behind downsizing; negative results in terms of equity and efficiency; guidelines and other options for responsible restructuring, including skills training, continuous learning programs, information sharing, and employee participation; jobs for…

Proof firm downsizing and diagnosis-specific disability pensioning in Norway.

PubMed

Claussen, Bjørgulf; Næss, Øyvind; Reime, Leif Jostein; Leyland, Alastair H

2013-01-11

We wanted to investigate if firm downsizing is related to an increased rate of disability pensions among the former employed, especially for those with musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses, and for those having to leave the firm. Statistics Norway provided a linked file with demographic information and all social security grants from the National Insurance Administration for 1992-2004 for all inhabitants in Norway. Our sample was aged 30-55 years in 1995, being alive, employed and not having a disability pension at the end of 2000. Downsizing was defined as percent change in number of employed per firm from 1995 to end 2000. Employment data were missing for 25.6% of the sample. Disability pension rates in the next four years were 25% higher for those experiencing a 30-59% downsizing than for those not experiencing a reduction of the workforce. 1-29% and 60-100% downsizing did not have this effect. Stayers following down-sizing had higher disability pension rates than leavers. What we have called complex musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses were relatively most common. Moderate downsizing is followed by a significant increase in disability pension rates in the following four years, often with complex musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses.

"Kiss Dagwood Bumstead Goodbye": A Communication Perspective on Downsizing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hillmer, Barbara Hoehn; Violanti, Michelle T.

Although business organizations consider the financial and strategic implications of "downsizing" (a euphemism for what used to be called "layoffs"), they often neglect to consider the communication and human resource implications. Not only does downsizing affect the operational aspects of the restructured company, but also the…

Coping with Downsizing as a Writing and Editing Group.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steve, Mike; Bigelow, Tom

1993-01-01

Maintains that writers and editors are likely candidates for downsizing within an organization. Notes that centralization-decentralization factors are valuable in addressing downsizing, as is knowledge of corporate management's point of view toward its investment in writing and editing. Offers five self-assessment scenarios to help prepare for the…

Downsizing?-?Intellectual Capital Performance Anorexia or Enhancement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, S. Mitchell

2004-01-01

The objective of this paper is to investigate if downsizing contributes to, or impedes, a firm's intellectual capital performance (ICE) based on a longitudinal analysis of 56 United States publicly listed companies that significantly downsized their workforce during the mid-1990s. Empirical analysis indicates that for the majority of firms, ICE…

Downsizing our Schools Corporate Style?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Gary

2005-01-01

In this article, the author offers his views on downsizing the public schools in the US. To be efficient, American industries are redesigning themselves to stay competitive. Likewise, America's public schools are being prompted to do the same. The author contends that downsizing public schools may only cause adverse impact. Since education is…

Survivors of Downsizing: Helpful and Hindering Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amundson, Norman E.; Borgen, William A.; Jordan, Sharalyn; Erlebach, Anne C.

2004-01-01

Thirty-one downsizing survivors from both the private and public sector were interviewed to determine incidents that either helped or hindered their transition through 1 or more organizational downsizings. A critical incident technique was used to analyze and organize the data around themes that emerged, themes were represented by both positive…

The Ambushed Spirit: Perspective, Violence and Downsizing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truty, Daniela

A study explored downsizing from the perspective of the person separated from the job and its connection to violence and peace studies. Literature on downsizing, violence, peace studies, and organizational studies was reviewed. Participants were 28 white-collar employees, including the researcher, separated from the same organization. Data were…

How Much Is That in Dollars?: Costly International Downsizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renard, Monika; Tracy, Kay

2011-01-01

Economic downturns can lead companies doing business internationally to cut costs by reducing staff and/or closing subsidiaries. Efficiency in downsizing can put people and capital to their most effective use. This exercise educates students about country differences in labor termination practices, costs, legal requirements for downsizing, and…

Proof firm downsizing and diagnosis-specific disability pensioning in Norway

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background We wanted to investigate if firm downsizing is related to an increased rate of disability pensions among the former employed, especially for those with musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses, and for those having to leave the firm. Methods Statistics Norway provided a linked file with demographic information and all social security grants from the National Insurance Administration for 1992–2004 for all inhabitants in Norway. Our sample was aged 30–55 years in 1995, being alive, employed and not having a disability pension at the end of 2000. Downsizing was defined as percent change in number of employed per firm from 1995 to end 2000. Employment data were missing for 25.6% of the sample. Results Disability pension rates in the next four years were 25% higher for those experiencing a 30-59% downsizing than for those not experiencing a reduction of the workforce. 1-29% and 60-100% downsizing did not have this effect. Stayers following down-sizing had higher disability pension rates than leavers. What we have called complex musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses were relatively most common. Conclusion Moderate downsizing is followed by a significant increase in disability pension rates in the following four years, often with complex musculoskeletal and psychiatric diagnoses. PMID:23311568

Learning and Propensity for Changing the Job Situation during Downsizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustavsson, Maria

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate individuals' learning and propensity for changing their job situation during downsizing in a company. Design/methodology/approach: A case study was carried out in an industrial company that had undergone major downsizing to adapt to changes in production. Approximately 100 employees retrained at…

Career Anchors and the Effects of Downsizing: Implications for Generations and Cultures at Work. A Preliminary Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Verena; Bonner, Dede

2003-01-01

The relationships among career anchors, age, culture, gender, employment experience, and the impact of career planning on downsizing were examined with data from 423 management students (49% had been downsized). Lifestyle was the most valued anchor across age groups, stability/security the least; compared with Schein's earlier anchors research,…

Downsizing and the Impact of Job Counseling and Retraining on Effective Employee Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tzafrir, Shay S.; Mano-Negrin, Rita; Harel, Gedalihau H.; Rom-Nagy, Daphna

2006-01-01

Purpose: Downsizing is a very pervasive organizational process. At these critical junctures many organizations do little to prepare their employees for a mass layoff. The main purpose of this study is to examine how the incorporation of job counseling and professional retraining programs during a period of downsizing affected the responses of both…

Unintended Consequences of A-76 and Downsizing of the Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF A-76 AND DOWNSIZING OF THE MILITARY by Linda M. Thomas, Lt Col, USAF A Research...REPORT DATE DEC 2002 2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Unintended Consequences of A-76 and Downsizing of the...of A-76. ...................................................................................15 UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Organizational Downsizing and Depressive Symptoms in the European Recession: The Experience of Workers in France, Hungary, Sweden and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Brenner, M. Harvey; Andreeva, Elena; Theorell, Töres; Goldberg, Marcel; Westerlund, Hugo; Leineweber, Constanze; Hanson, Linda L. Magnusson.; Imbernon, Ellen; Bonnaud, Sophie

2014-01-01

Background Organizational downsizing has become highly common during the global recession of the late 2000s with severe repercussions on employment. We examine whether the severity of the downsizing process is associated with a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms among displaced workers, internally redeployed workers and lay-off survivors. Methods A cross-sectional survey involving telephone interviews was carried out in France, Hungary, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The study analyzes data from 758 workers affected by medium- and large-scale downsizing, using multiple logistic regression. Main Results Both unemployment and surviving layoffs were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, as compared to reemployment, but the perceived procedural justice of a socially responsible downsizing process considerably mitigated the odds of symptoms. Perception of high versus low justice was assessed along several downsizing dimensions. In the overall sample, chances to have depressive symptoms were significantly reduced if respondents perceived the process as transparent and understandable, fair and unbiased, well planned and democratic; if they trusted the employer’s veracity and agreed with the necessity for downsizing. The burden of symptoms was significantly greater if the process was perceived to be chaotic. We further tested whether perceived justice differently affects the likelihood of depressive symptoms among distinct groups of workers. Findings were that the odds of symptoms largely followed the same patterns of effects across all groups of workers. Redeploying and supporting surplus employees through the career change process–rather than forcing them to become unemployed–makes a substantial difference as to whether they will suffer from depressive symptoms. Conclusions While depressive symptoms affect both unemployed and survivors, a just and socially responsible downsizing process is important for the emotional health of workers. PMID:24841779

The effectiveness of element downsizing on a three-dimensional finite element model of bone trabeculae in implant biomechanics.

PubMed

Sato, Y; Wadamoto, M; Tsuga, K; Teixeira, E R

1999-04-01

More validity of finite element analysis in implant biomechanics requires element downsizing. However, excess downsizing needs computer memory and calculation time. To investigate the effectiveness of element downsizing on the construction of a three-dimensional finite element bone trabeculae model, with different element sizes (600, 300, 150 and 75 microm) models were constructed and stress induced by vertical 10 N loading was analysed. The difference in von Mises stress values between the models with 600 and 300 microm element sizes was larger than that between 300 and 150 microm. On the other hand, no clear difference of stress values was detected among the models with 300, 150 and 75 microm element sizes. Downsizing of elements from 600 to 300 microm is suggested to be effective in the construction of a three-dimensional finite element bone trabeculae model for possible saving of computer memory and calculation time in the laboratory.

Organisational restructuring/downsizing, OHS regulation and worker health and wellbeing.

PubMed

Quinlan, Michael

2007-01-01

A growing body of international evidence indicates that downsizing and related forms of organisational restructuring are having profound adverse effects on worker safety, health and wellbeing. In particular, evidence links downsizing to poorer mental health outcomes, including bullying and other forms of occupational violence. In Australia federal, state and territory occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation imposes obligations on employers who make changes to the workplace or work processes to identify hazards, undertake risk assessment, consult with employee representatives and take appropriate steps to manage any significant hazards that are identified, including psychosocial hazards. This study shows that while Australian regulators are aware of the problems posed by downsizing they have made only modest efforts to pursue compliance with legislative duties, producing some guidance material that refers to restructuring and workloads and launching a small number of prosecutions. At the same time, there is an increased willingness to address staffing levels and other impacts of downsizing (like working in isolation). Employer and union responses were also examined. The article concludes by identifying a number of initiatives that would enable regulators, unions and employers to address the problems posed by downsizing more effectively.

Downsizing of a provincial department of health--causes and implications for fiscal policy.

PubMed

Blecher, Mark

2002-06-01

To analyse the financial basis for downsizing of a provincial health department and suggest implications for fiscal policy. Analysis of relevant departmental, provincial and national financing and expenditure trends from 1995/96 to 2002/03. Western Cape (WC) Department of Health (DOH). Downsizing involving 9,282 health workers (27.9%) and closure of 3,601 hospital beds (24.4%) over 5 years. Total aggregate provincial transfers (all provinces) remained fairly constant in real terms. The WC's share decreased from 11.8% in 1996/97 to 9.8% in 2002/03. This was offset by the DOH's share of the WC budget increasing from 25.6% to 29.6%, mainly because of an increase in national health conditional grants. The net effect of financing changes was that the DOH's allocation in real terms was similar in 2002/03 and 1995/96, which suggests that financing changes are not the major cause of downsizing. Expenditure analysis revealed a 39.7% real rise in the average cost of health personnel. Substantial interprovincial inequities remain. The major cause of downsizing was wage growth, particularly following the 1996 wage agreement. Disjointed fiscal and wage policy has affected health services. Simultaneous application of policies of fiscal constraint, redistribution and substantial real wage growth has resulted in substantial downsizing with limited inroads into inequities. Inequities will continue to call for further redistribution, reduction in conditional grants and downsizing, much of which could have been avoided if fiscal and wage policy choices had been optimal.

Organizational Downsizing: Individual and Organizational Implications and Recommendations for Action

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

leave. The complexity of the downsizing phenomenon has tended to foster multidisciplinary study. Different aspects of downsizing have been addressed by...Sutton, 1988; Latack & Dozier, 1986; Sutton & D’Aunno, 1989); and (d) organizational dissolution and death (Sutton, 1983, 1987). Issues relating to...and executives who were terminated have started their own businesses or consulting firms (Beaudoin, 1988; Zoghlin, 1989). Latack and Dozier (1986

Downsizing--remember to do it right.

PubMed

Sampson, D

1998-01-01

Downsizing is always difficult even in the best of circumstances. The key to downsizing is treating people the way you would expect to be treated, and offering some understanding and compassion. The end result can be employees who adjust quickly to this momentary crisis in their lives verses angry, bitter, employees who voice their anger and bitterness against your agency publicly and perhaps even in a court of law.

Downsizer - A Graphical User Interface-Based Application for Browsing, Acquiring, and Formatting Time-Series Data for Hydrologic Modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ward-Garrison, Christian; Markstrom, Steven L.; Hay, Lauren E.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey Downsizer is a computer application that selects, downloads, verifies, and formats station-based time-series data for environmental-resource models, particularly the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System. Downsizer implements the client-server software architecture. The client presents a map-based, graphical user interface that is intuitive to modelers; the server provides streamflow and climate time-series data from over 40,000 measurement stations across the United States. This report is the Downsizer user's manual and provides (1) an overview of the software design, (2) installation instructions, (3) a description of the graphical user interface, (4) a description of selected output files, and (5) troubleshooting information.

Employee age and reactions to downsizing.

PubMed

Lahner, Jessica M; Hayslip, Bert; McKelvy, Tara N; Caballero, Daniela M

2014-01-01

The present study explored the career development concerns among employees varying by age who had worked for organizations that either had or had not engaged in downsizing within a 1-year timeframe. The sample consisted of 72 layoff survivors and 92 non-survivors (employees whose organizations had not downsized). Each completed an online survey assessing career concerns framed in the context of Super's Life Span Life Space theory of career development, as well as measures assessing perceptions of loss, job insecurity, distress, social support, loss history, religiosity, and job satisfaction. Younger employees reported more job dissatisfaction, as did survivors, and younger survivors reported more such dissatisfaction relative to older survivors, and saw the downsizing as less equitable than did older survivors. Among non-survivors, age effects were minimal. Younger employees reported more concerns about Crystallization, Specification, Implementation, Innovation, Stabilizing, Consolidating, Advancing, and Updating, as did survivors. For Crystallization, and to a lesser extent for Innovation, younger survivors reported more such concerns than did older survivors, while among non-survivors, these differences were minimal. A similar age by survivorship pattern was found for psychophysical health, career-recycling tendencies, and for concerns at Super's career stages/maxicycles of Exploration, Establishment, and Maintenance. These findings suggest that young survivors appear to be less vocationally adaptable, more vocationally and personally vulnerable to downsizing, and more impacted in seeing downsizing as unfair, perhaps due to unrealistic career trajectory expectations. In contrast, older employees, perhaps due to increased job and/or layoff experience or the perception that downsizing was handled more equitably via greater loyalty to the organization, appear to be more resilient in these respects.

Managing effectively in the downsized organization.

PubMed

Arnold, Edwin; Pulich, Marcia

2003-01-01

Many health care institutions have downsized in recent years for a variety of reasons including cost savings and the need to be proactive in restructuring the organization for more effective performance. In a downsized organization, top management must develop new strategies to enable line managers at all levels to operate effectively. New policies for human resource strategic planning, selective hiring, employee empowerment, training and development, reduction of status distinctions, sharing of appropriate information with employees, and paying for performance must be implemented.

Downsizing: A Necessary Management Evil?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Raholanda

1992-01-01

Discusses the merits and methods of downsizing, the process of eliminating unnecessary costs and unprofitable operations from an organization, and examines commonly used, effective strategies that will minimize the hardship on both employers and employees. (JOW)

The impact of downsizing on remaining workers' sickness absence.

PubMed

Østhus, Ståle; Mastekaasa, Arne

2010-10-01

It is generally assumed that organizational downsizing has considerable negative consequences, not only for workers that are laid off, but also for those who remain employed. The empirical evidence with regard to effects on sickness absence is, however, inconsistent. This study employs register data covering a major part of the total workforce in Norway over the period 2000-2003. The number of sickness absence episodes and the number of sickness absence days are analysed by means of Poisson regression. To control for both observed and unobserved stable individual characteristics, we use conditional (fixed effects) estimation. The analyses provide some weak indications that downsizing may lead to slightly less sickness absence, but the overall impression is that downsizing has few if any effects on the sickness absence of the remaining employees. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overstretched and unreciprocated commitment: reviewing research on the occupational health and safety effects of downsizing and job insecurity.

PubMed

Quinlan, Michael; Bohle, Philip

2009-01-01

Over the past two decades, a leading business practice has been often-repeated rounds of downsizing and restructuring (also referred to as reorganization, re-engineering, and a host of other euphemistic terms) by large private and public sector employers. Frequently associated with other practices such as outsourcing, privatization, and the increased use of temporary workers, downsizing/restructuring has increased the level of job insecurity among workers as well as leading to changes in work processes (including work intensification and multi-tasking) and management behavior. How has downsizing/restructuring and increased job insecurity affected the occupational health, safety, and well-being of workers, and what measures have employers, unions, and governments taken to address any adverse effects? The authors reviewed international studies of the occupational health and safety (OHS) effects of downsizing/restructuring and increased job insecurity undertaken over the past 20 years. After imposing quality filters, they obtained 86 studies. Analysis revealed that 73 (85%) of the studies found poorer OHS outcomes (using a range of measures). Studies were examined to see whether they provided clues as to the reasons for negative outcomes.

Artificial urinary sphincter revision for urethral atrophy: Comparing single cuff downsizing and tandem cuff placement.

PubMed

Linder, Brian J; Viers, Boyd R; Ziegelmann, Matthew J; Rivera, Marcelino E; Elliott, Daniel S

2017-01-01

To compare outcomes for single urethral cuff downsizing versus tandem cuff placement during artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) revision for urethral atrophy. We identified 1778 AUS surgeries performed at our institution from 1990-2014. Of these, 406 were first AUS revisions, including 69 revisions for urethral atrophy. Multiple clinical and surgical variables were evaluated for potential association with device outcomes following revision, including surgical revision strategy (downsizing a single urethral cuff versus placing tandem urethral cuffs). Of the 69 revision surgeries for urethral atrophy at our institution, 56 (82%) were tandem cuff placements, 12 (18%) were single cuff downsizings and one was relocation of a single cuff. When comparing tandem cuff placements and single cuff downsizings, the cohorts were similar with regard to age (p=0.98), body-mass index (p=0.95), prior pelvic radiation exposure (p=0.73) and length of follow-up (p=0.12). Notably, there was no difference in 3-year overall device survival compared between single cuff and tandem cuff revisions (60% versus 76%, p=0.94). Likewise, no significant difference was identified for tandem cuff placement (ref. single cuff) when evaluating the risk of any tertiary surgery (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.32-4.12, p=0.94) or urethral erosion/device infection following revision (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.20-5.22, p=0.77). There was no significant difference in overall device survival in patients undergoing single cuff downsizing or tandem cuff placement during AUS revision for urethral atrophy. Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.

Successful Downsizing Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Marta

1987-01-01

Discusses techniques for reducing organizational staff while minimizing such harmful effects as layoffs, staff demoralization, and productivity losses. Case studies on the Petroleum Incentives Administration, the British Columbia Buildings Corporation, and the National Library of Canada present approaches to downsizing that utilized long range…

Strategic Downsizing and Learning Organisations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griggs, Harvey E.; Hyland, Paul

2003-01-01

Downsizing or brain drain may damage the learning capacity of organizations. A case study of an aerospace manufacturing firm shows that appropriate strategies to analyze the impact on formal and informal learning networks may help manage or minimize the damage. (Contains 55 references.) (SK)

Preliminary analysis of a downsized advanced gas-turbine engine in a subcompact car

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klann, J. L.; Johnsen, R. L.

1982-01-01

Relative fuel economy advantages exist for a ceramic turbine engine when it is downsized for a small car were investigated. A 75 kW (100 hp) single shaft engine under development was analytically downsized to 37 kW (50 hp) and analyzed with a metal belt continuously variable transmission in a synthesized car. With gasoline, a 25% advantage was calculated over that of a current spark ignition engine, scaled to the same power, using the same transmission and car. With diesel fuel, a 21% advantage was calculated over that of a similar diesel engine vehicle.

Monitoring the impact of hospital downsizing on access to care and quality of care.

PubMed

Brownell, M D; Roos, N P; Burchill, C

1999-06-01

The most recent data used for monitoring the potential effects of bed closures in Winnipeg hospitals since 1992/93 found that despite downsizing, access to care was by no means compromised. Just as many patients were cared for in 1995/96 as in 1991/92. Changes in patterns of care included more outpatient and fewer inpatient surgeries, and a decrease in the number of hospital days. The number of high-profile surgical procedures, such as angioplasty, bypass, and cataract surgery, performed increased dramatically during downsizing. Quality of care delivered to patients, measured by mortality and readmission rates, was unaffected by bed closures. Of particular concern was the impact of downsizing on the two most vulnerable health groups--the elderly and Manitobans in the lowest income group. Access and quality of care for these groups also remained unchanged. However, those in the lowest income group spent almost 43% more days in hospital than those in the middle income group, and research demonstrates that these variations in hospital use across socioeconomic groups reflect real and important health differences and are not driven by social reasons for admissions. Finally, a large decrease in waiting time for nursing home placement underlines the relationship between downsizing and availability of alternatives to hospitalization.

Enhancing Productivity: A Structured Approach to Downsizing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oehm, J. Kent

1991-01-01

Organizations that downsize in a rational and orderly manner can increase productivity. School districts can initiate a cost-reduction and restructuring program with an analysis of the responsibilities of each employee followed by communicating with, and renewing the commitment of, remaining employees. (MLF)

Career Issues in Organizations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1997

This document contains four papers from a symposium on career issues in organizations. "Learning During Downsizing: Stories from the Survivors" (Sharon J. Confessore) describes a study to demonstrate that survivors of corporate downsizings undertake learning activities and use many resources to accomplish the learning tasks.…

Organizational Downsizing and Career Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozionelos, Nikos

2001-01-01

A study of 123 "survivors" of corporate downsizing and 13 senior managers indicated that the organization lacked a coherent career development plan and the performance management/appraisal process was inadequate. Managers perceived lateral transfers as effective; some employees felt they undermined career progression. Employees thought…

Financial crisis and collapsed banks: psychological distress and work related factors among surviving employees--a nation-wide study.

PubMed

Snorradóttir, Ásta; Vilhjálmsson, Rúnar; Rafnsdóttir, Guðbjörg Linda; Tómasson, Kristinn

2013-09-01

The study considered psychological distress among surviving bank employees differently entangled in downsizing and restructuring following the financial crisis of 2008. A cross-sectional, nationwide study was conducted among surviving employees (N = 1880, response rate 68%). Multivariate analysis was conducted to assess factors associated with psychological distress. In the banks, where all employees experienced rapid and unpredictable organizational changes, psychological distress was higher among employees most entangled in the downsizing and restructuring process. Being subjected to downsizing within own department, salary cut, and transfer to another department, was directly related to increased psychological distress, controlling for background factors. The associations between downsizing, restructuring, and distress were reduced somewhat by adding job demands, job control, and empowering leadership to the model, however, adding social support had little effect on these associations. Employees most entangled in organizational changes are the most vulnerable and should be prioritized in workplace interventions during organizational changes. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Surface-structured diffuser by iterative down-size molding with glass sintering technology.

PubMed

Lee, Xuan-Hao; Tsai, Jung-Lin; Ma, Shih-Hsin; Sun, Ching-Cherng

2012-03-12

In this paper, a down-size sintering scheme for making high-performance diffusers with micro structure to perform beam shaping is presented and demonstrated. By using down-size sintering method, a surface-structure film is designed and fabricated to verify the feasibility of the sintering technology, in which up to 1/8 dimension reduction has been achieved. Besides, a special impressing technology has been applied to fabricate diffuser film with various materials and the transmission efficiency is as high as 85% and above. By introducing the diffuser into possible lighting applications, the diffusers have been shown high performance in glare reduction, beam shaping and energy saving.

Correlates of nursing staff survivor responses to hospital restructuring and downsizing.

PubMed

Burke, Ronald J

2005-01-01

This study examines correlates of 4 archetypal survivor responses to organizational restructuring and downsizing proposed by Mishra and Spreitzer: hopeful, obliging, cynical, and fearful. Data were collected from 744 long-term nursing staff survivors of hospital restructuring and downsizing using questionnaires. Three types of correlates were considered: work outcomes, indicators of psychologic well-being, and perceptions of hospital functioning. Greater endorsement of cynical and fearful restructuring responses was associated with more negative work outcomes and lower psychologic well-being. Greater endorsement of both cynical and fearful responses was also found to be associated with more negative perceptions of hospital functioning and effectiveness.

Housing Mobility and Downsizing at Older Ages in Britain and the United States

PubMed Central

Banks, James; Blundell, Richard; Oldfield, Zoë; Smith, James P.

2013-01-01

This paper examines geographic mobility and housing downsizing at older ages in Britain and America. Americans downsize housing much more than the British largely because Americans are much more mobile. The principal reasons for greater mobility among older Americans are two fold: (1) greater spatial distribution of geographic distribution of amenities (such as warm weather) and housing costs and (2) greater institutional rigidities in subsidized British rental housing providing stronger incentives for British renters not to move. This relatively flat British housing consumption with age may have significant implications for the form and amount of consumption smoothing at older ages. PMID:23888295

A Necessary Evil: The Experiences of Managers Implementing Downsizing Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noronha, Ernesto; D'Cruz, Premilla

2006-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study, which describes the experiences of human resource (HR) managers implementing a downsizing program in a steel manufacturing organization in India. Data were collected through conversational interviews. Following van Manens sententious analytic approach, the core theme of a necessary…

Career Adaptability, Turnover and Loyalty during Organizational Downsizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klehe, Ute-Christine; Zikic, Jelena; Van Vianen, Annelies E. M.; De Pater, Irene E.

2011-01-01

During organizational restructuring and downsizing, employees often worry about being redundant, actually are redundant, and/or feel unsatisfied with their jobs. Employees, in turn, often react with poor loyalty to and high voluntary exit from the organization. The current study addresses this process from a careers' perspective, showing that…

The Incredible Shrinking Institution: A Five-Component Downsizing Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Bradley L.

1991-01-01

Most colleges and universities need to reduce expenditures and downsize. Such a project is difficult and emotionally charged. Many immediate remedies can ba applied to reduce and better control expenditures, but a more thorough analysis of the institution's organizational structure, operating procedures, automated systems, strategic planning, and…

Avoiding the Ax: How to Keep from Being Downsized or Outsourced.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Mary Ellen

1997-01-01

Gives guidance in preventing library staff downsizing or outsourcing: remember the competition, read financial reports and periodicals, identify key library executives and patrons, define the library as a "profit center," market the library, make yourself essential and indispensable, remind users of the library's resources, embrace the…

Downsizings, Mergers, and Acquisitions: Perspectives of Human Resource Development Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shook, LaVerne; Roth, Gene

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to provide perspectives of HR practitioners based on their experiences with mergers, acquisitions, and/or downsizings. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study utilized interviews with 13 HR practitioners. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Findings: HR practitioners were not involved in…

Job Insecurity and Remuneration in Chinese Family-Owned Business Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Qiao; Schaufeli, Wilmar B.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of job insecurity (past job downsizing and anticipated job downsizing) and current remuneration--via wellbeing (burnout and work engagement)--on organizational outcomes (organization commitment and low turnover intention) of Chinese family-owned business. Design/methodology/approach: The…

Downsizing, reengineering, and restructuring: long-term implications for healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Leatt, P; Baker, G R; Halverson, P K; Aird, C

1997-01-01

This article provides a framework for analyzing how downsizing and reengineering have affected healthcare organizations. These approaches are reviewed, and key tools that have been used, such as across-the-board cuts, reorganizing, and redesigning, are described. Examples are drawn from healthcare as well as other business sectors. The consequences of cost reduction strategies for an organizations's performance in terms of costs, quality of services, and satisfaction of consumers and employees are explored. The case is made that an organization's context--that is, its culture, level of trust, and leadership--is an important factor that influences the effect of cost-cutting strategies. Characteristics of organizations where downsizing has a better chance of succeeding also are described.

Procedural Justice, Distributive Justice: How Experiences with Downsizing Condition Their Impact on Organizational Commitment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clay-Warner, Jody; Hegtvedt, Karen A.; Roman, Paul

2005-01-01

Previous research demonstrates that both procedural justice and distributive justice are important predictors of work attitudes. This research, however, fails to examine conditions that affect the relative importance of each type of justice. Here we argue that prior experiences with regard to downsizing shape individuals' workplace schemas, which…

76 FR 38642 - Meeting of the Defense Business Board

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

... Downsizing Applications for DoD'' Task Groups. The Board will also receive updates from the ``New Ways to... --Corporate Downsizing Applications for DoD 11:45-12 Task Group Updates --New Ways to Execute the Joint... organizations may submit written comments to the Board about its mission and topics pertaining to this public...

Computing Services Planning, Downsizing, and Organization at the University of Alberta.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beltrametti, Monica

1993-01-01

In a six-month period, the University of Alberta (Canada) campus computing services department formulated a strategic plan, and downsized and reorganized to meet financial constraints and respond to changing technology, especially distributed computing. The new department is organized to react more effectively to trends in technology and user…

Staff downsizing on the decline for organizations trying to cut overall health care costs.

PubMed

1998-04-01

Data Benchmarks: Don't look to downsizing as a major cost-cutting strategy this year. This industry study identifies staffing strategies at hospitals nationwide, plus other important human resource issues for 1998. Not surprisingly, controlling organization-wide costs is a top priority. Here are the details.

Downsizing-initiated job transfer of hospital nurses: how do the job transferees fare?

PubMed

Armstrong-Stassen, M; Cameron, S J; Horsburgh, M E

2001-01-01

In this longitudinal panel study, the authors compared the reactions to hospital amalgamation of 66 nurses who had been transferred to a different unit for a downsizing-related reason (bumped/displaced, unit closed, redundancy) with the reactions of 181 nurses who remained on their same unit. Prior to any job transfers, the two groups perceived comparable levels of support and held similar attitudes towards their job and the hospital. Two years later, after job transfers had taken place, transferred nurses perceived significantly lower coworker support. They also reported a significantly greater decrease in organizational commitment than nurses who were not transferred. However, both groups reported a significant decrease between time a and time 2 in perceived organizational support, satisfaction with amount of work and career future, hospital identification, and organization trust. Overall, the results indicate that the downsizing associated with the amalgamation of the hospitals had a highly negative effects not only on those nurses who were transferred because of the downsizing but also on those nurses who remained on their original unit.

Downsizing of staff is associated with lowered medically certified sick leave in female employees.

PubMed

Theorell, T; Oxenstierna, G; Westerlund, H; Ferrie, J; Hagberg, J; Alfredsson, L

2003-09-01

To determine whether changes in number of staff in work sites are associated with medically certified sick leave among employees with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The 5720 employees (aged 18-65) were from the WOLF study of cardiovascular risk factors in working men and women in greater Stockholm during the years 1992-95. From the medical examination a cardiovascular score was calculated for each participant. The WOLF study base was linked to a Statistics Sweden registry of economic and administrative activities. Sick leave spells lasting for at least 15 days during the calendar year following downsizing/expansion were identified for each subject. In multiple logistic regression an increased likelihood of having no medically certified sick leave (15 days or more) was found in women during the year following both downsizing and expansion. These analyses were adjusted for age and cardiovascular score. A high cardiovascular risk score reduced the likelihood of having no medically certified sick leave. The inclusion of psychosocial work environment variables did not change the results markedly. Separate analyses of women with and without high cardiovascular score showed that downsizing had a more pronounced effect on reduced long term sick leave among those with high than among those without low cardiovascular score. There were no consistent findings in men. There is evidence of a reduction of long term sick leave in women after downsizing and this is particularly evident among those with high cardiovascular score.

Ethical downsizing. Managers must focus on justice and human dignity.

PubMed

Weber, L J

1994-01-01

It is vital that leaders and managers focus on justice and human dignity in the workplace when faced with the possible need to downsize. First, administrators should clearly identify the goals of work force reduction, evaluate their importance, and consider whether they could be achieved through other means. Once they have made the decision to downsize, top managers must clearly communicate the reasons and the goals to those responsible for identifying the employees affected. Employees selected for layoff should be identified on the basis of the articulated goals for work force reduction, whenever possible. When this is not clear, the tough decisions can be based on a variety of factors: "across-the-board" reductions; employee abilities, qualifications, and performance; diversity goals; seniority; or multiple criteria. It is also important to respect human dignity in the layoff process. Affected employees should be informed in advance and given an honest explanation for the layoff. Ordinarily, they should be encouraged to work until the effective date. All employees need a clear and honest explanation of the reasons for and the expected effects of the layoff. There should be a stress on the free flow of information, without an effort to control it. How downsizing is handled says a lot about the nature of an organization and its leadership. Ethical downsizing is, first of all, a refusal to deny the complexity of the issues and evidence of the organization's commitment to justice and human dignity.

Downsizing, reengineering and patient safety: numbers, newness and resultant risk.

PubMed

Knox, G E; Kelley, M; Hodgson, S; Simpson, K R; Carrier, L; Berry, D

1999-01-01

Downsizing and reengineering are facts of life in contemporary healthcare organizations. In most instances, these organizational changes are undertaken in an attempt to increase productivity or cut operational costs with results measured in these terms. Less often considered are potential detrimental effects on patient safety or strategies, which might be used to minimize these risks.

You Can Get There from Here: The Road to Downsizing in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butterfield, Barbara S.; Wolfe, Susan

This book approaches college and university budget reduction mandates as an opportunity to reexamine and recast outdated, inefficient processes and to increase administrative effectiveness and efficiency in supporting the academic missions of teaching and research. The book uses a road-map metaphor to tell the downsizing story and to advance the…

Towards a Population Synthesis Model of Objects formed by Self-Gravitating Disc Fragmentation and Tidal Downsizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forgan, Duncan; Rice, Ken

2013-07-01

Recently, the gravitational instability (GI) model of giant planet and brown dwarf formation has been revisited and recast into what is often referred to as the "tidal downsizing" hypothesis. The fragmentation of self-gravitating protostellar discs into gravitationally bound embryos - with masses of a few to tens of Jupiter masses, at semi major axes above 30 - 40 AU - is followed by a combination of grain sedimentation inside the embryo, radial migration towards the central star and tidal disruption of the embryo's upper layers. The properties of the resultant object depends sensitively on the timescales upon which each process occurs. Therefore, GI followed by tidal downsizing can theoretically produce objects spanning a large mass range, from terrestrial planets to giant planets and brown dwarfs. Whether such objects can be formed in practice, and what proportions of the observed population they would represent, requires a more involved statistical analysis. We present a simple population synthesis model of star and planet formation via GI and tidal downsizing. We couple a semi-analytic model of protostellar disc evolution to analytic calculations of fragmentation, initial embryo mass, grain growth and sedimentation, embryo migration and tidal disruption. While there are key pieces of physics yet to be incorporated, it represents a first step towards a mature statistical model of GI and tidal downsizing as a mode of star and planet formation. We show results from four runs of the population synthesis model, varying the opacity law and the strength of migration, as well as investigating the effect of disc truncation during the fragmentation process.

The impact of moderate and major workplace expansion and downsizing on the psychosocial and physical work environment and income in Sweden.

PubMed

Ferrie, Jane E; Westerlund, Hugo; Oxenstierna, Gabriel; Theorell, Töres

2007-01-01

To describe the effect of organizational change (moderate and major expansion and downsizing) on psychosocial work characteristics, physical hazards, and income in a representative sample of larger workplaces in Sweden. Annual changes in workforce size for the years 1991-1996 were derived from tax registry data. Work environment characteristics were measured in a sub-set of participants from the biennial Swedish Work Environment Surveys for 1991, 1993, and 1995. Income data were derived from national registries. Not all organizational change resulted in a poorer work environment. The number of beneficial outcomes associated with moderate downsizing and moderate expansion in the public sector outweighed the number of adverse outcomes. However, in the private sector the overall effect of moderate organizational change was a poorer work environment. Major downsizing was associated with a better psychosocial work environment for private-sector men and major expansion with a poorer environment for public-sector women and private-sector men. Otherwise, associations between major organizational change and the psychosocial work environment were mixed across sex and sector, although major organizational change was consistently associated with a greater risk of physical hazards. Low income was associated exclusively with organizational downsizing in the private sector. More research is needed to determine whether the work environment can explain observed associations between organizational change and health. Data limitations prevented the authors from examining this in the present study. Their findings indicate that future research on the work environment should pay more attention to physical hazards.

Taking Stock: The Movement To Create Mini-Schools, Schools-within-Schools, and Separate Small Schools. Urban Diversity Series No. 108.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raywid, Mary Anne

Many educators see school downsizing efforts as the linchpin of school restructuring. Several forms that school downsizing efforts are taking are explored, along with a discussion of the reasons for which small schools are being established. The types of subschools that are being launched (houses, mini-schools, schools-within-schools) are…

Worker Satisfaction Following Employment Restructuring: Effects of Nonstandard Workers and Downsizing on Job Satisfaction in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ko, Jyh-Jer Roger; Yeh, Ying-Jung Yvonne

2013-01-01

Since the 1980s, many employment relationships in Taiwan have evolved from regular and long-term to contingent and short-term, with widespread downsizing adding a considerable amount of instability. Since these changes are part of a global trend, there is a growing literature concerning their influences on worker attitudes and work life quality.…

Transformation of an academic medical center: lessons learned from restructuring and downsizing.

PubMed

Woodard, B; Fottler, M D; Kilpatrick, A O

1999-01-01

This article reviews management literature on health care transformation and describes the processes, including restructuring, job redesign, and downsizing, involved in one academic medical center's experience. The article concludes with lessons learned at each of the stages of the transformation process: planning, implementation, and process continuation. Managerial implications for similar transformation efforts in other health care organizations are suggested.

Economic Change: Separating Fact from Fiction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Workforce Economics, 1996

1996-01-01

Although the general perception in the United States may be that downsizing in companies is pervasive and increasing, the facts show a slowing of the trend in downsizing and a net gain in employment. Many workers have found new jobs at or near their former pay rates, although only half of older workers are able to find jobs comparable to the ones…

What to Wear to a Severance Party: A Former Corporate Executive Reflects on Her Own Downsizing Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cumberland, Denise M.

2013-01-01

A corporate executive provides an amusing and reflective account on her experience of being downsized. This "day in the life" perspective documents the feelings of an individual who found herself served with "divorce papers" from a job that had, in many ways, defined her identity. Her personal story shines the spotlight on…

Workforce Downsizing and Restructuring in the Department of Defense: The Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment Program Versus Involuntary Separation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

Workforce Downsizing and Restructuring in the Department of Defense The Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment Program Versus Involuntary...Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP). The purposes of this research are to place VSIP in context relative to involuntary separation, determine...5 CHAPTER TWO Review of Severance Pay, Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay, and Voluntary

The influence of nonconscious processes on perceptions of downsizing and terminations.

PubMed

Walker, Sean; Karau, Steven

2016-01-01

Although social and cognitive psychologists have developed a large body of research on priming and other nonconscious processes, relatively little research has focused on how these issues influence organizationally relevant phenomena. The current research sought to partially fill this void by examining the influence of nonconscious processes on perceptions of organizational downsizing. In three studies, individuals were primed with traits of self-reliance or employer-reliance either supraliminally (Study 1) or subliminally (Studies 2 and 3). Studies 1 and 2 found that individuals primed with self-reliance had less negative views of downsizing. Experiment 3 found that those primed with self-reliance reported greater perceptions of fair treatment, respect for their boss, and decreased levels of anger in response to a termination scenario. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Towards a population synthesis model of objects formed by self-gravitating disc fragmentation and tidal downsizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forgan, Duncan; Rice, Ken

2013-07-01

Recently, the gravitational instability (GI) model of giant planet and brown dwarf formation has been revisited and recast into what is often referred to as the `tidal downsizing' hypothesis. The fragmentation of self-gravitating protostellar discs into gravitationally bound embryos - with masses of a few to tens of Jupiter masses, at semimajor axes above 30-40 au - is followed by a combination of grain sedimentation inside the embryo, radial migration towards the central star and tidal disruption of the embryo's upper layers. The properties of the resultant object depends sensitively on the time-scales upon which each process occurs. Therefore, GI followed by tidal downsizing can theoretically produce objects spanning a large mass range, from terrestrial planets to giant planets and brown dwarfs. Whether such objects can be formed in practice, and what proportions of the observed population they would represent, requires a more involved statistical analysis. We present a simple population synthesis model of star and planet formation via GI and tidal downsizing. We couple a semi-analytic model of protostellar disc evolution to analytic calculations of fragmentation, initial embryo mass, grain growth and sedimentation, embryo migration and tidal disruption. While there are key pieces of physics yet to be incorporated, it represents a first step towards a mature statistical model of GI and tidal downsizing as a mode of star and planet formation. We show results from four runs of the population synthesis model, varying the opacity law and the strength of migration, as well as investigating the effect of disc truncation during the fragmentation process. We find that a large fraction of disc fragments are completely destroyed by tidal disruption (typically 40 per cent of the initial population). The tidal downsizing process tends to prohibit low-mass embryos reaching small semimajor axis. The majority of surviving objects are brown dwarfs without solid cores of any kind. Around 40 per cent of surviving objects form solid cores of the order of 5-10 M⊕, and of this group a few do migrate to distances amenable to current exoplanet observations. Over a million disc fragments were simulated in this work, and only one resulted in the formation of a terrestrial planet (i.e. with a core mass of a few Earth masses and no gaseous envelope). These early results suggest that GI followed by tidal downsizing is not the principal mode of planet formation, but remains an excellent means of forming gas giant planets, brown dwarfs and low-mass stars at large semimajor axes.

Downsizing Antenna Technologies for Mobile and Satellite Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, J.; Densmore, A.; Tulintseff, A.; Jamnejad, V.

1993-01-01

Due to the increasing and stringent functional requirements (larger capacity, longer distances, etc.) of modern day communication systems, higher antenna gains are generally needed. This higher gain implies larger antenna size and mass which are undesirable to many systems. Consequently, downsizing antenna technology becomes one of the most critical areas for research and development efforts. Techniques to reduce antenna size can be categorized and are briefly discussed.

The Storage and Transmission of Men's Non-Formal Skills in Working Class Communities: A Working Paper. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Dorothy E.

A descriptive study observed the transmission of manual job skills from older to younger men in working class communities in Ontario and the effects of massive downsizing in industrial plants on this process. Current as well as previous ethnographic research was used. Some of the outcomes of the continual downsizing included the following: (1) the…

Living on Both Sides of the Fence: A Phenomenological Study of Human Resource Development Professionals as Downsizing Survivors and Strategic Human Resource Development Facilitators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nackoney, Claire Kostopulos

2012-01-01

This phenomenological study explored how HR professionals who identified themselves as facilitators of strategic HRD (SHRD) perceived the experience of being an organizational agent-downsizing survivor. Criterion and snowball sampling were used to recruit 15 participants for this study. A semi-structured interview guide was used to interview…

Downsizing Treatment with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Improved Resectability

PubMed Central

Sjölund, Katarina; Andersson, Anna; Nilsson, Erik; Nilsson, Ola; Ahlman, Håkan

2010-01-01

Background Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) express the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT. Most GISTs have mutations in the KIT or PDGFRA gene, causing activation of tyrosine kinase. Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is the first-line palliative treatment for advanced GISTs. Sunitinib was introduced for patients with mutations not responsive to imatinib. The aim was to compare the survival of patients with high-risk resected GISTs treated with TKI prior to surgery with historical controls and to determine if organ-preserving surgery was facilitated. Methods Ten high-risk GIST-patients had downsizing/adjuvant TKI treatment: nine with imatinib and one with sunitinib. The patients were matched with historical controls (n = 89) treated with surgery alone, from our population-based series (n = 259). Mutational analysis of KIT and PDGFRA was performed in all cases. The progression-free survival was calculated. Results The primary tumors decreased in mean diameter from 20.4 cm to 10.5 cm on downsizing imatinib. Four patients with R0 resection and a period of adjuvant imatinib had no recurrences versus 67% in the historical control group. Four patients with residual liver metastases have stable disease on continuous imatinib treatment after surgery. One patient has undergone reoperation with liver resection. The downsizing treatment led to organ-preserving surgery in nine patients and improved preoperative nutritional status in one patient. Conclusions Downsizing TKI is recommended for patients with bulky tumors with invasion of adjacent organs. Sunitinib can be used for patients in case of imatinib resistance (e.g., wild-type GISTs), underlining the importance of mutational analysis for optimal surgical planning. PMID:20512492

Simulation research on the effect of cooled EGR, supercharging and compression ratio on downsized SI engine knock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Gequn; Pan, Jiaying; Wei, Haiqiao; Shi, Ning

2013-03-01

Knock in spark-ignition(SI) engines severely limits engine performance and thermal efficiency. The researches on knock of downsized SI engine have mainly focused on structural design, performance optimization and advanced combustion modes, however there is little for simulation study on the effect of cooled exhaust gas recirculation(EGR) combined with downsizing technologies on SI engine performance. On the basis of mean pressure and oscillating pressure during combustion process, the effect of different levels of cooled EGR ratio, supercharging and compression ratio on engine dynamic and knock characteristic is researched with three-dimensional KIVA-3V program coupled with pressure wave equation. The cylinder pressure, combustion temperature, ignition delay timing, combustion duration, maximum mean pressure, and maximum oscillating pressure at different initial conditions are discussed and analyzed to investigate potential approaches to inhibiting engine knock while improving power output. The calculation results of the effect of just cooled EGR on knock characteristic show that appropriate levels of cooled EGR ratio can effectively suppress cylinder high-frequency pressure oscillations without obvious decrease in mean pressure. Analysis of the synergistic effect of cooled EGR, supercharging and compression ratio on knock characteristic indicates that under the condition of high supercharging and compression ratio, several times more cooled EGR ratio than that under the original condition is necessarily utilized to suppress knock occurrence effectively. The proposed method of synergistic effect of cooled EGR and downsizing technologies on knock characteristic, analyzed from the aspects of mean pressure and oscillating pressure, is an effective way to study downsized SI engine knock and provides knock inhibition approaches in practical engineering.

