Labor Market Effects of Pensions and Implications for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedberg, Leora; Turner, Sarah

2010-01-01

While the retirement security landscape has changed drastically for most workers over the last twenty years, traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans remain the overwhelming norm for K-12 teachers. Because DB plans pay off fully with a fixed income after retirement only if a teacher stays in the profession for decades and yield little or…

Districts Experiment With Cutting Down on Teacher Absence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Bess

2008-01-01

Although teachers' unions and advocates argue that teacher abuse of leave is rare, economists studying the issue say more could be done to cut down on teacher absences and some districts are experimenting with rewarding exceptional attendance, paying teachers for unused earned leave, adjusting reporting procedures, and closer monitoring of leave…

Tax Cut Legislation: What's Fair? Lesson Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foundation for Teaching Economics, Davis, CA.

Front and center in 2001 domestic policy debates is President George W. Bush's proposed tax relief plan. The U.S. federal tax is a progressive tax code, predicated on the assumption that "people who are most able to pay should pay the most." A progressive tax system makes an individual's tax bill increase faster than his/her income. The…

Practicing uneven age management: does it pay? Some economic considerations

Treesearch

Gary W. Miller

1991-01-01

Unevenage silvicultural practices can be used to regenerate and manage many eastern hardwood stands. Single-tree cutting methods are feasible in stands where a desirable shade tolerant commercial species can be regenerated following periodic harvests. A variety of partial harvest practices, including single-tree selection and diameterlimit cutting have been used for 30...

Paying It Forward: A Technical Assistance Guide for Developing and Implementing Performance-Based Scholarships. The Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welbeck, Rashida; Ware, Michelle; Cerna, Oscar; Valenzuela, Ireri

2014-01-01

Difficulties in paying for college and in maintaining good academic performance are two major hurdles to college graduation for low-income students. In recent years, state and federal budgets for postsecondary education have been cut significantly, limiting the options policymakers, education leaders, and communities have to improve rates of…

Congressional Halt in Pay Increases and Cut Congressional Pay Act

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Loebsack, David [D-IA-2

2013-01-23

House - 01/23/2013 Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of... (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Investing in Accounting: A Call for Professional Involvement in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-Chia; Landis, Mark; Yu, Shaokun Carol

2011-01-01

The current financial crisis has created serious repercussions for accounting education. Public universities have lost funding and initiated huge budget cuts. These drastic cutbacks have resulted in the losses of courses, enrollment, and faculty. These losses will translate into inaccessibility of education will reduce the future accounting work…

76 FR 68619 - National Entrepreneurship Month, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-04

... ideas into new businesses and new jobs, we are building an innovation economy that will propel our... entrepreneurs and inventors secure a patent three times faster than they can today, drastically cutting the time..., grow their businesses, and hire more workers. We stand at a moment when our Nation's economy must...

Cutting through the Hype: The Essential Guide to School Reform. Revised, Expanded, and Updated Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David, Jane L.; Cuban, Larry

2010-01-01

"Cutting Through the Hype: The Essential Guide to School Reform" is a revised, expanded, and updated version of the classic work by Jane L. David and Larry Cuban. It offers balanced analyses of 23 currently popular school reform strategies, from teacher performance pay and putting mayors in charge to turnaround schools and data-driven instruction.…

NCO-5 Technician Cuts Finger while Cutting Gasket Material

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

Trujillo, Stanley; Schreiber, Stephen Bruce; Mcneel, John Worth

2015-12-10

As part of the ADPSM Safety Improvement Plan, the WSST has established a subcommittee for a Learning Team. The purpose of a Learning Team is to transfer and communicate the information into operational feedback and improvement. We want to pay attention to the small things that go wrong because they are often early warning signals and may provide insight into the health of the whole system.

Occupy and Escalate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bousquet, Marc

2010-01-01

The academic year began with a bang last fall at the University of California (UC). A series of bangs, actually, featuring a united front of students, staff, and faculty in a coordinated series of walkouts and strikes across the system's ten campuses. The target of their outrage was a series of draconian layoffs, wage cuts, and drastic tuition…

Resident Retention: Understanding and Predicting On-Campus Residents' Decisions to Return to Campus Housing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kyle David

2017-01-01

Faced with the most drastic economic downturn since the Great Depression, public institutions of higher education have been increasing tuition, cutting programs, and finding creative ways to generate more revenue since 2008. Higher rates of housing occupancy lead to greater financial stability for colleges and universities (Mitchell &…

Congressional Pay Cut Act

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Giffords, Gabrielle [D-AZ-8

2011-01-06

House - 02/08/2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy . (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

32 CFR 231.5 - Procedures-domestic banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... grass cutting and snow removal) at rates set forth in the lease, operating agreement or other written..., and other furnished services. (7) Banks shall pay all construction costs. (h) Bank liaison officer...

Pricing of miniature vehicles made from telephone card waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspitasari, N. B.; Pujotomo, D.; Muhardiansyah, H.

2017-12-01

The number of electronic devices in Indonesia in the last 10 years has been increasing quite drastically which contributes to more electronic waste. E-waste or electronic waste have different characteristics from other kinds of waste. Components of electronic waste often poisonous, consisting dangerous chemicals. The telephone card wasted is also an electronic waste. One alternative to handle and manage telephone card waste is to recycle it into collectible miniature vehicles. But the price of these miniatures is quite high, causing low interest in buying them. A research on the price of miniature vehicles in relation to consumers’ Ability to Pay (ATP) and Willingness to Pay (WTP) needs to be done. Segmentation analysis data, target, product positioning and product marketing mix are needed before commencing the research. Data collection is done through a survey by spreading questionnaire to 100 miniature vehicle collectors in Semarang, questioning their ability and willingness to pay recycled miniature vehicles. Calculations showed average ATP of Rp.112.520, 24 and average WTP of Rp.76.870. The last result showed the estimate pricing according to ATP and WTP which is Rp.66.000 with 58% of the respondents claiming to be willing and able to pay that price.

Using AASL's "Health and Wellness" and "Crisis Toolkits"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Logan, Debra Kay

2009-01-01

Whether a school library program is the picture of good health in a state that mandates a professionally staffed library media center in every building or is suffering in a low-wealth district that is facing drastic cuts, the recently launched toolkits by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) are stocked with useful strategies and…

Machining process influence on the chip form and surface roughness by neuro-fuzzy technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anicic, Obrad; Jović, Srđan; Aksić, Danilo; Skulić, Aleksandar; Nedić, Bogdan

2017-04-01

The main aim of the study was to analyze the influence of six machining parameters on the chip shape formation and surface roughness as well during turning of Steel 30CrNiMo8. Three components of cutting forces were used as inputs together with cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut. It is crucial for the engineers to use optimal machining parameters to get the best results or to high control of the machining process. Therefore, there is need to find the machining parameters for the optimal procedure of the machining process. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was used to estimate the inputs influence on the chip shape formation and surface roughness. According to the results, the cutting force in direction of the depth of cut has the highest influence on the chip form. The testing error for the cutting force in direction of the depth of cut has testing error 0.2562. This cutting force determines the depth of cut. According to the results, the depth of cut has the highest influence on the surface roughness. Also the depth of cut has the highest influence on the surface roughness. The testing error for the cutting force in direction of the depth of cut has testing error 5.2753. Generally the depth of cut and the cutting force which provides the depth of cut are the most dominant factors for chip forms and surface roughness. Any small changes in depth of cut or in cutting force which provide the depth of cut could drastically affect the chip form or surface roughness of the working material.

Market seen strengthening gradually

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

Stremel, K.; Marcus, E.

1983-12-01

Rocky Mountain well servicing contractors are expecting a more profitable business next year. Rig utilization has been improving since it's April low, convincing contractors that a gradual strengthening of the market is underway. Contractors have cut overhead expenses drastically, and are surviving on minimal profit levels. There is a growing consensus that rates have to improve if contractors are to maintain equipment and personnel standards.

Survival, growth, and quality of residual trees following clearcutting in Allegheny hardwood forests

Treesearch

David A. Marquis

1981-01-01

A study of residual saplings and poles left after clearcutting indicates that sugar maple and beech are capable of surviving and gowing well after this type of drastic release. Epicormic branches developed on many trees, but those that were free of epicormics before cutting tended to remain free of them after exposure. Residual trees did not interfere with the...

Promoting Gender Diversity in the Faculty: What Higher Education Unions Can Do

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2011

2011-01-01

In spring 2011, public higher education is under attack as never before. Public institutions have been targeted for drastic cuts in the past, but now the attacks are aimed at the very core of the educational enterprise and at the basic rights of college faculty and staff. This, in turn, has the potential of placing at risk the practices and…

Astronomical Prospecting of Asteroid Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elvis, M.

2017-09-01

To make asteroid mining profitable will require professional astronomers using some of the largest telescopes on Earth to make precision measurements. This "astronomical prospecting" information is cheaper to obtain than flying even one or two spacecraft and will drastically cut the number of space probes that have to be sent to find an ore-bearing rock in space. Astronomical prospecting could make the business case for asteroid mining a solid one.

Patient preference and willingness to pay for knee osteoarthritis treatments

PubMed Central

Posnett, John; Dixit, Sanjeev; Oppenheimer, Brooks; Kili, Sven; Mehin, Nazanin

2015-01-01

Purpose To review treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) received by patients across five European countries, and to obtain patients’ perceptions and willingness to pay for current treatments. Patients and methods A prospective, internet-based, double-blind survey of adults with OAK was conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The questionnaire included questions about diagnosis, treatment history, and perceptions of OAK treatments, followed by a discrete choice-based conjoint exercise to identify preferred attributes of OAK treatments, evaluating 14 sets of four unbranded products. Results Two thousand and seventy-three patients with self-reported OAK completed the survey; 17.4% of patients rated their knee pain as drastically affecting their ability to perform normal daily activities, and 39.3% of employed patients reported that they had lost work time because of OAK. The most common treatments were exercise (69.7%), physical therapy (68.2%), and nonprescription oral pain medication (73.9%). Treatments perceived as most effective were: viscosupplement injections (74.1%), narcotics (67.8%), and steroid injection (67.6%). Patient co-pay, duration of pain relief, and type of therapy exhibited the largest impact on patient preference for OAK treatments. The average patient was willing to pay €35 and €64 more in co-pay for steroid and viscosupplement injections, respectively, over the cost of oral over-the-counter painkillers (per treatment course, per knee) (each P<0.05). Conclusion OAK is a debilitating condition that affects normal daily activities. In general, treatments most commonly offered to patients are not those perceived as being the most effective. Patients are willing to pay a premium for treatments that they perceive as being more effective and result in longer-lasting pain relief, and those that can be administered with fewer visits to a physician. PMID:26089650

Organizational respect dampens the impact of group-based relative deprivation on willingness to protest pay cuts.

PubMed

Osborne, Danny; Huo, Yuen J; Smith, Heather J

2015-03-01

Although group-based relative deprivation predicts people's willingness to protest unfair outcomes, perceiving that one's subgroup is respected increases employees' support for organizations. An integration of these perspectives suggests that subgroup respect will dampen the impact of group-based relative deprivation on workers' responses to unfair organizational outcomes. We examined this hypothesis among university faculty (N = 804) who underwent a system-wide pay cut. As expected, group-based relative deprivation predicted protest intentions. This relationship was, however, muted among those who believed university administrators treated their area of expertise (i.e., their subgroup) with a high (vs. low) level of respect. Moderated mediation analyses confirmed that group-based relative deprivation had a conditional indirect effect on protest intentions via participants' (dis)identification with their university at low to moderate, but not high, levels of subgroup respect. Our finding that satisfying relational needs can attenuate responses to group-based relative deprivation demonstrates the benefits of integrating insights from distinct research traditions. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Output-Adaptive Tetrahedral Cut-Cell Validation for Sonic Boom Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Michael A.; Darmofal, David L.

2008-01-01

A cut-cell approach to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that utilizes the median dual of a tetrahedral background grid is described. The discrete adjoint is also calculated, which permits adaptation based on improving the calculation of a specified output (off-body pressure signature) in supersonic inviscid flow. These predicted signatures are compared to wind tunnel measurements on and off the configuration centerline 10 body lengths below the model to validate the method for sonic boom prediction. Accurate mid-field sonic boom pressure signatures are calculated with the Euler equations without the use of hybrid grid or signature propagation methods. Highly-refined, shock-aligned anisotropic grids were produced by this method from coarse isotropic grids created without prior knowledge of shock locations. A heuristic reconstruction limiter provided stable flow and adjoint solution schemes while producing similar signatures to Barth-Jespersen and Venkatakrishnan limiters. The use of cut-cells with an output-based adaptive scheme completely automated this accurate prediction capability after a triangular mesh is generated for the cut surface. This automation drastically reduces the manual intervention required by existing methods.

Outlook 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

2012-01-01

It might be tempting for education administrators, saddled with an accumulation of budget cuts and dwindling resources, to keep their heads down and concern themselves with only the immediate future as they try to overcome a host of obstacles and provide a high-quality education to students. But schools and universities have to pay attention not…

32 CFR 231.6 - Procedures-overseas banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... § 231.1(a). (D) Education, on a space-available, tuition-paying basis, provided by the Department of Defense Education Activity to minor dependents of assigned staff in accordance with DoD Directive 1342.13... custodial and janitorial services to include garbage disposal and outdoor maintenance (such as grass cutting...

32 CFR 231.6 - Procedures-overseas banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... § 231.1(a). (D) Education, on a space-available, tuition-paying basis, provided by the Department of Defense Education Activity to minor dependents of assigned staff in accordance with DoD Directive 1342.13... custodial and janitorial services to include garbage disposal and outdoor maintenance (such as grass cutting...

32 CFR 231.6 - Procedures-overseas banks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... § 231.1(a). (D) Education, on a space-available, tuition-paying basis, provided by the Department of Defense Education Activity to minor dependents of assigned staff in accordance with DoD Directive 1342.13... custodial and janitorial services to include garbage disposal and outdoor maintenance (such as grass cutting...

Creative Funding Opportunities for Interscholastic Athletic Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forester, Brooke E.

2015-01-01

Athletic programs nationwide are facing budget constraints like never before. Pay-to-play programs are becoming commonplace. School districts are providing less and less funding for athletics. Still worse, many high school athletic programs are being cut entirely from the scholastic school setting. Coaches and athletic directors are being forced…

Budget Eliminates Emergency Grants; Districts Regroup

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Nirvi

2011-01-01

Emergency training programs aimed to prepare schools for events like Columbine are losing their funding amid budget cuts. "Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools" grants from the federal office of safe and drug-free schools, has evaporated. After paying for hundreds of school districts to prepare for a Columbine-like event, the roughly…

Special Education for a New Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katzman, Lauren I., Ed.; Gandhi, Allison Gruner, Ed.; Harbour, Wendy S., Ed.; LaRock, J. D., Ed.

2005-01-01

"Special Education for a New Century" pays particularly close attention to how inclusive education practices can best be promoted in the era of standards-based accountability. An updated version of the best-selling "Special Education at the Century's End", this new volume combines cutting-edge research and theory about students…

Governing for Results on a Postcollective Bargaining Wisconsin School Board

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Michael R.