The Importance of Powertrain Downsizing in a Benefit-Cost Analysis of Vehicle Lightweighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, J.; Gohlke, D.; Nealer, R.

2017-04-01

Reducing vehicle weight is an important avenue to improve energy efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from our cars and trucks. Conventionally, models have estimated acceptable increased manufacturing cost as proportional to the lifetime fuel savings associated with reduced vehicle weight. Vehicle lightweighting also enables a decrease in powertrain size and significant reductions in powertrain cost. Accordingly, we propose and apply a method for calculating the maximum net benefits and breakeven cost of vehicle lightweighting that considers both efficiency and powertrain downsizing for a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle, a battery electric vehicle with a range of 300 miles (BEV300), and a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). We find that excluding powertrain downsizing cost savings undervalues the potential total net benefits of vehicle lightweighting, especially for the BEV300 and FCEV.

Beyond corporate-style downsizing: a better way for medical schools to succeed in a changing world.

PubMed

Bland, C J

1997-06-01

There is a critical need for medical schools and universities to consider strategies beyond corporate-style downsizing to address revenue needs and reposition their organizations. The author presents considerable evidence and three reasons to reject downsizing as a way to facilitate long-term organizational success. Instead, she recommends that institutions use a comprehensive approach to individual and organizational development to assure a flexible, enduring organization. Specifically, medical schools and universities should take an institution-wide perspective and approach to continually training, retraining, or reassigning faculty and should continually adapt their organizational structures and procedures as necessary to achieve changing institutional goals. The result will be the retention of able and dedicated faculty, who will be crucial in helping their schools continue to be successful while adapting to a changing world.

Reactions of older employees to organizational downsizing: the role of gender, job level, and time.

PubMed

Armstrong-Stassen, M

2001-07-01

This panel study examined the reactions of 187 federal government employees aged 45 and older during the initial phase of a large-scale downsizing and 20 months later. There were few significant differences in the reactions of older men and women. Respondents in management positions reported significantly more positive attitudes toward their job and the organization than did respondents in nonmanagement jobs. Compared with the initial phase of the downsizing, respondents reported a significant decrease in commitment to the organization 20 months later. For the two dimensions of job insecurity, perceived threat of job loss decreased, whereas sense of powerlessness over decisions affecting the future of one's job increased. A major area of concern for management is the low level of organizational trust and morale reported by the respondents at both time periods.

Business Case Analysis: Identifying Concerns for the Continuum of Care for United States Air Force Cadets with the Implementation of Base Realignment and Close Initiatives at the Air force Academy Hospital

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-31

et al, 2003). Another reason that downsizing is a popular way in which a healthcare organization can become more efficient based on institutional ... theory . This theory states that since other hospitals have used downsizing as a means to become more efficient, so will we. This theory states that

The effects of unemployment on mortality following workplace downsizing and workplace closure: a register-based follow-up study of Finnish men and women during economic boom and recession.

PubMed

Martikainen, Pekka; Mäki, Netta; Jäntti, Markus

2007-05-01

Unemployment is strongly associated with mortality on the individual level. The reasons for this association are not fully established. The authors estimated the effects of unemployment and workplace downsizing on mortality during periods of low (1989) and high (1994) unemployment in Finland. They used prospective population registration data containing detailed socioeconomic and demographic information on two cohorts aged 35-64 years at the beginning of 1989 (N = 87,317) and 1994 (N = 72,419) followed up for mortality in 1990-1997 and 1995-2002, respectively. Unemployment was found to be associated with a 2.38-fold increase in the hazard of mortality after 1989 and with a 1.25-fold increase after 1994. No excess mortality was observed among those who, at baseline, were employed at workplaces that had experienced large reductions in employment. Furthermore, the association between unemployment and mortality was weaker among those working in establishments that had been strongly downsized. By showing that, in the context of either a high level of unemployment or rapid downsizing, the effects of unemployment on mortality are modest, this study provides strong evidence of unaccounted confounding. Individual-level studies may thus overestimate the causal effects of unemployment on mortality.

RIGHT-SIZED OR DOWNSIZED: COMPARISON OF COSTS VERSUS CAPABILITY TO MAINTAIN INTRA-THEATER AIRLIFT

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

AU/ACSC/2015 AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE DISTANCE LEARNING AIR UNIVERSITY RIGHT -SIZED OR DOWNSIZED: COMPARISON OF COSTS VERSUS...aircraft and “ right -sizing” units will allow the Air Force to realize the cost efficiencies it is hoping to gain. Balancing this with maintaining...minimum of two aircraft available for surge capabilities are necessary considerations when determining the “ right -size” of a unit. Possessing too

Factors associated with a positive attitude towards change among employees during the early phase of a downsizing process.

PubMed

Svensen, Erling; Neset, Gunnar; Eriksen, Hege R

2007-04-01

Most research on organizational changes in working life, including downsizing, focuses on the negative attitudes and negative consequences of the change. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the employee's previous learning experience and characteristics of the working environment were associated with positive attitudes towards organizational change. The 467 employees (73.5% males) working in a global oil company in the early phases of a downsizing process were asked to answer a questionnaire with demographic variables, perception of the working environment, and attitude to change (93% response rate). Corporate social responsibility (CSR), involvement and participation, team leadership and team effectiveness were important factors related to positive attitudes towards organizational change. Non-leaders and older employees were positive to change. We conclude that employees' perceptions of their psychosocial working environment, in particular the CSR, were highly related to their attitude to organizational change.

Technical Steps to Support Nuclear Arsenal Downsizing: A Report by the APS Panel on Public Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

play a critical role in advancing the US plan to balance deter- rence with downsizing the US nuclear arsenal. In particular, S&T are essential to enable...nuclear-armed nations must be assured that they will continue to be able to meet those critical security needs. While individual nuclear-armed...steps are essential to progress towards the eventual elimination of nuclear arsenals. Science and technology (S&T) will play a critical role in

Six hospitals describe decentralization, cost containment, and downsizing.

PubMed

Lineweaver, L A; Battle, C E; Schilling, R M; Nall, C M

1999-01-01

Decentralization, cost containment, and downsizing continue in full force as healthcare organizations continue to adapt to constant economic change. Hospitals are forced to take a second and third look at how health care is managed in order to survive. Six Northwest Florida hospitals were surveyed in an effort to explore current changes within the healthcare delivery system. This article provides both managers and staff with an overview of recent healthcare changes in an area of the country with implications for staff development.

Managing the consequences of hospital cutbacks: the role of workforce reduction practices.

PubMed

Rondeau, K V; Wagar, T H

2001-01-01

In recent years, hospitals in Canada as elsewhere have witnessed unprecedented downsizing of their workforces. It is generally assumed that planned workforce reductions can have deleterious consequences on an organization's human resources. Scholars and practitioners alike have identified a number of humane or progressive approaches that are widely considered to be effective for organizations undergoing downsizing. This study examines the impact that workforce reduction approaches have on perceptions of organizational performance in a large sample of Canadian hospitals undergoing workforce reductions.

Organizational downsizing and age discrimination litigation: the influence of personnel practices and statistical evidence on litigation outcomes.

PubMed

Wingate, Peter H; Thornton, George C; McIntyre, Kelly S; Frame, Jennifer H

2003-02-01

The present study examined relationships between reduction-in-force (RIF) personnel practices, presentation of statistical evidence, and litigation outcomes. Policy capturing methods were utilized to analyze the components of 115 federal district court opinions involving age discrimination disparate treatment allegations and organizational downsizing. Univariate analyses revealed meaningful links between RIF personnel practices, use of statistical evidence, and judicial verdict. The defendant organization was awarded summary judgment in 73% of the claims included in the study. Judicial decisions in favor of the defendant organization were found to be significantly related to such variables as formal performance appraisal systems, termination decision review within the organization, methods of employee assessment and selection for termination, and the presence of a concrete layoff policy. The use of statistical evidence in ADEA disparate treatment litigation was investigated and found to be a potentially persuasive type of indirect evidence. Legal, personnel, and evidentiary ramifications are reviewed, and a framework of downsizing mechanics emphasizing legal defensibility is presented.

The effectiveness of a new algorithm on a three-dimensional finite element model construction of bone trabeculae in implant biomechanics.

PubMed

Sato, Y; Teixeira, E R; Tsuga, K; Shindoi, N

1999-08-01

More validity of finite element analysis (FEA) in implant biomechanics requires element downsizing. However, excess downsizing needs computer memory and calculation time. To evaluate the effectiveness of a new algorithm established for more valid FEA model construction without downsizing, three-dimensional FEA bone trabeculae models with different element sizes (300, 150 and 75 micron) were constructed. Four algorithms of stepwise (1 to 4 ranks) assignment of Young's modulus accorded with bone volume in the individual cubic element was used and then stress distribution against vertical loading was analysed. The model with 300 micron element size, with 4 ranks of Young's moduli accorded with bone volume in each element presented similar stress distribution to the model with the 75 micron element size. These results show that the new algorithm was effective, and the use of the 300 micron element for bone trabeculae representation was proposed, without critical changes in stress values and for possible savings on computer memory and calculation time in the laboratory.

Staggered work shifts: a way to downsize and restructure an emergency department workforce yet maintain current operational performance.

PubMed

Sinreich, David; Jabali, Ola

2007-09-01

Starting from the last decade of the twentieth century, most hospital Emergency Department (ED) budgets did not keep up with the demand for ED services made by growing populations and aging societies. Since labor consumes over 50% of the total monies invested in EDs and other healthcare systems, any downsizing, streamlining and reorganization plan needs to first address staffing issues such as determining the correct size of the workforce and its work shift scheduling. In this context, it is very important to remember that downsizing certainly does not mean a general cut-across-the-board. This study shows that a selective downsizing process in which each resource is treated separately (increasing the work capacity of some resources is also possible), based on its unique contribution to the overall ED operational performance, can approximately maintain current ED operational measures in terms patient length of stay (LOS) despite an overall reduction in staff hours. A linear optimization model (S-model) and a heuristic iterative simulation based algorithm (SWSSA) are used in this study for scheduling the resources' work shifts, one resource at a time. The algorithm was tested using data that was gathered from five general hospital EDs. By leveling the workload of the different resources in the ED, SWSSA was able to achieve LOS values within -19 to 4% of the original values despite a reduction of 8-17.5% in physicians' work hours and a reduction of 13-47% in the nurses' work hours.

The impact of deficit reduction on the nursing labour market in Canada: unintended consequences of fiscal reform.

PubMed

Vujicic, Marko; Evans, Robert G

2005-01-01

Beginning in 1992, governments throughout Canada began reducing expenditures in an effort to eliminate fiscal deficits and reduce their alarmingly high debt burden. As part of this deficit-fighting era, governments reduced hospital expenditure levels quite dramatically. Some of the current problems in the Canadian healthcare system - the recent unrest in the nursing labour market in particular - are often attributed to this hospital downsizing era. This article examines trends in the labour market for registered nurses in Canada during the hospital downsizing period. Of particular interest is the effect of hospital spending reforms on nurse employment levels in hospitals and on the age structure of the nursing workforce. After identifying the trends, the main factors driving the trends are discussed. Results indicate that a decrease in the demand for nursing labour resulted in large staff layoffs during the restructuring period, particularly among the youngest age groups. The evidence does not support the claim that deteriorating wages and working conditions in hospitals led nurses to quit their jobs during the hospital downsizing period.

Understanding the science of portion control and the art of downsizing.

PubMed

Hetherington, Marion M; Blundell-Birtill, Pam; Caton, Samantha J; Cecil, Joanne E; Evans, Charlotte E; Rolls, Barbara J; Tang, Tang

2018-05-24

Offering large portions of high-energy-dense (HED) foods increases overall intake in children and adults. This is known as the portion size effect (PSE). It is robust, reliable and enduring. Over time, the PSE may facilitate overeating and ultimately positive energy balance. Therefore, it is important to understand what drives the PSE and what might be done to counter the effects of an environment promoting large portions, especially in children. Explanations for the PSE are many and diverse, ranging from consumer error in estimating portion size to simple heuristics such as cleaning the plate or eating in accordance with consumption norms. However, individual characteristics and hedonic processes influence the PSE, suggesting a more complex explanation than error or heuristics. Here PSE studies are reviewed to identify interventions that can be used to downsize portions of HED foods, with a focus on children who are still learning about social norms for portion size. Although the scientific evidence for the PSE is robust, there is still a need for creative downsizing solutions to facilitate portion control as children and adolescents establish their eating habits.

Cosmetics or Radical Surgery? What’s Right For the Top Levels of the U.S Defense Establishment as it Downsizes?

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-15

1992. Thompson, W. Scott, and Donaldson D. Frizzell, ed. The Lessons of Viet Nam . New York: Crane, Russak & Company, 1977. Thurman, General Maxwell R...Depuftt .f Deawss. w SOY Or qifMade Thk 4amest may wt be IS-ýi ft 1W 0Mp•"s u ftbwsbee.demadby lbs appespdAdks Of enls COSMETICS OR RADICAL SURGERY...Classification) Cosmetics or Radical Surgery? What’s Right for the Top Levels of the U.S. Defense Establishment as It Downsizes? 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) LTC

Oncologic safety of breast conserving surgery after tumour downsizing by neoadjuvant therapy: a retrospective single centre cohort study.

PubMed

Fitzal, F; Riedl, O; Mittlböck, M; Dubsky, P; Bartsch, R; Steger, G; Jakesz, R; Gnant, M

2011-05-01

The objective of this study is to analyse local recurrence rates in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) comparing mastecomized (MX) patients with those undergoing breast conserving therapy (BCT). Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery after nCT (3xCMF or 3-6xED) between 1995 and 2007 at our department were retrospectively analysed. The median follow up was 60 months for 308 patients. Patients who were downsized from MX to BCT with partial or complete response (n = 104) had a similar local recurrence free survival (LRFS) compared to patients who did not experience successful downsizing (n = 67) and finally undergoing MX (LRFS MX-BCT 81% vs. MX-MX 91%; P = 0.79). Uni- and multivariate analyses demonstrated that BCT itself was not an independent prognostic factor for a worse LRFS (P = 0.07 and 0.14). After no pathologic change or progressive disease the risk of local recurrence was increased in patients undergoing BCT (MX-BCT; n = 6 LRFS 66%) compared with MX (n = 44; LRFS 90%; P = 0.04). Overall survival in general was better for the BCT group (n = 197) compared with MX group (n = 111) regardless of clinical response (92% vs. 72%; P < 0.0001). Breast conservation, nodal negativity and low or medium grade histology were prognostic factors for an improved OS (P = 0.02, 0.01, 0.004). In conclusion, our study suggests that BCT is oncologically safe after tumour downsizing by nCT in patients primarily scheduled for mastectomy. These patients, however, should not be treated with breast conservation in the absence of any proven response after nCT.

Sickness and sickness absence of remaining employees in a time of economic crisis: a study among employees of municipalities in Iceland.

PubMed

Sigursteinsdóttir, Hjördís; Rafnsdóttir, Gudbjörg Linda

2015-05-01

This article focuses on sickness and sickness absence among employees of 20 municipalities in Iceland who remained at work after the economic crisis in October 2008. The aim was to examine the impact of economic crisis on sickness and sickness absence of "survivors" working within the educational system (primary school teachers and kindergarten teachers) and the care services (elderly care and care of disabled people) operated by the municipalities. The study was based on mixed methods research comprising a balanced panel data set and focus groups. An online survey conducted three times among 2356 employees of 20 municipalities and seven focus group interviews in two municipalities (39 participants). The generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to analyze the quantitative data, and focused coding was used to analyze the qualitative data. The main finding showed that the economic crisis had negative health implications for the municipal employees. The negative effects grew stronger over time. Employee sickness and sickness absence increased substantially in both downsized and non-downsized workplaces. However, employees of downsized workplaces were more likely to be sick. Sickness and sickness absence were more common among younger than older employees, but no gender differences were observed. The study demonstrates the importance of protecting the health and well-being of all employees in the wake of an economic crisis, not only those who lose their jobs or work in downsized workplaces. This is important in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, but also for a significant time thereafter. This is of practical relevance for those responsible for occupational health and safety, as most Western countries periodically go through economic crises, resulting in strains on employees. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Nursing personnel downsizing in a teaching hospital].

PubMed

Fakih, Flávio Trevisan; Carmagnani, Maria Isabel Sampaio; Cunha, Isabel Cristina Kowal Olm

2006-01-01

The objective of this study was to adjust the downsizing of nursing personnel in a teaching hospital to the resolution of Federal Nursing Council no. 293/2004. The classification of patients in levels of complexity care was done and the required time for the nurse care also was verified. The present number of employees was compared to the measured one. The outcomes showed the levels of patients'care complexity is on intermediate care (42%), and the required time to the nurse care was greater on intensive care patients (42%). The present staff has a deficit of 205 nurses and an exceding of 284 professionals of techinical college level.

Turnover and organizational performance: a comparative analysis of the effects of voluntary, involuntary, and reduction-in-force turnover.

PubMed

McElroy, J C; Morrow, P C; Rude, S N

2001-12-01

Data were collected from 31 regional subunits of a national financial services company to examine differential effects of 3 types of turnover (voluntary, involuntary, and reduction-in-force) on measures of organizational subunit performance. Although each form of turnover exhibited adverse effects on subunit performance when examined separately, partial correlation results revealed greater and more pervasive adverse effects for reduction-in-force turnover (i.e., downsizing) in comparison with the effects of voluntary and involuntary turnover. The results confirm the negative effects of downsizing, suggesting the need to move beyond the traditional voluntary-involuntary classification scheme used in turnover research.

Chloroplast downsizing under nitrate nutrition restrained mesophyll conductance and photosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under drought conditions.

PubMed

Li, Yong; Ren, Binbin; Yang, Xiuxia; Xu, Guohua; Shen, Qirong; Guo, Shiwei

2012-05-01

The phenomenon whereby ammonium enhances the tolerance of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L., cv. 'Shanyou 63' hybrid indica China) to water stress has been reported in previous studies. To study the intrinsic mechanism of biomass synthesis related to photosynthesis, hydroponic experiments supplying different nitrogen (N) forms were conducted; water stress was simulated by the addition of polyethylene glycol. Water stress decreased leaf water potential (Ψ(leaf)) under nitrate nutrition, while it had no negative effect under ammonium nutrition. The decreased Ψ(leaf) under nitrate nutrition resulted in chloroplast downsizing and subsequently decreased mesophyll conductance to CO(2) (g(m)). The decreased g(m) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) under nitrate nutrition with water stress restrained the CO(2) supply to the chloroplast and Rubisco. The relatively higher distribution of leaf N to Rubisco under ammonium nutrition might also be of benefit for photosynthesis under water stress. In conclusion, chloroplast downsizing induced a decline in g(m), a relatively higher decrease in g(s) under nitrate nutrition with water stress, restrained the CO(2) supply to Rubisco and finally decreased the photosynthetic rate.

Genome size evolution in Ontario ferns (Polypodiidae): evolutionary correlations with cell size, spore size, and habitat type and an absence of genome downsizing.

PubMed

Henry, Thomas A; Bainard, Jillian D; Newmaster, Steven G

2014-10-01

Genome size is known to correlate with a number of traits in angiosperms, but less is known about the phenotypic correlates of genome size in ferns. We explored genome size variation in relation to a suite of morphological and ecological traits in ferns. Thirty-six fern taxa were collected from wild populations in Ontario, Canada. 2C DNA content was measured using flow cytometry. We tested for genome downsizing following polyploidy using a phylogenetic comparative analysis to explore the correlation between 1Cx DNA content and ploidy. There was no compelling evidence for the occurrence of widespread genome downsizing during the evolution of Ontario ferns. The relationship between genome size and 11 morphological and ecological traits was explored using a phylogenetic principal component regression analysis. Genome size was found to be significantly associated with cell size, spore size, spore type, and habitat type. These results are timely as past and recent studies have found conflicting support for the association between ploidy/genome size and spore size in fern polyploid complexes; this study represents the first comparative analysis of the trend across a broad taxonomic group of ferns.

Sensitive thermal microsensor with pn junction for heat measurement of a single cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Taito; Inomata, Naoki; Ono, Takahito

2016-02-01

A sensitive thermal microsensor based on a pn junction diode for heat measurements of biological single cells is developed and evaluated. Using a fabricated device, we demonstrated the heat measurement of a single brown fat cell. The principle of the sensor relies on the temperature dependence of the pn junction diode resistance. This method has a capability of the highly thermal sensitivity by downsizing and the advantage of a simple experimental setup using electrical circuits without any special equipment. To achieve highly sensitive heat measurement of single cells, downsizing of the sensor is necessary to reduce the heat capacity of the sensor itself. The sensor with the pn junction diode can be downsized by microfabrication. A bridge beam structure with the pn junction diode as a thermal sensor is placed in vacuum using a microfludic chip to decrease the heat loss to the surroundings. A temperature coefficient of resistance of 1.4%/K was achieved. The temperature and thermal resolutions of the fabricated device are 1.1 mK and 73.6 nW, respectively. The heat measurements of norepinephrine stimulated and nonstimulated single brown fat cells were demonstrated, and different behaviors in heat generation were observed.

Design Parameters of a Miniaturized Piezoelectric Underwater Acoustic Transmitter

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

Li, Huidong; Deng, Zhiqun; Yuan, Yong

2012-07-02

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) project supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, has yielded the smallest acoustic fish tag transmitter commercially available to date. In order to study even smaller fish populations and make the transmitter injectable by needles, the JSATS acoustic micro transmitter needs to be further downsized. As part of the transmitter downsizing effort some of the design parameters of the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic tube transducer in the transmitter were studied, including the type of PZT, the backing material, the necessary drive voltage, the transmitting bandwidth and the length ofmore » the transducer. It was found that, to satisfy the 156-dB source level requirement of JSATS, a square wave with a 10-volt amplitude is required to drive 'soft' PZT transducers. PZT-5H demonstrated the best source level performance. For Navy types I and II, 16 volts or 18 volts were needed. Ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) closed-cell foam was found to be the backing material providing the highest source level. The effect of tube length on the source level is also demonstrated in this paper, providing quantitative information for downsizing of small piezoelectric transmitters.« less

Rational Design of Mini-Cas9 for Transcriptional Activation.

PubMed

Ma, Dacheng; Peng, Shuguang; Huang, Weiren; Cai, Zhiming; Xie, Zhen

2018-04-20

Nuclease dead Cas9 (dCas9) has been widely used for modulating gene expression by fusing with different activation or repression domains. However, delivery of the CRISPR/Cas system fused with various effector domains in a single adeno-associated virus (AAV) remains challenging due to the payload limit. Here, we engineered a set of downsized variants of Cas9 including Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (SaCas9) that retained DNA binding activity by deleting conserved functional domains. We demonstrated that fusing FokI nuclease domain to the N-terminal of the minimal SaCas9 (mini-SaCas9) or to the middle of the split mini-SaCas9 can trigger efficient DNA cleavage. In addition, we constructed a set of compact transactivation domains based on the tripartite VPR activation domain and self-assembled arrays of split SpyTag:SpyCatch peptides, which are suitable for fusing to the mini-SaCas9. Lastly, we produced a single AAV containing the mini-SaCas9 fused with a downsized transactivation domain along with an optimized gRNA expression cassette, which showed efficient transactivation activity. Our results highlighted a practical approach to generate down-sized CRISPR/Cas9 and gene activation systems for in vivo applications.

Phase-change wallboard and mechanical night ventilation in commercial buildings: Potential for HVAC system downsizing

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

Stetiu, C.; Feustel, H.E.

1998-07-01

As thermal storage media, phase-change materials (PCMs) such as paraffin, eutectic salts, etc. offer an order-of-magnitude increase in thermal storage capacity, and their discharge is almost isothermal. By embedding PCMs in dypsum board, plaster, or other wall-covering materials, the building structure acquires latent storage properties. Structural elements containing PCMs can store large amounts of energy while maintaining the indoor temperature within a relatively narrow range. As heat storage takes place inside the building where the loads occur, rather than at a central exterior location, the internal loads are removed without the need for additional transport energy. Distributed latent storage canmore » thus be used to reduce the peak power demand of a building, downsize the cooling system, and/or switch to low-energy cooling sources. The authors used RADCOOL, a thermal building simulation program based on the finite difference approach, to numerically evaluate the thermal performance of PCM wallboard coupled with mechanical night ventilation in office buildings offers the opportunity for system downsizing in climates where the outside air temperature drops below 18 C at night. In climates where the outside air temperature remains above 19 C at night, the use of PCM wallboard should be coupled with discharge mechanisms other than mechanical night ventilation with outside air.« less

Development of Towed Marine Seismic Vibrator as an Alternative Seismic Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozasa, H.; Mikada, H.; Murakami, F.; Jamali Hondori, E.; Takekawa, J.; Asakawa, E.; Sato, F.

2015-12-01

The principal issue with respect to marine impulsive sources to acquire seismic data is if the emission of acoustic energy inflicts harm on marine mammals or not, since the volume of the source signal being released into the marine environment could be so large compared to the sound range of the mammals. We propose a marine seismic vibrator as an alternative to the impulsive sources to mitigate a risk of the impact to the marine environment while satisfying the necessary conditions of seismic surveys. These conditions include the repeatability and the controllability of source signals both in amplitude and phase for high-quality measurements. We, therefore, designed a towed marine seismic vibrator (MSV) as a new type marine vibratory seismic source that employed the hydraulic servo system for the controllability condition in phase and in amplitude that assures the repeatability as well. After fabricating a downsized MSV that requires the power of 30 kVA at a depth of about 250 m in water, several sea trials were conducted to test the source characteristics of the downsized MSV in terms of amplitude, frequency, horizontal and vertical directivities of the generated field. The maximum sound level satisfied the designed specification in the frequencies ranging from 3 to 300 Hz almost omnidirectionally. After checking the source characteristics, we then conducted a trial seismic survey, using both the downsized MSV and an airgun of 480 cubic-inches for comparison, with a streamer cable of 2,000m long right above a cabled earthquake observatory in the Japan Sea. The result showed that the penetration of seismic signals generated by the downsized MSV was comparable to that by the airgun, although there was a slight difference in the signal-to-noise ratio. The MSV could become a versatile source that will not harm living marine mammals as an alternative to the existing impulsive seismic sources such as airgun.

Flexing and downsizing the femoral component is not detrimental to patellofemoral biomechanics in posterior-referencing cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Marra, Marco A; Strzelczak, Marta; Heesterbeek, Petra J C; van de Groes, Sebastiaan A W; Janssen, Dennis; Koopman, Bart F J M; Verdonschot, Nico; Wymenga, Ate B

2018-03-20

When downsizing the femoral component to prevent mediolateral overhang, notching of the anterior femoral cortex may occur, which could be solved by flexing the femoral component. In this study, we investigated the effect of flexion of the femoral component on patellar tendon moment arm, patellofemoral forces and kinematics in posterior-referencing CR-TKA. Our hypothesis was that flexion of the femoral component increases the patellar tendon moment arm, reduces the patellofemoral forces and provides stable kinematics. A validated musculoskeletal model of CR-TKA was used. The flexion of the femoral component was increased in four steps (0°, 3°, 6°, 9°) using posterior referencing, and different alignments were analysed in combination with three implant sizes (3, 4, 5). A chair-rising trial was analysed using the model, while simultaneously estimating quadriceps muscle force, patellofemoral contact force, tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics. Compared to the reference case (size 4 and 0° flexion), for every 3° of increase in flexion of the femoral component the patellar tendon moment arm increased by 1% at knee extension. The peak quadriceps muscle force and patellofemoral contact force decreased by 2%, the patella shifted 0.8 mm more anteriorly and the remaining kinematics remained stable, with knee flexion. With the smaller size, the patellar tendon moment arm decreased by 6%, the quadriceps muscle force and patellofemoral contact force increased by 8 and 12%, and the patellar shifted 5 mm more posteriorly. Opposite trends were found with the bigger size. Flexing the femoral component with posterior referencing reduced the patellofemoral contact forces during a simulated chair-rising trial with a patient-specific musculoskeletal model of CR-TKA. There seems to be little risk when flexing and downsizing the femoral component, compared to when using a bigger size and neutral alignment. These findings provide relevant information to surgeons who wish to prevent anterior notching when downsizing the femoral component.

Goodbye or Identify: Detrimental Effects of Downsizing on Identification and Survivor Performance.

PubMed

van Dick, Rolf; Drzensky, Frank; Heinz, Matthias

2016-01-01

Research shows that after layoffs, employees often report decreased commitment and performance which has been coined the survivor syndrome. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain underexplored. The purpose of the paper is to show that reduced organizational identification can serve as an explanation for the survivor syndrome. We conducted a laboratory experiment, in which participants work as a group of employees for another participant who acts as employer. In the course of the experiment, the employer decides whether one of his or her employees should be laid off or not. Mediation analysis supports a social identity-based explanation for the emergence of the survivor syndrome: downsizing causes lower identification with the employer which in turn relates to lower performance of employees.

Hige Compression Ratio Turbo Gasoline Engine Operation Using Alcohol Enhancement

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

Heywood, John; Jo, Young Suk; Lewis, Raymond

The overall objective of this project was to quantify the potential for improving the performance and efficiency of gasoline engine technology by use of alcohols to suppress knock. Knock-free operation is obtained by direct injection of a second “anti-knock” fuel such as ethanol, which suppresses knock when, with gasoline fuel, knock would occur. Suppressing knock enables increased turbocharging, engine downsizing, and use of higher compression ratios throughout the engine’s operating map. This project combined engine testing and simulation to define knock onset conditions, with different mixtures of gasoline and alcohol, and with this information quantify the potential for improving themore » efficiency of turbocharged gasoline spark-ignition engines, and the on-vehicle fuel consumption reductions that could then be realized. The more focused objectives of this project were therefore to: Determine engine efficiency with aggressive turbocharging and downsizing and high compression ratio (up to a compression ratio of 13.5:1) over the engine’s operating range; Determine the knock limits of a turbocharged and downsized engine as a function of engine speed and load; Determine the amount of the knock-suppressing alcohol fuel consumed, through the use of various alcohol-gasoline and alcohol-water gasoline blends, for different driving cycles, relative to the gasoline consumed; Determine implications of using alcohol-boosted engines, with their higher efficiency operation, in both light-duty and medium-duty vehicle sectors.« less

Goodbye or Identify: Detrimental Effects of Downsizing on Identification and Survivor Performance

PubMed Central

van Dick, Rolf; Drzensky, Frank; Heinz, Matthias

2016-01-01

Research shows that after layoffs, employees often report decreased commitment and performance which has been coined the survivor syndrome. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain underexplored. The purpose of the paper is to show that reduced organizational identification can serve as an explanation for the survivor syndrome. We conducted a laboratory experiment, in which participants work as a group of employees for another participant who acts as employer. In the course of the experiment, the employer decides whether one of his or her employees should be laid off or not. Mediation analysis supports a social identity-based explanation for the emergence of the survivor syndrome: downsizing causes lower identification with the employer which in turn relates to lower performance of employees. PMID:27252674

Risk and uncertainty.

PubMed

Carter, Tony

2010-01-01

Volatile business conditions have led to drastic corporate downsizing, meaning organizations are expected to do more with less. Managers must be more knowledgeable and possess a more eclectic myriad of business skills, many of which have not even been seen until recently. Many internal and external changes have occurred to organizations that have dictated the need to do business differently. Changes such as technological advances; globalization; catastrophic business crises; a more frantic competitive climate; and more demanding, sophisticated customers are examples of some of the shifts in the external business environment. Internal changes to organizations have been in the form of reengineering, accompanied by structural realignments and downsizing; greater emphasis on quality levels in product and service output; faster communication channels; and a more educated, skilled employee base with higher expectations from management.

Galaxy Downsizing Evidenced by Hybrid Evolutionary Tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firmani, C.; Avila-Reese, V.

2010-11-01

The stellar-dark halo mass relation of galaxies at different redshifts, M s(M h, z), encloses relevant features concerning their physical processes and evolution. This sequence of relations, defined in the range 0 < z < 4, together with average Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) halo mass aggregation histories (MAHs), is used here for inferring average galaxian hybrid evolutionary tracks (GHETs), where "hybrid" remarks on the combination of observational (M s) and theoretical (M h) ingredients. As a result of our approach, a unified picture of stellar and halo mass buildup, population migration, and downsizing of galaxies as a function of mass is presented. The inferred average M s growth histories (GHETs) of the highest and lowest mass galaxies are definitively quite different from the average MAHs, M h(z), of the corresponding dark halos. Depending on how a given M h(z) compares with the mass at which the M s-to-M h ratio curve peaks at the epoch z, M hp(z), two evolutionary phases are evidenced: (1) galaxies in an active regime of M s growth when M h < M hp and (2) galaxies in a quiescent or passive regime when M h>M hp. The typical M s at which galaxies transit from the active (star-forming) to the quiescent regime, M tran, increases with z, log(M tran/M sun) ≈10.30 + 0.55z, making evident a population downsizing phenomenon. This result agrees with independent observational determinations based on the evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function decomposition into blue and red galaxy populations. The specific star formation rate (SSFR) predicted from the derivative of the GHET is consistent with direct measures of the SSFR for galaxies at different redshifts, though both sets of observational inferences are independent. The average GHETs of galaxies smaller than M tran at z = 0 (M s ≈1010.3 M sun, M h ≈1011.8 M sun) did not reach the quiescent regime, and for them, the lower the mass, the faster the later M s growth rate (downsizing in SSFR). The GHETs allow us to predict the transition rate in the number density of active to passive population; the predicted values agree with direct estimates of the growth rate in the number density for the (massive) red population up to z ~ 1. We show that ΛCDM-based models of disk galaxy evolution, including feedback-driven outflows, are able to reproduce the low-mass side of the M s-M h relation at z ~ 0, but at higher z strongly disagree with the GHETs: models do not reproduce the strong downsizing in SSFR and the high SSFR of low-mass galaxies.

Back-and-forth micromotion of aqueous droplets in a dc electric field.

PubMed

Kurimura, Tomo; Ichikawa, Masatoshi; Takinoue, Masahiro; Yoshikawa, Kenichi

2013-10-01

Recently, it was reported that an aqueous droplet in an oil phase exhibited rhythmic back-and-forth motion under stationary dc voltage on the order of 100 V. Here, we demonstrate that the threshold voltage for inducing such oscillation is successfully decreased to the order of 10 V through downsizing of the experimental system. Notably, the threshold electric field tends to decrease with a nonlinear scaling relationship accompanied by the downsizing. We derive a simple theoretical model to interpret the system size dependence of the threshold voltage. This model equation suggests the unique effect of additional noise, which is qualitatively characterized as a coherent resonance by an actual experiment as a kind of coherent resonance. Our result would provide insight into the construction of micrometer-sized self-commutating motors and actuators in microfluidic and micromechanical devices.

The case of the downsizing decision.

PubMed

Train, A S

1991-01-01

New CEO Charles Rampart's decision to make deep across-the-board cuts at Universal Products Company, Ltd. presents division manager Andrew Jordan with a thorny problem. Plagued by slow growth, a declining stock price, and an increasingly skeptical investment community, UPC needs to control costs and control them fast. But Jordan's division is the most profitable in the company, and the 11% cut proposed by Rampart could destroy already shaky morale and seriously threaten the division's ability to compete. "There comes a time in every manager's career when he has to fight a bad decision made by his boss," argues Sam Godwyn, Jordan's vice president for marketing and sales. "To cut across the board is to take a blunt axe to the company when a surgeon's scalpel is called for." He suggests it is better to line up support for an alternative plan that links cuts to a long-term strategy and that differentiates between successful and unsuccessful divisions. "It would be a terrible mistake for us to focus only on the narrow needs of the division when the future of the whole company is at stake," counters Mary Wyatt, Jordan's vice president for finance. Yes, the downsizing will hurt the division in the short term, but the real issue is getting behind the new CEO. Supporting the downsizing decision is a necessary investment in this future credibility and effectiveness--whatever the short-term costs. Four commentators debate Jordan's dilemma and how he should resolve it.

Cooperative processing data bases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasta, Juzar

1991-01-01

Cooperative processing for the 1990's using client-server technology is addressed. The main theme is concepts of downsizing from mainframes and minicomputers to workstations on a local area network (LAN). This document is presented in view graph form.

Transitions: A Personal Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Ann Stace

1995-01-01

Distinguishes between unchosen transitions (children maturing and leaving, parents aging, companies downsizing) and chosen ones (moving, divorce, marriage, career changes). Describes the steps one goes through: uneasiness, renewed energy, complaining, exploration, partial transition, and the completed transition. (JOW)

Nurse entrepreneurship: an alternative career choice worth considering.

PubMed

Sanoshy, J

1998-07-01

With consistent downsizing in today's healthcare arena, many nurses are considering alternative careers. Several ONS members have found creative ways to parlay their nursing education and experience into successful careers that are both fulfilling and profitable.

Create a translational medicine knowledge repository--research downsizing, mergers and increased outsourcing have reduced the depth of in-house translational medicine expertise and institutional memory at many pharmaceutical and biotech companies: how will they avoid relearning old lessons?

PubMed

Littman, Bruce H; Marincola, Francesco M

2011-05-10

Pharmaceutical industry consolidation and overall research downsizing threatens the ability of companies to benefit from their previous investments in translational research as key leaders with the most knowledge of the successful use of biomarkers and translational pharmacology models are laid off or accept their severance packages. Two recently published books may help to preserve this type of knowledge but much of this type of information is not in the public domain. Here we propose the creation of a translational medicine knowledge repository where companies can submit their translational research data and access similar data from other companies in a precompetitive environment. This searchable repository would become an invaluable resource for translational scientists and drug developers that could speed and reduce the cost of new drug development.

Coping strategies and health symptoms among women and men in a downsizing organisation.

PubMed

Torkelson, Eva; Muhonen, Tuija

2003-06-01

This study examined how women and men cope with stress during a period of organizational change and how the coping strategies are related to health. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 98 female and male administrators of health care service working in a Swedish governmental County Council during a period of downsizing. In line with earlier studies, the results showed women to be more likely than men to endorse the emotion-focused strategies of Seeking Social Support and Focus on and Venting of Emotions. Contrary to earlier studies the men did not report using problem-focused strategies more frequently than the women. The results of a regression analysis indicated that the reported use of problem-focused strategies did not contribute significantly to the explained variance in health. Instead, the emotion-focused strategy Denial explained a significant proportion of variance in the health problems. No sex differences in reported health problems were found.

Facilitating a Major Staffing Transition in a State Psychiatric Hospital With Changes to Nursing Orientation.

PubMed

Birnbaum, Shira; Sperber-Weiss, Doreen; Dimitrios, Timothy; Eckel, Donald; Monroy-Miller, Cherry; Monroe, Janet J; Friedman, Ross; Ologbosele, Mathias; Epo, Grace; Sharpe, Debra; Zarski, Yongsuk

A large state psychiatric hospital experienced a state-mandated Reduction in Force that resulted in the abrupt loss and rapid turnover of more than 40% of its nursing and paraprofessional staff. The change exemplified current national trends toward downsizing and facility closure. This article describes revisions to the nursing orientation program that supported cost containment and fidelity to mission and clinical practices during the transition. An existing nursing orientation program was reconfigured in alignment with principles of rational instructional design and a core-competencies model of curriculum development, evidence-based practices that provided tactical clarity and commonality of purpose during a complex and emotionally charged transition period. Program redesign enabled efficiencies that facilitated the transition, with no evidence of associated negative effects. The process described here offers an example for hospitals facing similar workforce reorganization in an era of public sector downsizing.

Create a translational medicine knowledge repository - Research downsizing, mergers and increased outsourcing have reduced the depth of in-house translational medicine expertise and institutional memory at many pharmaceutical and biotech companies: how will they avoid relearning old lessons?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Pharmaceutical industry consolidation and overall research downsizing threatens the ability of companies to benefit from their previous investments in translational research as key leaders with the most knowledge of the successful use of biomarkers and translational pharmacology models are laid off or accept their severance packages. Two recently published books may help to preserve this type of knowledge but much of this type of information is not in the public domain. Here we propose the creation of a translational medicine knowledge repository where companies can submit their translational research data and access similar data from other companies in a precompetitive environment. This searchable repository would become an invaluable resource for translational scientists and drug developers that could speed and reduce the cost of new drug development. PMID:21569250

Downgrading, downsizing, degazettement, and reclassification of protected areas in Brazil.

PubMed

Bernard, E; Penna, L A O; Araújo, E

2014-08-01

Protected areas (PAs) are key elements for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Brazil has the largest PA system in the world, covering approximately 220 million ha. This system expanded rapidly in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. Recent events in Brazil, however, have led to an increase in PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD). Does this reflect a shift in the country's PA policy? We analyzed the occurrence, frequency, magnitude, type, spatial distribution, and causes of changes in PA boundaries and categories in Brazil. We identified 93 PADDD events from 1981 to 2012. Such events increased in frequency since 2008 and were ascribed primarily to generation and transmission of electricity in Amazonia. In Brazilian parks and reserves, 7.3 million ha were affected by PADDD events, and of these, 5.2 million ha were affected by downsizing or degazetting. Moreover, projects being considered by the Federal Congress may degazette 2.1 million ha of PA in Amazonia alone. Relaxing the protection status of existing PAs is proving to be politically easy in Brazil, and the recent increase in frequency and extension of PADDD reflects a change in governmental policy. By taking advantage of chronic deficiencies in financial and personnel resources and surveillance, disputes over land tenure, and the slowness of the Brazilian justice, government agencies have been implementing PADDD without consultation of civil society. If parks and reserves are to maintain their integrity, there will need to be investments in Brazilian PAs and a better understanding of the benefits PAs provide. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

The Projected Responses of Residency-Sponsoring Institutions to a Reduction in Medicare Support for Graduate Medical Education: A National Survey.

PubMed

Riaz, Mahrukh; Palermo, Tia; Yen, Michael; Edelman, Norman H

2015-10-01

To assess the projected responses of residency-sponsoring institutions to the proposed reduction in Medicare's indirect medical education (IME) payments. In 2012, the authors surveyed directors of graduate medical education (GME) programs, examining (1) overall responses to a reduction in IME reimbursement and (2) the value of individual residencies to the institution from the economic/operational and educational/public service points of view, to determine which programs may be at risk for downsizing. Responses from 192 of 555 institutions (35% response rate) varied by the size of the institution's GME program. Of large programs (six or more residencies), 33 (33%) would downsize at a 10% reduction in IME reimbursement, focusing cuts on specific programs. Small programs (five or fewer residencies) were more likely to retain their existing residencies with modest IME payment reductions and to make across-the-board cuts. The economic/operational value of specialties varied widely, with hospital-intensive residencies valued highest. Family medicine was valued highly from an economic/operational point of view only by small programs. Educational/public service value scores varied less and were higher for all specialties. Preventive medicine was not highly valued in either category. Even a modest decrease in IME reimbursement could trigger institutions to downsize their GME programs. Programs at the greatest risk for cuts may be those with modest economic/operational value but high societal value, like family medicine. The retention or expansion of training in family medicine may be most easily accomplished then at smaller institutions.

Hispanics in the U.S. Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

also noted that “much of the downsizing was set in motion without 1 Isaac Asimov , in The Columbia...1995. Asimov , Isaac. The Columbia World of Quotations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996, www.bartleby.com/66/, accessed July 2006

A New Wave in Training Funding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barron, Tom

1996-01-01

Trainers must be creative, use technology, and look outside the organization in dealing with the financial constraints of a downsizing environment. Trainers must link their program to the company's strategic plan and be prepared to do more with less. (JOW)

National Center for Transit Research Promotional Materials Clearinghouse. Year IV: Final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

Development of promotional and communications collateral can be an expensive : and time consuming undertaking for public transit systems, especially in today's : environment of down-sizing and tight budgeting. An unfortunate consequence of : such dow...

Total Quality Management and the System Safety Secretary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliott, Suzan E.

1993-01-01

The system safety secretary is a valuable member of the system safety team. As downsizing occurs to meet economic constraints, the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach is frequently adopted as a formula for success and, in some cases, for survival.

Successful School Downsizing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raywid, Mary Anne

1997-01-01

Solid research evidence links smaller schools to fewer discipline problems, lower dropout rates, higher student participation levels, and steadier academic progress. Large buildings are no obstacle. Creating small schools requires top administrators to lend impetus and support, facilitate teacher volunteer groups, develop clear policies, adjust…

5 CFR 410.101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Definitions. 410.101 Section 410.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS TRAINING General Provisions... organizational needs in response to human resource plans and re-engineering, downsizing, restructuring, and/or...

5 CFR 410.101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Definitions. 410.101 Section 410.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS TRAINING General Provisions... organizational needs in response to human resource plans and re-engineering, downsizing, restructuring, and/or...

5 CFR 410.101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Definitions. 410.101 Section 410.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS TRAINING General Provisions... organizational needs in response to human resource plans and re-engineering, downsizing, restructuring, and/or...

The Kept-On Workforce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaye, Beverly L.

1998-01-01

In the aftermath of downsizing, managers must deal with the attitudes of the surviving employees. Some will offer an example of a bright future and are valuable contributors to employee morale. Others may experience sadness, anger, mistrust, and a psychological uncoupling from the organization. (JOW)

Virtual Libraries: Meeting the Corporate Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiMattia, Susan S.; Blumenstein, Lynn C.

1999-01-01

Discusses virtual libraries in corporate settings from the viewpoint of five special librarians. Highlights include competitive advantage, space and related collection issues, the use of technology, corporate culture, information overload, library vulnerability and downsizing, and the importance of service over format. (LRW)

5 CFR 410.101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definitions. 410.101 Section 410.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS TRAINING General Provisions... organizational needs in response to human resource plans and re-engineering, downsizing, restructuring, and/or...