2015-01-01

The popular narrative of Wisconsin's collective bargaining battle started out being about money. Should public employees pay more toward their healthcare? Can school districts offset state aid cuts using the additional revenue from employee healthcare contributions? Does collective bargaining have a cost? This article gives an overview of…

Mounting Debt

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullerton, Jon

2004-01-01

The long economic boom enabled school districts nationwide to fund expensive reforms and hefty pay raises. Now, however, they are finding it nearly impossible to cut costs and balance their budgets. The specific path to financial distress is unique in each case. Any number of factors, from excessively generous concessions at the bargaining table…

Telework and the Information Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanworth, Celia

1998-01-01

Review of Information Age literature found not enough evidence that information industries will reenergize economies or provide high-quality jobs. Virtual organizations are hard to identify. Women do the bulk of low-skill, low-paying telework jobs, reinforcing sex roles and class divisions. Remote workers are often vulnerable and cut off from…

Comprehensive Benefit Platforms to Simplify Complex HR Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrsam, Hank

2012-01-01

Paying for employee turnover costs, data storage, and multiple layers of benefits can be difficult for fiscally constrained institutions, especially as budget cuts and finance-limiting legislation abound in school districts across the country. Many traditional paper-based systems have been replaced with automated, software-based services, helping…

Economic Blues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Reginald

2009-01-01

Today, a national economy gone bust has derailed Black Americans' plans across the country. Gone are many of the economic gains, small as they were, achieved in the post-segregation era by millions of 1960s generation children and their children. Black America today is beset by job losses, business closures, pay cuts, furloughs, investment and…

Crisis in the health sector: Impact on nurses' working conditions.

PubMed

Granero-Lázaro, Alberto; Blanch-Ribas, Josep M; Roldán-Merino, Juan Francisco; Torralbas-Ortega, Jordi; Escayola-Maranges, Ana María

In a context of economic crisis and policies to reduce the public deficit, the budgets of the Catalan Health Institute (CHI) were cut by 15.33% between 2010 and 2014. To assess the perceived impact on nurses' work conditions of measures to contain health spending. The study design was descriptive and transversal. A sample of 1,760 nurses from the province of Barcelona answered a questionnaire on the perceived impact of health spending containment measures implemented in their workplace during the early years of the crisis. Among the main aspects of the perceived impact of these measures, 86.6% of the nurses identified a pay cut and an increase in the following relevant parameters of their working conditions: number of hours worked (66.7%), final ratio of treated patients (35.2%), task complexity and workload (75.3%), rotation through various departments (31.5%), work shifts (21.4%) or work areas (23.4%), job insecurity (58.4%) and loss of employment by dismissal (6.6%) or non-renewal of contract (9%). The perceived impact of the crisis showed a triple negative component: Pay cut, work overload and job insecurity. As a combined effect of this multiple trend, the nurses acknowledged a deterioration in their working conditions and quality of working life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Long-term longitudinal changes in baseline PSA distribution and estimated prevalence of prostate cancer in male Japanese participants of population-based PSA screening.

PubMed

Oki, Ryo; Ito, Kazuto; Suzuki, Rie; Fujizuka, Yuji; Arai, Seiji; Miyazawa, Yoshiyuki; Sekine, Yoshitaka; Koike, Hidekazu; Matsui, Hiroshi; Shibata, Yasuhiro; Suzuki, Kazuhiro

2018-04-26

Japan has experienced a drastic increase in the incidence of prostate cancer (PC). To assess changes in the risk for PC, we investigated baseline prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in first-time screened men, across a 25-year period. In total, 72,654 men, aged 50-79, underwent first-time PSA screening in Gunma prefecture between 1992 and 2016. Changes in the distribution of PSA levels were investigated, including the percentage of men with a PSA above cut-off values and linear regression analyses comparing log 10 PSA with age. The 'ultimate incidence' of PC and clinically significant PC (CSPC) were estimated using the PC risk calculator. Changes in the age-standardized incidence rate (AIR) during this period were analyzed. The calculated coefficients of linear regression for age versus log 10 PSA fluctuated during the 25-year period, but no trend was observed. In addition, the percentage of men with a PSA above cut-off values varied in each 5-year period, with no specific trend. The 'risk calculator (RC)-based AIR' of PC and CSPC were stable between 1992 and 2016. Therefore, the baseline risk for developing PC has remained unchanged in the past 25 years, in Japan. The drastic increase in the incidence of PC, beginning around 2000, may be primarily due to increased PSA screening in the country. © 2018 UICC.

Private-Loan Reliance Worries Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basken, Paul

2008-01-01

At many colleges across the nation, as administrators fret about the effects of a worsening economy, students arriving this fall will get more help securing jobs and more advice on paying for their educations. Some students will even find colleges willing to cut their tuition bills. This article reports that as banks tighten standards for private…

Scaffolding Literacies across the Bachelor of Education Program: An Argument for a Course-Wide Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devereux, Linda; Wilson, Kate

2008-01-01

Contemporary teacher educators often find themselves teaching large numbers of students from increasingly diverse backgrounds an expanded curriculum in a university environment characterised by cost-cutting and a climate of "user pays". Ensuring that students graduate with sufficiently well-developed literacy skills to equip them to prepare future…

Parent, Community Groups Pressed to Fill K-12 Budget Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Nora

2012-01-01

The author reports on how cash-strapped school districts turn to outside groups for help in paying for staff and academic essentials, prompting frustration from some. In states and school districts still struggling to recover from recession-induced funding cuts, parent and community groups are feeling the pressure to raise money for instructional…

Emerging Issues and Opportunities Prospective Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Sharlene A.

This paper discusses 14 issues related to gender equity in intercollegiate athletics, including: (1) the cost dilemma, in which institutions have to cut men's sports to introduce women's sports; (2) equal pay for the coaches of men's and women's teams; (3) the gender of coaches, namely men coaching women's teams; (4) peer harassment among…

Popular opinion on tax cuts and Social Security.

PubMed

Teixeira, R

2000-01-01

A review of recent opinion polls reveals the U.S. public's views on budget priorities and Social Security. The public wants more spending on Social Security, Medicare, and other domestic programs, chiefly education and health care, and prefers these spending priorities--by up to a 70 percent majority--to paying down the national debt and cutting taxes. The public supports the Social Security system but doubts it can continue to deliver the goods. To remedy this problem, it is willing not only to use part of the surplus but to raise the cap on payroll taxes. The public does not support benefit cuts or an increase in the retirement age. And the public remains unsure to hostile about the role of the stock market, whether in individual accounts or in the Social Security trust fund.

On Clear-Cut Mapping with Time-Series of Sentinel-1 Data in Boreal Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauste, Yrjo; Antropov, Oleg; Mutanen, Teemu; Hame, Tuomas

2016-08-01

Clear-cutting is the most drastic and wide-spread change that affects the hydrological and carbon-balance proper- ties of forested land in the Boreal forest zone1.A time-series of 36 Sentinel-1 images was used to study the potential for mapping clear-cut areas. The time series covered one and half year (2014-10-09 ... 2016-03-20) in a 200-km-by-200-km study site in Finland. The Sentinel- 1 images were acquired in Interferometric Wide-swath (IW), dual-polarized mode (VV+VH). All scenes were acquired in the same orbit configuration. Amplitude im- ages (GRDH product) were used. The Sentinel-1 scenes were ortho-rectified with in-house software using a digi- tal elevation model (DEM) produced by the Land Survey of Finland. The Sentinel-1 amplitude data were radio- metrically corrected for topographic effects.The temporal behaviour of C-band backscatter was stud- ied for areas representing 1) areas clear-cut during the ac- quisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series, 2) areas remaining forest during the acquisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series, and 3) areas that had been clear-cut before the acquisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series.The following observations were made:1. The separation between clear-cut areas and forest was generally low;2. Under certain acquisition conditions, clear-cut areas were well separable from forest;3. The good scenes were acquired: 1) in winter during thick snow cover, and 2) in late summer towards the end of a warm and dry period;4. The separation between clear-cut and forest was higher in VH polarized data than in VV-polarized data.5. The separation between clear-cut and forest was higher in the winter/snow scenes than in the dry summer scenes.

Sinuous flow in metals

PubMed Central

Yeung, Ho; Viswanathan, Koushik; Compton, Walter Dale; Chandrasekar, Srinivasan

2015-01-01

Annealed metals are surprisingly difficult to cut, involving high forces and an unusually thick “chip.” This anomaly has long been explained, based on ex situ observations, using a model of smooth plastic flow with uniform shear to describe material removal by chip formation. Here we show that this phenomenon is actually the result of a fundamentally different collective deformation mode—sinuous flow. Using in situ imaging, we find that chip formation occurs via large-amplitude folding, triggered by surface undulations of a characteristic size. The resulting fold patterns resemble those observed in geophysics and complex fluids. Our observations establish sinuous flow as another mesoscopic deformation mode, alongside mechanisms such as kinking and shear banding. Additionally, by suppressing the triggering surface undulations, sinuous flow can be eliminated, resulting in a drastic reduction of cutting forces. We demonstrate this suppression quite simply by the application of common marking ink on the free surface of the workpiece material before the cutting. Alternatively, prehardening a thin surface layer of the workpiece material shows similar results. Besides obvious implications to industrial machining and surface generation processes, our results also help unify a number of disparate observations in the cutting of metals, including the so-called Rehbinder effect. PMID:26216980

Sinuous flow in metals.

PubMed

Yeung, Ho; Viswanathan, Koushik; Compton, Walter Dale; Chandrasekar, Srinivasan

2015-08-11

Annealed metals are surprisingly difficult to cut, involving high forces and an unusually thick "chip." This anomaly has long been explained, based on ex situ observations, using a model of smooth plastic flow with uniform shear to describe material removal by chip formation. Here we show that this phenomenon is actually the result of a fundamentally different collective deformation mode--sinuous flow. Using in situ imaging, we find that chip formation occurs via large-amplitude folding, triggered by surface undulations of a characteristic size. The resulting fold patterns resemble those observed in geophysics and complex fluids. Our observations establish sinuous flow as another mesoscopic deformation mode, alongside mechanisms such as kinking and shear banding. Additionally, by suppressing the triggering surface undulations, sinuous flow can be eliminated, resulting in a drastic reduction of cutting forces. We demonstrate this suppression quite simply by the application of common marking ink on the free surface of the workpiece material before the cutting. Alternatively, prehardening a thin surface layer of the workpiece material shows similar results. Besides obvious implications to industrial machining and surface generation processes, our results also help unify a number of disparate observations in the cutting of metals, including the so-called Rehbinder effect.

Sickness benefit cuts mainly affect blue-collar workers.

PubMed

Aaviksoo, E; Kiivet, R-A

2014-08-01

To analyse the impact of sick-pay cuts on the use of sickness absence by employees of different socioeconomic groups. In 2009 cuts in sick pay were implemented in reaction to an economic crisis in Estonia. Nationwide health survey data from the years 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 were used to evaluate sickness absence among blue-collar and white-collar workers. The dataset comprised 7,449 employees of 20-64 years of age. Difference in prevalence of absentees before and after the reform was assessed using the chi-squared test. Odds ratios (OR) for sickness absence were calculated in a multivariate logistic regression model. After the reform, the proportion of blue-collar workers who had been on sick leave decreased from 51% to 40% (p<0.001) and among white-collar employees from 45% to 41% (p=0.026). This reduction had a similar pattern in all the subgroups of blue-collar employees as stratified according to gender, age, self-rated health, and presence of chronic disease, especially among those with low incomes; in white-collar employees it reached statistical significance only in those with good self-rated health (p=0.033). In a multivariate model the odds of having lower sickness absence were highly significant only in blue-collar employees (OR 0.63; 95% confidence interval 0.51-0.77, p<0.001). The cuts in sickness benefits had a major impact on the use of sickness absence by blue-collar employees with low salaries. This indicates that lower income was a major factor hindering the use of sick leave as these employees are most vulnerable to the loss of income. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

A Price To Pay for Relaxed Substrate Specificity: A Comparative Kinetic Analysis of the Class II Lanthipeptide Synthetases ProcM and HalM2

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Lanthipeptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide natural products (RiPPs) that typically harbor multiple intramolecular thioether linkages. For class II lanthipeptides, these cross-links are installed in a multistep reaction pathway by a single enzyme (LanM). The multifunctional nature of LanMs and the manipulability of their genetically encoded peptide substrates (LanAs) make LanM/LanA systems promising targets for the engineering of new antibacterial compounds. Here, we report the development of a semiquantitative mass spectrometry-based assay for kinetic characterization of LanM-catalyzed reactions. The assay was used to conduct a comparative kinetic analysis of two LanM enzymes (HalM2 and ProcM) that exhibit drastically different substrate selectivity. Numerical simulation of the kinetic data was used to develop models for the multistep HalM2- and ProcM-catalyzed reactions. These models illustrate that HalM2 and ProcM have markedly different catalytic efficiencies for the various reactions they catalyze. HalM2, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of a single compound (the Halβ subunit of the lantibiotic haloduracin), catalyzes reactions with higher catalytic efficiency than ProcM, which modifies 29 different ProcA precursor peptides during prochlorosin biosynthesis. In particular, the rates of thioether ring formation are drastically reduced in ProcM, likely because this enzyme is charged with installing a variety of lanthipeptide ring architectures in its prochlorosin products. Thus, ProcM appears to pay a kinetic price for its relaxed substrate specificity. In addition, our kinetic models suggest that conformational sampling of the LanM/LanA Michaelis complex could play an important role in the kinetics of LanA maturation. PMID:25409537

Financial Aid: A Partial List of Resources for Women. Fifth Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enrhart, Julie Kuhn; Meehan, Shelagh

The publication offers women ideas about how to select and pay for higher education, lists resources, and describes the variety of schools and programs available. Sections are titled: "Cost-Cutting Ways to Further Your Education"; "Where to Find Information" (in the community and on campus); "Where to Take Courses" (two- and four-year colleges,…

Are You Paying Too Much? Cutting Telephone System Costs by Tracking Expenses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sachnoff, Neil S.

1990-01-01

Personnel responsible for telecommunications systems need a way to ensure pursuit of the right technology at the right time does not lead them away from considerations of the right price. A three-step method of historical and monthly reviews offers a straightforward means of regaining control of expenditures and tracking costs. (MSE)

Community-College Enrollments Are up, but Institutions Struggle to Pay for Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bushong, Steven

2009-01-01

The downturn in the economy has coincided with enrollment increases at many community colleges. However, although enrollment at two-year institutions is up, several states have trimmed--or even chopped--appropriations for higher education. Florida, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Tennessee have each cut financing for 2009 by at least 5 percent,…

State Colleges Seeking More Out-of-State, International Students amid Fiscal Crunch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Helen

2011-01-01

Faced with budget cuts, some cash-strapped state universities are stepping up their recruitment of higher paying out-of-state undergraduates, a move that critics say is unfair to the states' residents and could affect in-state minority applicants. The University of California system and the University of Washington in Seattle have openly declared…

Silvicultural treatments in sapling stands

Treesearch

Neil I. Lamson

1989-01-01

Sapling stands are those in which codominant trees average less than 5 inches d.b.h. Silvicultural treatments in sapling stands can be summed up in two words: CROP TREES. Any silvicultural treatment must help crop trees if the investment in sapling stands is going to pay off. Just cutting "bad" or "undesirable" trees does not insure that crop trees...

Senate Panel Votes to Cut Lender Subsidies and Increase Student Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, Kelly

2007-01-01

The Senate education committee approved a pair of bills that would reduce government subsidies to student-loan companies, increase student aid, and set higher-education policy for the next five years. The Senate's budget-reconciliation measure would use the savings derived from reducing subsidies to student-loan companies to pay down a portion of…

Clash over NOAA budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, Barbara T.

At the April 26 hearing on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) budget by a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Sen. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr . (R-Conn.), decried the budget cuts proposed by NOAA and the Reagan Administration. ‘I think it would be almost criminal’ to agree to the proposed cuts, Weicker said, adding that although he understands the broad policy to trim the budget, the proposed cuts amounted to ‘piecemeal emasculation … I won't be part of it.’‘I cannot help but note with regret that for the third year in a row the Administration proposed drastic reductions in oceans-related research and development,’ said Weicker during the hearing conducted by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, and the Judiciary. ‘The proposed 37% cut in funding for fisheries programs combined with a 40% cut in other oceans and coastal activities would add up to an $85 million loss for NOAA's oceans programs. To make cuts of this magnitude would be, in effect, to write off the great potential the oceans have for feeding our people and helping to power our economy,’ the Connecticut senator said. ‘In short, the potential of the oceans as well as the pressures placed upon them have never been so great—and they will be even greater tomorrow. In the face of Administration indifference and outright hostility, Congress must maintain its commitment to the oceans and to the positive contributions they can make to our future.’

Current MUAC Cut-Offs to Screen for Acute Malnutrition Need to Be Adapted to Gender and Age: The Example of Cambodia

PubMed Central

Fiorentino, Marion; Sophonneary, Prak; Laillou, Arnaud; Whitney, Sophie; de Groot, Richard; Perignon, Marlène; Kuong, Khov; Berger, Jacques; Wieringa, Frank T.

2016-01-01

Background Early identification of children <5 yrs with acute malnutrition is a priority. Acute malnutrition is defined by the World Health Organization as a mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) <12.5 cm or a weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) <-2. MUAC is a simple and low-cost indicator to screen for acute malnutrition in communities, but MUAC cut-offs currently recommended by WHO do not identify the majority of children with weight-for-height Z-score (<-2 (moderate malnourished) or r<-3 (severe malnourished). Also, no cut-offs for MUAC are established for children >5 yrs. Therefore, this study aimed at defining gender and age-specific cut-offs to improve sensitivity of MUAC as an indicator of acute malnutrition. Methods To establish new age and gender-specific MUAC cut-offs, pooled data was obtained for 14,173 children from 5 surveys in Cambodia (2011–2013). Sensitivity, false positive rates, and areas under receiver-operator characteristic curves (AUC) were calculated using wasting for children <5yrs and thinness for children ≥5yrs as gold standards. Among the highest values of AUC, the cut-off with the highest sensitivity and a false positive rate ≤33% was selected as the optimal cut-off. Results Optimal cut-off values increased with age. Boys had higher cut-offs than girls, except in the 8–10.9 yrs age range. In children <2yrs, the cut-off was lower for stunted children compared to non stunted children. Sensitivity of MUAC to identify WHZ<-2 and <-3 z-scores increased from 24.3% and 8.1% to >80% with the new cut-offs in comparison with the current WHO cut-offs. Conclusion Gender and age specific MUAC cut-offs drastically increased sensitivity to identify children with WHZ-score <-2 z-scores. International reference of MUAC cut-offs by age group and gender should be established to screen for acute malnutrition at the community level. PMID:26840899

The Challenges and Successes of Department Governance: A Look at HBCU Journalism and Mass Communications Unit Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Jerry, II.

2012-01-01

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are facing challenges to their continued existence on several fronts. One is fiscally, as federal funding for education has been cut and the responsibility for paying for higher education has been levied on students and parents. Another challenge is the amount of endowment dollars available to…

Cutting the cost of hospital HVAC.

PubMed

Ruddell, Steve

2011-09-01

Steve Ruddell, head of global marketing, Motors & Generators, at ABB, emphasises the importance of a good motor management and maintenance policy in getting the best performance from, and reducing the energy consumption of, hospitals' HVAC systems, also explaining why investing in energy-efficient, low voltage drives, and high efficiency electric motors, to control such equipment, can pay major dividends for estates and facilities teams.

Inside Real Innovation

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

whether it is a purchasing manager , a design engineer or a manufacturing line operator. It is not necessary for the customer at the end of the supply...transactional experiences, which usually involve talking to people. For example, a conversation with a manufacturing manager about whether he is concerned about...Innovations require experimenting with greater uncertainty in Technology, Market and Implementation. The owner cuts her own pay in order to hire a manager

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (76th, Kansas City, Missouri, August 11-14, 1993). Part IV: Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Television section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following eight papers: "Paying the Anchor in Local Television News: A Comparative Study of Priorities between General Managers and News Directors" (Craig Allen); "The 'Cutting Edge' in Local Television News: Revisiting Layoffs, Staff Reductions, and…

CSL protein regulates transcription of genes required to prevent catastrophic mitosis in fission yeast.

PubMed

Převorovský, Martin; Oravcová, Martina; Zach, Róbert; Jordáková, Anna; Bähler, Jürg; Půta, František; Folk, Petr

2016-11-16

For every eukaryotic cell to grow and divide, intricately coordinated action of numerous proteins is required to ensure proper cell-cycle progression. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been instrumental in elucidating the fundamental principles of cell-cycle control. Mutations in S. pombe 'cut' (cell untimely torn) genes cause failed coordination between cell and nuclear division, resulting in catastrophic mitosis. Deletion of cbf11, a fission yeast CSL transcription factor gene, triggers a 'cut' phenotype, but the precise role of Cbf11 in promoting mitotic fidelity is not known. We report that Cbf11 directly activates the transcription of the acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase gene cut6, and the biotin uptake/biosynthesis genes vht1 and bio2, with the former 2 implicated in mitotic fidelity. Cbf11 binds to a canonical, metazoan-like CSL response element (GTGGGAA) in the cut6 promoter. Expression of Cbf11 target genes shows apparent oscillations during the cell cycle using temperature-sensitive cdc25-22 and cdc10-M17 block-release experiments, but not with other synchronization methods. The penetrance of catastrophic mitosis in cbf11 and cut6 mutants is nutrient-dependent. We also show that drastic decrease in biotin availability arrests cell proliferation but does not cause mitotic defects. Taken together, our results raise the possibility that CSL proteins play conserved roles in regulating cell-cycle progression, and they could guide experiments into mitotic CSL functions in mammals.

Laser cutting: industrial relevance, process optimization, and laser safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haferkamp, Heinz; Goede, Martin; von Busse, Alexander; Thuerk, Oliver

1998-09-01

Compared to other technological relevant laser machining processes, up to now laser cutting is the application most frequently used. With respect to the large amount of possible fields of application and the variety of different materials that can be machined, this technology has reached a stable position within the world market of material processing. Reachable machining quality for laser beam cutting is influenced by various laser and process parameters. Process integrated quality techniques have to be applied to ensure high-quality products and a cost effective use of the laser manufacturing plant. Therefore, rugged and versatile online process monitoring techniques at an affordable price would be desirable. Methods for the characterization of single plant components (e.g. laser source and optical path) have to be substituted by an omnivalent control system, capable of process data acquisition and analysis as well as the automatic adaptation of machining and laser parameters to changes in process and ambient conditions. At the Laser Zentrum Hannover eV, locally highly resolved thermographic measurements of the temperature distribution within the processing zone using cost effective measuring devices are performed. Characteristic values for cutting quality and plunge control as well as for the optimization of the surface roughness at the cutting edges can be deducted from the spatial distribution of the temperature field and the measured temperature gradients. Main influencing parameters on the temperature characteristic within the cutting zone are the laser beam intensity and pulse duration in pulse operation mode. For continuous operation mode, the temperature distribution is mainly determined by the laser output power related to the cutting velocity. With higher cutting velocities temperatures at the cutting front increase, reaching their maximum at the optimum cutting velocity. Here absorption of the incident laser radiation is drastically increased due to the angle between the normal of the cutting front and the laser beam axis. Beneath process optimization and control further work is focused on the characterization of particulate and gaseous laser generated air contaminants and adequate safety precautions like exhaust and filter systems.

The Big Picture: One Expert Strongly Suggests that the Best Way to Reform Education Is to Increase Pay and Class Size

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooperman, Saul

2006-01-01

Back in 1982, as New Jersey's commissioner of education, the author of this paper made several recommendations to then-Governor Thomas H. Kean concerning teachers. These ideas, all of which the governor embraced, stirred controversy but also put the state on cutting edge of school reform. The ideas were important because they recognized, in a…

The politics of underdevelopment: metered to death-how a water experiment caused riots and a cholera epidemic.

PubMed

Pauw, Jacques

2003-01-01

Water privatization programs in South Africa, part of a government policy aimed at making people pay for the full cost of running water ("total cost recovery"), was developed by private water companies and the World Bank to finance improved water supplies and build the country's economy. Instead the programs are causing more misery than development. Millions of poor people have had their water supply cut off because of inability to pay, forcing them to get their water from polluted rivers and lakes and leading to South Africa's worst cholera outbreak--which the government paid millions of dollars to control. Residents in some townships are rebelling, and many of the private multinational water companies are reassessing their involvement in South Africa.

Spreadsheet log analysis in subsurface geology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doveton, J.H.

2000-01-01

Most of the direct knowledge of the geology of the subsurface is gained from the examination of core and drill-cuttings recovered from boreholes drilled by the petroleum and water industries. Wireline logs run in these same boreholes generally have been restricted to tasks of lithostratigraphic correlation and thee location of hydrocarbon pay zones. However, the range of petrophysical measurements has expanded markedly in recent years, so that log traces now can be transformed to estimates of rock composition. Increasingly, logs are available in a digital format that can be read easily by a desktop computer and processed by simple spreadsheet software methods. Taken together, these developments offer accessible tools for new insights into subsurface geology that complement the traditional, but limited, sources of core and cutting observations.

[Willingness to work abroad among Hungarian medical students].

PubMed

Győrffy, Zsuzsa; Szél, Zsuzsanna

2018-01-01

Migration, drop-out and ageing of physicians are the most important challenges of the 21st century healthcare system. The young doctors' willingness to work abroad will become a decisive issue of the human resources of healthcare in the following decades. To explore the willingness of migration among medical university students. Quantitative and qualitative online survey of students from 4 Hungarian medical universities (n = 530). In the present study we investigated only the 5th- and 6th- year students' answers (n = 165). 40% of students plan to work abroad, mostly for a 2-5 year timeframe. The motivation of working abroad are the following: work conditions of medical system, inadequate pay and general living conditions in Hungary. The content analysis of open answers showed that the willingness to return depends mainly on family reasons and the objective working conditions (infrastructure, pay, abolition of the gratuity system). An equally important factor is the evolution of work culture. As opposed to previous studies, our results indicate a more prevalent willingness to work abroad while an unambiguous return is only possible with a drastic change in the healthcare system. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(1): 31-37.

Using the animal to the last bit: Consumer preferences for different beef cuts.

PubMed

Scozzafava, Gabriele; Corsi, Armando Maria; Casini, Leonardo; Contini, Caterina; Loose, Simone Mueller

2016-01-01

Meat is expensive to produce, making it is essential to understand the importance consumers pay to different meat cuts. Previous research on consumers' meat choices has mainly focused on meat species, while consumer preferences for meat cuts has so far only received limited interest. The aim of this study is to shed some light into this relatively unexplored area by answering four research questions. First, this study intends to show the relative importance meat cuts play in relation to other extrinsic product attributes. Secondly, this paper looks into differences in choice criteria between regular and special occasions. Third, consumer segments that differ in their preferences and beef purchase are identified, and, finally, the meat purchase portfolios of these segments are revealed. A stated preference methodology of a discrete choice experiment with cut-specific prices covering several meat cuts simultaneously is proposed to answer the research questions. The sample consists of 1500 respondents representative of the Italian population in terms of age, gender and geographic location The results shows that meat cut is the most important factor when choosing bovine meat followed by quality certification (origin), production technique, the type of breed and price. In terms of consumption occasions, we observe significantly lower price sensitivity for marbled steaks and cutlets for special occasions compared to normal occasions. Segmentation analysis shows that while the choices of two segments (comprising about 40% of the sample) are mostly driven by extrinsic product attributes, the remaining segments are mostly driven by meat cuts. These varying preferences are also reflected in the purchase portfolios of the different segments, while less variability is detected from a socio-demographic perspective. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paying for the health and social care of the elderly.

PubMed

Hoshino, S

1996-01-01

The aging population of Japan is causing serious concern among social policymakers. The most urgent issue is to find a way to pay for the health and social care of the frail elderly. After universal coverage of pension and health insurance was achieved, but just before the economic growth rate was considerably slowed, in part, because of the oil crisis, the Japanese government more than doubled pension benefits and made medical care for the elderly free. Since the early 1980s, the government has tried hard to cut and control these benefits, only with moderate success. With a consumption tax rate of only 5%, rather than the proposed 7%, the government is now considering establishing a new health and social care insurance scheme for the elderly to finance the increasing cost of their care.

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.

Theory of Endorsements and Reasoning with Uncertainty, January 1984 - January 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-01

beliefs are sometimes inconsistent. For example, we believe that we pay too much money in taxes . but we also believe that taxation for social programs...whether we will vote for tax -cutting or tax -raising political can- didates. Another source of uncertainty concerns how beliefs are accessed. In humans...expression of how mucA something is to be believed. The canonical example is the certatnty factor representation of MYCIN (Shortliffe and Buchanan, 1975) and

Fighting fire with fire: physicians blazing new paths to autonomy.

PubMed

Vavala, D

1995-04-01

Thousands of physicians around the country have stopped complaining about being burned by the system and have started reengineering their destinies. They're building super IPAs, forming and operating HMOs, and joining unions to represent their rights in a growing grassroots physician effort to regain control. These physicians have thumbed their noses at managed care companies they say have drastically cut reimbursements, arbitrarily dropped them from panels, dictated utilization, and cost them patients. They're tired of working harder and earning less and frustrated by sacrificing quality in the name of cost reduction. And they have learned that there are ways to prevail.

Characterization of a novel rice gene OsATX and modulation of its expression by components of the stress signalling pathways.

PubMed

Agrawal, Ganesh K; Rakwal, Randeep; Jwa, N-S; Agrawal, Vishwanath P

2002-09-01

In our search to identify gene(s) involved in the rice self-defense responses, we cloned a novel rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) gene, OsATX, a single copy gene, from the JA treated rice seedling leaves cDNA library. This gene encodes a 69 amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 7649.7 and a pI of 5.6. OsATX was responsive to cutting (wounding by cutting the excised leaf), over its weak constitutive expression in the healthy leaves. The critical signalling molecules, jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and hydrogen peroxide, together with protein phosphatase inhibitors, effectively up-regulated the OsATX expression with time, over the excised leaf cut control, whereas ethylene had no affect. Furthermore, copper, a heavy metal, also up-regulated OsATX expression. Moreover, induced expression of OsATX mRNA was influenced by light signal(s), and showed a requirement for de novo synthesized protein factors. Additionally, co-application of either JA or ABA with SA drastically suppressed the induced OsATX mRNA level. Finally, the blast pathogen, Magnaporthe grisea, triggered OsATX mRNA accumulation. These results strongly suggest a function/role(s) for OsATX in defense/stress responses in rice.

Semiclassical and quantum polarons in crystalline acetanilide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamm, P.; Tsironis, G. P.

2007-08-01

Crystalline acetanilide is a an organic solid with peptide bond structure similar to that of proteins. Two states appear in the amide I spectral region having drastically different properties: one is strongly temperature dependent and disappears at high temperatures while the other is stable at all temperatures. Experimental and theoretical work over the past twenty five years has assigned the former to a selftrapped state while the latter to an extended free exciton state. In this article we review the experimental and theoretical developments on acetanilide paying particular attention to issues that are still pending. Although the interpretation of the states is experimentally sound, we find that specific theoretical comprehension is still lacking. Among the issues that that appear not well understood is the effective dimensionality of the selftrapped polaron and free exciton states.

Device costs go under the knife. With four hospitals having won HHS' approval for gain-sharing to shave supply costs, some observers say it's just the beginning.

PubMed

Becker, Cinda

2005-02-21

HHS' inspector general's office recently had some good news for four hospitals--they can use gain-sharing programs to help cut spending on devices. Joane Goodroe, left, is the consultant who helped the facilities devise proposals with safeguards that could satisfy the feds' worries about violating antikickback laws. "This is about paying physicians to take on the extra job of of reducing costs," Goodroe says.

Channelized subglacial drainage over a deformable bed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walder, J.S.; Fowler, A.