Air mobility command passenger reservation center system analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-03-01

The Department of Defense (DoD) has undergone a massive downsizing in an effort to comply with President Clinton's directive to 'reinvent' government making it more efficient. Therefore, the DoD revamped its $$3.5 billion annual official business tra...

Followership Behaviors among Florida Community College Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, John Scott

2009-01-01

As postsecondary institutions are confronted by the challenges of escalating accountability, shrinking budgets, and administrative downsizing, higher education leaders are expecting more from their faculty members. In this environment, an improved understanding of faculty followership behaviors is increasingly important. We examined the…

The Kept University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Press, Eyal; Washburn, Jennifer

2000-01-01

Examines the trend of increasing collaboration between American universities and corporations, including issues such as the academic-industrial complex, secrecy and science, the university as a business/commercial enterprise, who controls the research agenda, downsizing the humanities, and on-line marketing of course material. Expresses concerns…

Corporate Restructuring and Liberal Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Useem, Michael

1995-01-01

This paper contends that trends in business (restructuring, downsizing, decentralization, managerial empowerment, internationalization) strongly imply a need to reorganize the college curriculum to provide future professionals with the skills and intellect to meet multiple economic and organizational challenges. This means a new learning model and…

Career Resilience. ERIC Digest No. 178.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Bettina Lankard

Changes in the workplace such as mergers, acquisitions, reengineering, and downsizing are forcing individuals to recognize the temporary nature of all jobs and develop what has been termed "career resilience.""Career resilience" differs from "career self-reliance" in that the former refers to individual career…

Restructuring health services in Canada: challenges for policy makers, planners and managers in the eighties.

PubMed

Crichton, A

1985-11-01

Is downsizing the latest jargon word applied to rationalization, a new concept or a different manifestation of a long term trend in health services management? At present, Canada is struggling to implement feasible reductions of expansionary pressures in the health care system. While provincial governments tend to see the issue as one of controlling chronic excess demand, federal government is still concerned to ensure free access to care on an equitable basis. Thus the problems of downsizing can be expressed by the provinces in terms of an ideological struggle with an unfeeling central government which does not understand their problems; although all know they are really about the feasibility of continuing to provide a service to meet demand. The present economic recession enables provincial governments to appeal to their voters for supporting a new way. Earlier, the appeal was to consumers to become involved in health service organization management and this policy succeeded, to a degree, where there were fluorishing grass roots communities; albeit that the service continued to be driven by professionals. Now the appeal is to taxpayers for their strong support in cost cutting. This has been more successful. Provincial governments are now permitted to 'touch the untouchables', that is to downsize the medical profession and previously sacrosanct health care institutions. They also are exploring the feasibility of introducing a two-tier system which would provide basic care for everyone and extra care for those able to pay, thus side-stepping federal conditions. By reorganizing support in this way, provincial governments have extended the range of policy choices, and two types of planning, the rational and the political, have now become combined into strategic management activity.

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

Gavioli, Margherita; Losi, Lorena; Luppi, Gabriele

Purpose: To assess the frequency and magnitude of changes in lower rectal cancer resulting from preoperative therapy and its impact on sphincter-saving surgery. Preoperative therapy can increase the rate of preserving surgery by shrinking the tumor and enhancing its distance from the anal sphincter. However, reliable data concerning these modifications are not yet available in published reports. Methods and Materials: A total of 98 cases of locally advanced cancer of the lower rectum (90 Stage uT3-T4N0-N+ and 8 uT2N+M0) that had undergone preoperative therapy were studied by endorectal ultrasonography. The maximal size of the tumor and its distance from themore » anal sphincter were measured in millimeters before and after preoperative therapy. Surgery was performed 6-8 weeks after therapy, and the histopathologic margins were compared with the endorectal ultrasound data. Results: Of the 90 cases, 82.5% showed tumor downsizing, varying from one-third to two-thirds or more of the original tumor mass. The distance between the tumor and the anal sphincter increased in 60.2% of cases. The median increase was 0.73 cm (range, 0.2-2.5). Downsizing was not always associated with an increase in distance. Preserving surgery was performed in 60.6% of cases. It was possible in nearly 30% of patients in whom the cancer had reached the anal sphincter before the preoperative therapy. The distal margin was tumor free in these cases. Conclusion: The results of our study have shown that in very low rectal cancer, preoperative therapy causes tumor downsizing in >80% of cases and in more than one-half enhances the distance between the tumor and anal sphincter. These modifications affect the primary surgical options, facilitating or making sphincter-saving surgery possible.« less

Downsizing and the Willingness to Mentor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bear, Stephen E.; Hwang, Alvin

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how employee perceptions of organizational context relate to willingness to mentor. This research will help organizations to understand the relationship between organizational context and willingness to mentor to encourage mentoring. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a survey approach. Employees who…

Relationship of Automobile Characteristics to List Prices and Profit Margins -- A Preliminary Analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-08-01

The report describes research on potential impacts of fuel economy regulations on the U.S. automobile industry. The study focused on the possible effects of auto "down-sizing" on manufacture profit margins. Historical price data were used to estimate...

Measuring Institutional Performance in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyerson, Joel W., Ed.; Massy, William F., Ed.

This collection of seven essays from the Stanford Forum for Higher Education Futures focuses on how downsizing, quality management, and reengineering have are affecting higher education. An introductory paper, "Introduction: Change in Higher Education: Its Effect on Institutional Performance," (Joel W. Meyerson and Sandra L. Johnson)…

Reverberations from Downsizings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Career Planning & Employment, 1995

1995-01-01

High costs have made most organizations adjust their workforces. Students are responding with new attitudes toward work. Discusses three trends: (1) recruiting of graduates is down, of experienced workers is up; (2) focus is on internships and work experience; and (3) limited-term hiring is on the rise. (JBJ)

The New Dislocated Worker. Trends and Issues Alerts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imel, Susan

In the past, worker displacement resulting from structural changes in the economy remained confined to industrial occupations such as manufacturing. The recent trends toward corporate restructuring, global competition, and military downsizing have created new groups of dislocated workers, including upper and middle management and military…

Training for Trade: Role of American Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wismer, Jack N.

Today, global competition affects almost every business or industry, often triggering corporate restructuring, downsizing, focus on continuous quality improvement, heightened efforts to globalize companies and increase exports. To meet the competitive challenges of a global economy, community colleges can better serve business and industry by…

The OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siess, Judith A.

Taking an international approach to reflect the growing number of one-person libraries (OPLs) worldwide, this handbook and directory for OPLs covers organizational culture, customer service, time management and planning, budgeting, accounting, technology, collection development, education, downsizing, outsourcing, and many other key management…

How Sassy Are Grrrl Zines?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingston-Webber, Joan

According to Lawrence Chua, "zines" are "xeroxed broadsides" which "make marginality their starting point, empowering voices excluded from the slicker journals." According to "Ms," they are "downsized stapled rags...often defiantly tasteless." A subgenre of zines, "Grrrl zines" are those written, produced, and distributed by young women, usually…

Should Technical Education Be More Liberal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heckman, Richard T.

Due to the increasing emphasis on technology and the trend toward downsizing and multiculturalism in today's workplace, graduates of technical education programs need non-technical thinking and problem solving skills to stay successfully employed. Historically, however, a dichotomy has existed between vocational and liberal education, which has…

Innovations in Community Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flora, Cornelia Butler

1997-01-01

Decentralization and budget reduction in the public sector, and globalization and downsizing in the private sector have placed more responsibility on localities to address challenges to the health of their economies, ecosystems, and people. Community development theory and practice are also changing, evidenced by changes in vocabulary. Community…

Evaluation of Emerging Technologies on a 1.6 L Turbocharged GDI Engine

EPA Science Inventory

Low-pressure loop exhaust gas recirculation (LPL- EGR) combined with a higher compression ratio is a technology package that has been the focus of significant research to increase engine thermal efficiency of downsized, turbocharged GDI engines. Research shows that the addition ...

A Methodology for Distributing the Corporate Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFadden, Fred R.

The trend to distributed processing is being fueled by numerous forces, including advances in technology, corporate downsizing, increasing user sophistication, and acquisitions and mergers. Increasingly, the trend in corporate information systems (IS) departments is toward sharing resources over a network of multiple types of processors, operating…

Thriving and Not Just Surviving: New Directions for Tomorrow's Performance-Improvement Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, Roger

2000-01-01

Examines popular approaches to performance and organizational improvement to see what flaws they contain and how continued practice will impede progress. Discusses benchmarking; quality management/continuous improvement; needs assessment; training; downsizing; reengineering; system(s) approach; and strategic planning. Describes the Organizational…

Experiential Training for Empowerment of the Workforce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, John A.

As downsizing of government and business organizations has become widespread, many managers are seeking to increase productivity by empowering the workforce. When effectively and appropriately implemented, empowered workforce structures can cut costs and improve quality and safety. Yet resistance to such changes arises from a patriarchal…

Genotyping variability of computationally categorized peach microsatellite markers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Numerous expressed sequence tag (EST) simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers can be easily mined out. The obstacle to develop them into usable markers is how to optimally select downsized subsets of the primers for genotyping, which accordingly reduces amplification failure and monomorphism often occu...

ARC Researchers at IEEE 2015 Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference

Science.gov Websites

Sustainability of the Energy Storage Systems Thursday, October 22, 2015 14:00 PM - 16:00 PM Des Pins Room SS5-1 Influence of Battery Downsizing and SOC Operating Window on Battery Pack Performance in a Hybrid Electric

Determining the maintenance superintendent and facility needs for residencies in the Virginia Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-06-01

In the spring of 2007, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began the process of reducing the number of superintendents and facilities dedicated to ordinary maintenance tasks. The need to downsize was the direct result of the requirement ...

Legitimacy of hospital reconfiguration: the controversial downsizing of Kidderminster hospital.

PubMed

Oborn, Eivor

2008-04-01

This paper examines the contested organizational legitimacy of hospital reconfiguration, which continues to be a central issue in health care management. A qualitative study which focuses on the controversial downsizing of Kidderminster Hospital, a highly publicized landmark case of district general hospital closure. Rhetorical strategies are analysed to examine how legitimacy was constructed by stakeholder groups and how these strategies were used to support or resist change. Stakeholders promoting change legitimized re-organization pragmatically and morally arguing the need for centralization as a rational necessity. Stakeholders resisting change argued for cognitive and moral legitimacy in current service arrangements, contrasting local versus regionalized aspects of safety and provision. Groups managed to talk past each other, failing to establish a dialogue, which led to significant conflict and political upheaval. Stakeholders value hospitals in different ways and argue for diverse accounts of legitimacy. Broader discourses of medical science and democratic participation were drawn into rhetorical texts concerning regionalization to render them more powerful.

Rightsizing the Right Way.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Effron, Robert C.; Concannon, John P.

1995-01-01

Describes how the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools reorganized to achieve a 50% reduction of central-office jobs. Downsizing aims to reduce the organization's size and create a new organizational culture that is more efficient, leaner, and more responsive. Superintendents must set institutional goals, create a new organizational chart, decide who…

Performance Improvement Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1997

This document contains four papers from a symposium on performance improvement processes. In "Never the Twain Shall Meet?: A Glimpse into High Performance Work Practices and Downsizing" (Laurie J. Bassi, Mark E. Van Buren) evidence from a national cross-industry of more than 200 establishments is used to demonstrate that high-performance…

Counselling Remaining Employees in Redundancy Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vinten, Gerald; Lane, David A.

2002-01-01

Interviews with 50 managers in organizations that had experienced downsizing or restructuring elicited three themes: sense of loss, sense of realism, and sense of support. The experience changed their concept of organizational mission and required an organizational response. It was recommended that management of restructuring and layoff include…

U.S. Field Artillery after World War I: Modernizing the Force While Downsizing

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

weapons, and tactics. It convened several boards to assess the requirements for an effective field artillery force, studying the materiel and......weapons, and tactics. It convened several boards to assess the requirements for an effective field artillery force, studying the materiel and

Democracy and Site-Based Administration: The Impact on Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achilles, Charles

1994-01-01

The problems attending democratic freedom and responsibility have not been solved since De Toqueville's day; improving democracy is each generation's legacy. Site-based administration is education's response to business/industry "downsizing" and a shift from assembly-line manufacturing to caseload service. Strategies to help SBM…

Recessionary Layoffs in Museum Education: Survey Results and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kley, Ron

2009-01-01

A recent survey of recession-driven museum staff reductions suggests the possible loss of tens of thousands of museum personnel nationwide and identifies educators as among those most severely impacted. Survey findings are summarized, and the implications for both affected personnel and downsized institutions are considered.

Balanced Management: A Key Component of Managerial Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liccione, William J.

2005-01-01

The employee-employer relationship has changed. Previously, employees believed that their employers would recognize their loyalty and good work with steady compensation increases and job security. Since the mid-1980s, however, a steady stream of events has eroded this relationship: globalization, unfriendly takeovers, downsizing, and the efforts…

Principles of Adult Learning: An ESL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Donald

2011-01-01

Given the current global economic situation, industries have been forced to examine their efficiency and effectiveness, and this is also true for adult education programs. Many programs, whether public or private, face budget downsizing which leads to questions of how to effectively instruct the adults they serve. This article provides an overview…

Supporting Displaced Workers for Successful Retraining.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bugler, Helen; Newhook, Brenda

In response to the closure and down-sizing of fish plants in Newfoundland, Cabot College (CC) established a Student Support Services Unit (SSSU) to offer special counseling and advising services to the more than 100 students expected to undertake vocational retraining at CC under the province's Fisheries Adjustment Program. The SSSU hired two…

Collective amnesia: reversing the global epidemic of addiction library closures.

PubMed

Mitchell, Andrea L; Lacroix, Sheila; Weiner, Barbara S; Imholtz, Clare; Goodair, Christine

2012-08-01

Special libraries in the addiction field have been downsized or closed at an alarming rate during the past decade. This editorial describes what is happening, why,and what can be done to prevent further erosion of contemporary and historical records so vital to an interdisciplinary field.

Maintenance Crisis vs Solutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haggard, Susie

Industrial maintenance in Northeast Georgia is facing an acute crisis. Contributing factors are economic development that is depleting the work force, aging of the population, downsizing of the military, and lack of technical school graduates. Solutions to the crisis fall into three categories: short-term, mid-term, and long-term. For short-term…

Downsizing the U.S.A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naylor, Thomas H.; Willimon, William H.

This book takes a stand against the belief that "bigger is better" and warns that size and technological complexity are not risk-free. There is a price to be paid for our uncritical affirmation of bigness, universal solutions to problems, dehumanizing uniformity, and standardized mass production. The U.S. government, cities,…

Educational Technology during Economic Downturns: Sailing the Winds of "Creative Destruction"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernardez, Mariano

2009-01-01

While most organizations react to economic downturns by downsizing and cutting training and educational "costs," a few others thrive under adversity by engaging in innovative practices supported by extensive and creative uses of educational technology. This article examines how diverse organizations benefit from the cycles of "creative…

A Study of Computer-Modem Students: A Call for Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Irving; And Others

Offering participation in courses via modem can benefit both colleges, which are often coping with downsizing or insufficient classroom space, and students, who may face prohibitive work schedules, a need to remain at home, physical handicaps, or incarceration. This study assembles demographic information on higher education students who…

Getting Over Method: Literacy Teaching as Work in "New Times."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luke, Allan

1998-01-01

Shifts the terms of the "great debate" from technical questions about teaching method to questions about how various kinds of literacies work within communities--matters of government cutbacks and institutional downsizing, shrinking resource and taxation bases, and of students, communities, teachers, and schools trying to cope with rapid and…

10 CFR 770.2 - What real property does this part cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

....2 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TRANSFER OF REAL PROPERTY AT DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES FOR ECONOMIC... sale or lease at closed or downsized defense nuclear facilities, for the purpose of permitting economic development. (b) DOE may transfer, by lease only, improvements at defense nuclear facilities on land withdrawn...

10 CFR 770.1 - What is the purpose of this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TRANSFER OF REAL PROPERTY AT DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES FOR ECONOMIC... or lease real property at closed or downsized defense nuclear facilities for economic development. (b... contaminant as a result of DOE activities at the defense nuclear facility. [65 FR 10689, Feb. 29, 2000, as...

The 1994 College Relations and Recruitment Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Career Planning & Employment, 1995

1995-01-01

Presents results of a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers of its employer members. Responding organizations (n=422) rated on-campus recruitment as the most effective method of attracting college graduates. General trends are analyzed in terms of diversity, downsizing, company growth, competition, and selectivity. (JPS)

Developing Partnerships To Meet Clients' Needs in Changing Government Organizations: A Consultative Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgen, William A.

2000-01-01

Outlines the development of partnerships across three employment-related government ministries, in a context of organizational restructuring and downsizing. Describes a consultation process regarding effective collaboration to assess unemployed clients' employability needs. In meetings, the workers developed a process that involved the cooperation…

New Perspectives on Mentoring. ERIC Digest No. 194.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

Like most institutions in a world of change, the practice of mentoring is being influenced by new forms of work, technology, and learning. Organizational trends such as downsizing, restructuring, teamwork, increased diversity, and individual responsibility for career development are contributing to a resurgent interest in mentoring in the 1990s.…

The Death of the Organization Man.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Amanda

This book, the result of hundreds of interviews with chief executive officers and consultants, academics, economists, and government officials, relates what happened at many large American companies when corporate restructuring/downsizing began to occur during the 1980s. The book is mainly constructed from the vantage points of the many middle…

Trustworthy Insurance: Information Timing and Telling the Truth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsch, Penny L.; Shwom, Barbara L.; Messick, Judith H.

1998-01-01

Presents a case study for use in business communication classes to help students understand and learn both the context and the strategies for communication with business and management. Deals with dilemmas of moral and ethics within a company that has gone through downsizing and is considering relocating. Includes two assignments. (SR)

Teacher Pension Plans in Canada: A Force to Be Reckoned With.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Stephen B.

1999-01-01

Summarizes the status of teacher pension plans in Canada's 10 provinces and considers their current role in renewing and downsizing educational systems in some provinces. Discusses pensions' use as economic instruments for provincial and national development and questions assumptions underlying the rhetoric celebrating their contribution to the…

Recovery Act Weekly Video: 200 West Drilling

ScienceCinema

None

2018-02-07

President of Cascade Drilling, Bruce, talks about his contract with the Department of Energy and what his team is doing to improve water treatment and environmental cleanup. The small business owner hits on how the Recovery Act saved him from downsizing and helped him stay competitive and safe on site.

A Design Rationale Capture Using REMAP/MM

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

company-wide down-sizing, the power company has determined that an automated service order processing system is the most economical solution. This new...service order processing system for a large power company can easily be 37 led. A system of this complexity would typically require three to five years

Visions along the Trail: Community Action and Visitor Employed Photography in Two Native American Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Dorothy I.; Jenkins, Quentin A. L.

Rural community development is undergoing changing visions, activities, and methodologies. Factors impacting this change include decentralization, budget reduction in the public sector, and globalization and downsizing in the private sector. Community "building" (community-generated change and emphasis on capacities rather than…

34 CFR 668.15 - Factors of financial responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current... test ratio shall be calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and... downsizing pursuant to a management-approved business plan; (3) Loans and other advances to related parties...

34 CFR 668.15 - Factors of financial responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current... test ratio shall be calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and... downsizing pursuant to a management-approved business plan; (3) Loans and other advances to related parties...

34 CFR 668.15 - Factors of financial responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current... test ratio shall be calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and... downsizing pursuant to a management-approved business plan; (3) Loans and other advances to related parties...

34 CFR 668.15 - Factors of financial responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current... test ratio shall be calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and... downsizing pursuant to a management-approved business plan; (3) Loans and other advances to related parties...

34 CFR 668.15 - Factors of financial responsibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current... test ratio shall be calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and... downsizing pursuant to a management-approved business plan; (3) Loans and other advances to related parties...

Assaultive Violence in the U.S. Post Office.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Vern; Margavio, Anthony

1996-01-01

Suggests that degradation of labor associated with automation and downsizing produces employee stress and frustration and leads to workplace violence. Concludes that violent incidents in the U.S. Post Office result when work experience degrades a person's identity or sense of control in a time of rapid change. (SK)

High Anxiety: Counseling the Job-Insecure Client

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canaff, Audrey L.; Wright, Wanda

2004-01-01

In today's workplace, employees are faced with the potential of corporate downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, and job restructuring and relocation. These trends create a sense of job insecurity for the individual. Job insecurity affects the individual's life in a variety of ways, including emotional and psychological consequences, marital and…

Downsized Boosted Engine Benchmarking Method and Results (SAE Paper 2015-01-1266)

EPA Science Inventory

Light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) and fuel economy (FE) standards for MYs 2012 -2025 are requiring vehicle powertrain to become much more efficient. One key technology strategy that vehicle manufacturers are using to help comply with GHG and FE standards is to replace natu...

Employer of Choice? Workplace Innovation in Government: A Synthesis Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Graham S.

The Human Resources in Government project examined the impact of extensive downsizing and restructuring in Canada's public service sector and sought innovative ways of making Canada's governments "employers of choice." The project focused on Canada's federal government and the governments of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.…

Electronic Training at the Corporate Level in Egypt: Applicability and Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamel, S.; Ibrahim, M.

2003-01-01

Declining revenue, staff downsizing and limited resources in corporations create serious organizational challenges. Training and human resources departments are often among the most adversely affected. Training managers are left with fewer resources with which to fulfil corporate training needs. Continuously having to justify costs and investments…

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

none,

This Building America Top Innovations profile describes Building America research showing how some energy-efficiency measure cost increases can balance against measures that reduce up-front costs: Advanced framing cuts lumber costs, right sizing can mean downsizing the HVAC, moving HVAC into conditioned space cuts installation costs, designing on a 2-foot grid reduces materials waste, etc.

Preventing a Hollow Army: 20th Century Lessons for the 21st Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-08

Watergate scandal additionally provided challenges for the United States government as the nation reduced forces in Vietnam and looked to downsize the...levels and test scores among recruits, recruiting scandals to achieve required minimums in addition to an increase in bad discharges and peacetime

Receptive Multilingualism in the Swiss Army

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berthele, Raphael; Wittlin, Gabriele

2013-01-01

In this paper a particular context where receptive multilingualism at work can be observed is discussed. The Swiss armed forces underwent a series of quite dramatic downsizing measures, which lead to a situation with increased amount of mixed groups and linguistically mixed situations regarding the first/native language of officers and the…

Hopping out of the Swamp: Management of Change in a Downsizing Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Jennus L.

1993-01-01

Arizona State University has developed a model for managing declining resources in administrative service functions. A variant of Total Quality Management, it involves clarification of administrative unit functions, unit self-examination, establishment of program priorities, environmental scanning, creation of an infrastructure to manage change,…

Minding the Gap: Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manatt, Richard P.; Manatt, Jackie

1996-01-01

A 1995 study investigated the effects of downsized U.S. military forces on Department of Defense Dependents' schools; implementation of a Community Strategic Plan; personnel changes; controversial staff development initiatives; and the achievement gap between racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Findings and implications from visits to five schools…

State Sector Strategies: The New Workforce Development in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakes, Richard D.

2012-01-01

Neoliberal governments consider global business competitiveness to be thwarted by costly bureaucratic regulation and programme duplication. In an effort to downsize the costs of operating a state, the governors now streamline job training functions via a coordinated workforce and economic development effort known as sector strategies, with…

Surviving Troubled Times: Five Best Practices for Training Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villachica, Steven W.; Stepich, Donald A.

2010-01-01

With the current economic downturn and signs of an emerging recovery, executives are trying to determine how to best use their organizations' funds and resources. This may mean downsizing human resource departments and eliminating positions for training personnel. The authors offer five strategies drawn from the professional literature to survive…

District-Level Downsizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schachter, Ron

2011-01-01

Draconian cuts have become the order of business for many school districts since the economic recession hit in 2008. But for the coming school year, "draconian" has taken on an even harsher meaning, as states from California and Texas to Illinois and New York wrestle with deficits in the tens of billions of dollars and make…

Learning about Learning: Action Learning in Times of Organisational Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Robyn

2009-01-01

This paper explores the conduct and outcomes of an action learning activity during a period of intense organisational change in a medium-sized vocational education and training organisation in Victoria, Australia. This organisation was the subject of significant change due to government-driven and statewide amalgamation, downsizing and sector…

As California Goes, So Goes the Nation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Michele

1996-01-01

The eight articles of this special issue explore the retrenchment that has seriously constrained the education of African Americans in California, as in much of the nation. Economic downsizing, genetic theories of racial inferiority, and right-wing attitudes have contributed to undermining the political gains of the 1960s and 1970s. (SLD)

Preparing for the Downsizing and Closure of Letterman Army Medical Center: A Case Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-17

and closure of Lieutenant Colonel F. William Brown believed in the value of this project, encouraged , and guided me during conceptualization , design...issues dirocled Sn the RW docnent repository were coded within this framwork . The muiaion category was coded 1 if primary or secmonay care waM affected

Pulling Museum Education Purse Strings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raiguel, Faith

2010-01-01

The economic downturn has hit everyone hard. The author's organization, the Los Angeles Opera, has completed two years of downsizing, resulting in an almost 25% reduction in staff and overall budget cutting. Change that is not "nipping and tucking," but changing the dynamic and culture of the institution. However, if the organization hadn't done…

Under Pressure: Tackling Pension and Health Care Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friery, John

2010-01-01

Fueled by declining revenue from the housing crisis, skyrocketing energy costs, and an economy in general disarray, the public is pressuring school administrators to make broader and deeper cuts in their operating budgets. As the baby boomers retire, put their houses on the market, and downsize, one will see more downward price pressure on home…

Outsourcing Cataloging, Authority Work, and Physical Processing: A Checklist of Considerations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kascus, Marie A., Ed.; Hale, Dawn, Ed.

Due to automation technology, financial restrictions, and resultant downsizing, library managers have increasingly relied on the services of contractors, rather than in-house staff, to accomplish different technical services operations. Contracted services may range from a small project for a selected group of materials to a large project for…

Examining USDA Forest Service recreation partnerships: institutional and relational interactions

Treesearch

Erin Seekamp; Lee K. Cerveny

2010-01-01

Since the 1980s, the USDA Forest Service budget has experienced limited growth. Downsizing and outsourcing characterize the agency's response to constrained appropriations. The agency increasingly works with partners to meet targets that otherwise could not be achieved. Partnerships may take many structural forms (e.g., memorandums of understanding, joint venture...

The Challenges and Opportunities of Workforce Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Hilary

1994-01-01

Four major trends reshaping the American economy are having a tremendous effect on the number and nature of jobs in the United States: (1) corporate downsizing; (2) the outsourcing of work and services; (3) increasing use of "contingent" workers; and (4) the increasing income disparity between high school and college graduates. These trends have…

A Meta-Analytic Study of Downsizing: Behaviors and Attitudes Prevalent Among Supervisors

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

1990:52). From a manager’s perspective, organizational commitment is an extremely im- portant attitude to foster in subordinates, probably even more...112: 155-160 (July 1985). Kanungo. R. "Measurement of Job and Work Involvement," Journal of Applied Psychology, 67: 341-349 (March 1982). Latack , J.C

The New Reality: Emerging Responsibilities in a Changing Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Workforce Economic Trends, 1998

1998-01-01

Changing workplaces offer opportunities for workers and companies that are flexible and willing to learn and adapt. Some trends in the changing workplace include the following; (1) downsizing among companies is decreasing; (2) companies are creating jobs while eliminating other jobs; (3) economic factors are as likely to create jobs as eliminate…

Facing Extinction: Organizational Learning in a Small Secondary School under Duress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Symons, Cam

2005-01-01

This study examined the process of organizational learning in a small secondary school in a company town during a protracted period of turbulence, arising from the downsizing of the community's main employer. The hypothesis was that distributed leadership among school staff created a change in teaching practices from a limited repertoire of…

The Changing Workforce. Highlights of the National Study, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galinsky, Ellen; And Others

This report presents results of a nationally representative longitudinal study of nearly 3,400 workers. The study investigated the work and personal/family lives of workers, particularly with respect to recent rapid changes in the economy, layoffs, and downsizing. The study was conducted through a series of hour-long phone interviews. The study…

How Small School Districts Can Organize to Afford Their Small Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Christine

2010-01-01

While the research continues to mount on the benefits of school downsizing and decentralizing efforts in urban areas, there exists a paradox for small school Administrators who continue to struggle against forces of consolidation. Small schools in rural and suburban districts have fought for their existence against the pressures of consolidation…

Roadblocks on the Way to School Reform in West Virginia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meckley, Richard; Hazi, Helen M.

1998-01-01

West Virginia has yet to satisfy its circuit and supreme courts, despite massive efforts to reform the K-12 system and its financial support plan. Reasons for failure include lack of statewide financial commitment to public education, a resistant cultural climate, downsizing of staff, decreasing enrollments, lack of consensus about educational…

Integrating the Arts into School Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sisk, Dorothy A.

2010-01-01

Art enriches, beautifies, and entertains, but more importantly it builds understanding, innovation, and mutual responsibility. Yet, so often with tight school budgets, the first programs to be down-sized or deleted are the art and music programs. But there is good news. Recently, the Boston public schools received a grant of $750,000 from the…

Displaced Worker Transition Programs: Leading the Workforce Back to Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Greg; And Others

In response to the increasing numbers of displaced workers due to corporate downsizing, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, in Tennessee, has initiated the Workplace Innovation (WIN) Project to help adults gain prerequisite academic and personal skills to re-enter the workforce or enter college for eventual placement in higher-paying…

Taking Care of Yourself: Stress and the Librarian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Roxanne Myers

2013-01-01

Stress is a part of our working lives and is not likely to decrease in tomorrow's workplace. A difficult economy, downsizing, taking on additional responsibilities without assistance or additional pay--all are taking their toll on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Community college librarians can often feel isolated as the only…

The Key to Me: Seniors' Perceptions of Relationship-Building with In-Home Service Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gantert, Thomas W.; McWilliam, Carol L.; Ward-Griffin, Catherine; Allen, Natalie J.

2008-01-01

Changing demographics and hospital downsizing have placed increasing demands on the home care sector. Many of those receiving in-home care are seniors whose chronic conditions require a collaborative approach. Both providers' paternalistic orientations toward senior clients and seniors' passivity within provider-client interactions have the…

Communicating Organizational Change Reactions: Downsizing Survivors' Discursive Constructions of Flexible Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aggerholm, Helle Kryger

2014-01-01

The aim of this article is to study employees' discursive construction of disparate survivor responses. The analysis reveals how employees position themselves simultaneously within different types of categories by use of discursive actions. Drawing on various discourses, the actors reject having one solid core of identity and instead signal the…

Twenty-first-century science.

PubMed Central

Greenwood, M R

1995-01-01

Scientific life is changing in fundamental ways as the twenty-first century approaches. Advances in technology are changing methods of scientific communications and dissemination of information, while diminishing resources lead to stabilization, politicization, increased public oversight, and the potential for significant downsizing. Libraries can foster the crucial interdisciplinary connections necessary to forge a new vision of scholarship. PMID:7703945

Organizational Change, Informal Learning, and Adaptation: Emerging Trends in Training and Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozlowski, Steve W. J.

1995-01-01

Trends such as technological innovation, downsizing, self-managed teams, and continuous learning imply that in continuing education technical content must be considered in the context in which skills are used. Knowledge of learning processes and workplace socialization suggests that formal training and informal learning must be integrated to…

Conceptualization of interactions between partners and the U.S. Forest Service

Treesearch

Erin Seekamp; Lee K. Cerveny

2010-01-01

Since the 1980s, U.S. Forest Service managers have faced reduced appropriations, constraining their capacity to manage recreation lands, facilities, and services. Downsizing and outsourcing continue as the "push for partnerships" persists in the administration of federal recreation lands. Despite this reliance on partnerships to meet targets, little is known...

Keeping the Best: A Practical Guide to Retaining Key Employees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bevan, Stephen; Barber, Linda; Robinson, Dilys

This book, which is intended to assist human resource professionals and line managers in the United Kingdom, is a practical guide to retaining key employees. Discussed in the introduction are the relationship between downsizing and retention, problems that retention difficulties pose for human resource management, and the effects of retention…

Dealing with a Paradigm Shift

PubMed Central

Pack, Allan I.

2015-01-01

Recent changes in policies by insurance companies with respect to mandating home sleep apnea testing rather than in-laboratory studies have a large impact on the financial viability of clinical sleep centers. Coping with this disruptive change requires forward planning. First, it is important to be well positioned with respect to facilities so that these can be quickly downsized to control costs. There is also a need to develop, in advance, an accredited home sleep study program so that centers can respond to the rapidly changing environment. Following the change there is a need to control costs by rapidly downsizing the technology workforce. Technologists can be retrained for other essential roles. Centralizing the precertification process with knowledgeable, well-trained staff and a robust auditing process is an essential component. The approach taken at the University of Pennsylvania to this change is described as is how one can ensure continued financial viability of a comprehensive sleep center program in a major academic medical center. Citation: Pack AI. Dealing with a paradigm shift. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(8):925–929. PMID:26094918

Recent trends in psychiatry residency workforce with special reference to international medical graduates.

PubMed

Rao, Nyapati R

2003-01-01

This study examines trends in the supply, distribution, and demographics of psychiatry residents during the 1990s. It evaluates the extent to which the predicted downsizing of psychiatry residency training programs actually occurred and how it affected training programs of different sizes and locations. Data for this study were obtained from the American Medical Association's (AMA) Annual Survey of Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs, the AMA GME directory, and the APA Graduate Medical Census. The study compares the roles played by international medical graduates (IMGs) in contrast to U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) in these trends. There was a significant decline in the number of residents during the years studied. The median training program size also decreased. International medical graduates found broad acceptance in training programs of all locations and sizes, including medical school based programs. Implications of the findings are discussed regarding the impact of current graduate medical education (GME) and immigration policies on future workforce patterns. The field will have to decide whether it can afford anymore residency downsizing in light of emerging evidence of a shortage of psychiatrists.

Confronting the Material Convoy in Later Life

PubMed Central

Smith, Gabriella V.; Ekerdt, David J.

2011-01-01

We adapt a metaphor from life course studies to designate the whole of one’s possessions, across time, as a convoy of material support. This dynamic collection of things supports daily life and the self, but it can also present difficulty in later life. To alleviate the purported burdens of the material convoy, a discourse has arisen that urges elders and their family members to reduce the volume of possessions. An analysis of 11 such possession management texts shows authors addressing two distinct audiences about elders’ need to downsize: family members and elders themselves. Authors who speak to family members do so with an urgent, unsentimental tone that echoes mainstream clutter-control advice about disorderly, overfull households. In texts for elders, the standard critique about consumption and unruly lives is gentler, more sensitive to the meaning of things, and underplays the emotions of divestment. There is stress on the responsibility to spare the next generation and control one’s legacy. These latter texts seem to respect that downsizing in later life symbolizes a narrowing of the life world. PMID:21822336

Solid Insulated Switchgear and Investigation of its Mechanical and Electrical Reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Junichi; Kinoshita, Susumu; Sakaguchi, Osamu; Miyagawa, Masaru; Shimizu, Toshio; Homma, Mitsutaka

SF6 gas is applied widely to medium voltage switchgear because of its high insulation reliability and down-sizing ability. However, SF6 gas was placed on the list of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Since then, the investigation and development concerning SF6-free or less has carried out activity. Therefore, we paid attention to the solid material which has higher dielectric strength than SF6, and we have newly developed solid insulated switchgear (SIS) achieved by molding all main circuit. A new epoxy casting material is applied, which contains a great deal of spherical silica and a small amount of rubber particles. This new material has the high mechanical strength, high thermal resistance, high toughness, and also high dielectric strength because of directly molding the vacuum bottle, down-sizing and reliability. This paper describes about the technology of a new epoxy casting material which achieves the SIS. In addition, the mechanical and electrical reliability test of SIS applied a new epoxy resin are carried out, and effectiveness of the development material and the mechanical and electrical reliability of SIS are verified.

Hospital downsizing and workforce reduction strategies: some inner workings.

PubMed

Weil, Thomas P

2003-02-01

Downsizing, manpower reductions, re-engineering, and resizing are used extensively in the United States to reduce cost and to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of various functions and processes. Published studies report that these managerial strategies result in a minimal impact on access to services, quality of care, and the ability to reduce costs. But, these approaches certainly alienate employees. These findings are usually explained by the significant difficulties experienced in eliminating nursing and other similar direct patient care-oriented positions and in terminating white-collar employees. Possibly an equally plausible reason why hospitals and physician practices react so poorly to these management strategies is their cost structure-high fixed (85%) and low variable (15%)-and that simply generating greater volume does not necessarily achieve economies of scale. More workable alternatives for health executives to effectuate cost reductions consist of simplifying prepayment, decreasing the overall availability and centralizing tertiary services at academic health centres, and closing superfluous hospitals and other health facilities. America's pluralistic values and these proposals having serious political repercussions for health executives and elected officials often present serious barriers in their implementation.

Cost analysis of tumor downsizing for hepatocellular carcinoma liver transplant candidates.

PubMed

De Simone, P; Vignali, C; Petruccelli, S; Carrai, P; Coletti, L; Montin, U; Catalano, G; Urbani, L; Filipponi, F

2006-12-01

We report the results of a prospective, intent-to-treat (ITT) trial on the costs of selective tumor downsizing (DS) before liver transplantation (LT) for patients affected with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The trial started in January 1997 including adult patients with nodular-type HCC within and beyond the Milan criteria. Patients were downsized with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) and/or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) according to clinical predictors. TACE and RFA were performed as inpatient procedures, while PEI was performed on an outpatient basis. Costs of DS were obtained according to the Tuscany Health Reimbursement Fee Catalog adjusted to yearly inflation rates from 1997 through 2005. Data analysis was performed at 1 year after the last enrollment of 198 patients, including 161 (81.3%) who were transplanted: 34 (17.2%) dropped out and 3 (1.5%) were still on the waiting list. One hundred and fifty-two patients (76.7%) underwent DS for a total of 201 procedures: 159 TACE, 39 PEI, and 3 RFA. Overall costs in Euros (euro) of waitlisting were 861,801.24 euro: 548,460 euro (63.7%) for pretransplantation evaluation; 197,994.84 euro (22.9%) for control visits and hospitalizations; and 115.346.4 euro (13.4%) for DS. Mean costs of DS were 758.58 euro +/- 270 euro per downstaged patient (747.53 euro +/- 257.1 euro Milan; 774.01 euro +/- 287.71 euro non-Milan); 582.85 euro +/- 398.87 euro per waitlisted patient (520.28 euro +/- 406.23 euro Milan; 520.28 +/- 364.48 euro non-Milan); and 716.4 euro per transplanted patient (580.67 euro Milan; 1026.76 euro non-Milan; +76.8%). A selective policy of tumor DS increased the costs of LT waitlisting by 13.4%, but due to higher dropout rates among non-Milan patients, the cost utility of DS was 76.8% higher in the Milan group.

Workplace expansion, long-term sickness absence, and hospital admission.

PubMed

Westerlund, Hugo; Ferrie, Jane; Hagberg, Jan; Jeding, Kerstin; Oxenstierna, Gabriel; Theorell, Töres

2004-04-10

Downsizing has in previous studies, as well as in public debate, been associated with increased sickness absence. No studies have, however, looked at the long-term relation between workplace expansion and morbidity. We investigated exposure to personnel change during 1991-96 in relation to long-term (90 days or longer) medically certified sickness absence and hospital admission for specified diagnoses during 1997-99 in 24?036 participants with a complete employment record in the biennial national Swedish Work Environment Surveys from 1989 to the end of 1999. Accumulated exposure to large expansion (> or =18% per year) was related to an increased risk of long-term sickness absence (odds ratio 1.07 [95% CI 1.01-1.13], p=0.013) and hospital admission (1.09 [1.02-1.16], p=0.017). In this context, odds ratio signifies the change in odds for each additional year of exposure, varying from 0 to 6. Moderate expansion (> or =8% and <18% per year), was associated with a decreased risk of admission (0.91 [0.84-0.98], p=0.012). Moderate downsizing (> or =8% and <18% per year) was associated with an increased risk of sickness absence (1.07 [1.02-1.12], p=0.003). The strongest association between large expansion and sickness absence was in women in the public sector (1.18 [1.08-1.30], p=0.0002), corresponding to an odds ratio of 2.77 [1.62-4.74] between full exposure (all 6 years) and no exposure. This study confirms earlier findings that downsizing is associated with health risks. It also shows that repeated exposure to rapid personnel expansion, possibly connected with centralisation of functions, statistically predicts long-term sickness absence and hospital admission. Although no conclusions about causal pathways can be drawn from our results, this exposure should be considered in future studies, policy making, and occupational health care practice.

Organizational change, restructuring and downsizing: The experience of employees in the electric utility industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korns, Michael T.

This research examines the experience of employees working in the electric utility industry during a time when it was undergoing significant transformation. It was undertaken to examine this phenomenon in the context of how the history and nature of the industry's environment, and specifically regulatory effect of regulation, led to an organizational form characterized by stability, structure and inertial resistance to change. A case study approach was used to examine the effect of deregulation on an organization in the industry, and specifically how their actions impacted employees working there. A phenomenological approach was used to explore employee perceptions of the organizational culture and employment relationship there both prior to and after implementation of a reorganization and downsizing that resulted in the first significant employee layoffs in the history of the organization. Data gathering consisted of conducting semi-structured interviews with current and former employees of the company who experienced the phenomena. Analysis of the data show that employees in this organization perceived an unusually strong psychological contract for stable employment and the expectation that it would continue, despite the prevalence of corporate downsizing and restructuring at the time. This psychological contract and the importance of career employment was found to be particularly significant for women who were hired during a period of time when gender and pregnancy discrimination was prevalent. Findings demonstrate that, given the historical stability and strong inertial resistance in the organization, company leadership did not effectively communicate the need, or prepare employees sufficiently for the significance of the changes or the effect they had on the organization. Findings also revealed that employees perceived the methods used to select individuals for layoff and exit from the company violated principles of organizational justice for distributional, procedural, and interactional fairness. This research illustrates the need for leaders to consider the culture in their organizations and its readiness for change prior to implementation of significant transformation.

Breaking Bad News in Healthcare Organizations: Application of the Spikes Protocol

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VonBergen, C. W.; Stevens, Robert E.; Loudon, David

2011-01-01

Organizational downsizing has increased exponentially worldwide and is also affecting the healthcare industry. It is one thing to speak abstractly of the need to reduce costs and quite another to actually tell a worker the bad news that he or she has been laid off. This paper offers practical advice to healthcare managers on conducting unpleasant…

Communication: an ophthalmic practice issue.

PubMed

Whitton, S J

1995-12-01

In the 1990's communication becomes an ophthalmic practice issue. The present ophthalmic climate of cost containment, downsizing, budget cuts, and lack of appreciation of contributions, results in a low staff morale. Recognition of the effects of job satisfaction and productivity led one group to seek solutions. A communication task force was formed to identify problems and the appropriate interventions.

From Admin to Strategy: The Changing Face of the HR Function. IES Report 332.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamkin, Penny; And Others

Evidence from academic research and management experts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere confirms that the recent focus in work organizations on cost reductions through downsizing has changed the roles and structures of many human resources (HR) units. HR units have had to prove their contribution to the organization's bottom line, raise their…

Beat the Odds. Career Buoyancy Tactics for Today's Turbulent Job Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yate, Martin

This book offers a blueprint to achieve and maintain career buoyancy in the face of downsizing, outsourcing, restructuring, and other present and future job-loss situations. The book provides advice on establishing a solid job base with a professional core career in a healthy, growing industry; making use of that care career as a foundation to…

Enlargement Futures Project: Expert Panel on Technology, Knowledge and Learning. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gourova, Elissaveta; Ducatel, Ken; Gavigan, James; Scapolo, Fabiana; Di Pietrogiacomo, Paola

The next 10 years provide an opportunity for the European Union (EU) to renew the science and technology (S&T) base and build necessary knowledge-society capacities and capabilities in Pre-Accession Countries (PACs). Applied research has faced a major downsize; redressing the balance in the research and development systems is urgently needed.…

The Subschools/Small Schools Movement--Taking Stock.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raywid, Mary Anne

Today, the division of large schools into subschools or subunits is often recommended as the answer to a number of problems in education. This paper examines the several forms of school-downsizing efforts and the somewhat diverse purposes for which they are being established. The data come from a review of literature and an evaluation of 22…

A Quantitative Risk Analysis Framework for Evaluating and Monitoring Operational Reliability of Cloud Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Islam, Muhammad Faysal

2013-01-01

Cloud computing offers the advantage of on-demand, reliable and cost efficient computing solutions without the capital investment and management resources to build and maintain in-house data centers and network infrastructures. Scalability of cloud solutions enable consumers to upgrade or downsize their services as needed. In a cloud environment,…

Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety & Learning. Policy Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McRobbie, Joan

New studies from the 1990s have strengthened an already notable consensus on school size: smaller is better. This policy brief outlines research findings on why size makes a difference, how small is small enough, effective approaches to downsizing, and key barriers. No agreement exists at present on optimal school size, but research suggests a…

A Survey of Navigational Computer Program in the Museum Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sliman, Paula

Patron service is a high priority in the library setting and alleviating a large percentage of the directional questions will provide librarians with more time to help patrons more thoroughly than they are able to currently. Furthermore, in view of the current economic trend of downsizing, a navigational computer system program has the potential…

Maintaining Effectiveness Amid Downsizing and Decline in Institutions of Higher Education. AIR 1997 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Kim S.; Smart, John C.

This study examined the association between financial difficulties of institutions of higher education and their organizational effectiveness with 334 colleges and universities. An investigation of this relationship was made using three variables: a decline in required financial resources, degree of organizational effectiveness, and a set of 12…

French Forces for the 21st Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

With their role in dis- suasion, prevention, projection , and protection, the French armed forces are global, nuclear, conventional, and un... projection and support ■ rebuilding additional forces should a major threat reappear. Army France is currently downsizing, restructuring, and...darmerie and the French counterparts to the Defense Intelligence Agency and Central Intelligence Agency. France and America are bound by common

An assessment of educational needs in the Alaskan forest products industry.

Treesearch

Jon Thomas; Eric Hansen; Allen M. Brackley

2005-01-01

Major changes in federal forest policy in Alaska have resulted in a dramatic downsizing of the state's forest industry. These changes have driven efforts for economic restructuring and improved support for Alaskan communities. The University of Alaska Sitka Forest Products program at the University of Alaska Southeast is one example of efforts to better support...

An assessment of educational needs in the Alaskan forest products industry

Treesearch

J. Thomas; E. Hansen; A. Brackley

2005-01-01

Major changes in federal forest policy in Alaska have resulted in a dramatic downsizing of the state's forest industry. These changes have driven efforts for economic restructuring and improved support for Alaskan communities. The University of Alaska Sitka Forest Products program at the University of Alaska Southeast is one example of efforts to better support...

Worker Contentment: Facing the Realities of Today's Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garton, Jeff

2010-01-01

Management experts have observed that employment relationship has become contractual, fragile, and short-lived. Downsizings have resulted in some people having far too much work and stress, while increasing numbers have no work at all. As a result, people are taking jobs they do not really want and staying longer in jobs they do not really like.…

Downsizing a database platform for increased performance and decreased costs

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

Miller, M.M.; Tolendino, L.F.

Technological advances in the world of microcomputers have brought forth affordable systems and powerful software than can compete with the more traditional world of minicomputers. This paper describes an effort at Sandia National Laboratories to decrease operational and maintenance costs and increase performance by moving a database system from a minicomputer to a microcomputer.

Downsizing, Competition, and Organizational Change in Government: Is Necessity the Mother of Invention?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelman, Steven

2006-01-01

One answer to the question of why government organizations don't perform better - common in academic "public choice" literature but also in folk wisdom--is that resources come too easily, independent of performance. Some business management literature suggests that a crisis in resource flows can force successful change--"necessity is the mother of…

Do Professors Dream of Electric Sheep? Academic Anxiety about the Information Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novek, Eleanor M.

Having automated many professions, computers may now be used to downsize higher education. How do professors respond to this concern? A survey at a small branch of a northeastern university suggests that the question generates profound anxiety as it moves from the theoretical to the personal. Such anxiety about information technology can be seen…

Take Charge of Your Career

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Marshall A.

2013-01-01

Today's work world is full of uncertainty. Every day, people hear about another organization going out of business, downsizing, or rightsizing. To prepare for these uncertain times, one must take charge of their own career. This article presents some tips for surviving in today's world of work: (1) Be self-managing; (2) Know what you…

Management of a Major Downsizing at a Naval Shipyard. Research Report No. 52.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguilar, M.; And Others

Between 1987 and 1990, the work force of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Vallejo, California) was reduced from 10,000 to 7,200 employees. The management strategy for moving through this period included the following: (1) using a flexible work force; (2) using Computer-Assisted Manpower Analyses System (CAMAS) flow models to ensure that management…

Using the McDaniels Career Transitions Considerations (1991) (Modified) Form with Potential Temporary Employees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Debra S.

With the many layoffs and downsizing of companies during the 1990s, many displaced workers have turned to temporary employment to earn a living while looking for permanent employment. Others have adopted "temping" as a more long-term work style. Although it may not be possible to predict whether an individual will find satisfaction or…

Job Shock: Four New Principles Transforming Our Work and Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dent, Harry S., Jr.

This book focuses on the ongoing revolution in work. Downsizing, entrepreneurship, businesses within businesses, and the quality of work life are discussed, with emphasis on how one can survive and prosper in this environment. The 17 chapters of the book are organized in five parts. In Part 1, "New Work for A New Era of Prosperity," the chapters…

Time to Turn Attention to a Different Debt Limit: Downsize Federal Student Loan Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Thomas D.

2011-01-01

The author has spent much of his working life studying and promoting student loans. As a good liberal Democrat, he spent years arguing for the expansion of the old Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) which had its roots in Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. His professional life included stints working for one of the nonprofit FFELP…

In the Silence of Our Hearts: When Spirituality and Career Discourses Collide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buzzanell, Patrice M.

In the midst of tragedy, humans reconsider what they value in life. This reassessment is not only cognitive, but also is embodied and spiritual. Given the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and massive downsizings prior to (and after) this tragedy, many individuals in the United States have come to rethink their priorities in life. One site…

From a Formalist to a Practical Aesthetic in Undergraduate Theatre Studies: Becoming Relevant in the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkeley, Anne

2011-01-01

As a new century unfolds, the "downsizing" and continuing marginalization of the humanities, including theatre, in American higher education correspond to three trends in the academy. First, in response to the fiscal crises that began in the late 1970s, universities have increasingly turned to the private sector for financial support as federal…

State School Closure: Fort Worth and Travis Employee Surveys 1993 and 1994, Parent/Family Surveys, 1993 and 1994 Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraushaar, Kevin, Comp.; Elliott, Delia, Comp.

The Southwest Institute for Developmental Disabilities conducted surveys in 1993 and 1994 of families of people being served at two state schools and of employees of those schools about expected school closures. The two employee surveys explored attitudes about downsizing and closure, morale, and job satisfaction. In 1993, 803 employees at the…

Downsizing a long-term precipitation network: Using a quantitative approach to inform difficult decisions

Treesearch

Mark B. Green; John L. Campbell; Ruth D. Yanai; Scott W. Bailey; Amey S. Bailey; Nicholas Grant; Ian Halm; Eric P. Kelsey; Lindsey E. Rustad

2018-01-01

The design of a precipitation monitoring network must balance the demand for accurate estimates with the resources needed to build and maintain the network. If there are changes in the objectives of the monitoring or the availability of resources, network designs should be adjusted. At the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA, precipitation has been...

The Career Is Dead--Long Live the Career. A Relational Approach to Careers. The Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Douglas T.; And Others

This book contains 14 research-based chapters on adult career development in the age of downsizing, outsourcing, and new career paths. The introduction (Douglas T. Hall) describes the relational approach to careers as the recognition that career development and growth take place in a context of interdependence and mutuality. The following chapters…

The Slippery Slope of Air Force Downsizing: A Strategy Connection

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-14

as the reductions continue. As an example, commanders and their Airmen are responsible for being administration, personnel, finance, communciations ... computer efficient because the expertise in their units or base has been reduced, eliminated or consolidated. This impacts the time and resources...are the areas that require additional research. • Issue: Other functional issues (Logistics, Finance, Contracting, Communications/ computers , Nuclear

Paving the road to maximum productivity.

PubMed

Holland, C

1998-01-01

"Job security" is an oxymoron in today's environment of downsizing, mergers, and acquisitions. Workers find themselves living by new rules in the workplace that they may not understand. How do we cope? It is the leader's charge to take advantage of this chaos and create conditions under which his or her people can understand the need for change and come together with a shared purpose to effect that change. The clinical laboratory at Arkansas Children's Hospital has taken advantage of this chaos to down-size and to redesign how the work gets done to pave the road to maximum productivity. After initial hourly cutbacks, the workers accepted the cold, hard fact that they would never get their old world back. They set goals to proactively shape their new world through reorganizing, flexing staff with workload, creating a rapid response laboratory, exploiting information technology, and outsourcing. Today the laboratory is a lean, productive machine that accepts change as a way of life. We have learned to adapt, trust, and support each other as we have journeyed together over the rough roads. We are looking forward to paving a new fork in the road to the future.

Provider perceptions of the social work environment and the state of pediatric care in a downsized urban public academic medical center.

PubMed

Tataw, David Besong

2011-05-01

The author's purpose through this study was to document and analyze health provider perceptions of their social work environment and the state of pediatric care at Los Angeles County King/Drew Hospital and Medical Center in 2000, after the restructuring and downsizing of the hospital and its community clinics. The research results showed nurses and physicians reporting that both the quality of pediatric care and the provider social work environment were poor. Negative factors in the social work environment included: low employee morale, poorly staffed clinical teams, lack of professional autonomy, perceptions of low quality of care for pediatric patients, and interpersonal issues of poor communication and collaboration among providers. Providers also perceived a non-supportive work environment, sense of powerlessness, poor quality of work, lack of goal clarity from leadership, lack of fairness in leadership behavior, and an organizational leadership that is abandoning its core mission and values, thereby making it difficult for providers to carry out their professional functions. The author's findings in this study suggest a relationship between intra-role conflict, social employment environment and quality of care at King/Drew Medical Center in 2000. Lessons for practice are presented.

Carbonized Micro- and Nanostructures: Can Downsizing Really Help?

PubMed Central

Naraghi, Mohammad; Chawla, Sneha

2014-01-01

In this manuscript, we discuss relationships between morphology and mechanical strength of carbonized structures, obtained via pyrolysis of polymeric precursors, across multiple length scales, from carbon fibers (CFs) with diameters of 5–10 μm to submicron thick carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Our research points to radial inhomogeneity, skin–core structure, as a size-dependent feature of polyacrylonitrile-based CFs. This inhomogeneity is a surface effect, caused by suppressed diffusion of oxygen and stabilization byproducts during stabilization through skin. Hence, reducing the precursor diameters from tens of microns to submicron appears as an effective strategy to develop homogeneous carbonized structures. Our research establishes the significance of this downsizing in developing lightweight structural materials by comparing intrinsic strength of radially inhomogeneous CFs with that of radially homogeneous CNF. While experimental studies on the strength of CNFs have targeted randomly oriented turbostratic domains, via continuum modeling, we have estimated that strength of CNFs can reach 14 GPa, when the basal planes of graphitic domains are parallel to nanofiber axis. The CNFs in our model are treated as composites of amorphous carbon (matrix), reinforced with turbostratic domains, and their strength is predicted using Tsai–Hill criterion. The model was calibrated with existing experimental data. PMID:28788651

QUENCHING STAR FORMATION AT INTERMEDIATE REDSHIFTS: DOWNSIZING OF THE MASS FLUX DENSITY IN THE GREEN VALLEY

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

Goncalves, Thiago S.; Menendez-Delmestre, Karin; Martin, D. Christopher

2012-11-01

The bimodality in galaxy properties has been observed at low and high redshifts, with a clear distinction between star-forming galaxies in the blue cloud and passively evolving objects in the red sequence; the absence of galaxies with intermediate properties indicates that the quenching of star formation and subsequent transition between populations must happen rapidly. In this paper, we present a study of over 100 transiting galaxies in the so-called green valley at intermediate redshifts (z {approx} 0.8). By using very deep spectroscopy with the DEIMOS instrument at the Keck telescope we are able to infer the star formation histories ofmore » these objects and measure the stellar mass flux density transiting from the blue cloud to the red sequence when the universe was half its current age. Our results indicate that the process happened more rapidly and for more massive galaxies in the past, suggesting a top-down scenario in which the massive end of the red sequence is forming first. This represents another aspect of downsizing, with the mass flux density moving toward smaller galaxies in recent times.« less

The design and evolution of the beta two-stage-to-orbit horizontal takeoff and landing launch system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burkardt, Leo A.; Norris, Rick B.

1992-01-01

The Beta launch system was originally conceived in 1986 as a horizontal takeoff and landing, fully reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, manned launch vehicle to replace the Shuttle. It was to be capable of delivering a 50,000 lb. payload to low polar orbit. The booster propulsion system consisted of JP fueled turbojets and LH fueled ramjets mounted in pods in an over/under arrangement, and a single LOX/LH fueled SSME rocket. The second stage orbiter, which staged at Mach 8, was powered by an SSME rocket. A major goal was to develop a vehicle design consistent with near term technology. The vehicle design was completed with a GLOW of approximately 2,000,000 lbs. All design goals were met. Since then, interest has shifted to the 10,000 lbs. to low polar orbit payload class. The original Beta was down-sized to meet this payload class. The GLOW of the down-sized vehicle was approximately 1,000,000 lbs. The booster was converted to exclusively air-breathing operation. Because the booster depends on conventional air-breathing propulsion only, the staging Mach number was reduced to 5.5. The orbiter remains an SSME rocket-powered stage.

Technological growth of fuel efficiency in european automobile market 1975–2015

DOE PAGES

Hu, Kejia; Chen, Yuche

2016-08-29

This paper looks at the technological growth of new car fleet fuel efficiency in the European Union between 1975 and 2015. According to the analysis results, from1975 to 2006 the fuel efficiency technology improvements were largely offset by vehicles' increased weight, engine size, and consumer amenities such as acceleration capacity. After 2006, downsizing in weight and engine capacity was observed in new car fleet, while fuel consumption decreased by 32% between 2006 and 2015. We adopt a statistical method and find that from 1975 to 2015, a 1% increase in weight would result in 0.3 to 0.5% increments in fuelmore » consumption per 100 km, and a 1% reduction in 0-100 km/h acceleration time would increase fuel consumption by about 0.3%. Impacts of other attributes on fuel consumption are also assessed. To meet the European Union's 2021 fuel consumption target, downsizing of cars, as well as at least maintaining fuel efficiency technology growth trend observed between 2005 and 2015, are needed. Lastly, government policies on controlling improvement in acceleration performance or promoting alternative fuel vehicles are also important to achieve European Union 2021 target.« less

Technological growth of fuel efficiency in european automobile market 1975–2015

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

Hu, Kejia; Chen, Yuche

This paper looks at the technological growth of new car fleet fuel efficiency in the European Union between 1975 and 2015. According to the analysis results, from1975 to 2006 the fuel efficiency technology improvements were largely offset by vehicles' increased weight, engine size, and consumer amenities such as acceleration capacity. After 2006, downsizing in weight and engine capacity was observed in new car fleet, while fuel consumption decreased by 32% between 2006 and 2015. We adopt a statistical method and find that from 1975 to 2015, a 1% increase in weight would result in 0.3 to 0.5% increments in fuelmore » consumption per 100 km, and a 1% reduction in 0-100 km/h acceleration time would increase fuel consumption by about 0.3%. Impacts of other attributes on fuel consumption are also assessed. To meet the European Union's 2021 fuel consumption target, downsizing of cars, as well as at least maintaining fuel efficiency technology growth trend observed between 2005 and 2015, are needed. Lastly, government policies on controlling improvement in acceleration performance or promoting alternative fuel vehicles are also important to achieve European Union 2021 target.« less

Possession divestment by sales in later life.

PubMed

Ekerdt, David J; Addington, Aislinn

2015-08-01

Residential relocation in later life is almost always a downsizing, with many possessions to be divested in a short period of time. This article examines older movers' capacities for selling things, and ways that selling attenuates people's ties to those things, thus accomplishing the human dis-possession of the material convoy. In qualitative interviews in 79 households in the Midwestern United States, older adults reported their experience with possession sales associated with residential relocation. Among this group, three-quarters of the households downsized by selling some belongings. Informal sales seemed the least fraught of all strategies, estate sales had mixed reviews, and garage sales were recalled as laborious. Sellers' efforts were eased by social relations and social networks as helpers and buyers came forward. As selling proceeded, sentiment about possessions waned as their materiality and economic value came to the fore, easing their detachment from the household. Possession selling is challenging because older adults are limited in the knowledge, skills, and efforts that they can apply to the recommodification of their belongings. Selling can nonetheless be encouraged as a divestment strategy as long as the frustrations and drawbacks are transparent, and the goal of ridding is kept in view. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Possession Divestment by Sales in Later Life

PubMed Central

Ekerdt, David J.; Addington, Aislinn

2015-01-01

Residential relocation in later life is almost always a downsizing, with many possessions to be divested in a short period of time. This article examines older movers’ capacities for selling things, and ways that selling attenuates people's ties to those things, thus accomplishing the human dis-possession of the material convoy. In qualitative interviews in 79 households in the Midwestern United States, older adults reported their experience with possession sales associated with residential relocation. Among this group, three-quarters of the households downsized by selling some belongings. Informal sales seemed the least fraught of all strategies, estate sales had mixed reviews, and garage sales were recalled as laborious. Sellers’ efforts were eased by social relations and social networks as helpers and buyers came forward. As selling proceeded, sentiment about possessions waned as their materiality and economic value came to the fore, easing their detachment from the household. Possession selling is challenging because older adults are limited in the knowledge, skills, and efforts that they can apply to the recommodification of their belongings. Selling can nonetheless be encouraged as a divestment strategy as long as the frustrations and drawbacks are transparent, and the goal of ridding is kept in view. PMID:26162722

Privatized Military Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

environment such as that in Abu Grahib prison , where military personnel tasked with similar duties to that of contractors have been held legally accountable... Grahib Prison . The Washington Post. Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76. (August 4, 1988. Revised 1999). Performance of Commercial...downsizes the military after the Global War on Terror as it did after the Cold War. Private contractors depend largely upon former service members to

Lower HVAC Costs | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov Websites

system. Smaller HVAC systems cost less and as such can offset some of the cost of the efficient windows dehumidification. First cost savings - Smaller HVAC units cost less. If, for example, down-sizing the HVAC system by half a ton saves $275, the cost premium of energy-efficient windows does not present as big an up

Private Motive, Humanitarian Intent: A Theory of Ethically Justified Private Intervention

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

huge numbers of contractors employed during both conflicts demonstrates not only the sheer numbers of willing participants from the private sector ...massive military formations in the global public sector vanished with the end of the Cold War, and the downsizing of militaries throughout the world...the financial 38 ICRC, “International Humanitarian Law – Treaties and Documents,” ICRC.org, http

Infrastructure Supporting Teachers in the Country: Questions of Equity Arising from Downsizing and Restructuring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Marie

2006-01-01

Australia has long been of interest for its attention to educational equity by the relative quality of its state based provision of schooling in a country with a similar landmass to the 48 mainland states of the USA but a population of only 18 million. The six states and two territories had organised centralised systems of schooling which managed…

Race, a Relevant Factor? Our Fractured View of Affirmative Action: "Piscataway Township Board of Education v. Taxman."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMitchell, Todd A.

1998-01-01

In a test of affirmative-action policies, a white teacher, Sharon Taxman, filed reverse discrimination charges when her downsizing district terminated her and kept a black teacher of nearly identical qualifications. The case was settled out of court. If the U.S. Supreme Court had heard the case under either the Equal Protection or Title VII…

20 CFR 10.509 - If an employee's light-duty job is eliminated due to downsizing, what is the effect on compensation?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... to Work-Employer's Responsibilities § 10.509 If an employee's light-duty job is eliminated due to... experienced a compensable recurrence of disability as defined in § 10.5(x) merely because his or her employer... established physical limitations of the injured employee and for which the employer has already prepared a...

Improving Management of Military Construction Planning and Design

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

waterfront facilities and operations and its transportation systems, owns and operates JFK Airport . The Port Authority has an extremely capable and...restructured, and many projects are being deferred until the economic picture brightens. Airline user fees are the principal source of income for the JFK ... Airport . This "downsizing" has caused major schedule readjustment and sequencing of designs to ensure compatibility with existing facilities. In managing

News of the Year. LJ News Report: Looking Back, Looking Ahead; Facing the Challenges of a New Era in School Librarianship; Publishing in 2001: Shake-Outs, Downsizing, and E-Book Disappointments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, John; Bryant, Eric; Rogers, Michael; Albanese, Andrew; Oder, Norman; Selverstone, Harriet; Milliot, Jim

2002-01-01

Includes three reports: one from "Library Journal" that reviews significant issues of the year, including budget reversals; Internet filtering, digital copyright, distance education, and electronic books; one that discusses school librarianship, including staffing, collection development, and information literacy; and one that discusses…

Downsizing and reorganization: demands, challenges and ambiguity for registered nurses.

PubMed

Hertting, Anna; Nilsson, Kerstin; Theorell, Töres; Larsson, Ullabeth Sätterlund

2004-01-01

The 1990s were characterized by substantial financial cuts, and related staff redundancies and reorganizations in the Swedish health care sector. A large hospital in Sweden was selected for the study, in which downsizing had occurred between 1995 and 1997. The number of staff in the hospital was reduced by an average of 20%, and 10% were relocated to other departments. The aims of this study were to explore registered nurses' experiences of psychosocial 'stressors' and 'motivators', and how they handled their work situations, following a period of personnel reductions and ongoing reorganization. Interviews were undertaken with 14 nurses working in one Swedish hospital. Nurses were interviewed in 1997 about the recent and last round of redundancies, and were followed up 1 year later in 1998 and again in 2001. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed for thematic content. Five themes emerged in relation to nurses' perceived stressors, motivators, and coping options: 'distrust towards the employer', 'concurrent demands and challenges', 'professional ambiguity, 'a wish for collaboration', and 'efforts to gain control'. A common feature was duality and ambiguity in nurses' descriptions of the phenomena studied, meaning that identified themes had underlying sub-themes with both negative and positive dimensions. The concurrence of 'ever-growing job demands' and 'work going unrewarded' contributed to a feeling of being taken advantage of by the employer. The 'waste of human resources' and 'competence drain' that followed redundancies provoked anger. Unfulfilled collaboration with doctors was a major stress producer, which related to both the downsized work organization, and the complex 'deference-dominance' doctor-nurse relationship. The well-being of nurses depends on being an equal/parallel health professional in a comprehensive team that shares knowledge and improves collaborative care of patients. A consciously formulated nursing philosophy emerged as a health-promoting resource. This study demonstrates the importance of analysing feelings relating to professional ambiguity and gaining influence in a gender-related, hierarchical environment, and the need to support professional assertiveness in relation to superiors and doctors. It is also important to stress considerations that relate to differences in the age, care philosophy, and psychosocial health conditions of nurses.

Outsourcing in the public refuse collection sector: exploiting old certainties or exploring new possibilities?

PubMed

Gustafsson, Ove; Saksvik, Per Øystein

2005-01-01

An outsourcing process in a medium-size city, by Norwegian standards, provided the background for our study. In 1996, the city council decided to contract out the refuse collection in half of its total area (the western part of the city), and to let the public refuse collection enterprise continue to collect in the other half of the area. The public enterprise also participated in the competitive tender, without success, however. The bid submitted by the public refuse collection enterprise was used as the basis for a benchmarking process performed by the chief administrative officer of the city in May 1999. The process resulted in the requirement that the public enterprise downsize its number of refuse collectors by 27 per cent. The city thus acquired a more cost-effective refuse collection system both in the western part, now run by a private company, and in the rest of the city, where the collection remained the responsibility of the public enterprise, in its newly pared-down and reorganized version. Detectable changes in the refuse collectors' health status in the three-year period immediately following the outsourcing constitute our main focus in this study. We found that the downsizing and reorganization of the public enterprise had a negative impact on the refuse collectors' health status. One year after the downsizing, six of the 27 refuse collectors remaining in the public enterprise had been diagnosed with heart problems or musculoskeletal pains that were sufficiently serious to form the basis of their individual approaches to secure a disability pension, which all six were in the process of acquiring. The registered sick leave among the refuse collectors showed a dramatic increase during the same period. We found clear indications that the refuse collectors remaining in the employment of the public enterprise had no alternatives in the labour market. Although not the focus of this study, we found that the totality of costs and benefits, not only for the enterprise in question, but also for local and national authorities, needs to be considered in any realistic assessment of the impact of public sector outsourcing of activities.

The impact of replacing heavy passenger vehicles (LTVs and SUVs) in the British Columbia fleet with lighter versions.

PubMed

Cooper, Peter J; Zheng, Yvonne; Andersen, Linda; Pellegrini, Nicole

2009-10-01

The study reported in this article addressed the potential safety impact of consumer movement toward smaller vehicle choices by examining the makeup of the full British Columbia (BC) vehicle fleet--from smaller cars to heavy commercial vehicles. The basic assumption made was that some operators of heavy light trucks/vans (LTVs) or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) would, in the short term, be induced to downsize to lighter vehicles of the same type. The 2000-2007 BC crash-claim data at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) was used to create matrices of average information by culpable and nonculpable entities in two-vehicle collisions in 15 weight categories. Models for the effects of various driver/crash characteristics on injury potential were created and used to adjust the effect calculated solely on the basis of weight change. Levels of heavy LTV/SUV replacement from 0.05 to 0.95 of the current population were tested and the redistribution of vehicles was done in such a way that the relationship between small-large vehicle injury ratio and large-small vehicle mass ratio over the whole fleet remained constant as did the relative proportions of culpable and nonculpable involvements. The net effect of downsizing in the manner assumed for this study was mildly positive in terms of overall injury risk--that is, downsizing resulted in slightly fewer total injuries--but not in the case of fatalities, which tended to be increased by a more substantial margin. However, the results showed that even replacing substantial proportions of the heavy LTV/SUV population would not result in a large impact on safety. Replacing almost all the heavy LTV/SUVs with lighter versions should reduce injuries by less than 1 percent and increase fatalities by 3.5 percent percent. Nevertheless, in terms of persons impacted and the associated costs, the effects would be noticeable. The issue for policy-makers is to judge how the environmental benefits associated with encouraging such change compare with the net costs in terms of safety outcomes.

Outsourcing: a managerial competency for the 21st century.

PubMed

Shaffer, F A

2000-01-01

The widespread application of outsourcing has been fueled by the changing nature of the work contract between employers and employees. The large-scale corporate downsizing that began in the late 1980s inspired a trend away from employer loyalty. This fact, coupled with today's tight labor market, has created a "guerrilla" work force comprised of deal-hungry professionals conditioned to signing bonuses, stock options, and higher-than-scale salaries.

Risk Propensity and Knowledge Sharing Intentions of Individuals in a Downsized Organization

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

producing a positive or negative inequality . From this inequality , the individual adjusts inputs in order to restore equity (Huseman, Hatfield...survivor experienced positive inequity believing they could have just as easily been dismissed (Brockner, Greenberg, Brockner, Bortz, Davy, & Carter...participants in items 42 through 52 of the survey, and included items such as age, gender , military rank, and race. The average participant was a white

Working Memory, Age, Crew Downsizing, System Design and Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

Radvansky and Zacks, 1997). As authors have noted perceived demand. Accurate "Situation Models " (Johnson- when attempting to make sense of a... models of cognitive function and workload (cf. Baddeley bodies of information to be processed or multiple results and Gathercole, 1993). The ability to...major bottleneck in human performance. Some models of multiple traces from different headings and the human information processing (Pashler, 1998) place

Analyzing the Efficacy of Early Retirement Incentives in the Private Sector

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget...programs and firm performance, Academy of Management Journal , 39, 970–984 44 Deloitte Development. (2009). Proactive private companies. Taking... Journal of Management & Organization, 13(2), 145–159. Gandolfi, F. (2008). HR strategies that can take the sting out of downsizing-related Layoffs

Using Decision Analysis to Select Facility Maintenance Management Information Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

efficient way possible. Many of today’s maintenance managers thus apply computerized tools that come in the form of information systems that assist in... apply to effectively select a maintenance management information system that enables them to meet the needs of their customers. 3 1.2 Background...recession of the early 1990s. During this time, companies downsized their white-collar workforce performing daily operation and maintenance functions

Transition Assistance Program. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Education, Training and Employment of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

This congressional hearing reviews the continuing implementation of sections 1142, 1143, and 1144 of Title 10, United States Code, and section 1418(a) of Title 38, the Transition Assistance Program to assist servicemembers separating from the Armed Forces as a result of downsizing. Testimony includes statements, prepared statements, and written…

An Analysis of Interlibrary Loan Requests Made to the Neoucom Information Center from Its Associated Council Hospital Libraries: Maximizing Service to Hospital Libraries in the Era of Hospital Downsizing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonda-Farley, Kristine M.

This study examines the interlibrary loan requests made to NEOUCOM's (Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine) Oliver Ocasek Regional Medical Information Center in Rootstown, OH from its associated council hospital libraries. A total of 636 interlibrary loan requests from the period July 1994-July 1995 were analyzed. Components of the…

Transition management as an intervention for survivor syndrome.

PubMed

Rogers, K A

2000-01-01

In today's health care environment of merged organizations, downsizing and restructuring, employees can be experiencing a debilitating syndrome called "layoff survivor syndrome." This syndrome can have a crippling effect on workers and organizations as employees struggle to adapt to the changed working environment. This article represents my self-reflection as a nursing unit manager who personally experienced survivor sickness and witnessed its impact on the unit staff that I was leading at the time. The work of Noer (1993) is explored to clarify the syndrome and describe how the nursing staff and I manifested the syndrome. The writings of Bridges (1991), Brockner (1992) and Noer (1993) provide timely and relevant insights into managing the impact of layoffs and downsizing on those left behind to carry on. Noer (1993) sees the adaptation to the change as the ability to make the psychological shift from the old business paradigm that perpetuated codependency to the new business paradigm of fostering empowered employees. Bridges (1991) takes us a step further in making this psychological shift to adapt to the new work environment by providing a three phase process he calls transitions. The works of these three authors hold an important message for organizations and employees working in environments that abound with constant change.

Review of Issues Associated with Safe Operation and Management of the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnstone, Paul M.; Blomberg, Richard D.; Gleghorn, George J.; Krone, Norris J.; Voltz, Richard A.; Dunn, Robert F.; Donlan, Charles J.; Kauderer, Bernard M.; Brill, Yvonne C.; Englar, Kenneth G.;

Whither the RMA: Two Perspectives on Tomorrow’s Army

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-07-22

HENRI (ROY) ALCALA heads a consulting firm, Alcala Enterprises, which specializes in national security and foreign policy issues . He retired from the...thinking about national security was too constrained by immediate issues . Downsizing of force structure, budget reductions, Bosnia, and other issues were all...these immediate issues as signposts of the future, even though little evidence existed to support such aI :use. From many years of experience in long

Terrorism and Domestic Response: Can DoD Help Get It Right?

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

much to offer civilian emergency preparedness efforts and should play a proactive role prior to an incident. However, military downsizing...that DOD has only a response role in a national medical emergency, and then only when all other resources have been exhausted. As such a resource... healthcare “system” in the United States; there is instead a vast network of public and private institutions, agencies, and individuals who deliver

Systems Engineering Methodology for Fuel Efficiency and its Application to the TARDEC Fuel Efficient Demonstrator (FED) Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-19

highlight the benefits of regenerative braking . Parameters within the drive cycle may include vehicle speed, elevation/grade changes, road surface...assist to downsize the engine due to infinite maximum speed requirements • Drive cycle less suited to regenerative braking improvement compared to...will be cycle dependent. A high speed drive cycle may for example drive a focus on aerodynamic improvements, while high frequency of braking will

Work Force Changes and Age Discrimination: Educating Business Leaders in the 1990s and Beyond. A Project To Produce an Educational Package on Age Discrimination in Employment for Business Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Bar Association, Washington, DC. Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly.

The purposes of the project that developed this education package for business were as follows: (1) enhance employer knowledge and understanding of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), especially in its application to corporate downsizing and the use of early retirement incentives; (2) discourage employer practices that violate the act…

A Study of Organizational Downsizing and Information Management Strategies.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

Projected $100,000 at plants. per month savings from using miniframes . Networked Standardized "Best practices." 3 mainframes and applications. Whatever worked...The projected $1.2 million savings realized from going from mainframes to miniframes is to avoid having to reduce the budget by that amount in other...network hardware Turned in mainframe and replaced it with two miniframes ; networked new minis with systems at plants Networked mainframes and PCs Acquired

Defense Downsizing and Blacks in the Military

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

10.3 percent. An effort was made to determine if representation differences exist between service men and women . Tables 11 and 12 show representation and...Congress did little to maintain a rate of pay comparable to that of the civilian wage . Legislation was passed authorizing defense 16 cuts and pay ...freezes, yet the civilian minimum wage was increased, serving to widen the military-civilian disparity in pay [Ref. 31). The G.I. Bill, a longstanding

Military Compensation: Balancing Cash and Noncash Benefits

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-16

For greater detail, see N. Gregory Mankiw , Principles of Economics (Fort Worth, Tex.: Dryden Press, 1998), p. 469. 6 CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE E C...of it is provided through noncash benefits. Greater Choice. Cash pay is more efficient than non- cash compensation in an economic sense because cash...Pleeter, “The Personal Dis- count Rate: Evidence from Military Downsizing Programs,” American Economic Review, vol. 91, no. 1 (2001), pp. 33-53. 8

Inside The Cold War. A Cold Warrior’s Reflections

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-09-01

years . Downsizing after such a lengthy time was very painful because, for the first time in our recent history , everyone in uniform was a volunteer...Commendation Medal w/30LCs, and the Combat Crew Medal. When he retired from active duty in February 1983, Chris Adams became associate director of Los Alamos ...respective countries faithfully during those critical years of roller coaster politics, inconsistent diplomacy, and occasional lunacy. The Cold

Implantation technique of the 50-cm3 SynCardia Total Artificial Heart: does size make a difference?

PubMed

Spiliopoulos, Sotirios; Guersoy, Dilek; Dimitriou, Alexandros Merkourios; Koerfer, Reiner; Tenderich, Gero

2015-01-01

Despite downsizing, implantation technique of the 50-cm(3) SynCardia Total Artificial Heart and settings of the Companion driver remain unchanged. Owing to the absence of de-airing nipples, de-airing procedure is even more crucial and has to be performed carefully. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of hepatitis virus immunoassay outcome predictions in imbalanced routine pathology data by data balancing and feature selection before the application of support vector machines.

PubMed

Richardson, Alice M; Lidbury, Brett A

2017-08-14

Data mining techniques such as support vector machines (SVMs) have been successfully used to predict outcomes for complex problems, including for human health. Much health data is imbalanced, with many more controls than positive cases. The impact of three balancing methods and one feature selection method is explored, to assess the ability of SVMs to classify imbalanced diagnostic pathology data associated with the laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infections. Random forests (RFs) for predictor variable selection, and data reshaping to overcome a large imbalance of negative to positive test results in relation to HBV and HCV immunoassay results, are examined. The methodology is illustrated using data from ACT Pathology (Canberra, Australia), consisting of laboratory test records from 18,625 individuals who underwent hepatitis virus testing over the decade from 1997 to 2007. Overall, the prediction of HCV test results by immunoassay was more accurate than for HBV immunoassay results associated with identical routine pathology predictor variable data. HBV and HCV negative results were vastly in excess of positive results, so three approaches to handling the negative/positive data imbalance were compared. Generating datasets by the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) resulted in significantly more accurate prediction than single downsizing or multiple downsizing (MDS) of the dataset. For downsized data sets, applying a RF for predictor variable selection had a small effect on the performance, which varied depending on the virus. For SMOTE, a RF had a negative effect on performance. An analysis of variance of the performance across settings supports these findings. Finally, age and assay results for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), sodium for HBV and urea for HCV were found to have a significant impact upon laboratory diagnosis of HBV or HCV infection using an optimised SVM model. Laboratories looking to include machine learning via SVM as part of their decision support need to be aware that the balancing method, predictor variable selection and the virus type interact to affect the laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis virus infection with routine pathology laboratory variables in different ways depending on which combination is being studied. This awareness should lead to careful use of existing machine learning methods, thus improving the quality of laboratory diagnosis.

Measurement of OH, H2SO4, MSA, NH3 and DMSO Aboard the NASA P-3B Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisele, Fred

2001-01-01

This project involved the installation of a downsized multichannel mass spectrometer instrument on the NASA P-3B aircraft and its subsequent use on the PEM-Tropics B mission. The new instrument performed well, measuring a number of difficult-to-measure compounds and providing much new photochemical and sulfur data as well as possibly uncovering a new nighttime DMSO source. The details of this effort are discussed.

Stress-Testing South Africa: The Tenuous Foundations of One of Africa’s Stable States

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

Africa 7 and unable to deliver the benefits promised to the population by the liberators . Fully 72 percent of South Africans believe some, most, or all...the apartheid-era National Intelligence Service (NIS) was downsized and integrated with the intelligence structures of the liberation movement, the...and Africa’s Energy Resources” in Portugal, os Estados Unidos e a Africa Austral (Instituto Português de Relações Internacionais, 2006). Among the

Defense Planning in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: Decade of Attempts and Mistakes

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

Defense. (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles , 1967). 22 but due to the Soviet Union basis system, it is not as efficient in...Making for Defense. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles , 1967. Hitch, Charles Johnston and Roland N. McKean. The Economics of...loss of defense is not an instantaneous phenomenon. This phenomenon has led to human disorder, blind and continuous personnel downsizing, reform of the

Intra-specific downsizing of frugivores affects seed germination of fleshy-fruited plant species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Méndez, Néstor; Rodríguez, Airam; Nogales, Manuel

2018-01-01

The loss of largest-bodied individuals within species of frugivorous animals is one of the major consequences of defaunation. The gradual disappearance of large-bodied frugivores is expected to entail a parallel deterioration in seed dispersal functionality if the remaining smaller-sized individuals are not so effective as seed dispersers. While the multiple impacts of the extinction of large bodied species have been relatively well studied, the impact of intraspecific downsizing (i.e. the extinction of large individuals within species) on seed dispersal has rarely been evaluated. Here we experimentally assessed the impact of body-size reduction in the frugivorous lizard Gallotia galloti (Lacertidae), an endemic species of the Canary Islands, on the seed germination patterns of two fleshy-fruited plant species (Rubia fruticosa and Withania aristata). Seed germination curves and the proportions of germinated seeds were compared for both plant species after being defecated by large-sized individuals and small-sized individuals. The data show that seeds of W. aristata defecated by larger-sized lizards germinated faster and in a higher percentage than those defecated by small-sized lizards, while no differences were found for R. fruticosa seeds. Our results suggest that disappearance of the largest individuals of frugivorous species may impair recruitment of some plant species by worsening seed germination. They also warn us of a potential cryptic loss of seed dispersal functionality on defaunated ecosystems, even when frugivorous species remain abundant.

Downsizing of lean body mass is a key determinant of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Ingenbleek, Yves; Bernstein, Larry H

2015-01-01

Lean body mass (LBM) encompasses all metabolically active organs distributed into visceral and structural tissue compartments and collecting the bulk of N and K stores of the human body. Transthyretin (TTR) is a plasma protein mainly secreted by the liver within a trimolecular TTR-RBP-retinol complex revealing from birth to old age strikingly similar evolutionary patterns with LBM in health and disease. TTR is also synthesized by the choroid plexus along distinct regulatory pathways. Chronic dietary methionine (Met) deprivation or cytokine-induced inflammatory disorders generates LBM downsizing following differentiated physiopathological processes. Met-restricted regimens downregulate the transsulfuration cascade causing upstream elevation of homocysteine (Hcy) safeguarding Met homeostasis and downstream drop of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) impairing anti-oxidative capacities. Elderly persons constitute a vulnerable population group exposed to increasing Hcy burden and declining H2S protection, notably in plant-eating communities or in the course of inflammatory illnesses. Appropriate correction of defective protein status and eradication of inflammatory processes may restore an appropriate LBM size allowing the hepatic production of the retinol circulating complex to resume, in contrast with the refractory choroidal TTR secretory process. As a result of improved health status, augmented concentrations of plasma-derived TTR and retinol may reach the cerebrospinal fluid and dismantle senile amyloid plaques, contributing to the prevention or the delay of the onset of neurodegenerative events in elderly subjects at risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Safe passage of goods and self during residential relocation in later life

PubMed Central

EKERDT, DAVID J.; LUBORSKY, MARK; LYSACK, CATHERINE

2012-01-01

Techniques of possession research among older people tend to accentuate their prizing of things and their use of special dispositions to achieve the protection or ‘safe passage’ of things as they transfer to a new owner. Such efforts on behalf of possessions may also be undertaken to perpetuate the self. To study the care of things and self in a wider context, we examined older people’s repertoire of disposition strategies during episodes of household relocation and downsizing. We analysed the narratives of persons in 75 households in the Midwestern United States of America. People indeed told stories about the safe passage of cherished possessions – their initiative to place things, appreciation by new owners, and attempts to project the values or memory of the giver. Such accounts of special placements, however, dotted rather than dominated recollections of the move. More commonly, large quantities of items were passed via non-specific offers of possessions to others who may volunteer to take them. This allowed people to nonetheless express satisfaction that their possessions had found appreciative owners. Even though our interviews did not disclose extensive attempts at self-transmission, whole-house downsizing may affirm the self in another way: as conscientious about the care of things. Such affirmation of the present self as accomplished and responsible can be seen as a positive adaptation to the narrowing life world. PMID:23761946

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Acceptance Rates of the Navy’s Voluntary Separation Incentive/Special Separation Benefit (VSI/SSB) Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-09-23

Authorization act , as one of the most visible policy tools in its current strategy to downsize the military. The program has been fairly successful in...as substantial reenlistment bonuses to keep quality personnel. These policies have been successful . Today’s military is the most senior of any in the...last 50 years. Ironically, it is the successes of manpower planners in developing these policies, coupled with their increased understanding of the

The DTIC Review. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Volume 4, Number 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-09-01

is likely that today’s fighter force will be retired by 2018 , the 14 F-22 will begin entering retirement in 2025, and that there will be further...Vietarn War Ends Berlin Wall Falls 300 Downsizing axi0 World Wide Recession of 2018 1500 10%0 500"- Figure 3-2. Fighter Force Projection for 2025...Reconnaisance Vehicle UAV’ Enem HQ/Control Command Post JFACC Ig 3700nrm Figure 6-2. StrikeStar C2 Architecture Former Vice Chairman of the Joint

The Evolving Private Military Sector: Toward a Framework for Effective DoD Contracting

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-24

contractors in combat environments, Gates said. ( Newell , 2009, January 27). - 3 - In this paper, we endeavor to grapple with the issues posed by PMF...acquisition workforce that was being downsized along with the rest of the DoD. There was, and perhaps continues to be, a discomfort with the paradox that...below. However, the DoD still needs to develop true expertise at managing PMFs given their potential for lethal use of force. As others have

Department of Defense Review of the Foreign Comparative Testing Program FY2005-FY2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

Kingdom as a potential alternative to an ongoing domestic development program, which was failing to meet the size, weight , and cost objectives. The...Norway, Switzerland NAMMO, Oerlikon Contraves 0.50 USMC 40mm Training Cartridge MK281 Germany Nico Pyrotechnik 13.14 USMC High Rate-of-Fire .50 Cal...late FY 2003 and, although the system performed as advertised, it did not meet stringent weight requirements. In FY 2005, a down-sized version of

Anatomic tibial component design can increase tibial coverage and rotational alignment accuracy: a comparison of six contemporary designs.

PubMed

Dai, Yifei; Scuderi, Giles R; Bischoff, Jeffrey E; Bertin, Kim; Tarabichi, Samih; Rajgopal, Ashok

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate contemporary tibial component designs against global tibial anatomy. We hypothesized that anatomically designed tibial components offer increased morphological fit to the resected proximal tibia with increased alignment accuracy compared to symmetric and asymmetric designs. Using a multi-ethnic bone dataset, six contemporary tibial component designs were investigated, including anatomic, asymmetric, and symmetric design types. Investigations included (1) measurement of component conformity to the resected tibia using a comprehensive set of size and shape metrics; (2) assessment of component coverage on the resected tibia while ensuring clinically acceptable levels of rotation and overhang; and (3) evaluation of the incidence and severity of component downsizing due to adherence to rotational alignment and overhang requirements, and the associated compromise in tibial coverage. Differences in coverage were statistically compared across designs and ethnicities, as well as between placements with or without enforcement of proper rotational alignment. Compared to non-anatomic designs investigated, the anatomic design exhibited better conformity to resected tibial morphology in size and shape, higher tibial coverage (92% compared to 85-87%), more cortical support (posteromedial region), lower incidence of downsizing (3% compared to 39-60%), and less compromise of tibial coverage (0.5% compared to 4-6%) when enforcing proper rotational alignment. The anatomic design demonstrated meaningful increase in tibial coverage with accurate rotational alignment compared to symmetric and asymmetric designs, suggesting its potential for less intra-operative compromises and improved performance. III.

Ritual's role in profound change.

PubMed

1995-03-01

In today's healthcare environment, characterized by downsizing, restructuring, mergers, and acquisitions, organizational cultures and employees are experiencing rapid--and often tense--changes. Ritual can facilitate change by acknowledging it and allowing the grieving process to take its course. The success of an organizational culture change can depend on whether the organization and its members have been given an opportunity to grieve. Until they grieve their losses, people cannot embrace the new. Organizational leaders who have survived downsizing must come to grips with their own survivor status first and then lead others in the organization through the current painful but irrevocable shift in their relationship to the organization. The use of ritual helps organizational survivors see the connection between the grieving process and their survivor symptoms of denial, anger, depression, guilt, fear, insecurity, anxiety, and uncertainty. A good ritual should allow those present to rise above barriers that separate, worries that overburden, and blindness that limits and to gather as one with God. As a rule, a good ritual is participative and recognizes the audience's diversity. The ritual should not just address those present but invite them to act, pray, or sing. Ritual is an important way to provide a structure that allows people to express their emotions. For leaders, it can be a visible way to acknowledge grief and show support for organizational members. For ritual to have any meaning, key leaders need to be present and perhaps have a role in the creation and enactment of the ritual.

Inpatient treatment of major depression in Austria between 1989 and 2009: impact of downsizing of psychiatric hospitals on admissions, suicide rates and outpatient psychiatric services.