1994-01-01

We develop theoretically a description of a possible subglacial drainage mechanism for glaciers and ice sheets moving over saturated, deformable till. The model is based on the plausible assumption that flow of water in a thin film at the ice-till interface is unstable to the formation of a channelized drainage system, and is restricted to the case in which meltwater cannot escape through the till to an underlying aquifer. In describing the physics of such channelized drainage, we have generalized and extended Rothlisberger's model of channels cut into basal ice to include "canals' cut into the till, paying particular attention to the role of sediment properties and the mechanics of sediment transport. We show that sediment-floored Rothlisberger (R) channels can exist for high effective pressures, and wide, shallow, ice-roofed canals cut into the till for low effective pressures. Canals should form a distributed, non-arborescent system, unlike R channels. Geologic evidence derived from land forms and deposits left by the Pleistocene ice sheets in North America and Europe is consistent with predictions of the model. -from Authors

Physician payment 2008 for interventionalists: current state of health care policy.

PubMed

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Giordano, James

2007-09-01

Physicians in the United States have been affected by significant changes in the pattern(s) of medical practice evolving over the last several decades. These changes include new measures to 1) curb increasing costs, 2) increase access to patient care, 3) improve quality of healthcare, and 4) pay for prescription drugs. Escalating healthcare costs have focused concerns about the financial solvency of Medicare and this in turn has fostered a renewed interest in the economic basis of interventional pain management practices. The provision and systemization of healthcare in North America and several European countries are difficult enterprises to manage irrespective of whether these provisions and systems are privatized (as in the United States) or nationalized or seminationalized (as in Great Britain, Canada, Australia and France). Consequently, while many management options have been put forth, none seem to be optimally geared toward affording healthcare as a maximized individual and social good, and none have been completely enacted. The current physician fee schedule (released on July 12, 2007) includes a 9.9% cut in payment rate. Since the Medicare program was created in 1965, several methods have been used to determine physicians' rate(s) for each covered service. The sustained growth rate (SGR) system, established in 1998, has evoked negative consequences on physician payment(s). Based on the current Medicare expenditure index, practice expenses are projected to increase by 34.5% from 2002 to 2016, whereas, if actual practice inflation is considered, this increase will be 90%. This is in contrast to projected physician payment cuts that are depicted to be 51%. No doubt, this scenario will be devastating to many practices and the US medical community at large. Resolutions to this problem have been offered by MedPAC, the Government Accountability Office, physician organizations, economists, and various other interested groups. In the past, temporary measures have been proposed (and sometimes implemented) to eliminate physician payment cuts. At present, the US Senate and House of Representatives are separately working on 2 different mechanisms to address and rectify these cost-payment discrepancies. The effects of both the problem and the potential solutions on interventional pain management may be somewhat greater than those on other specialties. Physician payments in interventional pain management may evidence cuts of 10% to 15%, whereas if procedures are performed in an office setting, such cuts may range from 29% to 39% over the period of the next 3 years if the proposed 9.9% cut is not reversed. Medicare cuts also impact other insurance payments, incurring a "ripple effect" such that many insurers will seek to pay at or around the Medicare rate. In this manuscript, we discuss universal healthcare systems, the CMS proposed ruling and its attendant ripple effect(s), historical aspects of the Medicare payment system, the Sustained Growth Rate system, and the potential consequences incurred by both proposed cuts and potential solutions to the discrepant cost-payment issue(s). As well, ethical issues of policy development upon the infrastructure and practice of interventional pain management are addressed.

Recent progress and perspectives of space electric propulsion systems based on smart nanomaterials.

PubMed

Levchenko, I; Xu, S; Teel, G; Mariotti, D; Walker, M L R; Keidar, M

2018-02-28

Drastic miniaturization of electronics and ingression of next-generation nanomaterials into space technology have provoked a renaissance in interplanetary flights and near-Earth space exploration using small unmanned satellites and systems. As the next stage, the NASA's 2015 Nanotechnology Roadmap initiative called for new design paradigms that integrate nanotechnology and conceptually new materials to build advanced, deep-space-capable, adaptive spacecraft. This review examines the cutting edge and discusses the opportunities for integration of nanomaterials into the most advanced types of electric propulsion devices that take advantage of their unique features and boost their efficiency and service life. Finally, we propose a concept of an adaptive thruster.

Hearing in True 3-D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

In 1984, researchers from Ames Research Center came together to develop advanced human interfaces for NASA s teleoperations that would come to be known as "virtual reality." The basis of the work theorized that if the sensory interfaces met a certain threshold and sufficiently supported each other, then the operator would feel present in the remote/synthetic environment, rather than present in their physical location. Twenty years later, this prolific research continues to pay dividends to society in the form of cutting-edge virtual reality products, such as an interactive audio simulation system.

Investigating Greek consumers' attitudes towards low-fat food products: a segmentation study.

PubMed

Krystallis, Athanasios; Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis S; Kapirti, A

2003-05-01

The present study aims at gaining a first insight into Greek consumers' attitudes towards low-fat food products. Although Greece, and in particular Crete, have enjoyed a great popularity in terms of the Mediterranean diet, there has been an almost complete lack of low-fat-related surveys concerning the Greek food consumer. Using this as a research trigger, the current investigation evolves around the conflict between 'sensory appeal' and 'healthiness' of low-fat products, widely described in the international literature. Other crucial factors examined are consumers' awareness, occasional use and conscious purchase of, and willingness to pay for, food products with the 'low-fat' claim. Overall, the study has the objective to segment the Greek market in terms of users' perceptions of light products and to identify a number of well-described clusters with clear-cut socio-demographic and behavioural profile. Three clusters are identified, comprised of consumers with favourable attitudes towards low-fat foods and willing to pay premiums to purchase them.

Medicare’s Payment Strategy For End-Stage Renal Disease Now Embraces Bundled Payment And Pay-For-Performance To Cut Costs

PubMed Central

Swaminathan, Shailender; Mor, Vincent; Mehrotra, Rajnish; Trivedi, Amal

2013-01-01

Since 1973 Medicare has provided health insurance coverage to all people who have been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure. In this article we trace the history of payment policies in Medicare’s dialysis program from 1973 to 2011, while also providing some insight into the rationale for changes made over time. Initially, Medicare adopted a fee-for-service payment policy for dialysis care, using the same reimbursement standards employed in the broader Medicare program. However, driven by rapid spending growth in this population, the dialysis program has implemented innovative payment reforms, such as prospective bundled payments and pay-for-performance incentives. It is uncertain whether these strategies can stem the increase in the total cost of dialysis to Medicare, or whether they can do so without adversely affecting the quality of care. Future research on the intended and unintended consequences of payment reform will be critical. PMID:22949455

User fee exemptions are not enough: out-of-pocket payments for 'free' delivery services in rural Tanzania.

PubMed

Kruk, Margaret E; Mbaruku, Godfrey; Rockers, Peter C; Galea, Sandro

2008-12-01

To identify the main drivers of costs of facility delivery and the financial consequences for households among rural women in Tanzania, a country with a policy of delivery fee exemptions. We selected a representative sample of households in a rural district in western Tanzania. Women who given birth within 5 years were asked about payments for doctor's/nurse's fees, drugs, non-medical supplies, medical tests, maternity waiting home, transport and other expenses. Wealth was assessed using a household asset index. We estimated the proportion of women who cut down on spending or borrowed money/sold household items to pay for delivery in each wealth group. In all, 73.3% of women with facility delivery reported having made out-of-pocket payments for delivery-related costs. The average cost was 6272 Tanzanian shillings (TZS), [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 4916, 7628] or 5.0 United States dollars. Transport costs (53.6%) and provider fees (26.6%) were the largest cost components in government facilities. Deliveries in mission facilities were twice as expensive as those in government facilities. Nearly half (48.3%) of women reported cutting down on spending or borrowing money/selling household assets to pay for delivery, with the poor reporting this most frequently. Out-of-pocket payments for facility delivery were substantial and were driven by high transport costs, unofficial provider payments, and preference for mission facilities, which levy user charges. Novel approaches to financing maternal health services, such as subsidies for transport and care from private providers, are required to reduce the cost barriers to attended delivery.

Space Assembly of Large Structural System Architectures (SALSSA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorsey, John T.; Watson, Judith J.

2016-01-01

Developing a robust capability for Space Assembly of Large Spacecraft Structural System Architectures (SALSSA) has the potential to drastically increase the capabilities and performance of future space missions and spacecraft while significantly reducing their cost. Currently, NASA architecture studies and space science decadal surveys identify new missions that would benefit from SALSSA capabilities, and the technologies that support SALSSA are interspersed throughout the fourteen NASA Technology Roadmaps. However, a major impediment to the strategic development of cross-cutting SALSSA technologies is the lack of an integrated and comprehensive compilation of the necessary information. This paper summarizes the results of a small study that used an integrated approach to formulate a SALSSA roadmap and associated plan for developing key SALSSA technologies.

Discussion on back-to-back two-stage centrifugal compressor compact design techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Lei; Liu, Huoxing

2013-12-01

Design a small flow back-to-back two-stage centrifugal compressor in the aviation turbocharger, the compressor is compact structure, small axial length, light weighted. Stationary parts have a great influence on their overall performance decline. Therefore, the stationary part of the back-to-back two-stage centrifugal compressor should pay full attention to the diffuser, bend, return vane and volute design. Volute also impact downstream return vane, making the flow in circumferential direction is not uniformed, and several blade angle of attack is drastically changed in downstream of the volute with the airflow can not be rotated to required angle. Loading of high-pressure rotor blades change due to non-uniformed of flow in circumferential direction, which makes individual blade load distribution changed, and affected blade passage load decreased to reduce the capability of work, the tip low speed range increases.

Satellite solar power - Will it pay off

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hazelrigg, G. A., Jr.

1977-01-01

A cost analysis is presented for front-end investments required for the development of a satellite solar power system. The methodology used makes use of risk analysis techniques to quantify the present state of knowledge relevant to the construction and operation of a satellite solar power station 20 years in the future. Results are used to evaluate the 'expected value' of a three-year research program providing additional information which will be used as a basis for a decision to either continue development of the concept at an increasing funding level or to terminate or drastically alter the program. The program is costed phase by phase, and a decision tree is constructed. The estimated probability of success for the research and studies phase is .540. The expected value of a program leading to the construction of 120 systems at a rate of four per year is 12.433 billion dollars.

A generalized crystal-cutting method for modeling arbitrarily oriented crystals in 3D periodic simulation cells with applications to crystal-crystal interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Mathew, Nithin; Jiang, Shan; Sewell, Thomas D.

2016-10-01

A Generalized Crystal-Cutting Method (GCCM) is developed that automates construction of three-dimensionally periodic simulation cells containing arbitrarily oriented single crystals and thin films, two-dimensionally (2D) infinite crystal-crystal homophase and heterophase interfaces, and nanostructures with intrinsic N-fold interfaces. The GCCM is based on a simple mathematical formalism that facilitates easy definition of constraints on cut crystal geometries. The method preserves the translational symmetry of all Bravais lattices and thus can be applied to any crystal described by such a lattice including complicated, low-symmetry molecular crystals. Implementations are presented with carefully articulated combinations of loop searches and constraints that drastically reduce computational complexity compared to simple loop searches. Orthorhombic representations of monoclinic and triclinic crystals found using the GCCM overcome some limitations in standard distributions of popular molecular dynamics software packages. Stability of grain boundaries in β-HMX was investigated using molecular dynamics and molecular statics simulations with 2D infinite crystal-crystal homophase interfaces created using the GCCM. The order of stabilities for the four grain boundaries studied is predicted to correlate with the relative prominence of particular crystal faces in lab-grown β-HMX crystals. We demonstrate how nanostructures can be constructed through simple constraints applied in the GCCM framework. Example GCCM constructions are shown that are relevant to some current problems in materials science, including shock sensitivity of explosives, layered electronic devices, and pharmaceuticals.

Rupture of a highly stretchable acrylic dielectric elastomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pharr, George; Sun, Jeong-Yun; Suo, Zhigang

2012-02-01

Dielectric elastomers have found widespread application as energy harvesters, actuators, and sensors. In practice these elastomers are subject to large tensile stretches, which potentially can lead to mechanical fracture. In this study, we have examined fracture properties of the commercial acrylic elastomer VHB 4905. We have found that inserting a pre-cut into the material drastically reduces the stretch at rupture from λrup = 9.43±1.05 for pristine samples down to only λrup = 3.63±0.45 for the samples with a pre-cut. Furthermore, using ``pure-shear'' test specimens with a pre-crack, we have measured the fracture energy and stretch at rupture as a function of the sample geometry. The stretch at rupture was found to decrease with sample height, which agrees with an analytical prediction. Additionally, we have measured the fracture energy as a function of stretch-rate. The apparent fracture energy was found to increase with stretch-rate from γ 1500 J/m^2 to γ 5000 J/m^2 for the investigated rates of deformation. This phenomenon is due to viscoelastic properties of VHB 4905, which result in an apparent stiffening for sufficiently large stretch-rates.

The fiscal crisis in the health sector: Patterns of cutback management across Europe.

PubMed

Ongaro, Edoardo; Ferré, Francesca; Fattore, Giovanni

2015-07-01

The article investigates trends in health sector cutback management strategies occurred during the ongoing financial and fiscal crisis across Europe. A European-wide survey to top public healthcare managers was conducted in ten different countries to understand their perception about public sector policy reactions to the financial and economic crisis; answers from 760 respondents from the healthcare sector (30.7% response rate) were analyzed. A multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the characteristics of respondents, countries' institutional healthcare models and the trend in public health resources availability during the crisis associated to the decision to introduce unselective cuts, targeted cuts or efficiency savings measures. Differentiated responses to the fiscal crisis that buffeted public finances were reported both across and within countries. Organizational position of respondents is significant in explaining the perceived cutback management approach introduced, where decentralized positions detect a higher use of linear cuts compared to their colleagues working in central level organizations. Compared to Bismark-like systems Beveridge-like ones favour the introduction of targeted cuts. Postponing the implementation of new programmes and containing expenses through instruments like pay freezes are some of the most popular responses adopted, while outright staff layoffs or reduction of frontline services have been more selectively employed. To cope with the effects of the fiscal crisis healthcare systems are undergoing important changes, possibly also affecting the scope of universal coverage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Pay close attention to the quality of life of patients and look to the future of burn rehabilitation].

PubMed

Wu, Jun; Chen, Jian

2013-04-01

After 50 years' development, a rather comprehensive burn care system has been built up in China, and it has played key roles in wound healing and salvaging victims of burn trauma. Since survival is no longer the main priority of treatment, more efforts should be made to cut down the incidence of disabilities and to improve the quality of life of the survivors. The further progress on burn rehabilitation therapies, including functional improvement, psychological rehabilitation, aesthetic recovery, and occupational and social recuperation, would bring new perspectives to our burn care system.

Threshold value of home pulse pressure predicting arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes: KAMOGAWA-HBP study.

PubMed

Kitagawa, Noriyuki; Ushigome, Emi; Matsumoto, Shinobu; Oyabu, Chikako; Ushigome, Hidetaka; Yokota, Isao; Asano, Mai; Tanaka, Muhei; Yamazaki, Masahiro; Fukui, Michiaki

2018-03-01

This cross-sectional multicenter study was designed to evaluate the threshold value of home pulse pressure (PP) and home systolic blood pressure (SBP) predicting the arterial stiffness in 876 patients with type 2 diabetes. We measured the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and estimated the ability of home PP to identify arterial stiffness using Youden-Index defined cut-off point. The arterial stiffness was measured using the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). AUC for arterial stiffness in morning PP was significantly greater than that in morning SBP (P < .001). AUC for arterial stiffness in evening PP was also significantly greater than that in evening SBP (P < .001). The optimal cut-off points for morning PP and evening PP, which predicted arterial stiffness, were 54.6 and 56.9 mm Hg, respectively. Our findings indicate that we should pay more attention to increased home PP in patients with type 2 diabetes. ©2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tax reform and energy in the Philippines economy: A general equilibrium computation

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

Boyd, R.G.; Doroodian, K.; Udomvaech, P.

1994-12-31

This paper examines how energy tax cuts, offset with income tax increases, affect production, consumption, and total welfare in the Philippines economy. Our results show that energy tax cuts expand the energy and nonmetal mining sectors, but decrease output in the manufacturing, agricultural, and metal mining sectors. Consumption of all goods and services combined increases as the amount of energy tax reduction increases. Our welfare results, however, are mixed. While the welfare of the mid- and high-income levels increases, that of the lowest income level decreases. These results are robust with respect to changes in the elasticity of substitution inmore » energy production as well as the elasticity of substitution in consumer demand. From the standpoint of economic efficiency, a policy such as this would enhance growth and aggregate income. From an equity standpoint, however, this policy is highly regressive in spite of the fact that the richest households pay proportionately more to finance the energy tax reduction. 18 refs., 10 tabs.« less

Contrary to cost-shift theory, lower Medicare hospital payment rates for inpatient care lead to lower private payment rates.

PubMed

White, Chapin

2013-05-01

Many policy makers believe that when Medicare constrains its payment rates for hospital inpatient care, private insurers end up paying higher rates as a result. I tested this "cost-shifting" theory using a unique new data set that combines MarketScan private claims data with Medicare hospital cost reports. Contrary to the theory, I found that hospital markets with relatively slow growth in Medicare inpatient hospital payment rates also had relatively slow growth in private hospital payment rates during 1995-2009. Using regression analyses, I found that a 10 percent reduction in Medicare payment rates led to an estimated reduction in private payment rates of 3 percent or 8 percent, depending on the statistical model used. These payment rate spillovers may reflect an effort by hospitals to rein in their operating costs in the face of lower Medicare payment rates. Alternatively, hospitals facing cuts in Medicare payment rates may also cut the payment rates they seek from private payers to attract more privately insured patients. My findings indicate that repealing cuts in Medicare payment rates would not slow the growth in spending on hospital care by private insurers and would in fact be likely to accelerate the growth in private insurers' costs and premiums.

Successful industry-university graduate-level research partnerships at the Pennsylvania State University

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

Feltus, M.A.

1996-12-31

Previously, nuclear utilities have been considered {open_quotes}deep pockets{close_quotes} for university research; however, in the current cost-cutting competitive environment, most utilities have drastically reduced or eliminated research. Any collaboration with universities requires that any research effort have a focused objective, short-term duration, and tangible payback. Furthermore, the research must concentrate on solving operating problems, rather than on long-term general concerns. Although practical studies may seem mundane, untheoretical, and uninteresting for most academics, such pragmatic topics can provide interesting research for students and helpful results for the utilities. This paper provides examples of the author`s research funded by utilities. Each project hasmore » a specific objective involving a particular utility need or computer code analysis tool.« less

Møller-Plesset perturbation energies and distances for HeC(20) extrapolated to the complete basis set limit.

PubMed

Varandas, A J C

2009-02-01

The potential energy surface for the C(20)-He interaction is extrapolated for three representative cuts to the complete basis set limit using second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation calculations with correlation consistent basis sets up to the doubly augmented variety. The results both with and without counterpoise correction show consistency with each other, supporting that extrapolation without such a correction provides a reliable scheme to elude the basis-set-superposition error. Converged attributes are obtained for the C(20)-He interaction, which are used to predict the fullerene dimer ones. Time requirements show that the method can be drastically more economical than the counterpoise procedure and even competitive with Kohn-Sham density functional theory for the title system.

Living on the edge: health care expenses strain family budgets.

PubMed

Cummingham, Peter J; Miller, Carolyn; Cassil, Alwyn

2008-12-01

Affordability of medical care is a central focus of health care reform efforts. As health care costs continue to increase and the economy declines sharply, there is very little cushion in family budgets for health care costs, even for families with insurance coverage. Financial pressures on families from medical bills increase sharply when out-of-pocket spending for health care services exceeds 2.5 percent of family income, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Low-income families and people in poor health experience financial pressures at even lower levels of spending, largely because they have already accumulated large medical debts they are unable to pay off. Many Californians also incur substantial burdens from health care expenses, although the rate of medical bill problems is somewhat lower in California compared with the overall United States. Extended interviews with a select number of families facing problems with medical bills provide additional detail on how families are forced to make difficult trade-offs with other family necessities, put off paying other bills, cut down on other expenses and delay getting needed medical care

Socioeconomic inequality in catastrophic health expenditure in Brazil

PubMed Central

Boing, Alexandra Crispim; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso; de Barros, Aluísio Jardim Dornellas; Posenato, Leila Garcia; Peres, Karen Glazer

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze the evolution of catastrophic health expenditure and the inequalities in such expenses, according to the socioeconomic characteristics of Brazilian families. METHODS Data from the National Household Budget 2002-2003 (48,470 households) and 2008-2009 (55,970 households) were analyzed. Catastrophic health expenditure was defined as excess expenditure, considering different methods of calculation: 10.0% and 20.0% of total consumption and 40.0% of the family’s capacity to pay. The National Economic Indicator and schooling were considered as socioeconomic characteristics. Inequality measures utilized were the relative difference between rates, the rates ratio, and concentration index. RESULTS The catastrophic health expenditure varied between 0.7% and 21.0%, depending on the calculation method. The lowest prevalences were noted in relation to the capacity to pay, while the highest, in relation to total consumption. The prevalence of catastrophic health expenditure increased by 25.0% from 2002-2003 to 2008-2009 when the cutoff point of 20.0% relating to the total consumption was considered and by 100% when 40.0% or more of the capacity to pay was applied as the cut-off point. Socioeconomic inequalities in the catastrophic health expenditure in Brazil between 2002-2003 and 2008-2009 increased significantly, becoming 5.20 times higher among the poorest and 4.17 times higher among the least educated. CONCLUSIONS There was an increase in catastrophic health expenditure among Brazilian families, principally among the poorest and those headed by the least-educated individuals, contributing to an increase in social inequality. PMID:25210822

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

Beaver, J.L. Jr.

Suniland field is located in the west Texas Permian basin. Production is primarily from peritidal shelf dolomites of the Permian (Guadalupian) San Andres Formation. San Andres deposition was highly cyclical, with at least two upward-shoaling megacycles comprising the lower 600 ft (183 m) of the formation; many smaller cycles occur within the megacycles. The field consists of an elongate, low-relief, east-west-trending anticline formed from draping over a pre-San Andres structural high. Hydrocarbon trapping is controlled primarily by structural closure and discontinuity of San Andres reservoir facies. Anhydrite cement precipitation also may cause an updip (northerly) permeability loss. Reservoirs occur inmore » thin, permeable oolitic grainstone intervals possessing primary intergranular porosity in combination with vugular and moldic pore systems. These grainstones interfinger with porous but generally impermeable oolitic packstones. Adjacent wackestones and mudstones are generally nonporous and impermeable. Porosity occlusion is primarily from precipitation of late dolomite cements. Anhydrite cements do not occlude porosity to a high degree. Oil production from the San Andres Formation at Suniland field is from nine separate reservoirs comprising two major pay categories, designated Sand Andres and lower San Andres. Pay depths range from 3,755 to 4,211 ft (1,144 to 1,283 m). Cumulative oil production to January 1986 is 7.35 million bbl from 69 wells. Permian (Leonardian) Glorieta production accounts for about 16% of total production. Reservoirs produce from solution gas expansion at low gas-to-oil ratios and high water cuts. Effective porosity in pay zones averages 14%; permeability averages 17 md.« less

Socioeconomic inequality in catastrophic health expenditure in Brazil.

PubMed

Boing, Alexandra Crispim; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso; Barros, Aluísio Jardim Dornellas de; Posenato, Leila Garcia; Peres, Karen Glazer

2014-08-01

To analyze the evolution of catastrophic health expenditure and the inequalities in such expenses, according to the socioeconomic characteristics of Brazilian families. Data from the National Household Budget 2002-2003 (48,470 households) and 2008-2009 (55,970 households) were analyzed. Catastrophic health expenditure was defined as excess expenditure, considering different methods of calculation: 10.0% and 20.0% of total consumption and 40.0% of the family's capacity to pay. The National Economic Indicator and schooling were considered as socioeconomic characteristics. Inequality measures utilized were the relative difference between rates, the rates ratio, and concentration index. The catastrophic health expenditure varied between 0.7% and 21.0%, depending on the calculation method. The lowest prevalences were noted in relation to the capacity to pay, while the highest, in relation to total consumption. The prevalence of catastrophic health expenditure increased by 25.0% from 2002-2003 to 2008-2009 when the cutoff point of 20.0% relating to the total consumption was considered and by 100% when 40.0% or more of the capacity to pay was applied as the cut-off point. Socioeconomic inequalities in the catastrophic health expenditure in Brazil between 2002-2003 and 2008-2009 increased significantly, becoming 5.20 times higher among the poorest and 4.17 times higher among the least educated. There was an increase in catastrophic health expenditure among Brazilian families, principally among the poorest and those headed by the least-educated individuals, contributing to an increase in social inequality.

Experimental response of Salix cuttings to different flow regimes due to human activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorla, Lorenzo; Signarbieux, Constant; Turberg, Pascal; Buttler, Alexandre; Perona, Paolo

2014-05-01

Hydropower production and other human activities change the natural flow regime of rivers, in turn impacting the riparian environment. The main challenge in order to define eco-sustainable flows is to quantify the effects in terms of geomorphology and ecosystem adaptation. We present 2-years controlled experiments to investigate riparian vegetation (Salix Viminalis) response to forced water table changing dynamics, from one water regime to another, in a temperate region (Switzerland). Three synthetic flow regimes have been simulated and applied to three batteries of Salix cuttings growing outdoor within plastic pots, each about 1 meter tall. In 2012 one treatment simulated a minimal flow policy for small run-of-river hydropower plants, which drastically impacts the low and the medium-low components of the hydrograph, but not the extremes. In 2013 we confirmed and completed some of 2012 results, by reproducing typical hydropeaking effects due to dam management and focusing on daily water table variations and offsets. For both the seasons, after an initial period where all pots undergone the same oscillations in order to uniform the plants initial conditions, the experiment started, and the water dynamic was changed. Cuttings transitory response dynamics has been quantified by continuous sap flow and water potential measurements, and by regularly collecting growth parameters, as well as leaves photosynthesis, fluorescence, and pictures of each plant. At the end of the experiment, all cuttings were carefully removed and the both above and below ground biomass analyzed in detail. Particularly, the 3D root structure was obtained by High Resolution Computer Tomography. Our analyses revealed a clear dependence between roots distribution and water regime reflecting the need for adaptation, in agreement with field observations of Pasquale et al. (2012). In particular, an initial strong difference in terms of stress and growth performances was then followed by a later adjustment in the roots system, notably detected from tomographic images. Macroscopic effects in terms of growth parameters at weekly time step have found correspondence at higher time resolution in terms of sap flow and stem pressure, strengthening our results interpretation. REFERENCES - Pasquale et al. "Effects of streamflow variability on the vertical root density distribution of willow cutting experiments." Ecological Engineering 40 (2012): 167-172. - Gorla et al., "Transient response of Salix cuttings to changing water level regimes", WRR, submitted.

A Novel Manufacturing Process for Compact, Low-Weight and Flexible Ultra-Wideband Cavity Backed Textile Antennas

PubMed Central

Van Baelen, Dries

2018-01-01

A novel manufacturing procedure for the fabrication of ultra-wideband cavity-backed substrate integrated waveguide antennas on textile substrates is proposed. The antenna cavity is constructed using a single laser-cut electrotextile patch, which is folded around the substrate. Electrotextile slabs protruding from the laser-cut patch are then vertically folded and glued to form the antenna cavity instead of rigid metal tubelets to implement the vertical cavity walls. This approach drastically improves mechanical flexibility, decreases the antenna weight to slightly more than 1 g and significantly reduces alignment errors. As a proof of concept, a cavity-backed substrate integrated waveguide antenna is designed and realized for ultra-wideband operation in the [5.15–5.85] GHz band. Antenna performance is validated in free space as well as in two on body measurement scenarios. Furthermore, the antenna’s figures of merit are characterized when the prototype is bent at different curvature radii, as commonly encountered during deployment on the human body. Also the effect of humidity content on antenna performance is studied. In all scenarios, the realized antenna covers the entire operating frequency band, meanwhile retaining a stable radiation pattern with a broadside gain above 5 dBi, and a radiation efficiency of at least 70%. PMID:29301378

A Novel Manufacturing Process for Compact, Low-Weight and Flexible Ultra-Wideband Cavity Backed Textile Antennas.

PubMed

Van Baelen, Dries; Lemey, Sam; Verhaevert, Jo; Rogier, Hendrik

2018-01-03

A novel manufacturing procedure for the fabrication of ultra-wideband cavity-backed substrate integrated waveguide antennas on textile substrates is proposed. The antenna cavity is constructed using a single laser-cut electrotextile patch, which is folded around the substrate. Electrotextile slabs protruding from the laser-cut patch are then vertically folded and glued to form the antenna cavity instead of rigid metal tubelets to implement the vertical cavity walls. This approach drastically improves mechanical flexibility, decreases the antenna weight to slightly more than 1 g and significantly reduces alignment errors. As a proof of concept, a cavity-backed substrate integrated waveguide antenna is designed and realized for ultra-wideband operation in the [5.15-5.85] GHz band. Antenna performance is validated in free space as well as in two on body measurement scenarios. Furthermore, the antenna's figures of merit are characterized when the prototype is bent at different curvature radii, as commonly encountered during deployment on the human body. Also the effect of humidity content on antenna performance is studied. In all scenarios, the realized antenna covers the entire operating frequency band, meanwhile retaining a stable radiation pattern with a broadside gain above 5 dBi, and a radiation efficiency of at least 70%.

An academic nursing clinic's financial survival.

PubMed

Holman, E J; Branstetter, E

1997-01-01

The authors suggest that academic institutions build business-oriented policies and practices into the development of any nurse-run clinic to set the stage for financial independence when special or development funding ends. One university-affiliated program that provides 4,000 to 5,000 annual visits drastically changed its strategies when threatened with closure after free rent and other subsidies were withdrawn. The growing emphasis on ambulatory care roles for nurses at all levels makes such clinics critical to the success of the broad-based curricula of nursing education programs, as well as the clinic's value to communities they serve. Funding difficulties frequently threaten the existence of such nurse-run clinics once the initial grant funding is no longer available. This has caused a new emphasis on running such clinics in a business-wise manner. Among the strategies initiated were: direct full-pay at the time of service; a realistic business management plan; aggressive planned marketing; contracts and agreements with other agencies; obtaining provider status with selected HMOs.

The impact of austerity on the health workforce and the achievement of human resources for health policies in Ireland (2008-2014).

PubMed

Williams, Des; Thomas, Steve

2017-09-11

The global economic crisis saw recessionary conditions in most EU countries. Ireland's severe recession produced pro-cyclical health spending cuts. Yet, human resources for health (HRH) are the most critical of inputs into a health system and an important economic driver. The aim of this article is to evaluate how the Irish health system coped with austerity in relation to HRH and whether austerity allowed and/or facilitated the implementation of HRH policy. The authors employed a quantitative longitudinal trend analysis over the period 2008 to 2014 with Health Service Executive (HSE) staff database as the principal source. For the purpose of this study, heath service employment is defined as directly employed whole-time equivalent public service staffing in the HSE and other government agencies. The authors also examined the heath sector pay bill and sought to establish linkages between the main staff database and pay expenditure, as given in the HSE Annual Accounts and Financial Statements (AFS), and key HRH policies. The actual cut in total whole-time equivalent (WTE) of directly employed health services human resources over the period 2008 to 2014 was 8027 WTE, a reduction of 7.2% but substantially less than government claims. There was a degree of relative protection for frontline staffing decreasing by 2.9% between 2008 and 2014 and far less than the 18.5% reduction in other staff. Staff exempted from the general moratorium also increased by a combined 12.6%. Counter to stated policy, the decline in staffing of non-acute care was over double than in acute care. Further, the reduction in directly employed staff was to a great extent matched by a marked increase in agency spending. The cuts forced substantial HRH reductions and yet there was some success in pursuing policy goals, such as increasing the frontline workforce while reducing support staff and protection of some cadres. Nevertheless, other policies failed such as moving staff away from acute settings and the claimed financial savings were substantially offset by overtime payments and the need to hire more expensive agency workers. There was also substantial demotivation of staff as a consequence of the changes.