PubMed

Vyssoki, B; Willeit, M; Blüml, V; Höfer, P; Erfurth, A; Psota, G; Lesch, O M; Kapusta, N D

2011-09-01

During the last 20 years Austrian psychiatric services underwent fundamental changes, as a focus was set on downsizing psychiatric hospitals. Little is known about how restructuring of mental health services affected patients with major depression and suicide rates. Monthly hospital discharges from all hospitals in Austria with the diagnosis of unipolar major depression as primary reason for inpatient treatment were obtained for the time period between 1989 and 2008. These data were correlated with relevant parameters from the general health system, such as number of hospital beds, suicide rate, density of psychotherapists and sales of antidepressants. While the number of psychiatric beds was reduced by almost 30%, the total annual numbers of inpatient treatment episodes for depression increased by 360%. This increase was stronger for men than for women. Further on this development was accompanied by a decrease in the suicide rate and an improvement in the availability of professional outpatient mental health service providers. Only aggregated patient data and no single case histories were available for this study. The validity of the correct diagnosis of unipolar major depression must be doubted, as most likely not all patients were seen by a clinical expert. Our data show that although inpatient treatment for unipolar major depression dramatically increased, reduction of psychiatric beds did not lead to an increase of suicide rates. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health consequences of the 'Great Recession' on the employed: evidence from an industrial cohort in aluminum manufacturing.

PubMed

Modrek, Sepideh; Cullen, Mark R

2013-09-01

While the negative effects of unemployment have been well studied, the consequences of layoffs and downsizing for those who remain employed are less well understood. This study uses human resources and health claims data from a large multi-site fully insured aluminum company to explore the health consequences of downsizing on the remaining workforce. We exploit the variation in the timing and intensity of layoff to categorize 30 plants as high or low layoff plants. Next, we select a stably employed cohort of workers with history of health insurance going back to 2006 to 1) describe the selection process into layoff and 2) explore the association between the severity of plant level layoffs and the incidence of four chronic conditions in the remaining workforce. We examine four health outcomes: incident hypertension, diabetes, asthma/COPD and depression for a cohort of approximately 13,000 employees. Results suggest that there was an increased risk of developing hypertension for all workers and an increased risk of developing diabetes for salaried workers that remain at the plants with the highest level of layoffs. The hypertension results were robust to a several specification tests. In addition, the study design selected only healthy workers, therefore our estimates are likely to be a lower bound and suggest that adverse health consequences of the 2007-2009 recession may have affected a broader proportion of the population than previously expected. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expert communication link management: overview and progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunkelberger, Kirk A.

1998-08-01

Consider the downsizing of our forces, the increasing complexity of our tactical platforms, and the ever widening array of communication options and the conclusion is inevitable. The need for automated support to reduce communication-related workload is critical to continued task force effectiveness. In a previous era, communication management expertise resided solely in the form of human experts. These experts flew with the pilots, providing the most effective means of communication in real time; they have since been removed from a great number of platforms due to force downsizing and real estate value in the cockpit. This burden has typically been shifted to the pilot, providing another set of tasks in an environment which is already far too taxing. An Expert Communication Link Manger (ECLM) is required -- a trusted, reliable assistant which can determine optimal link, channel, and waveform data for the communication requirements at hand and translate those requirements transparently into communication device control. Technologies are at hand which make ECLM possible; the mixture of these elements in the correct proportions can provide a capable, deployable, and cost effective ECLM in the near term. This paper describes specific applied ECLM research work in progress funded by the USAF under a four year effort. Operational objectives, technical objectives, a reference design, and technical excursions within the broad ECLM scope will be discussed in detail. Results of prototypes built to date in the area of communication inference from speech understanding, dynamic adaptive routing, and packet switching networks in the tactical environment will be presented.

A Car Transportation System in Cooperation by Multiple Mobile Robots for Each Wheel: iCART II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashiwazaki, Koshi; Yonezawa, Naoaki; Kosuge, Kazuhiro; Sugahara, Yusuke; Hirata, Yasuhisa; Endo, Mitsuru; Kanbayashi, Takashi; Shinozuka, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Koki; Ono, Yuki

The authors proposed a car transportation system, iCART (intelligent Cooperative Autonomous Robot Transporters), for automation of mechanical parking systems by two mobile robots. However, it was difficult to downsize the mobile robot because the length of it requires at least the wheelbase of a car. This paper proposes a new car transportation system, iCART II (iCART - type II), based on “a-robot-for-a-wheel” concept. A prototype system, MRWheel (a Mobile Robot for a Wheel), is designed and downsized less than half the conventional robot. First, a method for lifting up a wheel by MRWheel is described. In general, it is very difficult for mobile robots such as MRWheel to move to desired positions without motion errors caused by slipping, etc. Therefore, we propose a follower's motion error estimation algorithm based on the internal force applied to each follower by extending a conventional leader-follower type decentralized control algorithm for cooperative object transportation. The proposed algorithm enables followers to estimate their motion errors and enables the robots to transport a car to a desired position. In addition, we analyze and prove the stability and convergence of the resultant system with the proposed algorithm. In order to extract only the internal force from the force applied to each robot, we also propose a model-based external force compensation method. Finally, proposed methods are applied to the car transportation system, the experimental results confirm their validity.

Amuse-Virgo: Downsizing In Black Hole Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallo, Elena

2010-03-01

An issue of fundamental importance in understanding the galaxy-black hole connection is the duty cycle of accretion. If black holes are indeed ubiquitous in galactic nuclei, little is known about the frequency and intensity of their activity, the more so at the low-mass/low-luminosity end. I will present new results from AMUSE-Virgo, a Chandra survey of (formally) inactive early type galaxies in the Virgo cluster. Out of 100 objects, 32 show a nuclear X-ray source, including 6 hybrid nuclei which also host a massive nuclear cluster as visible from archival HST images. After carefully accounting for contamination from nuclear low mass X-ray binaries based on the shape and normalization of their X-ray luminosity function, we conclude that between 24-34% of the galaxies in our sample host a X-ray active super-massive black hole. This sets a firm lower limit to the black hole occupation fraction in nearby bulges within a cluster environment. At face value, the active fraction is found to increase with host stellar mass. However, taking into account selection effects, we find that the average Eddington-scaled X-ray luminosity scales with black hole mass to the power -0.62, with an intrinsic scatter of 0.46 dex. This represents the first observational evidence for down-sizing of black hole accretion in local early types, that is, the fraction of active galaxies, defined as those above a fixed X-ray Eddington ratio, decreases with increasing host galaxy mass.

State downsizing as a determinant of infant mortality and achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4.

PubMed

Palma-Solís, Marco Antonio; Alvarez-Dardet Díaz, Carlos; Franco-Giraldo, Alvaro; Hernández-Aguado, Ildefonso; Pérez-Hoyos, Santiago

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the worldwide effect of state downsizing policies on achievement of U.N. Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) on infant mortality rates. In an ecological retrospective cohort study of 161 countries, from 1978 to 2002, the authors analyzed changes in government consumption (GC) as determining exposure to achievement of MDG4. Descriptive methods and a multiple logistic regression were applied to adjust for changes in gross domestic product, level of democracy, and income inequality. Excess infant mortality in the exposed countries, attributable to reductions in GC, was estimated. Fifty countries were found to have reduced GC, and 111 had increased GC. The gap in infant mortality rate between these groups of countries doubled in the study period. Non-achievement of MDG4 was associated with reductions in GC and increases in income inequality. The excess infant mortality attributable to GC reductions in the exposed countries from 1990 to 2002 was 4,473,348 deaths. The probability of achieving MDG4 seems to be seriously compromised for many countries because of reduced public sector expenditure during the last 25 years of the 20th century, in response to World Bank/International Monetary Fund Washington Consensus policies. This seeming contradiction between the goals of different U.N. branches may be undermining achievement of MDG4 and should be taken into account when developing future global governance policy.

Health Consequences of the ‘Great Recession’ on the Employed: Evidence from an Industrial Cohort in Aluminum Manufacturing

PubMed Central

Modrek, Sepideh; Cullen, Mark R.

2013-01-01

While the negative effects of unemployment have been well studied, the consequences of layoffs and downsizing for those who remain employed are less well understood. This study used human resources and health claims data from a large multi-site fully insured aluminum company to explore the health consequences of downsizing on the remaining workforce. We exploit the variation in the timing and intensity of layoff to categorize 30 plants as high or low layoff plants. Next, we select a stably employed cohort of workers with history of health insurance going back to 2006 to 1) describe the selection process into layoff and 2) explore the association between the severity of plant level layoffs and the incidence of four chronic conditions in the remaining workforce. We examined four health outcomes: incident hypertension, diabetes, asthma/COPD and depression for a cohort of approximately 13,000 employees. Results suggest that there was an increased risk of developing hypertension for workers that remain at the plants with the highest level of layoffs, and increased risk of developing diabetes for salaried workers that remain at the plants with the highest level of layoffs. The hypertension results were robust to a several specification tests. In addition, the study design selected only healthy workers, therefore our results are likely to be a lower bound and suggest that adverse health consequences of the current recession may affect a broader proportion of the population than previously expected. PMID:23849284

The unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination problem and the state of the art of UXO remediation technologies

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

Thomsen, K.O.; Richardson, C.B.; Valder, K.M.

1996-12-31

Millions of acres of US government property are contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a result of weapons system testing and troop training activities conducted over the past century at Department of Defense (DoD) sites. Recent DoD downsizing has resulted in the closing of many military bases, many of which are contaminated with UXO. One unexpected result of DoD`s downsizing is the attention focused on the unique problems associated with UXO remediation at these closed military bases. The U.S. Army Environmental Center (U SAEC) is the lead DoD agency for UXO clearance technology demonstrations, evaluation, and technology transfer. USAEC directedmore » the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) to serve as the technical lead for the advanced technology demonstration (ATD) program. In 1994, USAEC and NAVEODTECHDIV created controlled test facilities at the U.S. Army Jefferson Proving Ground in Madison, Indiana, to demonstrate and evaluate commercial UXO clearance systems and technologies. Phase I controlled site demonstrations were conducted during the summer of 1994. These demonstrations were followed by the Phase II controlled site demonstrations at JPG. This paper presents the results of the Phase II controlled site demonstrations. The overall performance of the demonstrators is presented along with the operational characteristics and limitations of the various systems and technologies evaluated. Individual demonstrator performance statistics are evaluated by sensor type and sensor transport method.« less

Comparative Genomics of an Unusual Biogeographic Disjunction in the Cotton Tribe (Gossypieae) Yields Insights into Genome Downsizing

PubMed Central

Arick, Mark A; Conover, Justin L; Thrash, Adam; Sanders, William S; Hsu, Chuan-Yu; Naqvi, Rubab Zahra; Farooq, Muhammad; Li, Xiaochong; Gong, Lei; Mudge, Joann; Ramaraj, Thiruvarangan; Udall, Joshua A; Peterson, Daniel G

2017-01-01

Abstract Long-distance insular dispersal is associated with divergence and speciation because of founder effects and strong genetic drift. The cotton tribe (Gossypieae) has experienced multiple transoceanic dispersals, generating an aggregate geographic range that encompasses much of the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Two genera in the Gossypieae, Kokia and Gossypioides, exhibit a remarkable geographic disjunction, being restricted to the Hawaiian Islands and Madagascar/East Africa, respectively. We assembled and use de novo genome sequences to address questions regarding the divergence of these two genera from each other and from their sister-group, Gossypium. In addition, we explore processes underlying the genome downsizing that characterizes Kokia and Gossypioides relative to other genera in the tribe. Using 13,000 gene orthologs and synonymous substitution rates, we show that the two disjuncts last shared a common ancestor ∼5 Ma, or half as long ago as their divergence from Gossypium. We report relative stasis in the transposable element fraction. In comparison to Gossypium, there is loss of ∼30% of the gene content in the two disjunct genera and a history of genome-wide accumulation of deletions. In both genera, there is a genome-wide bias toward deletions over insertions, and the number of gene losses exceeds the number of gains by ∼2- to 4-fold. The genomic analyses presented here elucidate genomic consequences of the demographic and biogeographic history of these closest relatives of Gossypium, and enhance their value as phylogenetic outgroups. PMID:29194487

A reliable sealing method for microbatteries

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

Wang, Yuxing; Cartmell, Samuel; Li, Qiuyan

2017-02-01

With continuous downsizing of electronic devices, lithium batteries of traditional shapes cannot meet the demand where small-size high energy density batteries are needed. Conventional sealing methods become increasingly difficult to apply and impose high processing cost as the size of batteries decreases. In this report, a facile sealing method is proposed and demonstrated in CFx/Li mini-batteries. The method employs a temporary barrier to liquid electrolytes while relies on the epoxies/cell casings bond for the hermetic sealing. Cells sealed by this method show no degradation for an extended period of storage time.

Strategies for the nurse executive to keep the rural hospitals open.

PubMed

Shride, S E

1997-01-01

Rural hospitals are confronted with multiple challenges to survive in the competitive health care environment of today's world. Declining population, corporate mergers and downsizing, transportation, cost of technology, and health manpower shortages are only a few of the issues rural hospitals must be prepared to address in order to survive. Federal- and state-administered programs are available that can contribute to the survival of the rural hospital. The nurse executive has a key role in contributing to the planning, development, and implementation of survival strategies.

Nurses as working women.

PubMed

Letvak, S

2001-03-01

Women today make up nearly half of the nation's workforce. A number of these women have children at home, and women also often are responsible for providing care to older adult family members or friends. The different roles assigned to women in today's society are burdensome, particularly for nurses who deal with the stress of managed care, downsizing, the nursing shortage, caring for increasingly ill patients, long and irregular hours, and daily crises. There are ways that nurses can modify their work situation, however, to help them cope with the rigors of the workplace and the home.

Interchip link system using an optical wiring method.

PubMed

Cho, In-Kui; Ryu, Jin-Hwa; Jeong, Myung-Yung

2008-08-15

A chip-scale optical link system is presented with a transmitter/receiver and optical wire link. The interchip link system consists of a metal optical bench, a printed circuit board module, a driver/receiver integrated circuit, a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser/photodiode array, and an optical wire link composed of plastic optical fibers (POFs). We have developed a downsized POF and an optical wiring method that allows on-site installation with a simple annealing as optical wiring technologies for achieving high-density optical interchip interconnection within such devices. Successful data transfer measurements are presented.

SEI Program Plans: 1996-2000. Volume 1. Five-Year Strategic Plan. Volume 2. One-Year Plans/Proposals.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

architecture for a family of sys- tems. The Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) method looks primarily at "user-visible" aspects of a domain. The...Partners I-9 1.4.2 Acquisition, Development, and Post Deployment 1-10 2 Strategic Overview 1-15 2.1 Situation Analysis 1-15 2.1.1...Contents Strategic Overview 1-15 2.1 Situation Analysis 1-15 2.1.1 DoD Budget Reductions, Downsizing, and the Changing Role of the Military

Preoperative Y-90 microsphere selective internal radiation treatment for tumor downsizing and future liver remnant recruitment: a novel approach to improving the safety of major hepatic resections.

PubMed

Gulec, Seza A; Pennington, Kenneth; Hall, Michael; Fong, Yuman

2009-01-08

Extended liver resections are being performed more liberally than ever. The extent of resection of liver metastases, however, is restricted by the volume of the future liver remnant (FLR). An intervention that would both accomplish tumor control and induce compensatory hypertrophy, with good patient tolerability, could improve clinical outcomes. A 53-year-old woman with a history of cervical cancer presented with a large liver mass. Subsequent biopsy indicated poorly differentiated carcinoma with necrosis suggestive of squamous cell origin. A decision was made to proceed with pre-operative chemotherapy and Y-90 microsphere SIRT with the intent to obtain systemic control over the disease, downsize the hepatic lesion, and improve the FLR. A surgical exploration was performed six months after the first SIRT (three months after the second). There was no extrahepatic disease. The tumor was found to be significantly decreased in size with central and peripheral scarring. The left lobe was satisfactorily hypertrophied. A formal right hepatic lobectomy was performed with macroscopic negative margins. Selective internal radiation treatment (SIRT) with yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres has emerged as an effective liver-directed therapy with a favorable therapeutic ratio. We present this case report to suggest that the portal vein radiation dose can be substantially increased with the intent of inducing portal/periportal fibrosis. Such a therapeutic manipulation in lobar Y-90 microsphere treatment could accomplish the end points of PVE with avoidance of the concern regarding tumor progression.

Why do we lose protected areas? Factors influencing protected area downgrading, downsizing and degazettement in the tropics and subtropics.

PubMed

Symes, William S; Rao, Madhu; Mascia, Michael B; Carrasco, L Roman

2016-02-01

Protected areas (PAs) are an essential tool for the conservation of biodiversity globally. Previous studies have focussed on the effectiveness of PAs and the design of optimal PA networks. However, not all PAs remain intact permanently; many PAs undergo downgrading, downsizing and/or degazettement (PADDD), a fact largely ignored until recently. The drivers of enacted PADDD events and the factors influencing its spatial occurrence are poorly understood, potentially undermining the efficacy of PAs and PA networks. Here we examine the spatial relationship between PADDD and economic, demographic and structural variables, using a 110-year data set of 342 enacted PADDD events across 44 countries in the tropics and subtropics. We find that the probability of an enacted PADDD event increases with the size of the PA and through a synergistic interaction between PA size and local population densities. Our results are robust to the under-reporting of enacted PADDD events that occur among smaller PAs and in regions with lower population density. We find an economic motive for PADDD events, given that the opportunity costs associated with larger PAs are higher, on average, than smaller PAs. Our findings suggest a need for conservation practitioners to better consider PA characteristics, as well as the social, economic and political context in which PAs are situated, to aid the creation of more efficient and sustainable PA networks. In particular, the dynamics of enacted PADDD events highlight the need to explicitly consider PA robustness as a core component of systematic conservation planning for PA networks. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From the Cover: Genome analysis of the smallest free-living eukaryote Ostreococcus tauri unveils many unique features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derelle, Evelyne; Ferraz, Conchita; Rombauts, Stephane; Rouzé, Pierre; Worden, Alexandra Z.; Robbens, Steven; Partensky, Frédéric; Degroeve, Sven; Echeynié, Sophie; Cooke, Richard; Saeys, Yvan; Wuyts, Jan; Jabbari, Kamel; Bowler, Chris; Panaud, Olivier; Piégu, Benoît; Ball, Steven G.; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Bouget, François-Yves; Piganeau, Gwenael; de Baets, Bernard; Picard, André; Delseny, Michel; Demaille, Jacques; van de Peer, Yves; Moreau, Hervé

2006-08-01

The green lineage is reportedly 1,500 million years old, evolving shortly after the endosymbiosis event that gave rise to early photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we unveil the complete genome sequence of an ancient member of this lineage, the unicellular green alga Ostreococcus tauri (Prasinophyceae). This cosmopolitan marine primary producer is the world's smallest free-living eukaryote known to date. Features likely reflecting optimization of environmentally relevant pathways, including resource acquisition, unusual photosynthesis apparatus, and genes potentially involved in C4 photosynthesis, were observed, as was downsizing of many gene families. Overall, the 12.56-Mb nuclear genome has an extremely high gene density, in part because of extensive reduction of intergenic regions and other forms of compaction such as gene fusion. However, the genome is structurally complex. It exhibits previously unobserved levels of heterogeneity for a eukaryote. Two chromosomes differ structurally from the other eighteen. Both have a significantly biased G+C content, and, remarkably, they contain the majority of transposable elements. Many chromosome 2 genes also have unique codon usage and splicing, but phylogenetic analysis and composition do not support alien gene origin. In contrast, most chromosome 19 genes show no similarity to green lineage genes and a large number of them are specialized in cell surface processes. Taken together, the complete genome sequence, unusual features, and downsized gene families, make O. tauri an ideal model system for research on eukaryotic genome evolution, including chromosome specialization and green lineage ancestry. genome heterogeneity | genome sequence | green alga | Prasinophyceae | gene prediction

Quantifying whole transcriptome size, a prerequisite for understanding transcriptome evolution across species: an example from a plant allopolyploid.

PubMed

Coate, Jeremy E; Doyle, Jeff J

2010-01-01

Evolutionary biologists are increasingly comparing gene expression patterns across species. Due to the way in which expression assays are normalized, such studies provide no direct information about expression per gene copy (dosage responses) or per cell and can give a misleading picture of genes that are differentially expressed. We describe an assay for estimating relative expression per cell. When used in conjunction with transcript profiling data, it is possible to compare the sizes of whole transcriptomes, which in turn makes it possible to compare expression per cell for each gene in the transcript profiling data set. We applied this approach, using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and high throughput RNA sequencing, to a recently formed allopolyploid and showed that its leaf transcriptome was approximately 1.4-fold larger than either progenitor transcriptome (70% of the sum of the progenitor transcriptomes). In contrast, the allopolyploid genome is 94.3% as large as the sum of its progenitor genomes and retains > or =93.5% of the sum of its progenitor gene complements. Thus, "transcriptome downsizing" is greater than genome downsizing. Using this transcriptome size estimate, we inferred dosage responses for several thousand genes and showed that the majority exhibit partial dosage compensation. Homoeologue silencing is nonrandomly distributed across dosage responses, with genes showing extreme responses in either direction significantly more likely to have a silent homoeologue. This experimental approach will add value to transcript profiling experiments involving interspecies and interploidy comparisons by converting expression per transcriptome to expression per genome, eliminating the need for assumptions about transcriptome size.

Laboratory medicine in Ontario: its downsizing and the consequences on quality.

PubMed

Richardson, H

1999-12-01

Health care in Ontario consumes 35% of provincial government annual revenues. Fiscal constraint mandates restructuring of health services to maintain a fully, publicly-funded universally-accessible health system that is patient-focussed and health-outcome driven. Acute-care hospital restructuring under the authority of the Health Services Restructuring Commission and primary health-care reform characterise present government initiatives. Laboratory medicine services at about Can $1 billion annually account for about 5% of health expenditure. A Laboratory Services Restructuring Secretariat created by the Ministry of Health in 1995 has planned regionally-based integrated laboratory services systems bringing together public and private providers, designed a province-wide laboratory information system, developed a quality management program, reviewed the human resource needs for laboratory physicians, scientists and technologists, and recommended that the legislation be rewritten so as to be enabling - not controlling. Meanwhile both hospital and private laboratories have closed, leaving 296 in 1998 compared to 394 in 1991. Laboratory physician numbers at 39 per million population falls far short of the recommended target of 52 and many are within 10 years of retirement. Renewal of laboratory physicians and scientists to meet the shortfall is not occurring. The numbers of registered laboratory technologists has fallen by 6. 8% over 2 years. Consolidation and downsizing of laboratories with the formation of core laboratories has resulted in multi-discipline and cross discipline tasking of specialist technologists. Senior and middle level management technologists have been declared redundant. As a consequence, quality control practices have been hard hit. Plans to address these deficiencies through regional integration and sharing of resources remain to be implemented.

Does the availability of hospital beds affect utilization patterns? The case of end-of-life care.

PubMed

Wilson, D M; Truman, C D

2001-11-01

Hospital downsizing in Canada during the 1990s raised public concern over the availability of hospital care, in addition to heightening administrative interest in improving or maximizing hospital utilization. One ongoing concern about hospital utilization is that a disproportionately large share of hospital resources is used by terminally ill and dying people. A research study using 1992/1993-1996/1997 in-patient abstracts data for the province of Alberta, Canada, was undertaken to explore and describe hospital utilization by dying in-patients. This investigation found only 48.2% of all deaths in Alberta over the five years studied involved hospital in-patients. An 18.5% reduction in the number of in-patient deaths and an 83.3% reduction in length of final stay occurred when 50% of acute care beds were closed, which was followed by an increase when beds began reopening--in terms of both the number of in-patient deaths (4.8%) and the average length of stay (2.6%). The ratio of men to women, the average age of dying in-patients, and the intensity of hospital care changed relatively little over those five years. Most in-patients were admitted for nursing care; in 51.3% of all cases, no diagnostic or therapeutic procedures were performed prior to death. These findings indicate hospital bed availability influences admission to hospital and length of stay, but not treatment decisions affecting seriously ill and dying patients. In addition, reduced length of stay appears to have been a widespread response to hospital downsizing, with this change substantially preserving individual access to hospitals.

Towards a population synthesis model of self-gravitating disc fragmentation and tidal downsizing II: the effect of fragment-fragment interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forgan, D. H.; Hall, C.; Meru, F.; Rice, W. K. M.

2018-03-01

It is likely that most protostellar systems undergo a brief phase where the protostellar disc is self-gravitating. If these discs are prone to fragmentation, then they are able to rapidly form objects that are initially of several Jupiter masses and larger. The fate of these disc fragments (and the fate of planetary bodies formed afterwards via core accretion) depends sensitively not only on the fragment's interaction with the disc, but also with its neighbouring fragments. We return to and revise our population synthesis model of self-gravitating disc fragmentation and tidal downsizing. Amongst other improvements, the model now directly incorporates fragment-fragment interactions while the disc is still present. We find that fragment-fragment scattering dominates the orbital evolution, even when we enforce rapid migration and inefficient gap formation. Compared to our previous model, we see a small increase in the number of terrestrial-type objects being formed, although their survival under tidal evolution is at best unclear. We also see evidence for disrupted fragments with evolved grain populations - this is circumstantial evidence for the formation of planetesimal belts, a phenomenon not seen in runs where fragment-fragment interactions are ignored. In spite of intense dynamical evolution, our population is dominated by massive giant planets and brown dwarfs at large semimajor axis, which direct imaging surveys should, but only rarely, detect. Finally, disc fragmentation is shown to be an efficient manufacturer of free-floating planetary mass objects, and the typical multiplicity of systems formed via gravitational instability will be low.

Production of raw starch-degrading enzyme by Aspergillus sp. and its use in conversion of inedible wild cassava flour to bioethanol.

PubMed

Moshi, Anselm P; Hosea, Ken M M; Elisante, Emrode; Mamo, Gashaw; Önnby, Linda; Nges, Ivo Achu

2016-04-01

The major bottlenecks in achieving competitive bioethanol fuel are the high cost of feedstock, energy and enzymes employed in pretreatment prior to fermentation. Lignocellulosic biomass has been proposed as an alternative feedstock, but because of its complexity, economic viability is yet to be realized. Therefore, research around non-conventional feedstocks and deployment of bioconversion approaches that downsize the cost of energy and enzymes is justified. In this study, a non-conventional feedstock, inedible wild cassava was used for bioethanol production. Bioconversion of raw starch from the wild cassava to bioethanol at low temperature was investigated using both a co-culture of Aspergillus sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a monoculture of the later with enzyme preparation from the former. A newly isolated strain of Aspergillus sp. MZA-3 produced raw starch-degrading enzyme which displayed highest activity of 3.3 U/mL towards raw starch from wild cassava at 50°C, pH 5.5. A co-culture of MZA-3 and S. cerevisiae; and a monoculture of S. cerevisiae and MZA-3 enzyme (both supplemented with glucoamylase) resulted into bioethanol yield (percentage of the theoretical yield) of 91 and 95 at efficiency (percentage) of 84 and 96, respectively. Direct bioconversion of raw starch to bioethanol was achieved at 30°C through the co-culture approach. This could be attractive since it may significantly downsize energy expenses. Copyright © 2015 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Communicating NASA's Knowledge: A Report of the Communicate Knowledge Process Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

NASA has a unique charter in the Space Act of 1958 to 'provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.' As NASA approaches the new millennium, Government legislation and regulations, budgetary reductions that have necessitated downsizing the workforce, an emphasis on measurable results from Government agencies, and technological communications breakthroughs have provided the impetus for NASA to reexamine the way it communicates the knowledge that it generates. NASA has been challenged to manage knowledge as a resource that we owe to the American people.

A span of control tool for clinical managers.

PubMed

Morash, Robin; Brintnell, Janet; Rodger, Ginette Lemire

2005-01-01

During the second half of the 1990s, healthcare in Canada experienced significant downsizing and reform. One of the consequences of these reorganizations has been a reduction in the number of clinical managers and a significant increase in their span of control, to the point that often their abilities to fulfil their role as clinical managers are hindered (Altaffer 1998; Counsell et al. 2001; Pabst 1993). The first-line manager plays a critical role in the delivery of healthcare, in particular, within nursing services. Therefore, providing support for the professional practice of clinical managers should become a priority.

Analysis of the Laser Drilling Process for the Combination with a Single-Lip Deep Hole Drilling Process with Small Diameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biermann, Dirk; Heilmann, Markus

Due to the tendency of downsizing of components, also the industrial relevance of bore holes with small diameters and high length-to-diameter ratios rises with the growing requirements on parts. In these applications, the combination of laser pre-drilling and single-lip deep hole drilling can shorten the process chain in machining components with non-planar surfaces, or can reduce tool wear in machining case-hardened materials. In this research, the combination of these processes was realized and investigated for the very first time.

Strategies for achieving sustained competitive advantage.

PubMed

Schlosser, J R

1987-06-01

Sound strategic planning, even in the midst of unprecedented uncertainty and turmoil, is a critical element of every successful health care organization's action plan. The author examines how one organization has responded to the changing demands of the marketplace and a dramatically changed reimbursement system through appropriate strategic planning, selective downsizing on certain fronts and new product development expansion on others. The result is an organization molded to the new environment. It is no longer based on an illness-model hospital but rather focuses on a vertically integrated multi-health cluster intent on capturing market share by providing a single source continuum of health care.

Development of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Control System for the Traction Purpose of the Gauge Changing Train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, Keiichiro; Hata, Hiroshi; Yuki, Kazuaki; Naganuma, Katsunori; Matsuoka, Koichi; Hasebe, Toshio

This paper is aimed at providing the designing method of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control system for the high-speed and the single-phase AC powered Gauge Changing Train (GCT). The state-of-the-art electrical motive unit is equipped with downsized direct drive type PMSMs for the simplified gauge changeable truck. Due to the feeding the AC single phase power, we propose a beat-less control for PMSMs. We verify the development results of designing procedures by the experimental results of operation on a high-speed test line in Colorado, USA.

Nurses are expanding their roles despite widespread demoralisation.

PubMed

Webber, Jeanette

1995-10-02

Throughout the world nurses are under pressure. Changes in approaches to health-care delivery are occurring in m any countries, resulting in a reduction in human and financial resources, downsizing of nursing staff and the increased use of unregistered health-care personnel. In the UK, the impact on morale has been profound. A recent survey by the Department of Health (1995) has revealed that one in three nurses who trained in 1991 and before have now left the profession. Of those questioned, 43% stated that they would never consider returning to the NHS because of their dissatisfaction with nursing.

Quantifying the extent of protected-area downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement in Australia.

PubMed

Cook, Carly N; Valkan, Rebecca S; Mascia, Michael B; McGeoch, Melodie A

2017-10-01

The use of total area protected as the predominant indicator of progress in building protected area (PA) networks is receiving growing criticism. Documenting the full dynamics of PA networks, both in terms of the gains and losses in protection, provides a much more informative approach to tracking progress. To this end, documentation of PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD) has increased. Studies of PADDD events generally fail to place these losses in the context of gains in protection; therefore, they omit important elements of PA network dynamics. To address this limitation, we used a spatially explicit approach to identify every parcel of land added to and excised from the Australian terrestrial PA network and PAs that had their level of protection changed over 17 years (1997-2014). By quantifying changes in the spatial configuration of the PA network with time-series data (spatial layers for nine separate time steps), ours is the first assessment of the dynamics (increases and decreases in area and level of protection) of a PA network and the first comprehensive assessment of PADDD in a developed country. We found that the Australian network was highly dynamic; there were 5233 changes in area or level of protection over 17 years. Against a background of enormous increases in area protected, we identified over 1500 PADDD events, which affected over one-third of the network, which were largely the result of widespread downgrading of protection. We believe our approach provides a mechanism for robust tracking of trends in the world's PAs through the use of data from the World Database on Protected Areas. However, this will require greater transparency and improved data standards in reporting changes to PAs. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Posterior tibial slope and femoral sizing affect posterior cruciate ligament tension in posterior cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Kuriyama, Shinichi; Ishikawa, Masahiro; Nakamura, Shinichiro; Furu, Moritoshi; Ito, Hiromu; Matsuda, Shuichi

2015-08-01

During cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty, surgeons sometimes encounter increased tension of the posterior cruciate ligament. This study investigated the effects of femoral size, posterior tibial slope, and rotational alignment of the femoral and tibial components on forces at the posterior cruciate ligament in cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty using a musculoskeletal computer simulation. Forces at the posterior cruciate ligament were assessed with the standard femoral component, as well as with 2-mm upsizing and 2-mm downsizing in the anterior-posterior dimension. These forces were also determined with posterior tibial slope angles of 5°, 7°, and 9°, and lastly, were measured in 5° increments when the femoral (tibial) components were positioned from 5° (15°) of internal rotation to 5° (15°) of external rotation. Forces at the posterior cruciate ligament increased by up to 718N with the standard procedure during squatting. The 2-mm downsizing of the femoral component decreased the force at the posterior cruciate ligament by up to 47%. The 2° increment in posterior tibial slope decreased the force at the posterior cruciate ligament by up to 41%. In addition, posterior cruciate ligament tension increased by 11% during internal rotation of the femoral component, and increased by 18% during external rotation of the tibial component. These findings suggest that accurate sizing and bone preparation are very important to maintain posterior cruciate ligament forces in cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty. Care should also be taken regarding malrotation of the femoral and tibial components because this increases posterior cruciate ligament tension. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mortality patterns following downsizing at Pan American World Airways.

PubMed

Steenland, Kyle; Pinkerton, Lynne E

2008-01-01

There are only a small number of studies on the health effects of involuntary unemployment (e.g., downsizing), and results are contradictory. The authors studied the mortality through 2002 of 13,370 Pan American World Airways employees who were born before 1940 and whose records were available after the company's bankruptcy in 1991. The cohort was divided into those who left work voluntarily (55%), involuntarily (39%), and because of illness (6%). The mean year of first employment was 1963, the mean year of last employment was 1987, and the mean age at leaving the company was 55 years. Of those who left involuntarily, 56% left at the time of bankruptcy in December 1991 or later. Twenty-two percent of the cohort died during follow-up, which began at the time of leaving the company. Standardized mortality ratios relative to the US population for all causes for those who left voluntarily, involuntarily, and because of illness were 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69, 0.76), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.74), and 2.40 (95% CI: 2.22, 2.60), respectively. Ischemic heart disease mortality showed a similar pattern. Internal analyses comparing involuntary to voluntary leavers after adjusting for age, race, sex, calendar time, and education yielded all-cause and ischemic heart disease rate ratios of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.07) and 1.11 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.35), respectively. Subanalyses of those who left involuntarily at age >/=60 years, or those who left involuntarily at the time of bankruptcy, did not indicate any excess mortality (all-cause standardized mortality ratios = 0.69 and 0.64, respectively). These data do not indicate that mortality among those who left involuntarily was higher than for those who left voluntarily. Both groups showed a strong healthy worker effect.

Association between job stress and depression among Japanese employees threatened by job loss in a comparison between two complementary job-stress models.

PubMed

Tsutsumi, A; Kayaba, K; Theorell, T; Siegrist, J

2001-04-01

This study compared the separate effects produced by two complementary stress models--the job demand-control model and the effort-reward imbalance model--on depression among employees threatened by job loss. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to examine these associations among 190 male and female employees who responded to a self-administered questionnaire in a small Japanese plant with economic hardship. The employees were engaged in 2 job types--direct assembly line and indirect supportive tasks--and the latter was threatened by job loss because of downsizing. Independent variables were measured by the Japanese versions of Karasek's demand-control questionnaire and Siegrist's effort-reward imbalance questionnaire. Depression was assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The employees with indirect supportive tasks (target for downsizing) were more likely to have depressive symptoms than direct assembly-line workers. Job strain, a combination of high demand and low control at work, was more frequent among the latter, while the combination of high effort and low reward was more frequent among the former. After adjustment for work environment factors, low control [odds ratio (OR) 4.7], effort reward imbalance (OR 4.1), and overcommitment (the person characteristic included in the effort-reward imbalance model) (OR 2.6) were independently related to depression. There is some indication that these effects were particularly strong in the subgroup suffering from potential job loss. This study confirms that the 2 job stress models identify different aspects of stressful job conditions. Moreover, effort-reward imbalance and low control at work are both associated with symptoms of depression.

Application of Karasek's demand/control model a Canadian occupational setting including shift workers during a period of reorganization and downsizing.

PubMed

Schechter, J; Green, L W; Olsen, L; Kruse, K; Cargo, M

1997-01-01

To apply Karasek's Job Content Model to an analysis of the relationships between job type and perceived stress and stress behaviors in a large company during a period of reorganization and downsizing. Cross-sectional mail-out, mail-back survey. A large Canadian telephone/telecommunications company. Stratified random sample (stratified by job category) of 2200 out of 13,000 employees with a response rate of 48.8%. Responses to 25 of Karasek's core questions were utilized to define four job types: low-demand and high control = "relaxed"; high demand and high control = "active"; low demand and low control = "passive", and high demand and low control = "high strain." These job types were compared against self-reported stress levels, perceived general level of health, absenteeism, alcohol use, exercise level, and use of medications and drugs. Similar analyses were performed to assess the influence of shift work. Employees with "passive" or "high strain" job types reported higher levels of stress (trend test p < .0001); poorer health (trend test P = .006); and higher levels of absenteeism (trend test p < .0001). More shift workers reported themselves in poor or fair health (chi-square p = .018) and reported high levels of stress at home (chi-square p = .002) than nonshift workers. The relationships between job type and levels of stress, health and absenteeism, however, held for nonshift workers as well. Job types with high demand and low control were associated with increased stress, increased absenteeism, and poorer self-concept of health. The demand/control model of Karasek and Theorell was validated in this setting with respect to stress and some stress-associated attitudes and behaviors.

Lysis Delay and Burst Shrinkage of Coliphage T7 by Deletion of Terminator Tφ Reversed by Deletion of Early Genes

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huong Minh

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacteriophage T7 terminator Tφ is a class I intrinsic terminator coding for an RNA hairpin structure immediately followed by oligo(U), which has been extensively studied in terms of its transcription termination mechanism, but little is known about its physiological or regulatory functions. In this study, using a T7 mutant phage, where a 31-bp segment of Tφ was deleted from the genome, we discovered that deletion of Tφ from T7 reduces the phage burst size but delays lysis timing, both of which are disadvantageous for the phage. The burst downsizing could directly result from Tφ deletion-caused upregulation of gene 17.5, coding for holin, among other Tφ downstream genes, because infection of gp17.5-overproducing Escherichia coli by wild-type T7 phage showed similar burst downsizing. However, the lysis delay was not associated with cellular levels of holin or lysozyme or with rates of phage adsorption. Instead, when allowed to evolve spontaneously in five independent adaptation experiments, the Tφ-lacking mutant phage, after 27 or 29 passages, recovered both burst size and lysis time reproducibly by deleting early genes 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 of class I, among other mutations. Deletion of genes 0.5 to 0.7 from the Tφ-lacking mutant phage decreased expression of several Tφ downstream genes to levels similar to that of the wild-type phage. Accordingly, phage T7 lysis timing is associated with cellular levels of Tφ downstream gene products. This suggests the involvement of unknown factor(s) besides the known lysis proteins, lysozyme and holin, and that Tφ plays a role of optimizing burst size and lysis time during T7 infection. IMPORTANCE E. coli PMID:24335287

Dissolution and dissolution/permeation experiments for predicting systemic exposure following oral administration of the BCS class II drug clarithromycin.

PubMed

Kristin, Forner; René, Holm; Boontida, Morakul; Buraphacheep, Junyaprasert Varaporn; Maximilian, Ackermann; Johanna, Mazur; Peter, Langguth

2017-04-01

In order to save time and resources in early drug development, in vitro methods that correctly predict the formulation effect on oral drug absorption are necessary. The aim of this study was to 1) evaluate various BCS class II drug formulations with in vitro methods and in vivo in order to 2) determine which in vitro method best correlates with the in vivo results. Clarithromycin served as model compound in formulations with different particle sizes and content of excipients. The performed in vitro experiments were dissolution and dissolution/permeation experiments across two types of membrane, Caco-2 cells and excised rat intestinal sheets. The in vivo study was performed in rats. The oral absorption was enhanced by downsizing drug particles and by increasing the excipient concentration. This correlated strongly with the flux across Caco-2 cells but not with the other in vitro experiments. The insufficient correlation with the dissolution experiments can be partly explained by excipient caused problems during the filtration step. The very poor correlation of the in vivo data with the flux across excised rat intestinal sheets might be due to an artificially enlarged mucus layer ex vivo. In conclusion, downsizing BCS class II drug particles and the addition of surfactants enhanced the in vivo absorption, which was best depicted by dissolution/permeation experiments across Caco-2 cells. This setup is proposed as best model to predict the in vivo formulation effect. Also, this is the first study to evaluate the impact of the nature of the permeation membrane in dissolution/permeation experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The history and future of nursing labor research in a cost-control environment.

PubMed

Brewer, C S

1998-04-01

For the first time in nursing's history, the downsizing of hospitals, the increased use of managed care, reduced use of registered nurses and other factors may result in significant unemployment in nursing, with resulting downward adjustments in the wage. Understanding the labor supply response of nurses to changes in the wage is critical to predicting accurately how nurses will respond to changes in the market demand as it influences wages, and determining rational policy responses to the labor market. In this article, three generations of nursing labor research are summarized and critiqued. Methodological issues are discussed and specific directions for future studies are suggested.

Developing a Strategic Plan for Transitioning to Healthcare Knowledge Services Centers (HKSCs)

PubMed Central

Goldstein, H. Mark; Coletti, Margaret H.

2012-01-01

Facing a negative trend in the form of downsizing, layoffs, and closures, a small committee of hospital librarians in New England was formed in 2004 to provide library advocacy. Between 2008 and 2010, 23 hospital libraries closed in New England. In 2010, the committee shifted its focus from advocacy to a platform for change. This resulted in the creation of the Healthcare Knowledge Services Center (HKSC) Template. The Template is the basis for a 3-phased, 5-year strategic plan to establish several regional pilots, transitioning traditional hospital libraries to healthcare knowledge services centers. This article focuses on Phase One of the strategic plan, Development. PMID:23125551

Quality of nurses' work life: strategies for enhancement.

PubMed

Davis, B; Thorburn, B

1999-01-01

The radical transformation resulting from health care reform, with its emphasis on restructuring, reorganizing and downsizing, has impacted on the nursing profession and has profoundly effected the quality of nurses' work life. The Health Care Corporation of St. John's experienced the stress associated with change when it simultaneously merged eight health care sites and introduced a programmed-based management structure. This article reviews the strategies developed in response to this transition by the Nurses' Quality of Worklife Team, to help reduce stress and enhance the quality of nurses' work life. In particular, it highlights the development and implementation of a professional support network called the Nursing Peer Support Program.

The chief information officer--capturing healthcare's rare bird.

PubMed

Krinsky, M L

1986-08-01

While we occasionally conducted MIS executive searches during the 1970s, the recent pace has quickened substantially. Healthcare corporations need the MIS executive or CIO to keep the organization technologically and managerially current. Downsizing of acute-care facilities, expansion of outpatient services and creation of new programs have put a premium on current, computer-generated data. Skilled managers must rely on an efficient, flexible data processing department to evaluate options and make decisions about corporate strategy and program development. A presentable, articulate, personable MIS executive is a key ingredient in a successful management team. The position will continue to grow in importance and prominence in the fast-changing healthcare delivery industry.

Women's Support, Women's Work: Child Care in an Era of Deficit Reduction, Devolution, Downsizing and Deregulation = Le soutien aux femmes, le travail des femmes et la garde d'enfants a l'ere de la reduction du deficit, du transfert des responsabilites, de la reduction de la taille de l'Etat et de la dereglementation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doherty, Gillian; Friendly, Martha; Oloman, Mab

Among the multiplicity of objectives that high quality child care can meet is the pivotal goal of promoting equality for women. Child care has consequences for women both as mothers and as providers of care for other people's children. Thus, women have a powerful stake in child care policy. Canada has no national child care policy, and its child…

The Design and Product of National 1:1000000 Cartographic Data of Topographic Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guizhi

2016-06-01

National administration of surveying, mapping and geoinformation started to launch the project of national fundamental geographic information database dynamic update in 2012. Among them, the 1:50000 database was updated once a year, furthermore the 1:250000 database was downsized and linkage-updated on the basis. In 2014, using the latest achievements of 1:250000 database, comprehensively update the 1:1000000 digital line graph database. At the same time, generate cartographic data of topographic map and digital elevation model data. This article mainly introduce national 1:1000000 cartographic data of topographic map, include feature content, database structure, Database-driven Mapping technology, workflow and so on.