The impact of the economic downturn on environmental health services and professionals in North Carolina.

PubMed

Weston-Cox, Paula

2012-06-01

The objective of the authors' study was to examine the impact of the economic recession on the environmental health profession between budget year (BY) 2006-2007 and BY 2010-2011 in the following areas: (1) environmental health department fees for services; (2) changes in staffing levels, benefits, or pay; (3) changes in staff responsibilities; and (4) the impact to the private environmental sector compared to public environmental health professionals. Data were summarized from the following surveys: North Carolina Environmental Health Supervisors Association Fee and Economic Surveys; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Government Current Salary Index; and a created online survey of private-sector environmental professionals. Total fees in the public sector for services have risen for most environmental health departments, but not enough to offset budget reductions. All of the counties that participated in the survey either have reduced staff, pay, or benefits due to budget cuts, and some counties utilized staff in other areas through cross-training. The private environmental sector also reduced staff in response to a reduced workload. Public sector employers may have difficulties retaining existing employees and recruiting new employees over the long-term in the current economic climate.

Weighing the Risks of Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: Trust in Different Information Sources, Perceived Risks, and Willingness to Pay for Alternatives to Nuclear Power.

PubMed

Vainio, Annukka; Paloniemi, Riikka; Varho, Vilja

2017-03-01

We examined how individuals perceive nuclear energy in the context of climate change mitigation and how their perceptions are associated with trust in different risk information sources. We analyzed the interrelationships between trust, perceived risk of nuclear power, climate change concern, perception of nuclear energy as an acceptable way to mitigate climate change, and willingness to pay (WTP) for alternatives to nuclear power. A nationwide survey (N = 967) collected in Finland was analyzed with structural equation modeling. The associations between trust and perceived risk of nuclear power, climate change concern, and perception of nuclear power as a way to mitigate climate change varied by the type of information source. Political party support and other background variables were associated with trust in different information sources. The effect of trust in information sources on WTP was mediated by perceived risks and benefits. The results will increase our understanding of how individuals perceive nuclear energy as a way to cut CO 2 emissions and the role of trust in different information sources in shaping nuclear risk perceptions and energy choices. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Assessing the effectiveness of health care cost containment measures: evidence from the market for rehabilitation care.

PubMed

Ziebarth, Nicolas R

2014-03-01

This study empirically evaluates the effectiveness of different health care cost containment measures. The measures investigated were introduced in Germany in 1997 to reduce moral hazard and public health expenditures in the market for rehabilitation care. Of the analyzed measures, doubling the daily copayments was clearly the most effective cost containment measure, resulting in a reduction in utilization of about [Formula: see text] . Indirect measures such as allowing employers to cut federally mandated sick pay or paid vacation during inpatient post-acute care stays did not significantly reduce utilization. There is evidence neither for adverse health effects nor for substitution effects in terms of more doctor visits.

Drastic increases in overweight and obesity from 1981 to 2010 and related risk factors: results from the Barbados Children's Health and Nutrition Study.

PubMed

Fernandez, Melissa Anne; Kubow, Stan; Gray-Donald, Katherine; Knight, JaDon; Gaskin, Pamela S

2015-12-01

To examine overweight and obesity (OWOB), changes in prevalence and potential risk factors in Barbadian children. A cross-section of students were weighed and measured. The WHO BMI-for-age growth references (BAZ), the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth percentiles were used to determine OWOB prevalence. Harvard weight-for-height-for-age growth standards were used to estimate differences in OWOB prevalence from 1981 to 2010. Samples of parents and students were interviewed to describe correlates of OWOB. Barbados. Public-school students (n 580) in class 3. Based on WHO BAZ, the overall prevalence of OWOB was 34·8 % (95 % CI 30·9, 38·7 %). A trend of higher OWOB prevalence was seen for girls across cut-offs, with significant sex differences noted using the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. According to Harvard growth standards, OWOB has increased dramatically, from 8·52 % to 32·5 %. Children were more likely to be OWOB when annual household income was below BBD 9000 (OR=2·69; 95 % CI 1·21, 5·99). Eating dinner with the family every night was associated with a lower prevalence of OWOB (OR=0·56; 95 % CI 0·36, 0·87). The sharp increase of OWOB rates in Barbados warrants attention. Sex disparities in OWOB prevalence may emerge at a young age. Promoting family meals may be a feasible option for OWOB prevention. Understanding familial and sociodemographic factors influencing OWOB will be useful in planning successful intervention or prevention programmes in Barbados.

Who should set CEO pay? The press? Congress? Shareholders?

PubMed

Brownstein, A R; Panner, M J

1992-01-01

Populist fervor in an election year has transformed executive compensation from a business issue into a political one. Critics, led by Graef Crystal, author of In Search of Excess: The Overcompensation of American Executives, charge that CEOs are ripping off shareholders with their outrageous salaries while running U.S. corporations into the ground. Politicians claim overpaid CEOs are the root cause of the U.S. competitiveness problem. Add a recessionary business climate to the fact that some CEOs earn 130 times more than their lowest paid employees, and you have the makings of a populist rebellion. In a bid to appease voters, Congress is considering several bills that would limit the deductibility of "excessive executive salaries," the SEC has opened the issue to shareholder comment, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board is looking at new accounting standards for granting stock options to executives as part of company compensation schemes. Andrew R. Brownstein and Morris J. Panner say it's time to put the debate back where it belongs--in a business context. The real question is not are executives paid too much, but are shareholders getting their money's worth. Most U.S. corporations use stock compensation to link company long-term performance to executive salaries. And because of the staggering market performance of U.S. corporations in the 1980s, an overwhelming majority of CEOs are actually paid in line with their performance. Rather than cut executive pay, Brownstein and Panner suggest that corporations extend incentive-based compensation plans to all employees, thus narrowing the salary gap and establishing pay for performance at every level of the organization.

Stereo Image Dense Matching by Integrating Sift and Sgm Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Y.; Song, Y.; Lu, J.

2018-05-01

Semi-global matching(SGM) performs the dynamic programming by treating the different path directions equally. It does not consider the impact of different path directions on cost aggregation, and with the expansion of the disparity search range, the accuracy and efficiency of the algorithm drastically decrease. This paper presents a dense matching algorithm by integrating SIFT and SGM. It takes the successful matching pairs matched by SIFT as control points to direct the path in dynamic programming with truncating error propagation. Besides, matching accuracy can be improved by using the gradient direction of the detected feature points to modify the weights of the paths in different directions. The experimental results based on Middlebury stereo data sets and CE-3 lunar data sets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively cut off the error propagation, reduce disparity search range and improve matching accuracy.

Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruno, John F.; Valdivia, Abel

2016-07-01

The global decline of reef-building corals is understood to be due to a combination of local and global stressors. However, many reef scientists assume that local factors predominate and that isolated reefs, far from human activities, are generally healthier and more resilient. Here we show that coral reef degradation is not correlated with human population density. This suggests that local factors such as fishing and pollution are having minimal effects or that their impacts are masked by global drivers such as ocean warming. Our results also suggest that the effects of local and global stressors are antagonistic, rather than synergistic as widely assumed. These findings indicate that local management alone cannot restore coral populations or increase the resilience of reefs to large-scale impacts. They also highlight the truly global reach of anthropogenic warming and the immediate need for drastic and sustained cuts in carbon emissions.

Internal-short-mitigating current collector for lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Meng; Le, Anh V.; Noelle, Daniel J.; Shi, Yang; Meng, Y. Shirley; Qiao, Yu

2017-05-01

Mechanical abuse often causes thermal runaway of lithium-ion battery (LIB). When a LIB cell is impacted, radial cracks can be formed in the current collector, separating the electrode into petals. As separator ruptures, the petals on positive and negative electrodes may contact each other, forming internal short circuit (ISC). In this study, we conducted an experimental investigation on LIB coin cells with current collectors modified by surface notches. Our testing results showed that as the current collector contained appropriate surface notches, the cracking mode of electrode in a damaged LIB cell could be adjusted. Particularly, if a complete circumferential crack was generated, the petals would be cut off, which drastically reduced the area of electrode involved in ISC and the associated heat generation rate. A parameterized study was performed to analysis various surface-notch configurations. We identified an efficient surface-notch design that consistently led to trivial temperature increase of ISC.

Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density.

PubMed

Bruno, John F; Valdivia, Abel

2016-07-20

The global decline of reef-building corals is understood to be due to a combination of local and global stressors. However, many reef scientists assume that local factors predominate and that isolated reefs, far from human activities, are generally healthier and more resilient. Here we show that coral reef degradation is not correlated with human population density. This suggests that local factors such as fishing and pollution are having minimal effects or that their impacts are masked by global drivers such as ocean warming. Our results also suggest that the effects of local and global stressors are antagonistic, rather than synergistic as widely assumed. These findings indicate that local management alone cannot restore coral populations or increase the resilience of reefs to large-scale impacts. They also highlight the truly global reach of anthropogenic warming and the immediate need for drastic and sustained cuts in carbon emissions.

Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density

PubMed Central

Bruno, John F.; Valdivia, Abel

2016-01-01

The global decline of reef-building corals is understood to be due to a combination of local and global stressors. However, many reef scientists assume that local factors predominate and that isolated reefs, far from human activities, are generally healthier and more resilient. Here we show that coral reef degradation is not correlated with human population density. This suggests that local factors such as fishing and pollution are having minimal effects or that their impacts are masked by global drivers such as ocean warming. Our results also suggest that the effects of local and global stressors are antagonistic, rather than synergistic as widely assumed. These findings indicate that local management alone cannot restore coral populations or increase the resilience of reefs to large-scale impacts. They also highlight the truly global reach of anthropogenic warming and the immediate need for drastic and sustained cuts in carbon emissions. PMID:27435659

Meat standards and grading: a world view.

PubMed

Polkinghorne, R J; Thompson, J M

2010-09-01

This paper addresses the principles relating to meat standards and grading of beef and advances the concept that potential exists to achieve significant desirable change from adopting more consumer focused systems within accurate value-based payment frameworks. The paper uses the definitions that classification is a set of descriptive terms describing features of the carcass that are useful to those involved in the trading of carcasses, whereas grading is the placing of different values on carcasses for pricing purposes, depending on the market and requirements of traders. A third definition is consumer grading, which refers to grading systems that seek to define or predict consumer satisfaction with a cooked meal. The development of carcass classification and grading schemes evolved from a necessity to describe the carcass using standard terms to facilitate trading. The growth in world trade of meat and meat products and the transition from trading carcasses to marketing individual meal portions raises the need for an international language that can service contemporary needs. This has in part been addressed by the United Nations promoting standard languages on carcasses, cuts, trim levels and cutting lines. Currently no standards exist for describing consumer satisfaction. Recent Meat Standards Australia (MSA) research in Australia, Korea, Ireland, USA, Japan and South Africa showed that consumers across diverse cultures and nationalities have a remarkably similar view of beef eating quality, which could be used to underpin an international language on palatability. Consumer research on the willingness to pay for eating quality shows that consumers will pay higher prices for better eating quality grades and generally this was not affected by demographic or meat preference traits of the consumer. In Australia the MSA eating quality grading system has generated substantial premiums to retailers, wholesalers and to the producer. Future grading schemes which measure both carcass yield and eating quality have the potential to underpin the development and implementation of transparent value-based payment systems which will encourage improved production efficiency throughout the supply chain.

Walking the Line: Navigating Market and Gift Economies of Care in a Consumer-Directed Home-Based Care Program for Older Adults

PubMed Central

Torres, Jacqueline M; Kietzman, Kathryn G; Wallace, Steven P

2015-01-01

Context Paid caregivers of low-income older adults navigate their role at what Hochschild calls the “market frontier”: the fuzzy line between the “world of the market,” in which services are exchanged for monetary compensation, and the “world of the gift,” in which caregiving is uncompensated and motivated by emotional attachment. We examine how political and economic forces, including the reduction of long-term services and supports, shape the practice of “walking the line” among caregivers of older adults. Methods We used data from a longitudinal qualitative study with related and nonrelated caregivers (n = 33) paid through California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and consumers of IHSS care (n = 49). We analyzed the semistructured interviews (n = 330), completed between 2010 and 2014, using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Findings Related and nonrelated caregivers are often expected to “gift” hours of care above and beyond what is compensated by formal services. Cuts in formal services and lapses in pay push caregivers to further “walk the line” between market and gift economies of care. Both related and nonrelated caregivers who choose to stay on and provide more care without pay often face adverse economic and health consequences. Some, including related caregivers, opt out of caregiving altogether. While some consumers expect that caregivers would be willing to “walk the line” in order to meet their needs, most expressed sympathy for them and tried to alter their schedules or go without care in order to limit the caregivers’ burden. Conclusions Given economic and health constraints, caregivers cannot always compensate for cuts in formal supports by providing uncompensated time and resources. Similarly, low-income older adults are not competitive in the caregiving marketplace and, given the inadequacy of compensated hours, often depend on unpaid care. Policies that restrict formal long-term services and supports thus leave the needs of both caregivers and consumers unmet. PMID:26626984

Walking the Line: Navigating Market and Gift Economies of Care in a Consumer-Directed Home-Based Care Program for Older Adults.

PubMed

Torres, Jacqueline M; Kietzman, Kathryn G; Wallace, Steven P

2015-12-01

Paid caregivers of low-income older adults navigate their role at what Hochschild calls the "market frontier": the fuzzy line between the "world of the market," in which services are exchanged for monetary compensation, and the "world of the gift," in which caregiving is uncompensated and motivated by emotional attachment. We examine how political and economic forces, including the reduction of long-term services and supports, shape the practice of "walking the line" among caregivers of older adults. We used data from a longitudinal qualitative study with related and nonrelated caregivers (n = 33) paid through California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and consumers of IHSS care (n = 49). We analyzed the semistructured interviews (n = 330), completed between 2010 and 2014, using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Related and nonrelated caregivers are often expected to "gift" hours of care above and beyond what is compensated by formal services. Cuts in formal services and lapses in pay push caregivers to further "walk the line" between market and gift economies of care. Both related and nonrelated caregivers who choose to stay on and provide more care without pay often face adverse economic and health consequences. Some, including related caregivers, opt out of caregiving altogether. While some consumers expect that caregivers would be willing to "walk the line" in order to meet their needs, most expressed sympathy for them and tried to alter their schedules or go without care in order to limit the caregivers' burden. Given economic and health constraints, caregivers cannot always compensate for cuts in formal supports by providing uncompensated time and resources. Similarly, low-income older adults are not competitive in the caregiving marketplace and, given the inadequacy of compensated hours, often depend on unpaid care. Policies that restrict formal long-term services and supports thus leave the needs of both caregivers and consumers unmet. © 2015 Milbank Memorial Fund.

Managing manpower and cutting costs in the health care industry.

PubMed

Kocakülâh, Mehmet C; Wiggins, Laura M; Albin, Marvin

2009-01-01

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that health care services will account for one out of every six new jobs from 2002 to 2012. Based upon workload fluctuations, some companies in health care have opted to utilize "just-in-time" employees. Such an employee not only serves to stabilize the workforce but can also reduce employers' cost by allowing them to pay for labor only when they need it. Based on the analysis, a company should reduce reliance on casual staff, as the upfront cost per hire is far greater than hiring a temporary employee. Information presented points to fairly high turnover among casual employees, thus bolstering the argument against this staffing scheme when compared with temporary employee staffing.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973--its impact on employee selection practices.

PubMed

Guy, J H

1978-01-01

The employee selection practices of private and public enterprises that contract with the federal government or receive federal financial assistance have been subjected to extensive regulation by the agencies administering sections 503 and 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which provide protection to qualified handicapped individuals. The author discusses the nature and significance of these restrictions and gives practical guidance on compliance. She cautions that the enforcement powers of the agencies administering the Act--the power to cut off federal funds, debar from future contracts, award back pay, and provide equitable relief--make it necessary for employers to show good faith and proper justification when a decision is made to reject a handicapped person for a job or a promotion.

Effectiveness evaluation of objective and subjective weighting methods for aquifer vulnerability assessment in urban context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Madhumita; Sahoo, Satiprasad; Dhar, Anirban; Pradhan, Biswajeet

2016-10-01

Groundwater vulnerability assessment has been an accepted practice to identify the zones with relatively increased potential for groundwater contamination. DRASTIC is the most popular secondary information-based vulnerability assessment approach. Original DRASTIC approach considers relative importance of features/sub-features based on subjective weighting/rating values. However variability of features at a smaller scale is not reflected in this subjective vulnerability assessment process. In contrast to the subjective approach, the objective weighting-based methods provide flexibility in weight assignment depending on the variation of the local system. However experts' opinion is not directly considered in the objective weighting-based methods. Thus effectiveness of both subjective and objective weighting-based approaches needs to be evaluated. In the present study, three methods - Entropy information method (E-DRASTIC), Fuzzy pattern recognition method (F-DRASTIC) and Single parameter sensitivity analysis (SA-DRASTIC), were used to modify the weights of the original DRASTIC features to include local variability. Moreover, a grey incidence analysis was used to evaluate the relative performance of subjective (DRASTIC and SA-DRASTIC) and objective (E-DRASTIC and F-DRASTIC) weighting-based methods. The performance of the developed methodology was tested in an urban area of Kanpur City, India. Relative performance of the subjective and objective methods varies with the choice of water quality parameters. This methodology can be applied without/with suitable modification. These evaluations establish the potential applicability of the methodology for general vulnerability assessment in urban context.

Effects of 3 dimensional crystal geometry and orientation on 1D and 2D time-scale determinations of magmatic processes using olivine and orthopyroxene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shea, Thomas; Krimer, Daniel; Costa, Fidel; Hammer, Julia

2014-05-01

One of the achievements in recent years in volcanology is the determination of time-scales of magmatic processes via diffusion in minerals and its addition to the petrologists' and volcanologists' toolbox. The method typically requires one-dimensional modeling of randomly cut crystals from two-dimensional thin sections. Here we address the question whether using 1D (traverse) or 2D (surface) datasets exploited from randomly cut 3D crystals introduces a bias or dispersion in the time-scales estimated, and how this error can be improved or eliminated. Computational simulations were performed using a concentration-dependent, finite-difference solution to the diffusion equation in 3D. The starting numerical models involved simple geometries (spheres, parallelepipeds), Mg/Fe zoning patterns (either normal or reverse), and isotropic diffusion coefficients. Subsequent models progressively incorporated more complexity, 3D olivines possessing representative polyhedral morphologies, diffusion anisotropy along the different crystallographic axes, and more intricate core-rim zoning patterns. Sections and profiles used to compare 1, 2 and 3D diffusion models were selected to be (1) parallel to the crystal axes, (2) randomly oriented but passing through the olivine center, or (3) randomly oriented and sectioned. Results show that time-scales estimated on randomly cut traverses (1D) or surfaces (2D) can be widely distributed around the actual durations of 3D diffusion (~0.2 to 10 times the true diffusion time). The magnitude over- or underestimations of duration are a complex combination of the geometry of the crystal, the zoning pattern, the orientation of the cuts with respect to the crystallographic axes, and the degree of diffusion anisotropy. Errors on estimated time-scales retrieved from such models may thus be significant. Drastic reductions in the uncertainty of calculated diffusion times can be obtained by following some simple guidelines during the course of data collection (i.e. selection of crystals and concentration profiles, acquisition of crystallographic orientation data), thus allowing derivation of robust time-scales.

Bioethics and why I hope to live beyond age 75 attaining wisdom!: A rebuttal to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel's 75 age limit

PubMed Central

Faria, Miguel A.

2015-01-01

American bioethicists have been providing persuasive arguments for rationing medical care via the theory of the necessary “rational allocation of finite health care resources.” Anticipating the need for the drastic rationing of medical care in the U.S. with the implementation of ObamaCare and assisted by various sectors of organized medicine in league with the State, bioethicists have deduced that more ingenious approaches are necessary to convince Americans who have been accustomed to receiving the best medical care that third-party payers are willing to pay for. It is in this context that the individual-based, patient-oriented ethics of Hippocrates, including his fundamental dictum, “First Do No Harm,” have to be supplanted by the utilitarian approach promoted by the bioethicists. And today's foremost proponent of the bioethics movement is Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel. This editorial proposes a rational rebuttal to Dr. Emanuel's proposal to limit life expectancy to age 75 as a rational paradigm to a better life. PMID:25789197

Volcanoes and human history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cashman, K. V.; Giordano, G.

2008-10-01

The study of volcanic hazards leads inevitably to questions of how past cultures have lived in volcanically active regions of the world. Here we summarize linkages between volcanological, archaeological and anthropological studies of historic and prehistoric volcanic eruptions, with the goal of evaluating the impact of past eruptions on human populations to better prepare for future events. We use examples from papers collected in this volume to illustrate ways in which volcanological studies aid archaeological investigations by providing basic stratigraphic markers and information about the nature and timing of specific volcanic events. We then turn to archaeological perspectives, which provide physical evidence of the direct impacts of volcanic eruptions, such as site abandonment and human migration, as well as indirect impacts on local cultures as reflected in human artifacts. Finally we review anthropological studies of societal responses to past and recent volcanic eruptions. We pay particular attention to both the psychological impact of catastrophic events and records of these impacts encoded within oral traditions. Taken together these studies record drastic short-term eruption impacts but adaptation to volcanic activity over the longer term, largely through strategies of adaptive land use.

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the coastal region of Oman using DRASTIC index method in GIS environment.

PubMed

Jamrah, Ahmad; Al-Futaisi, Ahmed; Rajmohan, Natarajan; Al-Yaroubi, Saif

2008-12-01

A study was carried out to develop a vulnerability map for Barka region in the North Batina of Oman using DRASTIC vulnerability index method in GIS environment. DRASTIC layers were created using data from published reports and the seven DRASTIC layers were processed by the ArcGIS geographic information system. Finally, DRASTIC maps were created for 1995 and 2004 to understand the long-term changes in the vulnerability index. DRASTIC vulnerability maps were evaluated using groundwater quality data such as chemical and biological parameters. DRASTIC vulnerability maps of 1995 and 2004 indicate that the northern part of Barka is more vulnerable to pollution than southern part and the central part of Barka also shows high relative vulnerability which is mostly related to the high conductivity values. Moreover, the changes in water level due to high abstraction rate of groundwater reflect in the vulnerability maps and low vulnerability area is increased in the southern part during 2004 compared to 1995. Moreover, regional distribution maps of nitrate, chloride and total and fecal coliforms are well correlated with DRASTIC vulnerability maps. In contrast to this, even though DRASTIC method predicted the central part of the study region is highly vulnerable, both chemical and biological parameters show lower concentrations in this region compared to coastal belt, which is mainly due to agricultural and urban development. In Barka, urban development and agricultural activities are very high in coastal region compared to southern and central part of the study area. Hence, this study concluded that DRASTIC method is also applicable in coastal region having ubiquitous contamination sources.

Development of the first force-controlled robot for otoneurosurgery.

PubMed

Federspil, Philipp A; Geisthoff, Urban W; Henrich, Dominik; Plinkert, Peter K

2003-03-01

In some surgical specialties (eg, orthopedics), robots are already used in the operating room for bony milling work. Otological surgery and otoneurosurgery may also greatly benefit from the enhanced precision of robotics. Experimental study on robotic milling of oak wood and human temporal bone specimen. A standard industrial robot with a six-degrees-of-freedom serial kinematics was used, with force feedback to proportionally control the robot speed. Different milling modes and characteristic path parameters were evaluated to generate milling paths based on computer-aided design (CAD) geometry data of a cochlear implant and an implantable hearing system. The best-suited strategy proved to be the spiral horizontal milling mode with the burr held perpendicular to the temporal bone surface. To reduce groove height, the distance between paths should equal half the radius of the cutting burr head. Because of the vibration of the robot's own motors, a high oscillation of the SD of forces was encountered. This oscillation dropped drastically to nearly 0 Newton (N) when the burr head made contact with the dura mater, because of its damping characteristics. The cutting burr could be kept in contact with the dura mater for an extended period without damaging it, because of the burr's blunt head form. The robot moved the burr smoothly according to the encountered resistances. The study reports the first development of a functional robotic milling procedure for otoneurosurgery with force-based speed control. Future plans include implementation of ultrasound-based local navigation and performance of robotic mastoidectomy.

Public health spending in 2008: on the challenge of integrating PHSSR data sets and the need for harmonization.

PubMed

Leider, Jonathon P; Sellers, Katie; Shah, Gulzar; Pearsol, Jim; Jarris, Paul E

2012-01-01

In recent years, state and local public health department budgets have been cut, sometimes drastically. However, there is no systematic tracking of governmental public health spending that would allow researchers to assess these cuts in comparison with governmental public health spending as a whole. Furthermore, attempts to quantify the impact of public health spending are limited by the lack of good data on public health spending on state and local public health services combined. The objective of this article is to integrate self-reported state and local health department (LHD) survey data from 2 major national organizations to create state-level estimates of governmental public health spending. To create integrated estimates, we selected 1388 LHDs and 46 states that had reported requisite financial information. To account for the nonrespondent LHDs, estimates of the spending were developed by using appropriate statistical weights. Finally, funds from federal pass-through and state sources were estimated for LHDs and subtracted from the total spending by the state health agency to avoid counting these dollars in both state and local figures. On average, states spend $106 per capita on traditional public health at the state and local level, with an average of 42% of spending occurring at the local level. Considerable variation exists in state and local public health funding. The results of this analysis show a relatively low level of public health funding compared with state Medicaid spending and health care more broadly.

Game on: creating competitive advantages.

PubMed

Riskind, Patricia; Foreman, M Shane

2004-01-01

Whether you are opening a new imaging center or trying to keep an existing center competitive, there are 3 critical factors: customer service, marketing, and a "what's next?" attitude. Customer service: Outstanding customer service is what sticks in the minds of referring physicians and patients. Not only does providing better service differentiate you from the competition, but it also boosts employee morale and motivates people to acquire new skills. Marketing: From the front office staff to the radiologists,promoting the center should be part of every employee's job description. Simply paying lip service to the concept of marketing will not cut it. A "what's next?" attitude: Complacency is a luxury that does not exist in today's competitive health care arena. Three facilities provide examples of how these factors applied to their success.

Voting suffrage and the political budget cycle: Evidence from the London Metropolitan Boroughs 1902-1937.

PubMed

Aidt, Toke S; Mooney, Graham

2014-04-01

We study the opportunistic political budget cycle in the London Metropolitan Boroughs between 1902 and 1937 under two different suffrage regimes: taxpayer suffrage (1902-1914) and universal suffrage (1921-1937). We argue and find supporting evidence that the political budget cycle operates differently under the two types of suffrage. Taxpayer suffrage, where the right to vote and the obligation to pay local taxes are linked, encourages demands for retrenchment and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year tax cuts and savings on administration costs. Universal suffrage, where all adult residents can vote irrespective of their taxpayer status, creates demands for productive public services and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year hikes in capital spending and a reduction in current spending.

Dollars for lives: the effect of highway capital investments on traffic fatalities.

PubMed

Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong; Yeung, Ryan

2014-12-01

This study examines the effect of highway capital investments on highway fatalities. We used state-level data from the 48 contiguous states in the United States from 1968 through 2010 to estimate the effects on highway fatalities of capital expenditures and highway capital stock. We estimated these effects by controlling for a set of control variables together with state and year dummy variables and state-specific linear time trends. We found that capital expenditures and capital stock had significant and negative effects on highway fatalities. States faced with declines in gas tax revenues have already cut back drastically on spending on roads including on maintenance and capital outlay. If this trend continues, it may undermine traffic safety. While states and local governments are currently fiscally strained, it is important for them to continue investments in roadways to enhance traffic safety and, more significantly, to save lives. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The new frontiers of multimodality and multi-isotope imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnam Azad, Babak; Nimmagadda, Sridhar

2014-06-01

Technological advances in imaging systems and the development of target specific imaging tracers has been rapidly growing over the past two decades. Recent progress in "all-in-one" imaging systems that allow for automated image coregistration has significantly added to the growth of this field. These developments include ultra high resolution PET and SPECT scanners that can be integrated with CT or MR resulting in PET/CT, SPECT/CT, SPECT/PET and PET/MRI scanners for simultaneous high resolution high sensitivity anatomical and functional imaging. These technological developments have also resulted in drastic enhancements in image quality and acquisition time while eliminating cross compatibility issues between modalities. Furthermore, the most cutting edge technology, though mostly preclinical, also allows for simultaneous multimodality multi-isotope image acquisition and image reconstruction based on radioisotope decay characteristics. These scientific advances, in conjunction with the explosion in the development of highly specific multimodality molecular imaging agents, may aid in realizing simultaneous imaging of multiple biological processes and pave the way towards more efficient diagnosis and improved patient care.

Cutting Edge: Molecular Structure of the IL-1R-Associated Kinase-4 Death Domain and Its Implications for TLR Signaling

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

Lasker, Michael V.; Gajjar, Mark M.; Nair, Satish K.

2010-07-19

IL-1R-associated kinase (IRAK) 4 is an essential component of innate immunity. IRAK-4 deficiency in mice and humans results in severe impairment of IL-1 and TLR signaling. We have solved the crystal structure for the death domain of Mus musculus IRAK-4 to 1.7 {angstrom} resolution. This is the first glimpse of the structural details of a mammalian IRAK family member. The crystal structure reveals a six-helical bundle with a prominent loop, which among IRAKs and Pelle, a Drosophila homologue, is unique to IRAK-4. This highly structured loop contained between helices two and three, comprises an 11-aa stretch. Although innate immune domainmore » recognition is thought to be very similar between Drosophila and mammals, this structural component points to a drastic difference. This structure can be used as a framework for future mutation and deletion studies and potential drug design.« less

K - bar K mixing in a low energy effective QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergan, A. E.; Eeg, J. O.

1994-09-01

We consider the contribution from the siamese penguin diagram toK - bar K mixing. Combining some previous results, this contribution could be numerically significant, which is the motivation for the present calculation. For the siamese penguin, the effective lagrangian obtained from the perturbative region above ≈1 GeV is highly non-local. We account for such non-local effects by using an effective low-energy QCD, advocated by many authors, where the quarks are coupled to the pseudoscalar mesons π, K, η. Taking into account the momentum variation of the effective penguin interaction, it is found that the matrix element of the siamese penguin is finite in the limitΛ _χ to infty , the CP-conserving part being about 50% of the well known box contribution. However, taking into account the finiteness of the cut-off, a numerical integration shows that the siamese penguin contribution is drastically reduced, and is only 0.2 0.3% of the box result.