Downsizing of acute inpatient beds associated with private finance initiative: Scotland's case study

PubMed Central

Dunnigan, Matthew G; Pollock, Allyson M

2003-01-01

Objectives To evaluate whether the projected 24% reduction in acute bed numbers in Lothian hospitals, which formed part of the private finance initiative (PFI) plans for the replacement Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, is being compensated for by improvements in efficiency and greater use of community facilities, and to ascertain whether there is an independent PFI effect by comparing clinical activity and performance in acute specialties in Lothian hospitals with other NHS hospitals in Scotland. Design Comparison of projected and actual trends in acute bed capacity and inpatient and day case admissions in the first five years (1995-6 to 2000-1) of Lothian Health Board's integrated healthcare plan. Population study of trends in bed rate, hospital activity, length of stay, and throughput in Lothian hospitals compared with the rest of Scotland from 1990-1 to 2000-1. Main outcome measures Staffed bed rates, admission rates, mean lengths of stay, occupancy, and throughput in four adult acute specialty groups in 1990-1, 1995-6, and 2000-1. Results By 2000-1, rates for inpatient admission in all acute, medical, surgical, and intensive therapy specialties in Lothian hospitals were respectively 20%, 6%, 28%, and 38% below those in the rest of Scotland. Day case rates in all acute and acute surgical specialties were 13% and 33% lower. The proportion of delayed discharges in staffed acute and post-acute NHS beds in Lothian hospitals exceeded the Scottish average (15% and 12% respectively; P<0.001). Conclusion The planning targets and increase in clinical activity in acute specialties in Lothian hospitals associated with PFI had not been achieved by 2000-1. The effect on clinical activity has been a steeper decline in the number of acute beds and rates of admission in Lothian hospitals compared with the rest of Scotland between 1995-6 and 2000-1. What is already known on this topicThe full business cases for the 15 first wave private finance initiative (PFI) hospitals in England and Scotland projected reductions in acute beds of about 30% in the five years before the opening of the new replacement hospitalsThe new PFI Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which will fully open in 2003, is the cornerstone of Lothian Health Board's healthcare plan for its acute hospitalsWhat this study addsCompared with other Scottish NHS hospitals, service delivery has been reduced across Lothian associated with PFI developmentThe planning targets and increase in clinical activity in acute specialties in Lothian hospitals had not been achieved by 2000-1There is evidence of an independent “PFI effect” on hospital downsizing and bed reductions, which in Lothian has resulted in severe capacity constraints across all acute specialties with a need for immediate expansion in acute and community provisionFurther hospital and community service downsizing may be required to meet the financial deficit, which is principally due to the high costs of PFI PMID:12714469

Design definition of the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), phase 2. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The LAWS phase 1 and phase 2 studies have been completed on schedule and have led to significant advances in CO2 laser development. The Phase 2 Design Definition Study has shown that a large scanning mirror/high pulse energy laser LAWS Instrument is feasible and within the existing technology. The capability to monitor wind velocities with backscatter ratios of 10(exp 11) m(exp -1) SR(exp -1) is feasible. The weight budget allocated for the baseline LAWS is adequate, and sufficient reserves exist with the potential downsized configuration. With the possible decrease in available power from the baseline of 2.2 kW guideline, power and shot management is critical for the baseline configuration (15 to 20 J). This is particularly true during the 100 day occultation period each year. With the downsized configurations (5 to 7 J), power management is still necessary during the occultation but is primarily limited to shot management over the polar regions. The breadboard effort has produced significant laser advances for a tight 18 month schedule and the minimum budgets available from NASA, Lockheed, and TDS. Using the NASA funds and Lockheed and TDS fixed assets budgets, the breadboard was designed, fabricated, and brought on-line with first laser light within 16 months after ATP. First laser beam was obtained on 21 April 1992 at a 5 J power level. Tests since then have been conducted at sustained, repetitive pulse levels of over 7 J and 20 Hz. This is an increase of over two or three times greater than any system previously developed from this type laser. Increased power levels and additional life tests will be accomplished in the next LAWS phase. The Lockheed LAWS design will operate in the gravity gradient mode on-orbit, and all possible instrument vibration and jitter modes have been considered. Adequate pointing stability and control is state-of-the-art technology for the critical time periods, frequency rates, and control responses required by LAWS. Lockheed recommends a 6-1/2 year phase C/D program for LAWS to provide adequate feedback from the engineering unit and the qualification unit to the final flight unit. Assuming a one year period for LAWS integration to the spacecraft, followed by a six-month period for launch vehicle integration, LAWS could be successfully developed and launched in eight years. Our baseline design or downsized design can be accommodated by either the Atlas 2AS or the Delta launch vehicles. Lockheed's recommendation is that, based on the successful phase 2 design study and breadboard program, a follow-on 18 month extended breadboard testing program and additional system engineering studies, primarily in interfacing with a to be defined platform, be initiated. This should be immediately followed by the phase C/D program, leading to a LAWS launch in late 2001 or early 2002.

Application of grounded theory to content definition: a case study.

PubMed

Audiss, D; Roth, T

1999-02-01

Successful implementation of a clinical information system requires clinician involvement throughout the process of content definition and system development to ensure acceptance of the automated care process. In these times of downsizing, however, clinicians are not always able to participate fully in the dontent definition phase of system development and often become frustrated with their inability to obtain the patient information they need from the system. The qualitative research principles of grounded theory afford clinicians the opportunity to participate in content definition for information systems. This article presents a case study of the application of grounded theory to develop systematically the content definition for a clinical information system in preparation for implementation on four medical-surgical units.

Surgical center: challenges and strategies for nurses in managerial activities.

PubMed

Martins, Fabiana Zerbieri; Dall'Agnoll, Clarice Maria

2017-02-23

Analyze the challenges and strategies of nurses performing managerial activities in a surgical center. Exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach, involving six nurses by means of the Focus Group Technique, between April and August 2013. Data were submitted to thematic content analysis. The main challenges noted were deficiency of material resources, communication noise, adequacy of personnel downsizing, and relationships with the multidisciplinary team. Key strategies include construction of co-management spaces to promote integration among professionals, conflict resolution and exchange of knowledge. Managerial activities involve the promotion of dialogic moments to coordinate the different processes in the surgical center to provide inputs to expand safety and quality of services provided.

Coblator Arytenoidectomy in the Treatment of Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis

PubMed Central

Googe, Benjamin; Nida, Andrew; Schweinfurth, John

2015-01-01

A 77-year-old female with bilateral vocal cord paralysis and dependent tracheostomy status after total thyroidectomy presented to clinic for evaluation of decannulation via arytenoidectomy. Preliminary data suggests coblation versus standard CO2 laser ablation in arytenoidectomy may provide benefits in terms of decreased tissue necrosis and patient outcome. The patient elected to proceed with arytenoidectomy by coblation. The initial procedure went well but postoperative bleeding required a return trip to the operating room for hemostasis. In the coming months the patient's tracheostomy tube was gradually downsized and eventually capped. She was decannulated eight months after surgery, speaking well and without complaints. Details of the surgical procedure and outcome will be discussed. PMID:26457217

Fundamental understanding and rational design of high energy structural microbatteries

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

Wang, Yuxing; Li, Qiuyan; Cartmell, Samuel

Microbatteries play a critical role in determining the lifetime of downsized sensors, wearable devices and medical applications, etc. More often, structural batteries are required from the perspective of aesthetics and space utilization, which is however rarely explored. Herein, we discuss the fundamental issues associated with the rational design of practically usable high energy microbatteries. The tubular shape of the cell further allows the flexible integration of microelectronics. A functioning acoustic micro-transmitter continuously powered by this tubular battery has been successfully demonstrated. Multiple design features adopted to accommodate large mechanical stress during the rolling process are discussed providing new insights inmore » designing the structural microbatteries for emerging technologies.« less

Totally Integrated Munitions Enterprise ''Affordable Munitions Production for the 21st Century''

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

Burleson, R.R.; Poggio, M.E.; Rosenberg, S.J.

2000-09-13

The U.S. Army faces several munitions manufacturing issues: downsizing of the organic production base, timely fielding of affordable smart munitions, and munitions replenishment during national emergencies. Totally Integrated Munitions Enterprise (TIME) is addressing these complex issues via the development and demonstration of an integrated enterprise. The enterprise will include the tools, network, and open modular architecture controllers to enable accelerated acquisition, shortened concept to volume production, lower life cycle costs, capture of critical manufacturing processes, and communication of process parameters between remote sites to rapidly spin-off production for replenishment by commercial sources. TIME addresses the enterprise as a system, integratingmore » design, engineering, manufacturing, administration, and logistics.« less

Totally Integrated Munitions Enterprise ''Affordable Munitions Production for the 21st Century''

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

Burleson, R.R.; Poggio, M.E.; Rosenberg, S.J.

2000-07-14

The U.S. Army faces several munitions manufacturing issues: downsizing of the organic production base, timely fielding of affordable smart munitions, and munitions replenishment during national emergencies. TIME is addressing these complex issues via the development and demonstration of an integrated enterprise. The enterprise will include the tools, network, and open modular architecture controller to enable accelerated acquisition, shortened concept to volume production, lower life cycle costs, capture of critical manufacturing processes, and communication of process parameters between remote sites to rapidly spin-off production for replenishment by commercial sources. TIME addresses the enterprise as a system, integrating design, engineering, manufacturing, administration,more » and logistics.« less

Totally Integrated Munitions Enterprise ''Affordable Munitions Production for the 21st Century''

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

Burleson, R.R.; Poggio, M.E.; Rosenberg, S.J.

2000-08-18

The U.S. Army faces several munitions manufacturing issues: downsizing of the organic production base, timely fielding of affordable smart munitions, and munitions replenishment during national emergencies. Totally Integrated Munitions Enterprise (TIME) is addressing these complex issues via the development and demonstration of an integrated enterprise. The enterprise will include the tools, network, and open modular architecture controllers to enable accelerated acquisition, shortened concept to volume production, lower life cycle costs, capture of critical manufacturing processes, and communication of process parameters between remote sites to rapidly spin-off production for replenishment by commercial sources. TIME addresses the enterprise as a system, integratingmore » design, engineering, manufacturing, administration, and logistics.« less

Deregulation allows new opportunities for utilities

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

Hansen, T.

1996-10-01

The changes electric utilities face today are both scary and exciting. In the past several years utilities have faced uncertainties that have caused major upheaval in their structures and business processes. There has been an increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions as utilities position themselves for competition. many utility employees have faced layoffs, resulting form reengineering and downsizing. Similar events and uncertainties were faced by the airline and telecommunications industries during their transformations form monopolistic to competitive environments. Even though these events have been difficult and unpleasant, there is a bright side. Today`s electric utilities have the opportunitiesmore » to cash in on some innovative new ideas and technologies.« less

Cell size, genome size and the dominance of Angiosperms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonin, K. A.; Roddy, A. B.

2016-12-01

Angiosperms are capable of maintaining the highest rates of photosynthetic gas exchange of all land plants. High rates of photosynthesis depends mechanistically both on efficiently transporting water to the sites of evaporation in the leaf and on regulating the loss of that water to the atmosphere as CO2 diffuses into the leaf. Angiosperm leaves are unique in their ability to sustain high fluxes of liquid and vapor phase water transport due to high vein densities and numerous, small stomata. Despite the ubiquity of studies characterizing the anatomical and physiological adaptations that enable angiosperms to maintain high rates of photosynthesis, the underlying mechanism explaining why they have been able to develop such high leaf vein densities, and such small and abundant stomata, is still incomplete. Here we ask whether the scaling of genome size and cell size places a fundamental constraint on the photosynthetic metabolism of land plants, and whether genome downsizing among the angiosperms directly contributed to their greater potential and realized primary productivity relative to the other major groups of terrestrial plants. Using previously published data we show that a single relationship can predict guard cell size from genome size across the major groups of terrestrial land plants (e.g. angiosperms, conifers, cycads and ferns). Similarly, a strong positive correlation exists between genome size and both stomatal density and vein density that together ultimately constrains maximum potential (gs, max) and operational stomatal conductance (gs, op). Further the difference in the slopes describing the covariation between genome size and both gs, max and gs, op suggests that genome downsizing brings gs, op closer to gs, max. Taken together the data presented here suggests that the smaller genomes of angiosperms allow their final cell sizes to vary more widely and respond more directly to environmental conditions and in doing so bring operational photosynthetic metabolism closer to maximum potential photosynthesis.EndFragment

Short- and long-term performance of a tripolar down-sized single lead for implantable cardioverter defibrillator treatment: a randomized prospective European multicenter study. European Endotak DSP Investigator Group.

PubMed

Sandstedt, B; Kennergren, C; Schaumann, A; Herse, B; Neuzner, J

1998-11-01

A new, thinner (10 Fr) and more flexible, single-pass transvenous endocardial ICD lead, Endotak DSP, was compared with a conventional lead, Endotak C, as a control in a prospective randomized multicenter study in combination with a nonactive can ICD. A total of 123 patients were enrolled, 55 of whom received a down-sized DSP lead. Lead-alone configuration was successfully implanted in 95% of the DSP patients vs 88% in the control group. The mean defibrillation threshold (DFT) was determined by means of a step-down protocol, and was identical in the two groups, 10.5 +/- 4.8 J in the DSP group versus 10.5 +/- 4.8 J in the control group. At implantation, the DSP mean pacing threshold was lower, 0.51 +/- 0.18 V versus 0.62 +/- 0.35 V (p < 0.05) in the control group, and the mean pacing impedance higher, 594 +/- 110 omega vs 523 +/- 135 omega (p < 0.05). During the follow-up period, the statistically significant difference in thresholds disappeared, while the difference in impedance remained. Tachyarrhythmia treatment by shock or antitachycardia pacing (ATP) was delivered in 53% and 41%, respectively, of the patients with a 100% success rate. In the DSP group, all 28 episodes of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation were converted by the first shock as compared to 57 of 69 episodes (83%) in the control group (p < 0.05). Monomorphic ventricular tachycardias were terminated by ATP alone in 96% versus 94%. Lead related problems were minor and observed in 5% and 7%, respectively. In summary, both leads were safe and efficacious in the detection and treatment of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. There were no differences between the DSP and control groups regarding short- or long-term lead related complications.

New Trends in Forging Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behrens, B.-A.; Hagen, T.; Knigge, J.; Elgaly, I.; Hadifi, T.; Bouguecha, A.

2011-05-01

Limited natural resources increase the demand on highly efficient machinery and transportation means. New energy-saving mobility concepts call for design optimisation through downsizing of components and choice of corrosion resistant materials possessing high strength to density ratios. Component downsizing can be performed either by constructive structural optimisation or by substituting heavy materials with lighter high-strength ones. In this context, forging plays an important role in manufacturing load-optimised structural components. At the Institute of Metal Forming and Metal-Forming Machines (IFUM) various innovative forging technologies have been developed. With regard to structural optimisation, different strategies for localised reinforcement of components were investigated. Locally induced strain hardening by means of cold forging under a superimposed hydrostatic pressure could be realised. In addition, controlled martensitic zones could be created through forming induced phase conversion in metastable austenitic steels. Other research focused on the replacement of heavy steel parts with high-strength nonferrous alloys or hybrid material compounds. Several forging processes of magnesium, aluminium and titanium alloys for different aeronautical and automotive applications were developed. The whole process chain from material characterisation via simulation-based process design to the production of the parts has been considered. The feasibility of forging complex shaped geometries using these alloys was confirmed. In spite of the difficulties encountered due to machine noise and high temperature, acoustic emission (AE) technique has been successfully applied for online monitoring of forging defects. New AE analysis algorithm has been developed, so that different signal patterns due to various events such as product/die cracking or die wear could be detected and classified. Further, the feasibility of the mentioned forging technologies was proven by means of the finite element analysis (FEA). For example, the integrity of forging dies with respect to crack initiation due to thermo-mechanical fatigue as well as the ductile damage of forgings was investigated with the help of cumulative damage models. In this paper some of the mentioned approaches are described.

Experimental Investigation of Spark-Ignited Combustion with High-Octane Biofuels and EGR. 1. Engine Load Range and Downsize Downspeed Opportunity

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

Splitter, Derek A; Szybist, James P

2013-01-01

The present study experimentally investigates spark-ignited combustion with 87 AKI E0 gasoline in its neat form and in midlevel alcohol gasoline blends with 24% vol/vol isobutanol gasoline (IB24) and 30% vol/vol ethanol gasoline (E30). A single-cylinder research engine was used with an 11.85:1 compression ratio, hydraulically actuated valves, laboratory intake air, and was capable of external exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Experiments were conducted with all fuels to full-load conditions with = 1, using both 0% and 15% external cooled EGR. Higher octane number biofuel blends exhibited increased stoichiometric torque capability at this compression ratio, where the unique properties of ethanolmore » enabled a doubling of the stoichiometric torque capability with E30 as compared to 87 AKI, up to 20 bar IMEPg (indicated mean effective pressure gross) at = 1. EGR provided thermodynamic advantages and was a key enabler for increasing engine efficiency for all fuel types. However, with E30, EGR was less useful for knock mitigation than gasoline or IB24. Torque densities with E30 with 15% EGR at = 1 operation were similar or better than a modern EURO IV calibration turbo-diesel engine. The results of the present study suggest that it could be possible to implement a 40% downsize + downspeed configuration (1.2 L engine) into a representative midsize sedan. For example, for a midsize sedan at a 65 miles/h cruise, an estimated fuel consumption of 43.9 miles per gallon (MPG) (engine out 102 g-CO2/km) could be achieved with similar reserve power to a 2.0 L engine with 87AKI (38.6 MPG, engine out 135 g-CO2/km). Data suggest that, with midlevel alcohol gasoline blends, engine and vehicle optimization can offset the reduced fuel energy content of alcohol gasoline blends and likely reduce vehicle fuel consumption and tailpipe CO2 emissions.« less

Controlling hospital library theft

PubMed Central

Cuddy, Theresa M.; Marchok, Catherine

2003-01-01

At Capital Health System/Fuld Campus (formerly Helene Fuld Medical Center), the Health Sciences Library lost many books and videocassettes. These materials were listed in the catalog but were missing when staff went to the shelves. The hospital had experienced a downsizing of staff, a reorganization, and a merger. When the library staff did an inventory, $10,000 worth of materials were found to be missing. We corrected the situation through a series of steps that we believe will help other libraries control their theft. Through regularly scheduling inventories, monitoring items, advertising, and using specific security measures, we have successfully controlled the library theft. The January 2002 inventory resulted in meeting our goal of zero missing books and videocassettes. We work to maintain that goal. PMID:12883573

Building America Case Study: Assessment of a Hybrid Retrofit Gas Water Heater

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

M. Hoeschele, E. Weitzel, C. Backman

This project completed a modeling evaluation of a hybrid gas water heater that combines a reduced capacity tankless unit with a downsized storage tank. This product would meet a significant market need by providing a higher efficiency gas water heater solution for retrofit applications while maintaining compatibility with the half-inch gas lines and standard B vents found in most homes. The TRNSYS simulation tool was used to model a base case 0.60 EF atmospheric gas storage water, a 0.82 EF non-condensing gas tankless water heater, an existing (high capacity) hybrid unit on the market, and an alternative hybrid unit withmore » lower storage volume and reduced gas input requirements.« less

Fundamental understanding and rational design of high energy structural microbatteries

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yuxing; Li, Qiuyan; Cartmell, Samuel; ...

2017-11-21

We present that microbatteries play a critical role in determining the lifetime of downsized sensors, wearable devices, medical applications, and animal acoustic telemetry transmitters among others. More often, structural batteries are required from the perspective of aesthetics and space utilization, which is however rarely explored. Herein, we discuss the fundamental issues associated with the rational design of practically usable high energy microbatteries. The tubular shape of the cell further allows the flexible integration of microelectronics. A functioning acoustic micro-transmitter continuously powered by this tubular battery has been successfully demonstrated. Finally, multiple design features adopted to accommodate large mechanical stress duringmore » the rolling process are discussed providing new insights in designing the structural microbatteries for emerging technologies.« less

Psychosocial job stress and immunity: a systematic review.

PubMed

Nakata, Akinori

2012-01-01

The purpose of this review was to provide current knowledge about the possible association between psychosocial job stress and immune parameters in blood, saliva, and urine. Using bibliographic databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Medline) and the snowball method, 56 studies were found. In general, exposure to psychosocial job stress (high job demands, low job control, high job strain, job dissatisfaction, high effort-reward imbalance, overcommitment, burnout, unemployment, organizational downsizing, economic recession) had a measurable impact on immune parameters (reduced NK cell activity, NK and T cell subsets, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and increased inflammatory markers). The evidence supports that psychosocial job stresses are related to disrupted immune responses but further research is needed to demonstrate cause-effect relationships.

Fundamental understanding and rational design of high energy structural microbatteries

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

Wang, Yuxing; Li, Qiuyan; Cartmell, Samuel

We present that microbatteries play a critical role in determining the lifetime of downsized sensors, wearable devices, medical applications, and animal acoustic telemetry transmitters among others. More often, structural batteries are required from the perspective of aesthetics and space utilization, which is however rarely explored. Herein, we discuss the fundamental issues associated with the rational design of practically usable high energy microbatteries. The tubular shape of the cell further allows the flexible integration of microelectronics. A functioning acoustic micro-transmitter continuously powered by this tubular battery has been successfully demonstrated. Finally, multiple design features adopted to accommodate large mechanical stress duringmore » the rolling process are discussed providing new insights in designing the structural microbatteries for emerging technologies.« less

Fabrication and Structural Characterization of an Ultrathin Film of a Two-Dimensional-Layered Metal-Organic Framework, {Fe(py)2[Ni(CN)4]} (py = pyridine).

PubMed

Sakaida, Shun; Haraguchi, Tomoyuki; Otsubo, Kazuya; Sakata, Osami; Fujiwara, Akihiko; Kitagawa, Hiroshi

2017-07-17

We report the fabrication and characterization of the first example of a tetracyanonickelate-based two-dimensional-layered metal-organic framework, {Fe(py) 2 Ni(CN) 4 } (py = pyridine), thin film. To fabricate a nanometer-sized thin film, we utilized the layer-by-layer method, whereby a substrate was alternately soaked in solutions of the structural components. Surface X-ray studies revealed that the fabricated film was crystalline with well-controlled growth directions both parallel and perpendicular to the substrate. In addition, lattice parameter analysis indicated that the crystal system is found to be close to higher symmetry by being downsized to a thin film.

Controlling hospital library theft.

PubMed

Cuddy, Theresa M; Marchok, Catherine

2003-04-01

At Capital Health System/Fuld Campus (formerly Helene Fuld Medical Center), the Health Sciences Library lost many books and videocassettes. These materials were listed in the catalog but were missing when staff went to the shelves. The hospital had experienced a downsizing of staff, a reorganization, and a merger. When the library staff did an inventory, $10,000 worth of materials were found to be missing. We corrected the situation through a series of steps that we believe will help other libraries control their theft. Through regularly scheduling inventories, monitoring items, advertising, and using specific security measures, we have successfully controlled the library theft. The January 2002 inventory resulted in meeting our goal of zero missing books and videocassettes. We work to maintain that goal.

Instituting organizational learning for quality improvement through strategic planning nominal group processes.

PubMed

White, D B

2000-01-01

Healthcare managers are faced with unprecedented challenges as characterized by managed care constraints, downsizing, increased client needs, and a society demanding more responsive services. Managers must initiate change for quality, efficiency, and survival. This article provides information and strategies for (a) assessing the change readiness of an organization, (b) conducting an organizational diagnosis, (c) instituting a team culture, (d) developing a change strategy, (e) integrating the strategy with a quality improvement process, and (f) identifying the leadership skills to implement organization renewal. Nominal group processes, namely, SWOT and the Search Conference, are described, and case examples are provided. The implementation strategies have been used successfully in a variety of milieus; practical advice for success is described in detail.

The Cold War is Over. What Now?

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Hecker, S. S.

1995-04-01

As you might imagine, the end of the Cold War has elicited an intense reexamination of the roles and missions of institutions such as the Los Alamos National Laboratory. During the past few years, the entire defense establishment has undergone substantial consolidation, with a concomitant decrease in support for research and development, including in areas such as materials. The defense industry is down-sizing at a rapid pace. Even universities have experienced significant funding cutbacks from the defense community. I view this as a profound time in history, bringing changes encompassing much more than just the defense world. In fact, support for science and technology is being reexamined across the board more completely than at any other time since the end of World War II.

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

Maienschein, J.L.; Garcia, F.; Garza, R.G.

Tritium-handling apparatus has been decontaminated as part of the downsizing of the LLNL Tritium Facility. Two stainless-steel glove boxes that had been used to process lithium deuteride-tritide (LiDT) slat were decontaminated using the Portable Cleanup System so that they could be flushed with room air through the facility ventilation system. In this paper the details on the decontamination operation are provided. A series of metal (palladium and vanadium) hydride storage beds have been drained of tritium and flushed with deuterium, in order to remove as much tritium as possible. The bed draining and flushing procedure is described, and a calculationalmore » method is presented which allows estimation of the tritium remaining in a bed after it has been drained and flushed. Data on specific bed draining and flushing are given.« less

High Reliability and the Evaluation of ATC System Configuration by Communizing Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Masanori

Automatic Train Control (ATC) in the railway signalling system is required high safety, high availability, reduction of unit, energy saving and cost reduction. This paper described the resources communization redundancy of the ATC system that shared the redundant units in preparation for common use units in order to accommodate with this issue by keeping safety and availability in the same level of conventional ATC. It was evaluated on N+2 redundant system which established 2 spares for the common use system N piece in transmission division. It was done the safety evaluation of the N+2 redundant system by way of hazard analysis of FTA method and safety issue was confirmed by FMEA. The new redundant system concludes that 19% of downsizing and 36% of the energy saving are surely possible.

Lumped element filters for electronic warfare systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, D.; Ragland, R.

1986-02-01

Increasing demands which future generations of electronic warfare (EW) systems are to satisfy include a reduction in the size of the equipment. The present paper is concerned with lumped element filters which can make a significant contribution to the downsizing of advanced EW systems. Lumped element filter design makes it possible to obtain very small package sizes by utilizing classical low frequency inductive and capacitive components which are small compared to the size of a wavelength. Cost-effective, temperature-stable devices can be obtained on the basis of new design techniques. Attention is given to aspects of design flexibility, an interdigital filter equivalent circuit diagram, conditions for which the use of lumped element filters can be recommended, construction techniques, a design example, and questions regarding the application of lumped element filters to EW processing systems.

Intermetallic compounds in 3D integrated circuits technology: a brief review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annuar, Syahira; Mahmoodian, Reza; Hamdi, Mohd; Tu, King-Ning

2017-12-01

The high performance and downsizing technology of three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs) for mobile consumer electronic products have gained much attention in the microelectronics industry. This has been driven by the utilization of chip stacking by through-Si-via and solder microbumps. Pb-free solder microbumps are intended to replace conventional Pb-containing solder joints due to the rising awareness of environmental preservation. The use of low-volume solder microbumps has led to crucial constraints that cause several reliability issues, including excessive intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formation and solder microbump embrittlement due to IMCs growth. This article reviews technologies related to 3D-ICs, IMCs formation mechanisms and reliability issues concerning IMCs with Pb-free solder microbumps. Finally, future outlook on the potential growth of research in this area is discussed.

Intermetallic compounds in 3D integrated circuits technology: a brief review.

PubMed

Annuar, Syahira; Mahmoodian, Reza; Hamdi, Mohd; Tu, King-Ning

2017-01-01

The high performance and downsizing technology of three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs) for mobile consumer electronic products have gained much attention in the microelectronics industry. This has been driven by the utilization of chip stacking by through-Si-via and solder microbumps. Pb-free solder microbumps are intended to replace conventional Pb-containing solder joints due to the rising awareness of environmental preservation. The use of low-volume solder microbumps has led to crucial constraints that cause several reliability issues, including excessive intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formation and solder microbump embrittlement due to IMCs growth. This article reviews technologies related to 3D-ICs, IMCs formation mechanisms and reliability issues concerning IMCs with Pb-free solder microbumps. Finally, future outlook on the potential growth of research in this area is discussed.

Magellan aerobrake navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giorgini, Jon; Wong, S. Kuen; You, Tung-Han; Chadbourne, Pam; Lim, Lily

1995-01-01

The Magellan spacecraft has been aerobraked into a 197 x 541 km near-circular orbit around Venus from which it is conducting a high-resolution gravity mapping mission. This was the first interplanetary aerobrake maneuver and involved flying the spacecraft through the upper reaches of the Venusian atmosphere 730 times over a 70 day period. Round-trip light-time varied from 9.57 to 18.83 minutes during this period. Navigation for this dynamic phase of the Magellan mission was planned and executed in the face of budget-driven down-sizing with all spacecraft safe modes disabled and a flight-team one-third the size of comparable interplanetary missions. Successful execution of this manuever using spacecraft hardware not designed to operate in a planetary atmosphere, demonstrated a practical cost-saving technique for both large and small future interplanetary missions.

Overcrowding and diversion in the emergency department: the health care safety net unravels.

PubMed

Velianoff, George D

2002-03-01

Emergency department overcrowding and diversion of patients are serious problems that are symptomatic of larger health care system issues. Downsizing, government regulations, managed care, increased numbers of uninsured, and reimbursement decreases are issues that have created the overcrowding and diversion issues. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), poor operations and hospital processes, unavailable inpatient beds and closures, consolidations and workforce shortages are also contributors to the overcrowding and diversion issues. Options and solutions are proposed to alleviate the problem, however, greater collaboration, changed work environments, and reimbursement structures need to be developed and instituted. The safety net of the US health system is unraveling, and without intervention, the emergency department will not be able to provide services to the public at any level of quality and efficiency.

A place for the heart: A journey in the post-asylum landscape. Metaphors and materiality.

PubMed

Larsen, Inger Beate; Topor, Alain

2017-05-01

The downsizing of psychiatric hospitals has created a new institutional landscape in the local community to support people with severe mental problems in their daily living. This study explores meeting places in Norway from the users' perspectives. The users used four metaphors to describe these meeting places: "like a home", "like a family", "like a landing ground" and "like a trampoline". The users have decorated the interiors of the meeting places with hearts made from various materials, and these could be considered as symbols of the places. The metaphors used: the hearts and the rooms and interiors, reflect old ideas about calmness and dignity rather than new ideas based on New Public Management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flexible work schedules, older workers, and retirement.

PubMed

Siegenthaler, J K; Brenner, A M

2000-01-01

Older workers in the United States indicate that they would prefer flexible work arrangements rather than abrupt retirement, yet management has done very little to make this possible. A review of two bodies of literature from the late 1980s is presented: social science writings including sociological, gerontological, and economic literature, and business and management literature. There is a clash between the way jobs are traditionally scheduled and the needs of growing numbers of older workers. Workers continue to be subject to obstacles to phased retirement due to the structuring of health care and pension benefits, downsizing, organizational inflexibility, and "corporate culture." Thus, general views among social scientists regarding the desirability of flexible schedules toward retirement will not produce real changes unless management becomes committed to such changes and they are securely embedded in company policies.

Staff exchange with Chemical Waste Management. Final project report

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

Harrer, B.J.; Barak, D.W.

1993-12-01

Original objective was transfer of PNL technology and expertise in computational chemistry and waste flow/treatment modeling to CWM. Identification and characterization of a broader portfolio of PNL`s environmental remediation technologies with high potential for rapid application became the focus of the exchange, which included E-mail exchanges. Of the 14 technologies discussed, the following were identified as being of high interest to CWM: six phase soil heating (in-situ heating), high energy electrical corona, RAAS/ReOpt{trademark} (remedial, expert system), TEES{trademark} (catalytic production of methane from biological wastes), PST (process for treating petroleum sludge). CWM`s reorganization and downsizing reduced the potential benefits to industry,more » but a proposal for transfer and application of PST to Wheelabrator was made.« less

Advanced Accelerators for Medical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uesaka, Mitsuru; Koyama, Kazuyoshi

We review advanced accelerators for medical applications with respect to the following key technologies: (i) higher RF electron linear accelerator (hereafter “linac”); (ii) optimization of alignment for the proton linac, cyclotron and synchrotron; (iii) superconducting magnet; (iv) laser technology. Advanced accelerators for medical applications are categorized into two groups. The first group consists of compact medical linacs with high RF, cyclotrons and synchrotrons downsized by optimization of alignment and superconducting magnets. The second group comprises laser-based acceleration systems aimed of medical applications in the future. Laser plasma electron/ion accelerating systems for cancer therapy and laser dielectric accelerating systems for radiation biology are mentioned. Since the second group has important potential for a compact system, the current status of the established energy and intensity and of the required stability are given.

Advanced Accelerators for Medical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uesaka, Mitsuru; Koyama, Kazuyoshi

We review advanced accelerators for medical applications with respect to the following key technologies: (i) higher RF electron linear accelerator (hereafter "linac"); (ii) optimization of alignment for the proton linac, cyclotron and synchrotron; (iii) superconducting magnet; (iv) laser technology. Advanced accelerators for medical applications are categorized into two groups. The first group consists of compact medical linacs with high RF, cyclotrons and synchrotrons downsized by optimization of alignment and superconducting magnets. The second group comprises laserbased acceleration systems aimed of medical applications in the future. Laser plasma electron/ion accelerating systems for cancer therapy and laser dielectric accelerating systems for radiation biology are mentioned. Since the second group has important potential for a compact system, the current status of the established energy and intensity and of the required stability are given.

A narrative review on the effect of economic downturns on the nursing labour market: implications for policy and planning

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Economic downturns and recession lead to budget cuts and service reductions in the healthcare sector which often precipitate layoffs and hiring freezes. Nurses, being the largest professional group in healthcare, are strongly affected by cost reductions. Economic downturns destabilize the nursing labour market with potential negative outcomes, including serious shortages, extending beyond the recessionary period. The objectives of this manuscript are to provide an overview of the potential short- and long-run impact of economic downturns on the supply and demand of nurses, and present healthcare decision makers with a framework to enhance their ability to strategically manage their human resources through economic cycles. A narrative review of the literature on the effects of economic downturns on the nursing labour market in developed countries was carried out with a special focus on studies offering a longitudinal examination of labour force trends. Analysis indicates that economic downturns limit the ability of public payers and institutions to finance their existing health workforce. As salaried healthcare workers, nurses are especially susceptible to institutional budget cuts. In the short run, economic downturns may temporarily reduce the demand for and increase the supply of nurses, thereby influencing nursing wages and turnover rates. These effects may destabilise the nursing labour market in the long run. After economic downturns, the market would quickly display the pre-recessionary trends and there may be serious demand–supply imbalances resulting in severe shortages. Potential long-term effects of recession on the nursing labour market may include a downsized active workforce, difficulty in retaining younger nurses, a decreased supply of nurses and workforce casualisation. Lack of understanding of labour market dynamics and trends might mislead policy makers into making misinformed workforce downsizing decisions that are often difficult and expensive to reverse. In the aftermath of an economic downturn, the costs of attracting nurses back often outweigh the short term cost savings. Effective management should support the nursing workforce by creating attractive and stable work environments to retain nurses at a manageable cost. PMID:22905739

Improved Battery State Estimation Using Novel Sensing Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul Samad, Nassim

Lithium-ion batteries have been considered a great complement or substitute for gasoline engines due to their high energy and power density capabilities among other advantages. However, these types of energy storage devices are still yet not widespread, mainly because of their relatively high cost and safety issues, especially at elevated temperatures. This thesis extends existing methods of estimating critical battery states using model-based techniques augmented by real-time measurements from novel temperature and force sensors. Typically, temperature sensors are located near the edge of the battery, and away from the hottest core cell regions, which leads to slower response times and increased errors in the prediction of core temperatures. New sensor technology allows for flexible sensor placement at the cell surface between cells in a pack. This raises questions about the optimal locations of these sensors for best observability and temperature estimation. Using a validated model, which is developed and verified using experiments in laboratory fixtures that replicate vehicle pack conditions, it is shown that optimal sensor placement can lead to better and faster temperature estimation. Another equally important state is the state of health or the capacity fading of the cell. This thesis introduces a novel method of using force measurements for capacity fade estimation. Monitoring capacity is important for defining the range of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Current capacity estimation techniques require a full discharge to monitor capacity. The proposed method can complement or replace current methods because it only requires a shallow discharge, which is especially useful in EVs and PHEVs. Using the accurate state estimation accomplished earlier, a method for downsizing a battery pack is shown to effectively reduce the number of cells in a pack without compromising safety. The influence on the battery performance (e.g. temperature, utilization, capacity fade, and cost) while downsizing and shifting the nominal operating SOC is demonstrated via simulations. The contributions in this thesis aim to make EVs, HEVs and PHEVs less costly while maintaining safety and reliability as more people are transitioning towards more environmentally friendly means of transportation.

Palliative first-line therapy with weekly high-dose 5-fluorouracil and sodium folinic acid as a 24-hour infusion (AIO regimen) combined with weekly irinotecan in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or esophagogastric junction followed by secondary metastatic resection after downsizing

PubMed Central

Koucky, Kathrin; Wein, Axel; Konturek, Peter C.; Albrecht, Heinz; Reulbach, Udo; Männlein, Gudrun; Wolff, Kerstin; Ostermeier, Nicola; Busse, Dagmar; Golcher, Henriette; Schildberg, Claus; Janka, Rolf; Hohenberger, Werner; Hahn, Eckhart G.; Siebler, Jürgen; Neurath, Markus F.; Boxberger, Frank

2011-01-01

Summary Background The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of weekly high-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/folinic acid (FA) as 24-h infusion (AIO regimen) plus irinotecan in patients with histologically proven metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (UICC stage IV). Material/Methods From 08/1999 to 12/2008, 76 registered, previously untreated patients were evaluable. Treatment regimen: irinotecan (80 mg/m2) as 1-h infusion followed by 5-FU (2000 mg/m2) combined with FA (500 mg/m2) as 24-h infusion (d1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 36, qd 57). Results Median age: 59 years; male/female: 74%/26%; ECOG ≤1: 83%; response: CR: 1%, PR: 16%, SD: 61%, PD: 17%, not evaluable in terms of response: 5%; tumor control: 78%; median OS: 11.2 months; median time-to-progression: 5.3 months; 1-year survival rate: 49%; 2-year survival rate: 17%; no evidence of disease: 6.6%; higher grade toxicities (grade 3/4): anemia: 7%, leucopenia: 1%, ascites: 3%, nausea: 3%, infections: 12%, vomiting: 9%, GI bleeding of the primary tumor: 4%, diarrhea: 17%, thromboembolic events: 4%; secondary metastatic resection after downsizing: 16 patients (21%), R-classification of secondary resections: R0/R1/R2: 81%/6%/13%, median survival of the 16 patients with secondary resection: 23.7 months. Conclusions Combined 5-FU/FA as 24-h infusion plus irinotecan may be considered as an active palliative first-line treatment accompanied by tolerable toxicity; thus offering an alternative to cisplatin-based treatment regimens. Thanks to efficient interdisciplinary teamwork, secondary metastatic resections could be performed in 16 patients. In total, the patients who had undergone secondary resection had a median survival of 23.7 months, whereas the median survival of patients without secondary resection was 10.1 months (p≤0.001). PMID:21525806

A narrative review on the effect of economic downturns on the nursing labour market: implications for policy and planning.

PubMed

Alameddine, Mohamad; Baumann, Andrea; Laporte, Audrey; Deber, Raisa

2012-08-20

Economic downturns and recession lead to budget cuts and service reductions in the healthcare sector which often precipitate layoffs and hiring freezes. Nurses, being the largest professional group in healthcare, are strongly affected by cost reductions. Economic downturns destabilize the nursing labour market with potential negative outcomes, including serious shortages, extending beyond the recessionary period. The objectives of this manuscript are to provide an overview of the potential short- and long-run impact of economic downturns on the supply and demand of nurses, and present healthcare decision makers with a framework to enhance their ability to strategically manage their human resources through economic cycles.A narrative review of the literature on the effects of economic downturns on the nursing labour market in developed countries was carried out with a special focus on studies offering a longitudinal examination of labour force trends. Analysis indicates that economic downturns limit the ability of public payers and institutions to finance their existing health workforce. As salaried healthcare workers, nurses are especially susceptible to institutional budget cuts. In the short run, economic downturns may temporarily reduce the demand for and increase the supply of nurses, thereby influencing nursing wages and turnover rates. These effects may destabilise the nursing labour market in the long run. After economic downturns, the market would quickly display the pre-recessionary trends and there may be serious demand-supply imbalances resulting in severe shortages. Potential long-term effects of recession on the nursing labour market may include a downsized active workforce, difficulty in retaining younger nurses, a decreased supply of nurses and workforce casualisation.Lack of understanding of labour market dynamics and trends might mislead policy makers into making misinformed workforce downsizing decisions that are often difficult and expensive to reverse. In the aftermath of an economic downturn, the costs of attracting nurses back often outweigh the short term cost savings. Effective management should support the nursing workforce by creating attractive and stable work environments to retain nurses at a manageable cost.

From expert data collectors to interventionists: changing the focus for infection control professionals.

PubMed

Murphy, Denise M

2002-04-01

The current economic and political environments challenge health care organizations in the United States to provide affordable, accessible, and comprehensive health services. However, changes in reimbursement to health care providers can affect their ability to offer access to cutting-edge services while reducing costs. Consequently, organizations are restructuring, re-engineering, right-sizing, downsizing, and redesigning, all in an effort to save money while also hoping to maintain a reputation for quality and customer service. Dr Vicky Fraser, in her keynote address at the APIC conference in 2000, reminded us that ICHE programs are cost centers rather than revenue generators, and are often targets for budget cuts. Although Haley's Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC), published in 1985, was a landmark event demonstrating the importance of our profession's mission, it is becoming dated. Infection control professionals (ICPs) must continue Haley's work, finding innovative ways to market or demonstrate the value of ICHE programs to health care executives. Closing the 1999 APIC conference with a symposium entitled "Breaking Out of the Box," Jackson and Massanari challenged ICPs to educate themselves about the changing health care environment, to be proactive, and constructively help organizations "re-engineer" more efficiently, rather than feel victimized and helplessly await being re-engineered out of existence. The threat of downsizing prompted ICPs at BJC HealthCare to realize that the time had come to change their own culture and attitudes and to focus on the business of infection control. This change required challenging the traditional roles of solo practitioner, data collector, and keeper of infection control data and knowledge. The goals now include leading intervention teams committed to reducing health care-associated infections, partnering rather than accepting sole responsibility for lowering infection rates, and learning to influence without authority. Staying focused on quality and cost-effectiveness and demonstrating improvements in clinical outcomes became a commitment. This article discusses BJC HealthCare's journey through change so that it may provide useful information and tools for ICPs in any setting looking for the necessary change strategies that might keep them in business.

The flexibilization of employment relationships in the health sector: the reality in a Federal University Hospital in Brazil.

PubMed

Alves, Sheila Maria Parreira; Coelho, Maria Carlota de Rezende; Borges, Luiz Henrique; Cruz, César Albenes de Mendonça; Massaroni, Leila; Maciel, Paulete Maria Ambrósio

2015-10-01

This was a socio-historical study that aimed to analyze the repercussions of the flexibilization of labor relationships within a University hospital (UH) using the thematic oral history method and triangulation of sources made up of workers' statements, institutional documents and relevant literature. It was observed that flexibilization, driven by state reform in the 1990s, had a structural impact on the trajectory of this institution, that, due to government downsizing policy, adopted outsourcing to maintain staff, leading to high staff turnover, various types of conflicts, and discontinuity and lack of organization of work processes. We conclude that the flexibilization of employment relationships became a handicap for this UH, disrupting services, negatively affecting students and service users, contributing to the deterioration of working conditions and lack of protection of workers.

Quantum size effects in layered VX{sub 2} (X = S, Se) materials: Manifestation of metal to semimetal or semiconductor transition

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

Wasey, A. H. M. Abdul; Chakrabarty, Soubhik; Das, G. P., E-mail: msgpd@iacs.res.in

2015-02-14

Most of the two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) are nonmagnetic in pristine form. However, 2D pristine VX{sub 2} (X = S, Se, Te) materials are found to be ferromagnetic. Using spin polarized density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have studied the electronic, magnetic, and surface properties of this class of materials in both trigonal prismatic H- and octahedral T-phase. Our calculations reveal that they exhibit materially different properties in those two polymorphs. Most importantly, detailed investigation of electronic structure explored the quantum size effect in H-phase of these materials thereby leading to metal to semimetal (H-VS{sub 2}) or semiconductor (H-VSe{submore » 2}) transition when downsizing from bilayer to corresponding monolayer.« less

Intermetallic compounds in 3D integrated circuits technology: a brief review

PubMed Central

Annuar, Syahira; Mahmoodian, Reza; Hamdi, Mohd; Tu, King-Ning

2017-01-01

Abstract The high performance and downsizing technology of three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs) for mobile consumer electronic products have gained much attention in the microelectronics industry. This has been driven by the utilization of chip stacking by through-Si-via and solder microbumps. Pb-free solder microbumps are intended to replace conventional Pb-containing solder joints due to the rising awareness of environmental preservation. The use of low-volume solder microbumps has led to crucial constraints that cause several reliability issues, including excessive intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formation and solder microbump embrittlement due to IMCs growth. This article reviews technologies related to 3D-ICs, IMCs formation mechanisms and reliability issues concerning IMCs with Pb-free solder microbumps. Finally, future outlook on the potential growth of research in this area is discussed. PMID:29057024

Neural control of fast nonlinear systems--application to a turbocharged SI engine with VCT.

PubMed

Colin, Guillaume; Chamaillard, Yann; Bloch, Gérard; Corde, Gilles

2007-07-01

Today, (engine) downsizing using turbocharging appears as a major way in reducing fuel consumption and pollutant emissions of spark ignition (SI) engines. In this context, an efficient control of the air actuators [throttle, turbo wastegate, and variable camshaft timing (VCT)] is needed for engine torque control. This paper proposes a nonlinear model-based control scheme which combines separate, but coordinated, control modules. Theses modules are based on different control strategies: internal model control (IMC), model predictive control (MPC), and optimal control. It is shown how neural models can be used at different levels and included in the control modules to replace physical models, which are too complex to be online embedded, or to estimate nonmeasured variables. The results obtained from two different test benches show the real-time applicability and good control performance of the proposed methods.

Metasurface optics for full-color computational imaging.

PubMed

Colburn, Shane; Zhan, Alan; Majumdar, Arka

2018-02-01

Conventional imaging systems comprise large and expensive optical components that successively mitigate aberrations. Metasurface optics offers a route to miniaturize imaging systems by replacing bulky components with flat and compact implementations. The diffractive nature of these devices, however, induces severe chromatic aberrations, and current multiwavelength and narrowband achromatic metasurfaces cannot support full visible spectrum imaging (400 to 700 nm). We combine principles of both computational imaging and metasurface optics to build a system with a single metalens of numerical aperture ~0.45, which generates in-focus images under white light illumination. Our metalens exhibits a spectrally invariant point spread function that enables computational reconstruction of captured images with a single digital filter. This work connects computational imaging and metasurface optics and demonstrates the capabilities of combining these disciplines by simultaneously reducing aberrations and downsizing imaging systems using simpler optics.

Downsizing genomic medicine: approaching the ethical complexity of whole-genome sequencing by starting small.

PubMed

Sharp, Richard R

2011-03-01

As we look to a time when whole-genome sequencing is integrated into patient care, it is possible to anticipate a number of ethical challenges that will need to be addressed. The most intractable of these concern informed consent and the responsible management of very large amounts of genetic information. Given the range of possible findings, it remains unclear to what extent it will be possible to obtain meaningful patient consent to genomic testing. Equally unclear is how clinicians will disseminate the enormous volume of genetic information produced by whole-genome sequencing. Toward developing practical strategies for managing these ethical challenges, we propose a research agenda that approaches multiplexed forms of clinical genetic testing as natural laboratories in which to develop best practices for managing the ethical complexities of genomic medicine.

Micro-battery Development for Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System Applications

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

Chen, Honghao; Cartmell, Samuel S.; Wang, Qiang

2014-01-21

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) project supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, has yielded the smallest acoustic fish tag transmitter commercially available to date. In order to study even smaller fish populations and make the transmitter injectable by needles, the JSATS acoustic micro transmitter needs to be further downsized. This study focuses on the optimization of microbattery design based on Li/CFx chemistry. Through appropriate modifications, a steady high-rate pulse current with desirable life time has been achieved while the weight and volume of the battery is largely reduced. The impedance variation in as-designed microbatteriesmore » is systematically compared with that of currently used watch batteries in JSATS with an attempt to understand the intrinsic factors that control the performances of microbatteries under the real testing environments.« less

A simulated annealing approach for redesigning a warehouse network problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khairuddin, Rozieana; Marlizawati Zainuddin, Zaitul; Jiun, Gan Jia

2017-09-01

Now a day, several companies consider downsizing their distribution networks in ways that involve consolidation or phase-out of some of their current warehousing facilities due to the increasing competition, mounting cost pressure and taking advantage on the economies of scale. Consequently, the changes on economic situation after a certain period of time require an adjustment on the network model in order to get the optimal cost under the current economic conditions. This paper aimed to develop a mixed-integer linear programming model for a two-echelon warehouse network redesign problem with capacitated plant and uncapacitated warehouses. The main contribution of this study is considering capacity constraint for existing warehouses. A Simulated Annealing algorithm is proposed to tackle with the proposed model. The numerical solution showed the model and method of solution proposed was practical.

Importing super-resolution imaging into nanoscale puzzles of materials dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, John; Tsang, Chi Hang Boyce; Wilson, William; Granick, Steve

2014-03-01

A limitation of the exciting recent advances in sub-diffraction microscopy is that they focus on imaging rather than dynamical changes. We are engaged in extending this technique beyond the usual biological applications to address materials problems instead. To this end, we employ stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, which relies on selectively turning off fluorescence emitters through stimulated emission, allowing only a small subset of emitters to be detected, such that the excitation spot size can be downsized to tens of nanometers. By coupling the STED excitation scheme to fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), diffusive processes are studied with nanoscale resolution. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of such experimental capabilities in a diverse range of complex systems, ranging from the diffusion of nano-objects in crowded 3D environments to the study of polymer diffusion on 2D surfaces.

Fostering the coexistence of caring philosophy and economics in today's health care system.

PubMed

Cara, Chantal M; Nyberg, Jan J; Brousseau, Sylvain

2011-01-01

For the past decade, several health care systems are undergoing continuous administrative restructuring, whose main objective is cost reduction. These changes often result in the patients' needs not being met because nurses are continuously affected by widespread budget cuts and staff downsizing. Have we reached a point, where we are setting aside our prime directive of patient well-being for the sake of finances? If so, are we at risk of forsaking our professional identity as nurses? The authors believe that caring management and economical constraints can coexist while promoting quality patient care. The purpose of this article is to show how nurse managers and administrators can facilitate caring practices while maintaining their financial responsibilities within the health care organization. This article suggests several strategies for assisting nurse managers in promoting caring in the health care environment.

Optical wireless link between a nanoscale antenna and a transducing rectenna.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Arindam; Mennemanteuil, Marie-Maxime; Buret, Mickaël; Cazier, Nicolas; Colas-des-Francs, Gérard; Bouhelier, Alexandre

2018-05-18

Initiated as a cable-replacement solution, short-range wireless power transfer has rapidly become ubiquitous in the development of modern high-data throughput networking in centimeter to meter accessibility range. Wireless technology is now penetrating a higher level of system integration for chip-to-chip and on-chip radiofrequency interconnects. However, standard CMOS integrated millimeter-wave antennas have typical size commensurable with the operating wavelength, and are thus an unrealistic solution for downsizing transmitters and receivers to the micrometer and nanometer scale. Herein, we demonstrate a light-in and electrical signal-out, on-chip wireless near-infrared link between a 220 nm optical antenna and a sub-nanometer rectifying antenna converting the transmitted optical energy into direct electrical current. The co-integration of subwavelength optical functional devices with electronic transduction offers a disruptive solution to interface photons and electrons at the nanoscale for on-chip wireless optical interconnects.

Mitigating Physiological Responses to Layoff Threat: An Experimental Test of the Efficacy of Two Coping Interventions

PubMed Central

Probst, Tahira M.; Jiang, Lixin

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to assess real-time physiological reactions to the threat of layoffs and to determine whether the use of an emotion-focused vs. problem-focused coping intervention would be more efficacious in attenuating these physiological reactions. A 2 (coping intervention) × 4 (within-subjects time points) mixed experimental design was used to test the hypotheses. Eighty-four undergraduates participated in this laboratory experiment during which their galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate (HR) were continuously monitored. Analyses indicate that individuals instructed to utilize an emotion-focused coping strategy experienced a significantly greater decline in their GSR compared to those utilizing the problem-focused coping method. Results suggest organizations conducting layoffs might focus first on dealing with the emotional aftermath of downsizing before focusing on problem-solving tasks, such as resume writing and other traditional outplacement activities. PMID:26999186

Rightsizing LISA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stebbins, Robin T.

2009-01-01

The LISA science requirements and conceptual design have been fairly stable for over a decade. In the interest of reducing costs, the LISA Project at NASA has looked for simplifications of the architecture, at downsizing of subsystems, and at descopes of the entire mission. This is a natural activity of the formulation phase, and one that is particularly timely in the current NASA budgetary context. There is, and will continue to be, enormous pressure for cost reduction from both ESA and NASA, reviewers and the broader research community. Here, the rationale for the baseline architecture is reviewed, and recent efforts to find simplifications and other reductions that might lead to savings are reported. A few possible simplifications have been found in the LISA baseline architecture. In the interest of exploring cost sensitivity, one moderate and one aggressive descope have been evaluated; the cost savings are modest and the loss of science is not.

MOLA-Based Landing Site Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duxbury, T. C.; Ivanov, A. B.

2001-01-01

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data provide the basis for site characterization and selection never before possible. The basic MOLA information includes absolute radii, elevation and 1 micrometer albedo with derived datasets including digital image models (DIM's illuminated elevation data), slopes maps and slope statistics and small scale surface roughness maps and statistics. These quantities are useful in downsizing potential sites from descent engineering constraints and landing/roving hazard and mobility assessments. Slope baselines at the few hundred meter level and surface roughness at the 10 meter level are possible. Additionally, the MOLA-derived Mars surface offers the possibility to precisely register and map project other instrument datasets (images, ultraviolet, infrared, radar, etc.) taken at different resolution, viewing and lighting geometry, building multiple layers of an information cube for site characterization and selection. Examples of direct MOLA data, data derived from MOLA and other instruments data registered to MOLA arc given for the Hematite area.

Effects of Reduction Osteotomy on Gap Balancing During Total Knee Arthroplasty for Severe Varus Deformity.

PubMed

Niki, Yasuo; Harato, Kengo; Nagai, Katsuya; Suda, Yasunori; Nakamura, Masaya; Matsumoto, Morio

2015-12-01

This study aimed to assess the effects of down-sizing and lateralizing of the tibial component (reduction osteotomy) on gap balancing in TKA, and the clinical feasibility of an uncemented modular trabecular metal tibial tray in this technique. Reduction osteotomy was performed for 39 knees of 36 patients with knee OA with a mean tibiofemoral angle of 21° varus. In 20 knees, appropriate gap balance was achieved by release of the deep medial collateral ligament alone. Flexion gap imbalance could be reduced by approximately 1.7° and 2.8° for 4-mm osteotomy and 8-mm osteotomy, respectively. Within the first postoperative year, clinically-stable tibial component subsidence was observed in 9 knees, but it was not progressive, and the clinical results were excellent at a mean follow-up of 3.3 years. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mergers involving academic health centers: a formidable challenge.

PubMed

Pellegrini, V D

2001-10-01

Escalating economic pressures on the clinical enterprise threaten the missions of education and research in many of the most prestigious academic health centers. Following the model of industry, mergers of the healthcare delivery systems of teaching hospitals and clinics held promise for economies of scale and an improved operating margin. Failure to follow business principles in constructing the merged entity, differences in organizational governance and culture, and inability of physician leadership to prioritize, downsize, and consolidate clinical programs to optimize operational efficiencies all compromise the success of such mergers in academic medicine. Academic institutions and their respective governing boards need to exercise greater discipline in financial analysis and a willingness to make difficult decisions that show favor to one parent institution over another if mergers are to be effective in this setting. To date, an example of a vibrant and successful merger of academic health centers remains to be found.

Analysis of an Increase in the Efficiency of a Spark Ignition Engine Through the Application of an Automotive Thermoelectric Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkisz, Jerzy; Fuc, Pawel; Lijewski, Piotr; Ziolkowski, Andrzej; Galant, Marta; Siedlecki, Maciej

2016-08-01

We have analyzed the increase of the overall efficiency of a spark ignition engine through energy recovery following the application of an automotive thermoelectric generator (ATEG) of our own design. The design of the generator was developed following emission investigations during vehicle driving under city traffic conditions. The measurement points were defined by actual operation conditions (engine speed and load), subsequently reproduced on an engine dynamometer. Both the vehicle used in the on-road tests and the engine dynamometer were fit with the same, downsized spark ignition engine (with high effective power-to-displacement ratio). The thermodynamic parameters of the exhaust gases (temperature and exhaust gas mass flow) were measured on the engine testbed, along with the fuel consumption and electric current generated by the thermoelectric modules. On this basis, the power of the ATEG and its impact on overall engine efficiency were determined.

Single-atom Catalysis Using Pt/Graphene Achieved through Atomic Layer Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shuhui; Zhang, Gaixia; Gauquelin, Nicolas; Chen, Ning; Zhou, Jigang; Yang, Songlan; Chen, Weifeng; Meng, Xiangbo; Geng, Dongsheng; Banis, Mohammad N.; Li, Ruying; Ye, Siyu; Knights, Shanna; Botton, Gianluigi A.; Sham, Tsun-Kong; Sun, Xueliang

2013-05-01

Platinum-nanoparticle-based catalysts are widely used in many important chemical processes and automobile industries. Downsizing catalyst nanoparticles to single atoms is highly desirable to maximize their use efficiency, however, very challenging. Here we report a practical synthesis for isolated single Pt atoms anchored to graphene nanosheet using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. ALD offers the capability of precise control of catalyst size span from single atom, subnanometer cluster to nanoparticle. The single-atom catalysts exhibit significantly improved catalytic activity (up to 10 times) over that of the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analyses reveal that the low-coordination and partially unoccupied densities of states of 5d orbital of Pt atoms are responsible for the excellent performance. This work is anticipated to form the basis for the exploration of a next generation of highly efficient single-atom catalysts for various applications.

Series of JASMINE missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouda, N.

We are planning three space astrometry missions as a series of JASMINE missions; Nano-JASMINE, Small-JASMINE and (Medium-sized)JASMINE. JASMINE is an abbreviation of Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission of INfrared Exploration. The JASMINE mission will measure in an infrared band annual parallaxes, positions on the celestial sphere, and proper motions of many stars in the bulge of the Milky Way (the Galaxy) with high accuracies. A target launch date is the first half of the 2020s. Before the launch of JASMINE, we are planning Nano-JASMINE and Small-JASMINE. Nano-JASMINE uses a very small nano-satellite and it is determined to be launched in 2011. Small-JASMINE is a downsized version of the JASMINE satellite, which observes toward restricted small regions of the Galactic bulge. A target launch date is around 2016. A completely new "map" of the Galactic bulge given by Small-JASMINE and JASMINE will bring us many exciting scientific results.

Labor markets and employment insecurity: impacts of globalization on service and healthcare-sector workforces.

PubMed

Ostry, Aleck S; Spiegel, Jerry M

2004-01-01

Global changes in the economies of most developed nations have impacted the way healthcare is organized, even within largely public systems, and the working conditions of healthcare workers. Since the acceleration of globalization in the 1970s, service-sector workers in developed nations have faced high unemployment, increased skill requirements for most jobs, and a rise in non-traditional work arrangements. These secular shifts in service-sector labor markets have occurred against the background of an erosion of the welfare state and growing income inequality. As well, many healthcare systems, including Canada's, were severely downsized and restructured in the 1990s, exacerbating the underlying negative secular trends in the service sector, and worsening the working conditions for many healthcare workers. Globalization has altered the labor market and shifted working conditions in ways that have been unfavorable to many healthcare workers.

Hybrid Vehicle Technologies and their potential for reducing oil use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

German, John

2006-04-01

Vehicles with hybrid gasoline-electric powertrains are starting to gain market share. Current hybrid vehicles add an electric motor, battery pack, and power electronics to the conventional powertrain. A variety of engine/motor configurations are possible, each with advantages and disadvantages. In general, efficiency is improved due to engine shut-off at idle, capture of energy during deceleration that is normally lost as heat in the brakes, downsizing of the conventional engine, and, in some cases, propulsion on the electric motor alone. Ongoing increases in hybrid market share are dependent on cost reduction, especially the battery pack, efficiency synergies with other vehicle technologies, use of the high electric power to provide features desired by customers, and future fuel price and availability. Potential barriers include historically low fuel prices, high discounting of the fuel savings by new vehicle purchasers, competing technologies, and tradeoffs with other factors desired by customers, such as performance, utility, safety, and luxury features.

Graft downsizing during ex vivo lung perfusion: case report and technical notes.

PubMed

Nosotti, M; Rosso, L; Mendogni, P; Tosi, D; Palleschi, A; Righi, I; Froio, S; Valenza, F; Santambrogio, L

2014-09-01

Among patients with respiratory insufficiency awaiting lung transplantation, small adult patients have a lower opportunity of receiving size-matched pulmonary grafts, because of the shortage of donors, particularly those of small size. Reducing the size of an oversized graft is one of the methods to increase the donor pool; similarly, ex vivo lung perfusion is an emerging technique aimed toward the same purpose. We describe how we combined the 2 techniques (lobar transplantation plus contralateral nonanatomic graft reduction during ex vivo lung perfusion) to overcome graft shortage in a clinical case. For the 1st time, this case report demonstrates that surgical manipulation during ex vivo lung perfusion does not affect the functional improvement in a lung previously judged to be not suitable for transplantation. The 6-month follow-up results are similar to those of standard bilateral lung transplantation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exponential Sensitivity and its Cost in Quantum Physics

PubMed Central

Gilyén, András; Kiss, Tamás; Jex, Igor

2016-01-01

State selective protocols, like entanglement purification, lead to an essentially non-linear quantum evolution, unusual in naturally occurring quantum processes. Sensitivity to initial states in quantum systems, stemming from such non-linear dynamics, is a promising perspective for applications. Here we demonstrate that chaotic behaviour is a rather generic feature in state selective protocols: exponential sensitivity can exist for all initial states in an experimentally realisable optical scheme. Moreover, any complex rational polynomial map, including the example of the Mandelbrot set, can be directly realised. In state selective protocols, one needs an ensemble of initial states, the size of which decreases with each iteration. We prove that exponential sensitivity to initial states in any quantum system has to be related to downsizing the initial ensemble also exponentially. Our results show that magnifying initial differences of quantum states (a Schrödinger microscope) is possible; however, there is a strict bound on the number of copies needed. PMID:26861076

The future of the national laboratories

PubMed Central

Cohen, Linda R.; Noll, Roger G.

1996-01-01

The end of the Cold War has called into question the activities of the national laboratories and, more generally, the level of support now given to federal intramural research in the United States. This paper seeks to analyze the potential role of the laboratories, with particular attention to the possibility, on the one hand, of integrating private technology development into the laboratory’s menu of activities and, on the other hand, of outsourcing traditional mission activities. We review the economic efficiency arguments for intramural research and the political conditions that are likely to constrain the activities of the laboratories, and analyze the early history of programs intended to promote new technology via cooperative agreements between the laboratories and private industry. Our analysis suggests that the laboratories are likely to shrink considerably in size, and that the federal government faces a significant problem in deciding how to organize a downsizing of the federal research establishment. PMID:8917479

[Modularization by the open standard. (I)].

PubMed

Hirano, H

2000-10-01

We are proceeding with the project called "Open LA21 Project" in the course of the clinical laboratory automation toward the 21st century. With the modular system that realizes integration, downsizing, a reasonable price, and is the future course in the clinical testing automation system as well, we aim to establish common standards among manufacturers as the only way to create user friendly market environments where the proper competition exists among the manufacturers. The common standards which are in preparation by the participating companies as "Open module system standards" are the standards which are going to be made public. They are intended to guarantee connection, compatibility of the products in conformity with the standards. In this project, we intend to realize the modular system that integrates each field, such as chemistry, hematology, coagulation/fibrinolysis, immunology, urinalysis in an early stage, and contribute positively to restructuring and upgrading the "raison d'etre" of the 21st century clinical testing.

Downsizing assessment of automotive Stirling engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knoll, R. H.; Tew, R. C., Jr.; Klann, J. L.

1983-01-01

A 67 kW (90 hp) Stirling engine design, sized for use in a 1984 1440 kg (3170 lb) automobile was the focal point for developing automotive Stirling engine technology. Since recent trends are towards lighter vehicles, an assessment was made of the applicability of the Stirling technology being developed for smaller, lower power engines. Using both the Philips scaling laws and a Lewis Research Center (Lewis) Stirling engine performance code, dimensional and performance characteristics were determined for a 26 kW (35 hp) and a 37 kW (50 hp) engine for use in a nominal 907 kg (2000 lb) vehicle. Key engine elements were sized and stressed and mechanical layouts were made to ensure mechanical fit and integrity of the engines. Fuel economy estimates indicated that the Stirling engine would maintain a 30 to 45 percent fuel economy advantage comparable spark ignition and diesel powered vehicles in the 1984 period.

General design, construction, and operation guidelines: Constructed wetlands wastewater treatment systems for small users including individual residences. Second edition

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

Steiner, G.R.; Watson, J.T.

1993-05-01

One of the Tennessee Valley Authority`s (TVA`s) major goals is cleanup and protection of the waters of the Tennessee River system. Although great strides have been made, point source and nonpoint source pollution still affect the surface water and groundwater quality in the Tennessee Valley and nationally. Causes of this pollution are poorly operating wastewater treatment systems or the lack of them. Practical solutions are needed, and there is great interest and desire to abate water pollution with effective, simple, reliable and affordable wastewater treatment processes. In recognition of this need, TVA began demonstration of the constructed wetlands technology inmore » 1986 as an alternative to conventional, mechanical processes, especially for small communities. Constructed wetlands can be downsized from municipal systems to small systems, such as for schools, camps and even individual homes.« less

Cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers unveiled by hard X-ray observations.

PubMed

Ueda, Yoshihiro

2015-01-01

We review the current understanding of the cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers elucidated by X-ray surveys of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Hard X-ray observations at energies above 2 keV are the most efficient and complete tools to find "obscured" AGNs, which are dominant populations among all AGNs. Combinations of surveys with various flux limits and survey area have enabled us to determine the space number density and obscuration properties of AGNs as a function of luminosity and redshift. The results have essentially solved the origin of the X-ray background in the energy band below ∼10 keV. The downsizing (or anti-hierarchical) evolution that more luminous AGNs have the space-density peak at higher redshifts has been discovered, challenging theories of galaxy and black hole formation. Finally, we summarize unresolved issues on AGN evolution and prospects for future X-ray missions.

The reproduction of gender norms through downsizing in later life residential relocation.

PubMed

Addington, Aislinn; Ekerdt, David J

2014-01-01

Using data collected from qualitative interviews in 36 households, this article examines people's use of social relations based on gender to perform tasks associated with residential relocation in later life. Without prompting, our respondents addressed the social relations of gender in the meanings of things, in the persons of gift recipients, and in the persons of actors accomplishing the tasks. They matched gender-typed objects to same-sex recipients, reproducing circumstances of possession and passing on expectations for gender identity. The accounts of our respondents also depicted a gendered division of household labor between husbands and wives and a gendered division of care work by daughters and sons. These strategies economized a big task by shaping decisions about who should get what and who will do what. In turn, these practices affirmed the gendered nature of possession and care work into another generation. © The Author(s) 2012.

The impact of non-IPA HMOs on the number of hospitals and hospital capacity.

PubMed

Chernew, M

1995-01-01

Concentration in the hospital market could limit the success of health care reform strategies that rely on managed care to constrain costs. Hospital market capacity also is important because capacity affects both costs and the degree of price competition. Because managed care plans, particularly non-individual practice association (non-IPA) model HMOs, practice a less hospital-intensive style of care, consolidation and downsizing in the hospital market potentially will accompany managed care growth, influencing the long-run effectiveness of managed care cost-containment strategies. Using Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) data from 1982 and 1987, a 10-percentage point increase in non-IPA HMO market share is estimated to reduce the number of hospitals by about 4%, causing an approximate 5% reduction in the number of hospital beds. No statistically significant relationship is found between non-IPA HMO penetration rates and hospital occupancy rates.

Ultrasound liquid crystal lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, Yuki; Koyama, Daisuke; Fukui, Marina; Emoto, Akira; Nakamura, Kentaro; Matsukawa, Mami

2018-04-01

A variable-focus lens using a combination of liquid crystals and ultrasound is discussed. The lens uses a technique based on ultrasound vibration to control the molecular orientation of the liquid crystal. The lens structure is simple, with no mechanical moving parts and no transparent electrodes, which is helpful for device downsizing; the structure consists of a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between two glass substrates with a piezoelectric ring. The tens-of-kHz ultrasonic resonance flexural vibration used to excite the lens generates an acoustic radiation force on the liquid crystal layer to induce changes in the molecular orientation of the liquid crystal. The orientations of the liquid crystal molecules and the optical characteristics of the lens were investigated under ultrasound excitation. Clear optical images were observed through the lens, and the focal point could be controlled using the input voltage to the piezoelectric ring to give the lens its variable-focus action.

Project Management Framework to Organizational Transitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotnour, Tim; Barton, Saul

1996-01-01

This paper describes a project management framework and associated models for organizational transitions. The framework contains an integrated set of steps an organization can take to lead an organizational transition such as downsizing and change in mission or role. The framework is designed to help an organization do the right work the right way with the right people at the right time. The underlying rationale for the steps in the framework is based on a set of findings which include: defining a transition as containing both near-term and long-term actions, designing actions which respond to drivers and achieve desired results, aligning the organization with the external environment, and aligning the internal components of the organization. The framework was developed based on best practices found in the literature, lessons learned from heads of organizations who have completed large-scale organizational changes, and concerns from employees at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The framework is described using KSC.

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

Herk, Anastasia; Poerschke, Andrew

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings. The U.S. Department of Energy Building America team, IBACOS, in collaboration with GreenHomes America, Inc. (GHA), was contracted by NYSERDA to research exterior wall insulation solutions. In addition to exterior wall insulation, the strategies included energy upgrades where needed in the attic, mechanical and ventilation systems, basement, band joist, walls, and floors. Under Building America, IBACOS ismore » studying the impact of a “thermal enclosure” DER on the sizing of the space conditioning system and the occupant comfort if the thermal capacity of the heating and cooling system is dramatically downsized without any change in the existing heating and cooling distribution system (e.g., size, tightness and supply outlet configurations).« less

Partners HealthCare: an exercise in marital counseling.

PubMed

Thier, Samuel O

2002-01-01

The high cost of health care in Boston led industry and government to expand managed care. The expensive academic health centers had the choice of closing, downsizing, merging, and/or integrating. The MGH and BWH chose to develop Partners HealthCare (PHCS) an integrated healthcare system that maintained the identities of the founding institutions. PHS founded in 1994 is physician-led and protects the missions of patient care, research and education. It includes the MGH and BWH, four community hospitals and one thousand primary care physicians. All administrative services have been consolidated as had several clinical departments, residencies and fellowships. Research coordination has resulted in shared space, grants, industrial partnerships, and a growth in support. Clinical service volumes have surpassed pre-merger levels. Contracts now cover the true costs of care and produce positive operating margins and bottom lines. The strategy of forming an integrated health system has achieved most but not all of its goals.

Solar dynamic modules for Space Station Freedom: The relationship between fine-pointing control and thermal loading of the aperture plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Roger D.; Kerslake, Thomas W.

1992-01-01

Dynamic simulations of Space Station Freedom (SSF) configured with solar dynamic (SD) power modules were performed. The structure was subjected to Space Shuttle docking disturbances, while being controlled with a 'natural' vibration and tracking control approach. Three control cases were investigated for the purpose of investigating the relationship between actuator effort, SD pointing, and thermal loading on the receiver aperture plate. Transient, one-dimensional heat transfer analyses were performed to conservatively predict temperatures of the multi-layered receiver aperture plate assembly and thermal stresses in its shield layer. Results indicate that the proposed aperture plate is tolerant of concentrated flux impingement during short-lived structural disturbances. Pointing requirements may be loosened and the requirement control torques lessened from that previously specified. Downsizing and simplifying the joint drive system should result in a considerable savings mass.

Exponential Sensitivity and its Cost in Quantum Physics.

PubMed

Gilyén, András; Kiss, Tamás; Jex, Igor

2016-02-10

State selective protocols, like entanglement purification, lead to an essentially non-linear quantum evolution, unusual in naturally occurring quantum processes. Sensitivity to initial states in quantum systems, stemming from such non-linear dynamics, is a promising perspective for applications. Here we demonstrate that chaotic behaviour is a rather generic feature in state selective protocols: exponential sensitivity can exist for all initial states in an experimentally realisable optical scheme. Moreover, any complex rational polynomial map, including the example of the Mandelbrot set, can be directly realised. In state selective protocols, one needs an ensemble of initial states, the size of which decreases with each iteration. We prove that exponential sensitivity to initial states in any quantum system has to be related to downsizing the initial ensemble also exponentially. Our results show that magnifying initial differences of quantum states (a Schrödinger microscope) is possible; however, there is a strict bound on the number of copies needed.

Constraining Feedback in Galaxy Formation: Using Galaxy and AGN Surveys to Shed Light on ``Gastrophysics"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monaco, P.

2007-12-01

We present some results of the new MORGANA model for the rise of galaxies and active nuclei, and show that the improved physical motivation of the description of star formation and feedback allows to get hints on the physical processes at play. We propose that the high level of turbulence in star-forming bulges is at the base of the observed downsizing of AGNs. In this framework it is also possible to reproduce the recently obtained evidence that most low-redshift accretion is powered by relatively massive, slowly accreting black holes. Besides, we notice that many galaxy formation models (including MORGANA) fail to reproduce a basic observable, namely the number density of 10^{11} M_⊙ galaxies at z˜1, as traced by the GOODS-MUSIC sample. This points to a possibly missing ingredient in the modeling of stellar feedback.

The challenges of science journalism: The perspectives of scientists, science communication advisors and journalists from New Zealand.

PubMed

Ashwell, Douglas James

2016-04-01

The news media play an important role in informing the public about scientific and technological developments. Some argue that restructuring and downsizing result in journalists coming under increased pressure to produce copy, leading them to use more public relations material to meet their deadlines. This article explores science journalism in the highly commercialised media market of New Zealand. Using semi-structured interviews with scientists, science communication advisors and journalists, the study finds communication advisors and scientists believe most media outlets, excluding public service media, report science poorly. Furthermore, restructuring and staff cuts have placed the journalists interviewed under increasing pressure. While smaller newspapers appear to be printing press releases verbatim, metropolitan newspaper journalists still exercise control over their use of such material. The results suggest these journalists will continue to resist increasing their use of public relations material for some time to come. © The Author(s) 2014.

Desiccant-assisted air conditioner improves IAQ and comfort

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

Meckler, M.

1994-10-01

This article describes a system which offers the advantage of downsizing the evaporator coil and condensing unit capacities for comparable design loads, which in turn provides numerous benefits. Airborne microorganisms, which are responsible for many acute diseases, infections, and allergies, are well protected indoors by the moisture surrounding them. While the human body is generally the host for various bacteria and viruses, fungi can grow in moist places. It has been concluded that an optimum relative humidity (RH) range of 40 to 60 percent is necessary to minimize or eliminate the bacterial, viral, and fungal growth. In addition, humidity alsomore » has an effect on air cleanliness--it reduces the presence of dust particles--and on the deterioration of the building structure and its contents. Therefore, controlling humidity is a very important factor to human comfort in minimizing adverse health effects and maximizing the structural longevity of the building.« less

Single-atom Catalysis Using Pt/Graphene Achieved through Atomic Layer Deposition

PubMed Central

Sun, Shuhui; Zhang, Gaixia; Gauquelin, Nicolas; Chen, Ning; Zhou, Jigang; Yang, Songlan; Chen, Weifeng; Meng, Xiangbo; Geng, Dongsheng; Banis, Mohammad N.; Li, Ruying; Ye, Siyu; Knights, Shanna; Botton, Gianluigi A.; Sham, Tsun-Kong; Sun, Xueliang

2013-01-01

Platinum-nanoparticle-based catalysts are widely used in many important chemical processes and automobile industries. Downsizing catalyst nanoparticles to single atoms is highly desirable to maximize their use efficiency, however, very challenging. Here we report a practical synthesis for isolated single Pt atoms anchored to graphene nanosheet using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. ALD offers the capability of precise control of catalyst size span from single atom, subnanometer cluster to nanoparticle. The single-atom catalysts exhibit significantly improved catalytic activity (up to 10 times) over that of the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analyses reveal that the low-coordination and partially unoccupied densities of states of 5d orbital of Pt atoms are responsible for the excellent performance. This work is anticipated to form the basis for the exploration of a next generation of highly efficient single-atom catalysts for various applications.

Nanoelectronics: Opportunities for future space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frazier, Gary

1995-01-01

Further improvements in the performance of integrated electronics will eventually halt due to practical fundamental limits on our ability to downsize transistors and interconnect wiring. Avoiding these limits requires a revolutionary approach to switching device technology and computing architecture. Nanoelectronics, the technology of exploiting physics on the nanometer scale for computation and communication, attempts to avoid conventional limits by developing new approaches to switching, circuitry, and system integration. This presentation overviews the basic principles that operate on the nanometer scale that can be assembled into practical devices and circuits. Quantum resonant tunneling (RT) is used as the center-piece of the overview since RT devices already operate at high temperature (120 degrees C) and can be scaled, in principle, to a few nanometers in semiconductors. Near- and long-term applications of GaAs and silicon quantum devices are suggested for signal and information processing, memory, optoelectronics, and radio frequency (RF) communication.

Small-sized conduits in the right ventricular outflow tract in young children: bicuspidalized homografts are a good alternative to standard conduits.

PubMed

François, Katrien; De Groote, Katya; Vandekerckhove, Kristof; De Wilde, Hans; De Wolf, Daniel; Bové, Thierry

2017-10-03

Downsizing a homograft (HG) through bicuspidalization has been used for more than 2 decades to overcome the shortage of small-sized conduits for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in young children. Our goal was to investigate the durability of bicuspidalized HGs compared with other small HGs. A retrospective analysis of 93 conduits ≤20 mm, implanted over 23 years, was performed. The end-points were survival, structural valve degeneration and conduit replacement. The conduits comprised 40 pulmonary HGs, 12 aortic HGs, 17 bicuspidalized HGs and 24 xenografts. The median age, mean conduit diameter and z-value at implantation were 1.4 (interquartile range 0.3-3) years, 16.5 ± 2.7 mm and 2.8 ± 1.3, respectively. Valve position was heterotopic in 59 patients and orthotopic in 34 patients. At a mean follow-up period of 7.6 ± 5.9 years, the hospital survival rate was 89%. Freedom from explant at 5 and 10 years was 83 ± 5% and 52 ± 6%, respectively. Freedom from structural valve degeneration was 79 ± 5% at 5 years and 47 ± 6% at 10 years [68 ± 8% for pulmonary HG, 42 ± 16% for bicuspidalized HG, 31 ± 15% for aortic HG and 20 ± 9% for xenografts (log rank P < 0.001)]. Multivariable analysis indicated an increased risk for structural valve degeneration with smaller conduit size (hazard ratio 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.67-0.94; P < 0.008), extra-anatomic position (hazard ratio 2.71, 95% confidence interval 1.33-5.50; P = 0.006) and the use of xenografts compared with non-downsized pulmonary HGs (hazard ratio 4.90, 95% confidence interval 2.23-10.76; P < 0.001). Appropriately sized pulmonary HGs remain the most durable option for a right ventricular outflow tract conduit in young children. However, when a small pulmonary HG is unavailable, bicuspidalization offers a valid alternative, preferable to xenograft conduits, at mid-term follow-up. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Pride and confidence at work: potential predictors of occupational health in a hospital setting

PubMed Central

Nilsson, Kerstin; Hertting, Anna; Petterson, Inga-Lill; Theorell, Töres

2005-01-01

Background This study focuses on determinants of a healthy work environment in two departments in a Swedish university hospital. The study is based on previously conducted longitudinal studies at the hospital (1994–2001), concerning working conditions and health outcomes among health care personnel in conjunction with downsizing processes. Overall, there was a general negative trend in relation to mental health, as well as long-term sick leave during the study period. The two departments chosen for the current study differed from the general hospital trend in that they showed stable health development. The aim of the study was to identify and analyse experiential determinants of healthy working conditions. Methods Thematic open-ended interviews were carried out with seventeen managers and key informants, representing different groups of co-workers in the two departments. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and an inductive content analysis was made. Results In the two studied departments the respondents perceived that it was advantageous to belong to a small department, and to work in cooperation-oriented care. The management approaches described by both managers and co-workers could be interpreted as transformational, due to a strain of visionary, delegating, motivating, confirmative, supportive attitudes and a strongly expressed solution-oriented attitude. The daily work included integrated learning activities. The existing organisational conditions, approaches and attitudes promoted tendencies towards a work climate characterised by trust, team spirit and professionalism. In the description of the themes organisational conditions, approaches and climate, two core determinants, work-pride and confidence, for healthy working conditions were interpreted. Our core determinants augment the well-established concepts: manageability, comprehensiveness and meaningfulness. These favourable conditions seem to function as a buffer against the general negative effects of downsizing observed elsewhere in the hospital, and in the literature. Conclusion Research illuminating health-promoting aspects is rather unusual. This study could be seen as explorative. The themes and core dimensions we found could be used as a basis for further intervention studies in similar health-care settings. The result could also be used in future health promotion studies in larger populations. One of the first steps in such a strategy is to formulate relevant questions, and we consider that this study contributes to this. PMID:16137331

The triumph and decline of the "squares": Grumman Aerospace engineers and production workers in the Apollo era, 1957--1973

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onkst, David Hugh

This dissertation is a social, cultural, and economic history of the men and women of the Grumman Aerospace Company of Bethpage, New York from 1957 through 1973. These "Grummanites" were the engineers and production workers who designed and built the Apollo Lunar Modules that allowed humans to land on the Moon. This study provides unique insights into the impact that the Apollo Program---a large state-initiated and -supported program---had on those "squares," people whom many contemporaries saw as a vital part of mainstream 1960s American society. By the beginning of the Space Age in 1957, Grumman, Long Island's single largest employer, had firmly established a workplace culture of paternalism that Grummanites largely embraced. Company officials believed strongly in worker retention and had established a policy of providing every sort of benefit their employees seemingly desired, including a highly personal and participatory form of management. Many Grummanites had joined the firm during the early years of the Apollo Program because they believed in the promise of permanent employment on exciting projects that would explore the endless frontier of space. But, as many of these mainly self-reliant, individualistic "squares" would bitterly discover, their dedication to Grumman did little to secure their livelihoods during the aerospace industry's early 1970s downsizing; their individual successes were too largely tied to federal spending and declined when Americans grew disenchanted with space exploration. This dissertation demonstrates how the cultural bond of paternalism between aerospace workers and their company unraveled in the 1960s, and then ended in the early 1970s, because of forces within the company, the economy, and the American state. The word "triumph" in this study's title not only applies to Grummanites' triumphs with the Lunar Modules, but also their individual socioeconomic victories. The term "decline" refers to the early 1970s downsizing of more than a third of the Apollo workforce that had made that program a reality. By relying on a wide-range of archival research (including corporate records) and extensive surveys and interviews with Grummanites, this dissertation provides an overview of how Apollo era aerospace workers interacted with the Cold War American state.

Pride and confidence at work: potential predictors of occupational health in a hospital setting.

PubMed

Nilsson, Kerstin; Hertting, Anna; Petterson, Inga-Lill; Theorell, Töres

2005-09-01

This study focuses on determinants of a healthy work environment in two departments in a Swedish university hospital. The study is based on previously conducted longitudinal studies at the hospital (1994-2001), concerning working conditions and health outcomes among health care personnel in conjunction with downsizing processes. Overall, there was a general negative trend in relation to mental health, as well as long-term sick leave during the study period. The two departments chosen for the current study differed from the general hospital trend in that they showed stable health development. The aim of the study was to identify and analyse experiential determinants of healthy working conditions. Thematic open-ended interviews were carried out with seventeen managers and key informants, representing different groups of co-workers in the two departments. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and an inductive content analysis was made. In the two studied departments the respondents perceived that it was advantageous to belong to a small department, and to work in cooperation-oriented care. The management approaches described by both managers and co-workers could be interpreted as transformational, due to a strain of visionary, delegating, motivating, confirmative, supportive attitudes and a strongly expressed solution-oriented attitude. The daily work included integrated learning activities. The existing organisational conditions, approaches and attitudes promoted tendencies towards a work climate characterised by trust, team spirit and professionalism. In the description of the themes organisational conditions, approaches and climate, two core determinants, work-pride and confidence, for healthy working conditions were interpreted. Our core determinants augment the well-established concepts: manageability, comprehensiveness and meaningfulness. These favourable conditions seem to function as a buffer against the general negative effects of downsizing observed elsewhere in the hospital, and in the literature. Research illuminating health-promoting aspects is rather unusual. This study could be seen as explorative. The themes and core dimensions we found could be used as a basis for further intervention studies in similar health-care settings. The result could also be used in future health promotion studies in larger populations. One of the first steps in such a strategy is to formulate relevant questions, and we consider that this study contributes to this.

Forging the future: the public health imperative.

PubMed Central

Allukian, M

1993-01-01

During the 1980s, national policy promoted military expenditures and downsized domestic programs. These priorities, along with tax reform and deregulation, created a "domestic gulf crisis" with a new wave of vulnerable populations--poor children, the homeless, the elderly, and the uninsured. Our lack of a national health program compounds the problem. The 1990s will be a decade of change and challenge. To forge a healthier and stronger future for our nation, we must implement five public health imperatives: (1) We must have a national health program that is universal, comprehensive, and prevention-oriented, with built-in assurances for quality, efficiency, and a strong public health infrastructure. (2) We must have a comprehensive national health education and promotion program for all schoolchildren. (3) Women must have freedom of choice. (4) Prevention and public health must become one of our country's highest health priorities. (5) The federal government must increase its leadership, commitments, and resources to reach the goals set forth in Healthy Communities 2000 and Healthy People 2000. PMID:8484444

Reorganization of mental health services: from institutional to community-based models of care.

PubMed

Saraceno, B; Gater, R; Rahman, A; Saeed, K; Eaton, J; Ivbijaro, G; Kidd, M; Dowrick, C; Servili, C; Funk, M K; Underhill, C

2015-09-28

Mental health services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are predominantly centralized and institutionalized, relying on scarce specialist manpower. This creates a major treatment gap for patients with common and disabling mental disorders and places an unnecessary burden on the individual, their family and society. Six steps for reorganization of mental health services in the Region can be outlined: (1) integrate delivery of interventions for priority mental disorders into primary health care and existing priority programmes; (2) systematically strengthen the capacity of non-specialized health personnel for providing mental health care; (3) scale up community-based services (community outreach teams for defined catchment, supported residential facilities, supported employment and family support); (4) establish mental health services in general hospitals for outpatient and acute inpatient care; (5) progressively reduce the number of long-stay beds in mental hospitals through restricting new admissions; and (6) provide transitional/bridge funding over a period of time to scale up community-based services and downsize mental institutions in parallel.

Compact beam transport system for free-electron lasers driven by a laser plasma accelerator

DOE PAGES

Liu, Tao; Zhang, Tong; Wang, Dong; ...

2017-02-01

Utilizing laser-driven plasma accelerators (LPAs) as a high-quality electron beam source is a promising approach to significantly downsize the x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facility. A multi-GeV LPA beam can be generated in several-centimeter acceleration distance, with a high peak current and a low transverse emittance, which will considerably benefit a compact FEL design. However, the large initial angular divergence and energy spread make it challenging to transport the beam and realize FEL radiation. In this paper, a novel design of beam transport system is proposed to maintain the superior features of the LPA beam and a transverse gradient undulator (TGU)more » is also adopted as an effective energy spread compensator to generate high-brilliance FEL radiation. As a result, theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are presented based on a demonstration experiment with an electron energy of 380 MeV and a radiation wavelength of 30 nm.« less

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

Upchurch, J.L.

In order to better meet the challenges associated with downsizing and because of the ongoing need to control costs and accelerate project development many companies are trying new and different strategies in managing projects. For the Seastar Project, Phillips adopted a total team approach. The goal of this approach was to develop a win/win attitude for all of the personnel (Phillips, Engineering Contractor and Equipment Vendors) involved in the project. By bringing all the personnel together and focusing on project success it was thought that costs could be better controlled and that the development schedule could be accelerated. The Seastarmore » Project is a two well subsea development located in Garden Banks Blocks 70 and 71 approximately 120 miles south of Cameron Louisiana. Phillips took over operatorship in 1992 and drilled Garden Banks Block 71 No. 2, which discovered 349 feet of net gas pay in April 1993. Following a successful drill stem test on GB 71 No. 2, drilling was started on an appraisal well and work began on a feasibility study to define development options.« less

CFD analysis of heat transfer performance of graphene based hybrid nanofluid in radiators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bharadwaj, Bharath R.; Sanketh Mogeraya, K.; Manjunath, D. M.; Rao Ponangi, Babu; Rajendra Prasad, K. S.; Krishna, V.

2018-04-01

For Improved performance of an automobile engine, Cooling systems are one of the critical systems that need attention. With increased capacity to carry away large amounts of wasted heat, performance of an engine is increased. Current research on Nano-fluids suggests that they offer higher heat transfer rate compared to that of conventional coolants. Hence this project seeks to investigate the use of hybrid-nanofluids in radiators so as to increase its heat transfer performance. Carboxyl Graphene and Graphene Oxide based nanoparticles were selected due to the very high thermal conductivity of Graphene. System Analysis of the radiator was performed by considering a small part of the whole automobile radiator modelled using SEIMENS NX. CFD analysis was conducted using ANSYS FLUENT® for the nanofluid defined and the increase in effectiveness was compared to that of conventional coolants. Usage of such nanofluids for a fixed cooling requirement in the future can lead to significant downsizing of the radiator.

Medicines for the mind: policy-based "pull" incentives for creating breakthrough CNS drugs.

PubMed

Choi, Dennis W; Armitage, Robert; Brady, Linda S; Coetzee, Timothy; Fisher, William; Hyman, Steven; Pande, Atul; Paul, Steven; Potter, William; Roin, Benjamin; Sherer, Todd

2014-11-05

Several large pharmaceutical companies have selectively downsized their neuroscience research divisions, reflecting a growing view that developing drugs to treat brain diseases is more difficult and often more time-consuming and expensive than developing drugs for other therapeutic areas, and thus represents a weak area for investment. These withdrawals reduce global neuroscience translational capabilities and pose a serious challenge to society's interests in ameliorating the impact of nervous system diseases. While the path forward ultimately lies in improving understandings of disease mechanisms, many promising therapeutic approaches have already been identified, and rebalancing the underlying risk/reward calculus could help keep companies engaged in making CNS drugs. One way to do this that would not require upfront funding is to change the policies that regulate market returns for the most-needed breakthrough drugs. The broader neuroscience community including clinicians and patients should convene to develop and advocate for such policy changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of early retirement on perceptions of life at work and at home: qualitative analyses of British civil servants participating in the Whitehall II Retirement Study.

PubMed

Mein, Gill; Ellison, George T H

2006-01-01

This study examined pathways to retirement and the role of circumstances at work and at home (including the introduction of financially-enhanced early retirement schemes) on retirement-related decision-making. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted within 2 years of retirement with 59 British civil servants participating in the Whitehall II Study. Focusing on the experiences of 33 interviewees who spontaneously discussed "early retirement" we identified three pathways to retirement (non-applicants, successful applicants, and unsuccessful applicants for early retirement) each influenced by a range of complementary positive and negative factors at work and at home. The early retirement schemes influenced the balance between these factors in three ways: by encouraging participants to reflect on (and reconsider) existing retirement plans; by offering financial incentives to retire early; and because they were part of the ongoing process of restructuring and downsizing within the Civil Service which was accompanied by a perceived deterioration in conditions at work.

True-3D Strain Mapping for Assessment of Material Deformation by Synchrotron X-Ray Microtomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, J. J.; Toda, H.; Niinomi, M.; Kobayashi, T.; Akahori, T.; Uesugi, K.

2005-04-01

Downsizing of products with complex shapes has been accelerated thanks to the rapid development of electrodevice manufacturing technology. Micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) are one of such typical examples. 3D strain measurement of such miniature products is needed to ensure their reliability. In the present study, as preliminary trial for it 3D tensile deformation behavior of a pure aluminum wire is examined using the synchrotron X-ray microtomography technique at Spring-8, Japan. Multipurpose in-situ tester is used to investigate real-time tensile deformation behavior of the Al wire. Tensile tests are carried out under strokes of 0, 0.005, 0.01 and 0.015mm. It measures 3D local deformation of a region of interest by tracking a relative movement of a pair of particles at each point. Local deformation behavior of the Al wire is identified to be different from macroscopic deformation behavior. It may be closely associated with underlying microstructure.

"It depends on us": employee perspective of healthy working conditions during continual reorganisations in a radiology department.

PubMed

Nilsson, Kerstin; Hertting, Anna; Petterson, Inga-Lill

2009-01-01

This study focuses on employees' experience of occupational health in a radiology department within a Swedish university hospital during years of continual reorganisations. This department's stable personal health trends in terms of self-rated mental health and sick-leave rates diverged from the general trends of deteriorating working conditions in the hospital. The aim was to identify dimensions of working conditions as positive determinants contributing to occupational health in a department of radiology undergoing continual reorganisations. Open-ended interviews with twelve employees were transcribed and analyzed using content-analysis. The employees experienced their new stimulating working tasks and a supporting organizational climate as important contributors to the healthy work condition. The positive effects of handling new technical challenges and the positive organisational climate, which were characterized by mutual trust, as well as work-confidence and respect for each others' competence, seem to function as buffering factors, balancing the negative effects of parallel downsizing and restructuring processes.

High-speed civil transport - Advanced flight deck challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swink, Jay R.; Goins, Richard T.

1992-01-01

This paper presents the results of a nine month study of the HSCT flight deck challenges and assessment of its benefits. Operational requirements are discussed and the most significant findings for specified advanced concepts are highlighted. These concepts are a no nose-droop configuration, a far forward cockpit location and advanced crew monitoring and control of complex systems. Results indicate that the no nose-droop configuration is critically dependent on the design and development of a safe, reliable and certifiable synthetic vision system (SVS). This configuration would cause significant weight, performance and cost penalties. A far forward cockpit configuration with a tandem seating arrangement allows either an increase in additional payload or potential downsizing of the vehicle leading to increased performance efficiency and reductions in emissions. The technologies enabling such capabilities, which provide for Category III all-weather opreations on every flight represent a benefit multiplier in a 20005 ATM network in terms of enhanced economic viability and environmental acceptability.

Crystal symmetry breaking and vacancies in colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots.

PubMed

Bertolotti, Federica; Dirin, Dmitry N; Ibáñez, Maria; Krumeich, Frank; Cervellino, Antonio; Frison, Ruggero; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Sargent, Edward H; Kovalenko, Maksym V; Guagliardi, Antonietta; Masciocchi, Norberto

2016-09-01

Size and shape tunability and low-cost solution processability make colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) an emerging class of building blocks for innovative photovoltaic, thermoelectric and optoelectronic devices. Lead chalcogenide QDs are known to crystallize in the rock-salt structure, although with very different atomic order and stoichiometry in the core and surface regions; however, there exists no convincing prior identification of how extreme downsizing and surface-induced ligand effects influence structural distortion. Using forefront X-ray scattering techniques and density functional theory calculations, here we have identified that, at sizes below 8 nm, PbS and PbSe QDs undergo a lattice distortion with displacement of the Pb sublattice, driven by ligand-induced tensile strain. The resulting permanent electric dipoles may have implications on the oriented attachment of these QDs. Evidence is found for a Pb-deficient core and, in the as-synthesized QDs, for a rhombic dodecahedral shape with nonpolar {110} facets. On varying the nature of the surface ligands, differences in lattice strains are found.

Crystal symmetry breaking and vacancies in colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertolotti, Federica; Dirin, Dmitry N.; Ibáñez, Maria; Krumeich, Frank; Cervellino, Antonio; Frison, Ruggero; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Sargent, Edward H.; Kovalenko, Maksym V.; Guagliardi, Antonietta; Masciocchi, Norberto

2016-09-01

Size and shape tunability and low-cost solution processability make colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) an emerging class of building blocks for innovative photovoltaic, thermoelectric and optoelectronic devices. Lead chalcogenide QDs are known to crystallize in the rock-salt structure, although with very different atomic order and stoichiometry in the core and surface regions; however, there exists no convincing prior identification of how extreme downsizing and surface-induced ligand effects influence structural distortion. Using forefront X-ray scattering techniques and density functional theory calculations, here we have identified that, at sizes below 8 nm, PbS and PbSe QDs undergo a lattice distortion with displacement of the Pb sublattice, driven by ligand-induced tensile strain. The resulting permanent electric dipoles may have implications on the oriented attachment of these QDs. Evidence is found for a Pb-deficient core and, in the as-synthesized QDs, for a rhombic dodecahedral shape with nonpolar {110} facets. On varying the nature of the surface ligands, differences in lattice strains are found.

Robust ferromagnetism carried by antiferromagnetic domain walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirose, Hishiro T.; Yamaura, Jun-Ichi; Hiroi, Zenji

2017-02-01

Ferroic materials, such as ferromagnetic or ferroelectric materials, have been utilized as recording media for memory devices. A recent trend for downsizing, however, requires an alternative, because ferroic orders tend to become unstable for miniaturization. The domain wall nanoelectronics is a new developing direction for next-generation devices, in which atomic domain walls, rather than conventional, large domains themselves, are the active elements. Here we show that atomically thin magnetic domain walls generated in the antiferromagnetic insulator Cd2Os2O7 carry unusual ferromagnetic moments perpendicular to the wall as well as electron conductivity: the ferromagnetic moments are easily polarized even by a tiny field of 1 mT at high temperature, while, once cooled down, they are surprisingly robust even in an inverse magnetic field of 7 T. Thus, the magnetic domain walls could serve as a new-type of microscopic, switchable and electrically readable magnetic medium which is potentially important for future applications in the domain wall nanoelectronics.

Sequential structural and optical evolution of MoS2 by chemical synthesis and exfoliation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ju Hwan; Kim, Jungkil; Oh, Si Duck; Kim, Sung; Choi, Suk-Ho

2015-06-01

Various types of MoS2 structures are successfully obtained by using economical and facile sequential synthesis and exfoliation methods. Spherically-shaped lumps of multilayer (ML) MoS2 are prepared by using a conventional hydrothermal method and were subsequently 1st-exfoliated in hydrazine while being kept in autoclave to be unrolled and separated into five-to-six-layer MoS2 pieces of several-hundred nm in size. The MoS2 MLs are 2nd-exfoliated in sodium naphthalenide under an Ar ambient to finally produce bilayer MoS2 crystals of ~100 nm. The sequential exfoliation processes downsize MoS2 laterally and reduce its number of layers. The three types of MoS2 allotropes exhibit particular optical properties corresponding to their structural differences. These results suggest that two-dimensional MoS2 crystals can be prepared by employing only chemical techniques without starting from high-pressure-synthesized bulk MoS2 crystals.

Psychological well-being of parents and family caregivers of children with hearing impairment in south India: influence of behavioural problems in children and social support.

PubMed

van Driessche, Anne; Jotheeswaran, A T; Murthy, G V S; Pilot, Eva; Sagar, Jayanthi; Pant, Hira; Singh, Vivek; Dpk, Babu

2014-08-01

Parents of children with hearing impairment are at increased risk of mental health morbidities. We examined the predictive factors associated with caregiver's strain and psychological morbidities in parents and family caregivers of children with hearing impairment. In total, n = 201 parents and family caregivers of children with and without hearing impairment aged 3 to 16 years were recruited. Caregiver's strain and psychological morbidities were measured using the Zarit Burden scale and the World Health Organization's Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Presence of behavioural problems in children was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. After adjustment, low educational attainment and domestic violence were found to be associated with caregiving strain, whereas dissatisfaction with social support from family, behavioural problems in children, and domestic violence strongly predicted psychological morbidities. Addressing the mental healthcare needs of parents may help in downsizing the impact of psychological morbidities on the well-being of children with hearing impairment.

Pneumatic Valve Operated by Multiplex Pneumatic Transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishioka, Yasutaka; Suzumori, Koichi; Kanda, Takefumi; Wakimoto, Shuichi

A pneumatic system has several advantages, which are cheapness, lightweight, and reliability to human and environment. These advantages are adapted to some research areas, such as industrial lines, medical and nursing cares, and rehabilitation tools. However, the pneumatic system needs several devices; compressor, air tube, and control valve. This research aim to downsize pneumatic system. In this paper, a new method of multiplex pneumatic transmission for multi-pneumatic servo system is proposed. The valve for this system consists of two vibrators supported by springs, which was designed with simple and cheap structure. The working principle of the valve is vibrators resonance from multiplex pneumatic transmission and it is possible to work as ON/OFF valves without electric wire. Dynamic simulation was used to confirm the working principle of the resonance driving system. A prototype device confirming the principle was designed and developed based on the simulation. The experiments show that this new control system works very well to control two separated valves through single pneumatic tube.

Closure of a large high-output gastrocutaneous fistula with combined postpyloric feeding and aggressive medical therapy.

PubMed

Vasant, Dipesh Harshvadan; Lal, Simon; Blackett, Brenda D; Paine, Peter A

2012-10-22

Widening of the exit site of a percutaneous gastrostomy tube is a rare but difficult to manage complication, which leads to significant morbidity as a result of caustic material leak and associated cutaneous injury. Such defects fail to close with conservative measures such that invasive (surgical or endoscopic) intervention is often required. The authors present a 49-year-old woman with neurological dysphagia, 2 years after gastrostomy tube insertion with several months' history of leakage and widening of the hole at the exit site. Following gastrostomy tube removal; the patient was left with a large, high-output gastrocutaneous fistula which was treated aggressively with measures to reduce gastric discharge including 'nil-by-mouth', bypassing the stomach with distal feeding, administration of a somatostatin analogue, high-dose proton pump inhibitor and prokinetics with the aim of preoperatively downsizing the wound. This novel approach led to complete closure of the large gastrocutaneous fistula, obviating the need for surgical intervention.

Changing safety net of last resort: downsizing general assistance for employable adults.

PubMed

Anderson, Steven G; Halter, Anthony P; Gryzlak, Brian M

2002-07-01

General assistance (GA) has served as an income support program of last resort for people not eligible for other programs. Because each state has complete discretion to design its program, the GA services model parallels Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in its reliance on decentralized government decision making. Thus, GA programs can provide lessons about services variability and common program features that have arisen in a decentralized income support system. This study examined the characteristics of state GA programs across several program dimensions--eligibility criteria, work requirements, time limits, administrative arrangements, and caseloads. The authors show that GA programs have changed from 1989 to 1998. Although most states retained GA programs in some form, caseloads declined as a result of tightening eligibility requirements for people considered employable. This casts doubt on the viability of GA as a safety net program for economically vulnerable people, including those who do not qualify for or exceed time limits under TANF.

Impact of Human Resources on Implementing an Evidence-based HIV Prevention Intervention

PubMed Central

McKay, Virginia R.; Dolcini, M. Margaret; Catania, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) often require competent staff, or human resources (HR), for implementation. The empirical evidence characterizing the influence of HR fluctuations on EBI delivery is limited and conflicting. Using the Interactive Systems Framework, we explored staff fluctuation and the subsequent influence on RESPECT, an HIV prevention EBI. Methods We conducted interviews with staff in two waves (n=53, Wave I; n=37, Wave II) in a national sample of organizations delivering RESPECT (N=29). We analyzed interviews qualitatively to describe changes among RESPECT staff and explore the subsequent influences on RESPECT implementation. Results Organizations reported downsizing, turnover, and expansion of staff positions. Staff changes had multiple influences on RESPECT implementation including clients reached, fidelity to specific RESPECT protocols, and overall sustainability of RESPECT over time. Discussion HR fluctuations are common, and our analyses provide an initial characterization of the relationship between HR fluctuation and EBI implementation. Given the prominent influence of HR on EBI implementation, the Interactive Systems Framework is a useful guiding tool for future examinations. PMID:27150896

Medicaid managed care for mental health services: the survival of safety net institutions in rural settings.

PubMed

Willging, Cathleen E; Waitzkin, Howard; Nicdao, Ethel

2008-09-01

Few accounts document the rural context of mental health safety net institutions (SNIs), especially as they respond to changing public policies. Embedded in wider processes of welfare state restructuring, privatization has transformed state Medicaid systems nationwide. We carried out an ethnographic study in two rural, culturally distinct regions of New Mexico to assess the effects of Medicaid managed care (MMC) and the implications for future reform. After 160 interviews and participant observation at SNIs, we analyzed data through iterative coding procedures. SNIs responded to MMC by nonparticipation, partnering, downsizing, and tapping into alternative funding sources. Numerous barriers impaired access under MMC: service fragmentation, transportation, lack of cultural and linguistic competency, Medicaid enrollment, stigma, and immigration status. By privatizing Medicaid and contracting with for-profit managed care organizations, the state placed additional responsibilities on "disciplined" providers and clients. Managed care models might compromise the rural mental health safety net unless the serious gaps and limitations are addressed in existing services and funding.

Platinum single-atom and cluster catalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Niancai; Stambula, Samantha; Wang, Da; Banis, Mohammad Norouzi; Liu, Jian; Riese, Adam; Xiao, Biwei; Li, Ruying; Sham, Tsun-Kong; Liu, Li-Min; Botton, Gianluigi A.; Sun, Xueliang

2016-11-01

Platinum-based catalysts have been considered the most effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction in water splitting. However, platinum utilization in these electrocatalysts is extremely low, as the active sites are only located on the surface of the catalyst particles. Downsizing catalyst nanoparticles to single atoms is highly desirable to maximize their efficiency by utilizing nearly all platinum atoms. Here we report on a practical synthesis method to produce isolated single platinum atoms and clusters using the atomic layer deposition technique. The single platinum atom catalysts are investigated for the hydrogen evolution reaction, where they exhibit significantly enhanced catalytic activity (up to 37 times) and high stability in comparison with the state-of-the-art commercial platinum/carbon catalysts. The X-ray absorption fine structure and density functional theory analyses indicate that the partially unoccupied density of states of the platinum atoms' 5d orbitals on the nitrogen-doped graphene are responsible for the excellent performance.

Exterior Insulation Implications for Heating and Cooling Systems in Cold Climates

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

Herk, Anastasia; Poerschke, Andrew

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings. The U.S. Department of Energy Building America team, IBACOS, in collaboration with GreenHomes America, Inc. (GHA), was contracted by NYSERDA to research exterior wall insulation solutions. In addition to exterior wall insulation, the strategies included energy upgrades where needed in the attic, mechanical and ventilation systems, basement, band joist, walls, and floors. Under Building America, IBACOS ismore » studying the impact of a “thermal enclosure” DER on the sizing of the space conditioning system and the occupant comfort if the thermal capacity of the heating and cooling system is dramatically downsized without any change in the existing heating and cooling distribution system (e.g., size, tightness and supply outlet configurations).« less

Efficiency disparities among community hospitals in Tennessee: do size, location, ownership, and network matter?

PubMed

Roh, Chul-Young; Moon, M Jae; Jung, Kwangho

2013-11-01

This study examined the impact of ownership, size, location, and network on the relative technical efficiency of community hospitals in Tennessee for the 2002-2006 period, by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure technical efficiency (decomposed into scale efficiency and pure technical efficiency). Data envelopment analysis results indicate that medium-size hospitals (126-250 beds) are more efficient than their counterparts. Interestingly, public hospitals are significantly more efficient than private and nonprofit hospitals in Tennessee, and rural hospitals are more efficient than urban hospitals. This is the first study to investigate whether hospital networks with other health care providers affect hospital efficiency. Results indicate that community hospitals with networks are more efficient than non-network hospitals. From a management and policy perspective, this study suggests that public policies should induce hospitals to downsize or upsize into optional size, and private hospitals and nonprofit hospitals should change their organizational objectives from profit-driven to quality-driven.

Assessing the Battery Cost at Which Plug-In Hybrid Medium-Duty Parcel Delivery Vehicles Become Cost-Effective

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

Ramroth, L. A.; Gonder, J. D.; Brooker, A. D.

2013-04-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) validated diesel-conventional and diesel-hybrid medium-duty parcel delivery vehicle models to evaluate petroleum reductions and cost implications of hybrid and plug-in hybrid diesel variants. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are run on a field data-derived design matrix to analyze the effect of drive cycle, distance, engine downsizing, battery replacements, and battery energy on fuel consumption and lifetime cost. For an array of diesel fuel costs, the battery cost per kilowatt-hour at which the hybridized configuration becomes cost-effective is calculated. This builds on a previous analysis that found the fuel savings from medium duty plug-inmore » hybrids more than offset the vehicles' incremental price under future battery and fuel cost projections, but that they seldom did so under present day cost assumptions in the absence of purchase incentives. The results also highlight the importance of understanding the application's drive cycle specific daily distance and kinetic intensity.« less

Land-use and land-cover change shape the sustainability and impacts of protected areas.

PubMed

Tesfaw, Anteneh T; Pfaff, Alexander; Golden Kroner, Rachel E; Qin, Siyu; Medeiros, Rodrigo; Mascia, Michael B

2018-02-27

Protected areas (PAs) remain the dominant policy to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services but have been shown to have limited impact when development interests force them to locations with lower deforestation pressure. Far less known is that such interests also cause widespread tempering, reduction, or removal of protection [i.e., PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD)]. We inform responses to PADDD by proposing and testing a bargaining explanation for PADDD risks and deforestation impacts. We examine recent degazettements for hydropower development and rural settlements in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon. Results support two hypotheses: ( i ) ineffective PAs (i.e., those where internal deforestation was similar to nearby rates) were more likely to be degazetted and ( ii ) degazettement of ineffective PAs caused limited, if any, additional deforestation. We also report on cases in which ineffective portions were upgraded. Overall our results suggest that enhancing PAs' ecological impacts enhances their legal durability.

Process-based control of HAPs emissions from drying wood flakes.

PubMed

Banerjee, Sujit; Pendyala, Krishna; Buchanan, Mike; Yang, Rallming; Abu-Daabes, Malyuba; Otwell, Lawrence P E

2006-04-01

Industrial wood flake drying generates methanol, formaldehyde, and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). A simple theoretical model shows that particles smaller than 400 microm will begin to thermally degrade and release disproportionately large quantities of HAPs. This is confirmed in full-scale practice where particles smaller than 500 microm show visible signs of charring. Laboratory measurement of the activation energy for the breakdown of wood tissue into methanol and formaldehyde led to a value of about 17 kcal/mol. The apparent activation energy measured in the field was higher. This result was obtained under nonisothermal conditions and is biased high by the fines fraction of the furnish, which is exposed to elevated temperatures. It is proposed that a combination of screening out the fines fraction smaller than 500 microm and reducing the dryer inlet temperature will substantially reduce emissions, possibly to the point where control devices can be downsized or eliminated. Our findings allow these HAPs reductions to be semiquantitatively estimated.

Platinum single-atom and cluster catalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction

PubMed Central

Cheng, Niancai; Stambula, Samantha; Wang, Da; Banis, Mohammad Norouzi; Liu, Jian; Riese, Adam; Xiao, Biwei; Li, Ruying; Sham, Tsun-Kong; Liu, Li-Min; Botton, Gianluigi A.; Sun, Xueliang

2016-01-01

Platinum-based catalysts have been considered the most effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction in water splitting. However, platinum utilization in these electrocatalysts is extremely low, as the active sites are only located on the surface of the catalyst particles. Downsizing catalyst nanoparticles to single atoms is highly desirable to maximize their efficiency by utilizing nearly all platinum atoms. Here we report on a practical synthesis method to produce isolated single platinum atoms and clusters using the atomic layer deposition technique. The single platinum atom catalysts are investigated for the hydrogen evolution reaction, where they exhibit significantly enhanced catalytic activity (up to 37 times) and high stability in comparison with the state-of-the-art commercial platinum/carbon catalysts. The X-ray absorption fine structure and density functional theory analyses indicate that the partially unoccupied density of states of the platinum atoms' 5d orbitals on the nitrogen-doped graphene are responsible for the excellent performance. PMID:27901129

Nurses Respond to Healthcare Restructuring: The Transformation of the Massachusetts Nurses Association

PubMed Central

Wilson, Beth; Slatin, Craig; O’Sullivan, Michael

2018-01-01

The most recent period of Massachusetts healthcare system reorganization began in the early 1980s. In part, this has been a response to soaring healthcare costs, countering them with diminished reimbursements. To decrease labor costs and survive in an increasingly competitive and market-driven healthcare environment, hospitals downsized and laid off nursing staff. Patient care and safety has concomitantly suffered. These efforts severely challenged nurses’ status. Radicalized rank and file members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association mobilized against the association leadership’s weak efforts to protect nurses’ social and economic interests and the deteriorating quality of care. They transformed an association whose main focus was supporting nursing’s professional image to one which became an activist labor union of professional workers. The history of this often contentious transformation is presented here within the context of these healthcare system changes. The MNA’s successes and pending challenges within the Massachusetts healthcare system are also discussed. PMID:16803745

Partners HealthCare: an exercise in marital counseling.

PubMed Central

Thier, Samuel O.

2002-01-01

The high cost of health care in Boston led industry and government to expand managed care. The expensive academic health centers had the choice of closing, downsizing, merging, and/or integrating. The MGH and BWH chose to develop Partners HealthCare (PHCS) an integrated healthcare system that maintained the identities of the founding institutions. PHS founded in 1994 is physician-led and protects the missions of patient care, research and education. It includes the MGH and BWH, four community hospitals and one thousand primary care physicians. All administrative services have been consolidated as had several clinical departments, residencies and fellowships. Research coordination has resulted in shared space, grants, industrial partnerships, and a growth in support. Clinical service volumes have surpassed pre-merger levels. Contracts now cover the true costs of care and produce positive operating margins and bottom lines. The strategy of forming an integrated health system has achieved most but not all of its goals. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 PMID:12053703

Novel two-dimensional ferroelectric PbTe under tension: A first-principles prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xilin; Yang, Zongxian; Chen, Yue

2017-08-01

Enhanced ferroelectricity in two-dimensional (2D) SnTe exhibiting a higher transition temperature (Tc) than its bulk counterpart was recently discovered [Chang et al., Science 353(6296), 274-278 (2016)]. Herein, we report that nonferroelectric PbTe can be transformed into a ferroelectric phase by downsizing to two dimensions with suitable equi-biaxial tension. The crystal structure of the ferroelectric phase of 2D PbTe was determined using evolutionary algorithms and density functional theory. The dynamic stabilities of the predicted new phases were investigated using phonon calculations. To validate our results obtained using PbTe, we have also studied the ferroelectricity in GeTe and SnTe at the 2D level and compared them with the literature. The unequal lattice constants and the relative atomic displacements are found to be responsible for ferroelectricity in 2D GeTe, SnTe, and strained PbTe. This study facilitates the development of new 2D ferroelectrics via strain engineering and promotes the integration of ferroelectric devices.

Forging the future: the public health imperative.

PubMed

Allukian, M

1993-05-01

During the 1980s, national policy promoted military expenditures and downsized domestic programs. These priorities, along with tax reform and deregulation, created a "domestic gulf crisis" with a new wave of vulnerable populations--poor children, the homeless, the elderly, and the uninsured. Our lack of a national health program compounds the problem. The 1990s will be a decade of change and challenge. To forge a healthier and stronger future for our nation, we must implement five public health imperatives: (1) We must have a national health program that is universal, comprehensive, and prevention-oriented, with built-in assurances for quality, efficiency, and a strong public health infrastructure. (2) We must have a comprehensive national health education and promotion program for all schoolchildren. (3) Women must have freedom of choice. (4) Prevention and public health must become one of our country's highest health priorities. (5) The federal government must increase its leadership, commitments, and resources to reach the goals set forth in Healthy Communities 2000 and Healthy People 2000.

All-cellulose nanocomposite film made from bagasse cellulose nanofibers for food packaging application.

PubMed

Ghaderi, Moein; Mousavi, Mohammad; Yousefi, Hossein; Labbafi, Mohsen

2014-04-15

All-cellulose nanocomposite (ACNC) film was produced from sugarcane bagasse nanofibers using N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride solvent. The average diameter of bagasse fibers (14 μm) was downsized to 39 nm after disk grinding process. X-ray diffraction showed that apparent crystallinity and crystallite size decreased relatively to an increased duration of dissolution time. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that thermal stability of the ACNC was slightly less than that of the pure cellulose nanofiber sheet. Tensile strength of the fiber sheet, nanofiber sheet and ACNC prepared with 10 min dissolution time were 8, 101 and 140 MPa, respectively. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of the ACNC film increased relatively to an increased duration of dissolution time. ACNC can be considered as a multi-performance material with potential for application in cellulose-based food packaging owing to its promising properties (tough, bio-based, biodegradable and acceptable levels of WVP). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of High Precision Metal Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems Column for Portable Surface Acoustic Wave Gas Chromatograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwaya, Takamitsu; Akao, Shingo; Sakamoto, Toshihiro; Tsuji, Toshihiro; Nakaso, Noritaka; Yamanaka, Kazushi

2012-07-01

In the field of environmental measurement and security, a portable gas chromatograph (GC) is required for the on-site analysis of multiple hazardous gases. Although the gas separation column has been downsized using micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) technology, an MEMS column made of silicon and glass still does not have sufficient robustness and a sufficiently low fabrication cost for a portable GC. In this study, we fabricated a robust and inexpensive high-precision metal MEMS column by combining diffusion-bonded etched stainless-steel plates with alignment evaluation using acoustic microscopy. The separation performance was evaluated using a desktop GC with a flame ionization detector and we achieved the high separation performance comparable to the best silicon MEMS column fabricated using a dynamic coating method. As an application, we fabricated a palm-size surface acoustic wave (SAW) GC combining this column with a ball SAW sensor and succeeded in separating and detecting a mixture of volatile organic compounds.

Particulate emission abatement for Krakow boiler houses

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

Wysk, S.R.; Surowka, J.

1995-11-01

Environmental clean-up and pollution control are considered top priorities in Poland. The magnitude of environmental problems and public awareness of it has forced the Polish government to implement more aggressive regulatory controls. The extent of this condition has in fact prompted the government to designate pollution control a a top priority for foreign investment. During the past five years, Poland has also made significant progress in reorienting its central-planned economy to one based on open market principals. Efforts to decentralize has led to the privatization of many government-owned businesses with a concomitant shift in buying decisions to privately-owned enterprises. Thismore » movement toward privatizing the economy along with cleaning and protecting the environment has created numerous business opportunities for both Polish and foreign companies. As a result, there has been a drastic downsizing of large formerly state-owned companies. And, new startups and small businesses have become the main hope in reviving the Polish economy.« less

The application of artificial intelligent techniques to accelerator operations at McMaster University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poehlman, W. F. S.; Garland, Wm. J.; Stark, J. W.

1993-06-01

In an era of downsizing and a limited pool of skilled accelerator personnel from which to draw replacements for an aging workforce, the impetus to integrate intelligent computer automation into the accelerator operator's repertoire is strong. However, successful deployment of an "Operator's Companion" is not trivial. Both graphical and human factors need to be recognized as critical areas that require extra care when formulating the Companion. They include interactive graphical user's interface that mimics, for the operator, familiar accelerator controls; knowledge of acquisition phases during development must acknowledge the expert's mental model of machine operation; and automated operations must be seen as improvements to the operator's environment rather than threats of ultimate replacement. Experiences with the PACES Accelerator Operator Companion developed at two sites over the past three years are related and graphical examples are given. The scale of the work involves multi-computer control of various start-up/shutdown and tuning procedures for Model FN and KN Van de Graaff accelerators. The response from licensing agencies has been encouraging.

Improving Sustainability of Ion Implant Modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Jim

2011-01-01

Semiconductor fabs have long been pressured to manage capital costs, reduce energy consumption and increasingly improve efforts to recycle and recover resources. Ion implant tools have been high-profile offenders on all three fronts. They draw such large volumes of air for heat dissipation and risk reduction that historically, they are the largest consumer of cleanroom air of any process tool—and develop energy usage and resource profiles to match. This paper presents a documented approach to reduce their energy consumption and dramatically downsize on-site facilities support for cleanroom air manufacture and abatement. The combination produces significant capital expenditure savings. The case entails applying SAGS Type 1 (sub-atmospheric gas systems) toxic gas packaging to enable engineering adaptations that deliver the energy savings and cost benefits without any reduction in environmental health and safety. The paper also summarizes benefits as they relate to reducing a fabs carbon emission footprint (and longer range advantages relative to potential cap and trade programs) with existing technology.

Reengineering health care materials management.

PubMed

Connor, L R

1998-01-01

Health care executives across the country, faced with intense competition, are being forced to consider drastic cost cutting measures as a matter of survival. The entire health care industry is under siege from boards of directors, management and others who encourage health care systems to take actions ranging from strategic acquisitions and mergers to simple "downsizing" or "rightsizing," to improve their perceived competitive positions in terms of costs, revenues and market share. In some cases, management is poorly prepared to work within this new competitive paradigm and turns to consultants who promise that following their methodologies can result in competitive advantage. One favored methodology is reengineering. Frequently, cost cutting attention is focused on the materials management budget because it is relatively large and is viewed as being comprised mostly of controllable expenses. Also, materials management is seldom considered a core competency for the health care system and the organization performing these activities does not occupy a strongly defensible position. This paper focuses on the application of a reengineering methodology to healthcare materials management.

How Well Do Submillimeter Galaxies Trace Protoclusters?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, Christopher C.

2017-07-01

It has been suggested that associations of (or even individual) high-redshift submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) may serve as beacons of protoclusters because SMGs are high-mass galaxies undergoing rapid assembly. Moreover, it has been claimed that the protocluster environment may lead to 'synchronized' starbursts and thus multiple SMGs within the protocluster region. We investigate this possibility using the Bolshoi cosmological N-body simulation and a model for populating the simulation with SMGs. We find that although SMG associations correspond to some of the highest overdensities at z > 2.5, they are highly incomplete tracers because of stochastic sampling effects. At lower redshift, because of 'downsizing' (i.e. the most massive galaxies have already ceased forming stars and are thus not SMGs), the highest dark matter overdensities are not well traced by SMG associations. I will close by discussing the implications of this work for observational studies of protoclusters and how the highest-redshift SMGs can be used to maximize the potential of JWST for studying very high redshift galaxies.

Organizational restructuring, government control and loss of legitimacy following an organizational crisis: the case of Israel's nonprofit human services.

PubMed

Mano, Rita; Rosenberg, Dennis

2014-01-01

The study explores organizational restructuring following the occurrence of a crisis. Restructuring activities following an intervention are considered here to be indicators of an organization's loss of legitimacy because they have lost their independent status, a basic characteristic of nonprofit human settings. The study shows that according to the Resource Based View of organization restructuring--experienced as downsizing, neglecting and abandoning of projects--organizations are affected by (a) government intervention in decision making; (b) higher demands for accountability; and (c) higher evaluations of performance gaps. On the basis of the study of a sample of 138 Nonprofit Human Services in Israel, the results show that the higher the level of restructuring, the higher the level of legitimacy. However, organization location in metropolitan areas moderates the link between restructuring and legitimacy loss. We conclude that Israel's nonprofit human services being overly dependent on goverhment funding are more prone to restructuring and losing legitimacy following organizational crisis.

Cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers unveiled by hard X-ray observations

PubMed Central

UEDA, Yoshihiro

2015-01-01

We review the current understanding of the cosmological evolution of supermassive black holes in galactic centers elucidated by X-ray surveys of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Hard X-ray observations at energies above 2 keV are the most efficient and complete tools to find “obscured” AGNs, which are dominant populations among all AGNs. Combinations of surveys with various flux limits and survey area have enabled us to determine the space number density and obscuration properties of AGNs as a function of luminosity and redshift. The results have essentially solved the origin of the X-ray background in the energy band below ∼10 keV. The downsizing (or anti-hierarchical) evolution that more luminous AGNs have the space-density peak at higher redshifts has been discovered, challenging theories of galaxy and black hole formation. Finally, we summarize unresolved issues on AGN evolution and prospects for future X-ray missions. PMID:25971656

True-3D Strain Mapping for Assessment of Material Deformation by Synchrotron X-Ray Microtomography

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

Ahn, J.J.; Toda, H.; Niinomi, M.

2005-04-09

Downsizing of products with complex shapes has been accelerated thanks to the rapid development of electrodevice manufacturing technology. Micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) are one of such typical examples. 3D strain measurement of such miniature products is needed to ensure their reliability. In the present study, as preliminary trial for it 3D tensile deformation behavior of a pure aluminum wire is examined using the synchrotron X-ray microtomography technique at Spring-8, Japan. Multipurpose in-situ tester is used to investigate real-time tensile deformation behavior of the Al wire. Tensile tests are carried out under strokes of 0, 0.005, 0.01 and 0.015mm. It measuresmore » 3D local deformation of a region of interest by tracking a relative movement of a pair of particles at each point. Local deformation behavior of the Al wire is identified to be different from macroscopic deformation behavior. It may be closely associated with underlying microstructure.« less

Robust ferromagnetism carried by antiferromagnetic domain walls

PubMed Central

Hirose, Hishiro T.; Yamaura, Jun-ichi; Hiroi, Zenji

2017-01-01

Ferroic materials, such as ferromagnetic or ferroelectric materials, have been utilized as recording media for memory devices. A recent trend for downsizing, however, requires an alternative, because ferroic orders tend to become unstable for miniaturization. The domain wall nanoelectronics is a new developing direction for next-generation devices, in which atomic domain walls, rather than conventional, large domains themselves, are the active elements. Here we show that atomically thin magnetic domain walls generated in the antiferromagnetic insulator Cd2Os2O7 carry unusual ferromagnetic moments perpendicular to the wall as well as electron conductivity: the ferromagnetic moments are easily polarized even by a tiny field of 1 mT at high temperature, while, once cooled down, they are surprisingly robust even in an inverse magnetic field of 7 T. Thus, the magnetic domain walls could serve as a new-type of microscopic, switchable and electrically readable magnetic medium which is potentially important for future applications in the domain wall nanoelectronics. PMID:28195565

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

Kiriyama, Takao; Hirano, Makito; Asai, Hirohide

Triple A syndrome is an autosomal recessive neurological disease, mimicking motor neuron disease, and is caused by mutant ALADIN, a nuclear-pore complex component. We recently discovered that the pathogenesis involved impaired nuclear import of DNA repair proteins, including DNA ligase I and the cerebellar ataxia causative protein aprataxin. Such impairment was overcome by fusing classical nuclear localization signal (NLS) and 137-aa downstream sequence of XRCC1, designated stretched NLS (stNLS). We report here that the minimum essential sequence of stNLS (mstNLS) is residues 239-276, downsized by more than 100 aa. mstNLS enabled efficient nuclear import of DNA repair proteins in patientmore » fibroblasts, functioned under oxidative stress, and reduced oxidative-stress-induced cell death, more effectively than stNLS. The stress-tolerability of mstNLS was also exerted in control fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells. These findings may help develop treatments for currently intractable triple A syndrome and other oxidative-stress-related neurological diseases, and contribute to nuclear compartmentalization study.« less

Effects of High Octane Ethanol Blends on Four Legacy Flex-Fuel Vehicles, and a Turbocharged GDI Vehicle

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

Thomas, John F; West, Brian H; Huff, Shean P

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting engine and vehicle research to investigate the potential of high-octane fuels to improve fuel economy. Ethanol has very high research octane number (RON) and heat of vaporization (HoV), properties that make it an excellent spark ignition engine fuel. The prospects of increasing both the ethanol content and the octane number of the gasoline pool has the potential to enable improved fuel economy in future vehicles with downsized, downsped engines. This report describes a small study to explore the potential performance benefits of high octane ethanol blends in the legacy fleet. There aremore » over 17 million flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the road today in the United States, vehicles capable of using any fuel from E0 to E85. If a future high-octane blend for dedicated vehicles is on the horizon, the nation is faced with the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. If today’s FFVs can see a performance advantage with a high octane ethanol blend such as E25 or E30, then perhaps consumer demand for this fuel can serve as a bridge to future dedicated vehicles. Experiments were performed with four FFVs using a 10% ethanol fuel (E10) with 88 pump octane, and a market gasoline blended with ethanol to make a 30% by volume ethanol fuel (E30) with 94 pump octane. The research octane numbers were 92.4 for the E10 fuel and 100.7 for the E30 fuel. Two vehicles had gasoline direct injected (GDI) engines, and two featured port fuel injection (PFI). Significant wide open throttle (WOT) performance improvements were measured for three of the four FFVs, with one vehicle showing no change. Additionally, a conventional (non-FFV) vehicle with a small turbocharged direct-injected engine was tested with a regular grade of gasoline with no ethanol (E0) and a splash blend of this same fuel with 15% ethanol by volume (E15). RON was increased from 90.7 for the E0 to 97.8 for the E15 blend. Significant wide open throttle and thermal efficiency performance improvement was measured for this vehicle, which achieved near volumetric fuel economy parity on the aggressive US06 drive cycle, demonstrating the potential for improved fuel economy in forthcoming downsized, downsped engines with high-octane fuels.« less

EDITORIAL: Towards the next node in downsized devices Towards the next node in downsized devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demming, Anna

2010-02-01

Over the past 50 years, one notable trend in the progress of electronics technology has been the steady scaling down in physical size, widely known as Moore's Law. Over the next ten years the ability to continue miniaturizing devices within the existing technological framework faces some fundamental obstacles, and alternatives to traditional CMOS architectures are being investigated. Carbon nanotubes, the wonder material first discovered by Iijima in 1991 [1], have been proposed as a possible means of continuing the trend to down-size devices. This has initiated research into the thermal properties of carbon nanotubes that may affect device performance [2], as well as new synthesis techniques that allow control over the diameter and chirality [3], which are physical characteristics of carbon nanotubes that influence their electronic properties. Carbon nanotubes have been touted as a host of device challenges since their discovery, but an application with truly commercial benefits is yet to be devised. Although the vast potential in carbon nanotube applied research may not yet have tapped into the cashflow from mainstream commerce, the role they have played so far in advancing our understanding of the fundamental properties of systems at the nanoscale remains priceless. Germanium and silicon nanowires are also possible candidates to infiltrate electronic devices. Means of refining fabrication processes and enhancing transport properties in these materials [4, 5] is already a hot topic of research. Electron-beam-induced deposition is one approach that is now widely adopted for fabricating three-dimensional structures for nanoscale devices. However, despite the merits of convenience and versatility, the potential applications of electron-beam-induced deposition are still limited by the problem of impurities introduced by the process. The review published in Nanotechnology [6] at the end of last year presents a user-oriented overview of electron-beam-induced-deposition techniques and the state of play of the latest research for tackling the problem of impurities posed by this technique. In this issue Stefan Habicht and colleagues look at the effects of strain on the silicidation process in nickel silicide nanowires [7]. The study focuses on the contact conductivity and resistivity, and demonstrates impressively low resisitvities for NiSi/Si contacts for silicon-on-insulator and strained silicon-on-insulator nanowires compared with planar structures. The researchers also identify a reduction in the resistivity of uniaxially strained nanowires, which they attribute to the improved mobility of the electrons. Also in this issue, Stefen Münch and colleagues in Germany and Sweden use real-time photoluminescence spectroscopy to investigate the effect of HfO2 surface capping by atomic layer deposition on the optical properties of InP nanowires [8]. Hafnium oxide has a high dielectric constant and acts as a gate oxide, facilitating applications of the nanowires in field effect transistors. The work reports details of how different pretreatments and deposition parameters affect the optical properties of the nanowires, and demonstrates how real-time photoluminescence spectroscopy can provide an attractive method for allowing direct optical access to the interface properties. The surface treatment can also be applied to other III-V material systems such as InAs. Without a doubt, maintaining the rate of progress in terms of the cost and size of transistors poses some significant challenges as we continue to push towards further electronic miniaturization. What is also clear is how these challenges are providing ample inspiration for technological innovation and the study of fundamental properties of systems at the nanoscale. References [1] Ijima S 1991 Nature 354 56 [2] Che J, Çagin T and Goddard W A III 2000 Nanotechnology 11 65-9 [3] Sidorov A, Mudd D, Dumanasekara G, Ouseph P J, Jayanthi C S and Wu S-Y 2009 Nanotechnology 20 055611 [4] Guen Y et al 2008 Nanotechnology 19 505302 [5] Leu P W et al 2008 Nanotechnology 19 485705 [6] Botman A, Mulders J J L and Hagen C W 2009 Nanotechnology 20 372001 [7] Habicht S, Zhao Q T, Feste S F, Knoll L, Trellenkamp S, Ghyselen B and Mantl S 2010 Nanotechnology 21 105701 [8] Münch S, Reitzenstein S, Borgström M, Thelander C, Samuelson L, Worschech L and Forchel A 2010 Nanotechnology 21 105711

A low energy demand scenario for meeting the 1.5 °C target and sustainable development goals without negative emission technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubler, Arnulf; Wilson, Charlie; Bento, Nuno; Boza-Kiss, Benigna; Krey, Volker; McCollum, David L.; Rao, Narasimha D.; Riahi, Keywan; Rogelj, Joeri; De Stercke, Simon; Cullen, Jonathan; Frank, Stefan; Fricko, Oliver; Guo, Fei; Gidden, Matt; Havlík, Petr; Huppmann, Daniel; Kiesewetter, Gregor; Rafaj, Peter; Schoepp, Wolfgang; Valin, Hugo

2018-06-01

Scenarios that limit global warming to 1.5 °C describe major transformations in energy supply and ever-rising energy demand. Here, we provide a contrasting perspective by developing a narrative of future change based on observable trends that results in low energy demand. We describe and quantify changes in activity levels and energy intensity in the global North and global South for all major energy services. We project that global final energy demand by 2050 reduces to 245 EJ, around 40% lower than today, despite rises in population, income and activity. Using an integrated assessment modelling framework, we show how changes in the quantity and type of energy services drive structural change in intermediate and upstream supply sectors (energy and land use). Down-sizing the global energy system dramatically improves the feasibility of a low-carbon supply-side transformation. Our scenario meets the 1.5 °C climate target as well as many sustainable development goals, without relying on negative emission technologies.

Chitin nanofibrils for rapid and efficient removal of metal ions from water system.

PubMed

Liu, Dagang; Zhu, Yi; Li, Zehui; Tian, Donglin; Chen, Lei; Chen, Peng

2013-10-15

Joint mechanical defibrillation was successfully used to downsize chitin micro-particles (CMP) into nanofibrils without changing its chemical or crystalline structure. The fine chitin nanofibrils (CNF) bearing width of about 50 nm and length of more than 1 μm were then developed as heavy metal ion sorbents. The uptake performance of CNF dependent on pH, ionic concentration, time, and temperature was investigated. Results show that fixation amount of Cd(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Pb(II), Cr(III) on CNF was up to 2.94, 2.30, 2.22, 2.06, 1.46, and 0.31 mmol/g, respectively, much higher than CMP due to high specific surface area and widely distributed pores of CNF. Adsorption kinetics of CMP and CNF followed pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich isotherm although CNF exhibited higher rate constant and sorption capacity than that of CMP. The defibrillated CNF is renewable, feasible, easily recyclable, and is thought as good candidate for heavy metal ion treatment due to their low sorption energy, rapid and efficient uptake capacity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparing for the future: a case study of role changing and reengineering. Recognize and seize the new opportunities.

PubMed

Holland, C A

1995-01-01

Today's laboratory managers are caught in the midst of a tumultuous environment as a result of managed care, mergers and acquisitions, and downsizing. We must prepare ourselves through continuous learning, recognize the marketable value of our skills outside of the laboratory, and seize opportunities to expand into new roles. At Arkansas Children's Hospital, the Chief Executive Officer selected the Administrative Director of Laboratories to reengineer the General Pediatric Center. Our goals were to improve quality of care, efficiency, teamwork, clinic visit times, and satisfaction of patients, staff, and physicians. We developed ideal objectives from surveys, brainstorming sessions, and interviews to serve as guidelines for reengineering teams. Teams met the goals and 12 of 15 ideal objectives. Patient flow redesign resulted in different processes for different patient populations and a 35% decrease in the average clinic visit time. Patient, staff, and physician satisfaction improved, as did the clinic's financial status. The project's success confirms that our leadership and analytical skills are transferable from the laboratory to carry us to new heights in other health-care arenas.

Space gravitational wave antenna DECIGO and B-DECIGO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musha, Mitsuru

2017-12-01

Since the direct detection of gravitational wave will give us a fruitful insight about the early universe or life of stars, laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors with the strain sensitivity of higher than 10-22 have been developed. In Japan, the space gravitational wave detector project named DECi-hertz Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) has been promoted which consists of three satellites forming equilateral triangle-shaped Fabry-Perot laser interferometer with the arm length of 1000 km. The designed strain sensitivity of DECIGO is 2 × 10-24/√Hz around 0.1 Hz whose targets are gravitational waves originated from the inspiral and the merger of black hole or neutron star binaries and from the inflation at the early universe, and no ground-based gravitational wave detector can access this observation band. Before launching DECIGO in 2030s, a milestone mission named B-DECIGO is planned which is a downsized mission of DECIGO. B-DECIGO also has its own scientific targets in addition to the feasibility test for DECIGO. In the present paper, DECIGO and B-DECIGO projects are reviewed.