Optical absorption in degenerately doped semiconductors: Mott transition or Mahan excitons?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schleife, André.; Rödl, Claudia; Hannewald, Karsten; Bechstedt, Friedhelm

2012-02-01

In the exploration of material properties, parameter-free calculations are a modern, sophisticated complement to cutting-edge experimental techniques. Ab-initio calculations are now capable of providing a deep understanding of the interesting physics underlying the electronic structure and optical absorption, e.g., of the transparent conductive oxides. Due to electron doping, these materials are conductive even though they have wide fundamental band gaps. The degenerate electron gas in the lowest conduction-band states drastically modifies the Coulomb interaction between the electrons and, hence, the optical properties close to the absorption edge. We describe these effects by developing an ab-initio technique which captures also the Pauli blocking and the Fermi-edge singularity at the optical absorption onset, that occur in addition to quasiparticle and excitonic effects. We answer the question whether free carriers induce an excitonic Mott transition or trigger the evolution of Wannier-Mott excitons into Mahan excitons. The prototypical n-type zinc oxide is studied as an example.

Floral aroma improvement of Muscat spirits by packed column distillation with variable internal reflux.

PubMed

Matias-Guiu, Pau; Rodríguez-Bencomo, Juan José; Orriols, Ignacio; Pérez-Correa, José Ricardo; López, Francisco

2016-12-15

The organoleptic quality of wine distillates depends on raw materials and the distillation process. Previous work has shown that rectification columns in batch distillation with fixed reflux rate are useful to obtain distillates or distillate fractions with enhanced organoleptic characteristics. This study explores variable reflux rate operating strategies to increase the levels of terpenic compounds in specific distillate fractions to emphasize its floral aroma. Based on chemical and sensory analyses, two distillate heart sub-fractions obtained with the best operating strategy found, were compared with a distillate obtained in a traditional alembic. Results have shown that a drastic reduction of the reflux rate at an early stage of the heart cut produced a distillate heart sub-fraction with a higher concentration of terpenic compounds and lower levels of negative aroma compounds. Therefore, this sub-fraction presented a much more noticeable floral aroma than the distillate obtained with a traditional alembic. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Different Shape and Perforated rHDPE in Concrete Structures on Flexural Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuhazri, MY; Hafiz, KM; Myia, YZA; Jia, CP; Sihombing, H.; Sapuan, SM; Badarulzaman, NA

2017-10-01

This research was carried out to develop a reinforcing structure from recycled HDPE plastic lubricant containers to be embedded in concrete structure. Different forms and shapes of recycled HDPE plastic are designed as reinforcement incorporate with cement. In this study, the reinforcing structure was prepared by washing, cutting, dimensioning and joining of the waste HDPE containers (direct technique without treatment on plastic surface). Then, the rHDPE reinforced concrete was produced by casting based on standard of procedure in civil engineering technique. Eight different shapes of rHDPE in concrete structure were used to determine the concrete’s ability in terms of flexural strength. Embedded round shape in solid and perforated of rHDPE in concrete system drastically improved flexural strength at 17.78 % and 13.79 %. The result would seem that the concrete with reinforcing rHDPE structure exhibits a more gradual or flexible properties than concrete beams without reinforcement that has the properties of fragile.

Health care delivery update: Part 1. Trends: less and more integration, bundled services, rethinking IPAs.

PubMed

Ellwood, P M

1988-01-01

Vertical integration of national medical firms that contract with physicians has slowed dramatically. At the same time, several top-level group practices, taking advantage of reputations for excellence, are integrating vertically on a national or regional scale. A shift from buying well to actually managing medical care will separate the "prospective supermeds" that learned to collaborate with physicians from those that are attempting to manipulate them. In view of the budget deficit and the needs for long-term care, Congress is likely to espouse more drastic Part B cost-cutting measures such as a physician PPO or an indexed relative-value scale. An emerging feature in health care is the growing variety of prospective payment arrangements in which the price for various combination services is set in advance. To be truly competitive, medical care organizations will have to be more selective, choosing physicians because they are cooperative and economical and because they are capable practitioners.

Detusking fence-breaker elephants as an approach in human-elephant conflict mitigation.

PubMed

Mutinda, Matthew; Chenge, Geoffrey; Gakuya, Francis; Otiende, Moses; Omondi, Patrick; Kasiki, Samuel; Soriguer, Ramón C; Alasaad, Samer

2014-01-01

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a recurring problem that appears wherever the range of elephants and humans overlap. Different methods including the use of electric fences are used worldwide to mitigate this conflict. Nonetheless, elephants learn quickly that their tusks do not conduct electricity and use them to break down fences (fence-breakers). In Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya, destructive elephants (Loxodonta africana) were monitored between 2010 and 2013. The fence-breaking rate reached four incidents (fence-breaking) per elephant per 100 days. Ten bull males and 57 females were identified as fence-breakers. The bulls were involved in 85.07% and the females in 14.93% of incidents. The Kenya Wildlife Service approved detusking (partial cutting of tusks) in four of the 10 fence-breakers as a way of preventing them from breaking down fences, thereby mitigating HEC in the Conservancy. The result of the detusking was a drastic six-fold reduction in damage to fences (range: 1.67 to 14.5 times less fence-breaking) by the four worst fence-breaker elephants, because with trimmed tusks elephants lack the tools to break down fences. Detusking could not totally eliminate fence destruction because, despite lacking their tools, elephants can still destroy fences using their heads, bodies and trunks, albeit less effectively. On the other hand, apart from inherent aesthetic considerations, the detusking of elephants may have certain negative effects on factors such as elephants' social hierarchies, breeding, mate selection and their access to essential minerals and food. Elephant detusking seems to be effective in drastically reducing fence-breaking incidents, nonetheless its negative effects on behaviour, access to food and its aesthetical consequences still need to be further studied and investigated.

Detusking Fence-Breaker Elephants as an Approach in Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation

PubMed Central

Mutinda, Matthew; Chenge, Geoffrey; Gakuya, Francis; Otiende, Moses; Omondi, Patrick; Kasiki, Samuel; Soriguer, Ramón C.; Alasaad, Samer

2014-01-01

Background Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a recurring problem that appears wherever the range of elephants and humans overlap. Different methods including the use of electric fences are used worldwide to mitigate this conflict. Nonetheless, elephants learn quickly that their tusks do not conduct electricity and use them to break down fences (fence-breakers). Methodology/Principal Findings In Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya, destructive elephants (Loxodonta africana) were monitored between 2010 and 2013. The fence-breaking rate reached four incidents (fence-breaking) per elephant per 100 days. Ten bull males and 57 females were identified as fence-breakers. The bulls were involved in 85.07% and the females in 14.93% of incidents. The Kenya Wildlife Service approved detusking (partial cutting of tusks) in four of the 10 fence-breakers as a way of preventing them from breaking down fences, thereby mitigating HEC in the Conservancy. The result of the detusking was a drastic six-fold reduction in damage to fences (range: 1.67 to 14.5 times less fence-breaking) by the four worst fence-breaker elephants, because with trimmed tusks elephants lack the tools to break down fences. Detusking could not totally eliminate fence destruction because, despite lacking their tools, elephants can still destroy fences using their heads, bodies and trunks, albeit less effectively. On the other hand, apart from inherent aesthetic considerations, the detusking of elephants may have certain negative effects on factors such as elephants' social hierarchies, breeding, mate selection and their access to essential minerals and food. Conclusions Elephant detusking seems to be effective in drastically reducing fence-breaking incidents, nonetheless its negative effects on behaviour, access to food and its aesthetical consequences still need to be further studied and investigated. PMID:24614538

Definition, willingness-to-pay, and ranking of quality attributes of U.S. pork as defined by importers in Asia and Mexico.

PubMed

Murphy, R G L; Howard, S T; Woerner, D R; Pendell, D L; Dixon, C L; Desimone, T L; Green, M D; Igo, J L; Tatum, J D; Belk, K E

2015-01-01

A survey was conducted from November 2009 to April 2010 to determine how importers of pork define 7 predetermined quality categories (food safety, customer service, eating quality, product specification, packaging, visual characteristics, and production history) and to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) and establish best-worst (B/W) scaling (rank) for the 7 quality categories. Interviews were conducted in Hong Kong/China (n = 83), Japan (n = 48), Mexico (n = 70) and Russia (n = 54) with importers of U.S. pork or those who had purchased U.S. pork from distributors in the last 3 yr. Interviews used dynamic routing software and were structured such that economic factors for purchase were addressed first, allowing all responses to focus on quality. Questions about WTP and B/W were asked and then each respondent was asked to define what each quality category meant to them. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze frequency data. Over 70% of interviewees in Hong Kong/China, Japan, and Mexico responded that purchase price was influential in deciding whether or not to purchase imported pork. This number was lower in Russia, where respondents stated tariff rates were also important, indicating market access was a larger issue in Russia. Food safety was the most important quality category (price was not included as a part of quality) for imported pork followed by specifications. Respondents indicated some form of government inspection was how they defined food safety, whereas product size, weight, and subcutaneous fat were all included in the definition of specifications. Interviewees were more likely to pay premiums for customer service and less likely to pay premiums for packaging (P < 0.05). The premiums that were willing to be paid for guarantees of quality for imported pork variety meats were numerically lower than for whole muscle cuts or processed products. A guarantee associated with food safety of processed pork products was found to be the quality attribute for which importers would be willing to pay the highest premium. Production history was found to be the least important quality attribute for importers of all types of U.S. pork, except those in Japan. Exporters could increase profitability if a guarantee of customer service was made. Price, tariffs, and exchange rates are important to pork importers; these results indicated that if certain quality attributes could be guaranteed, exporters could increase profitability.

Human resource management in post-conflict health systems: review of research and knowledge gaps.

PubMed

Roome, Edward; Raven, Joanna; Martineau, Tim

2014-01-01

In post-conflict settings, severe disruption to health systems invariably leaves populations at high risk of disease and in greater need of health provision than more stable resource-poor countries. The health workforce is often a direct victim of conflict. Effective human resource management (HRM) strategies and policies are critical to addressing the systemic effects of conflict on the health workforce such as flight of human capital, mismatches between skills and service needs, breakdown of pre-service training, and lack of human resource data. This paper reviews published literatures across three functional areas of HRM in post-conflict settings: workforce supply, workforce distribution, and workforce performance. We searched published literatures for articles published in English between 2003 and 2013. The search used context-specific keywords (e.g. post-conflict, reconstruction) in combination with topic-related keywords based on an analytical framework containing the three functional areas of HRM (supply, distribution, and performance) and several corresponding HRM topic areas under these. In addition, the framework includes a number of cross-cutting topics such as leadership and governance, finance, and gender. The literature is growing but still limited. Many publications have focused on health workforce supply issues, including pre-service education and training, pay, and recruitment. Less is known about workforce distribution, especially governance and administrative systems for deployment and incentive policies to redress geographical workforce imbalances. Apart from in-service training, workforce performance is particularly under-researched in the areas of performance-based incentives, management and supervision, work organisation and job design, and performance appraisal. Research is largely on HRM in the early post-conflict period and has relied on secondary data. More primary research is needed across the areas of workforce supply, workforce distribution, and workforce performance. However, this should apply a longer-term focus throughout the different post-conflict phases, while paying attention to key cross-cutting themes such as leadership and governance, gender equity, and task shifting. The research gaps identified should enable future studies to examine how HRM could be used to meet both short and long term objectives for rebuilding health workforces and thereby contribute to achieving more equitable and sustainable health systems outcomes after conflict.

The development of a value based pricing index for new drugs in metastatic colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Dranitsaris, George; Truter, Ilse; Lubbe, Martie S

2011-06-01

Worldwide, prices for cancer drugs have been under downward pressure where several governments have mandated price cuts of branded products. A better alternative to government mandated price cuts would be to estimate a final price based on drug performance, cost effectiveness and a country's ability to pay. We developed a global pricing index for new cancer drugs in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) that encompasses all of these attributes. A pharmacoeconomic model was developed to simulate mCRC patients receiving chemotherapy plus a 'new drug' that improves survival by 1.4, 3 and 6months, respectively. Cost and utility data were obtained from cancer centres and oncology nurses (n=112) in Canada, Spain, India, South Africa and Malaysia. Multivariable analysis was then used to develop the pricing index, which considers survival benefit, per capita GDP and income dispersion (as measured by the Gini coefficient) as predictor variables. Higher survival benefits were associated with elevated drug prices, especially in higher income countries such as Canada. For Argentina with a per capita GDP of $15,000 and a Gini coefficient of 51, the index estimated that for a drug which provides a 4month survival benefit in mCRC, the value based price would be $US 630 per dose. In contrast, the same drug in a wealthier country like Norway (per capita GDP=$50,000) could command a price of $US 2,775 per dose. The application of this index to estimate a price based on cost effectiveness and the wealth of a nation would be important for opening dialogue between the key stakeholders and a better alternative to government mandated price cuts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of temperature rises and forces on drilling bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srikanth Venkataraman, Ananya

Many different approaches have been used to prepare, store and test bone samples in order to determine its physical properties. The need to establish a standard method of specimen preparation and storage prior to experimental testing, contributed greatly to the primary part of this study. When mechanized cutting tools such as saws and drills are used, heat is produced and this raises the temperature of both the tool and the material being cut. In orthopedic and dental practices, high-speed tools are often applied to bones and teeth, and heat from these operations may result in thermal necrosis [1]. Since this can have a negative impact on the outcome of an orthopedic procedure, temperatures must be kept below the threshold that results in bone necrosis. The initial set of experiments was performed to determine the conditions under which the mechanical properties of the bone changed so as to establish the most suitable testing conditions. The hardness variation of the bone samples, under different annealing treatment conditions was used as the indicating parameter for evaluation of the change in the mechanical properties. Establishing the most appropriate section of the metacarpal sample for testing, by studying the anisotropy of the bone was another determining parameter. The second step was to examine the effects of conventional drilling as well as modulation assisted drilling on the temperature rise generated in the bone during these machining processes. In addition to this, a set of experiments were performed to ascertain how lubrication affected the temperature rise during drilling. The dynamic portions of the torque and thrust traces as well as the specific energies were compared for the different drilling conditions. Modulation showed no significant effect on the mean torque, thrust, specific energies of cutting, or temperature rise. Lubrication (flooding and misting) in both the modulation and no modulation cases drastically reduced the temperature rise during cutting, as expected. In addition to this the characteristics of the chips produced by both the methods of drilling were compared. The modulation process produced more consistent chips at the lower speed (360 rpm) and as the speed was increased to 3000 rpm the chip formation was similar to the no modulation drilling condition at the same feed rates. A brief study on the histological changes due to drilling was also performed.

Analysis & commentary: The accountable care organization: whatever its growing pains, the concept is too vitally important to fail.

PubMed

Crosson, Francis J

2011-07-01

The success of health reform efforts will depend, in part, on creating new and better ways to organize, deliver, and pay for health care. Increasingly central to this idea is the accountable care organization model proposed for Medicare and a slightly different model for commercial health care. But these new health care delivery and payment models face considerable skepticism. Can Medicare succeed with accountable care organizations if physicians can't determine whether patients are in the organization or not? Will commercial hospitals use their clout to create accountable care organizations, leaving physician practices in a weaker position? This article answers those and other criticisms of the developing accountable care organization movement. If the concept fails, the nation may face indiscriminate cuts to health care payments, with resulting reductions in access, service, and quality.

Blood Donation, Payment, and Non-Cash Incentives: Classical Questions Drawing Renewed Interest

PubMed Central

Buyx, Alena M.

2009-01-01

Summary Blood is scarce, and ensuring a sufficient blood supply remains difficult for many countries. Payment for blood as a strategy to increase donations has remained highly controversial for decades, and the debate about ethical issues in paying donors has become somewhat stuck. At least from a policy perspective, it is important to find a compromise which allows for devising and implementing acceptable and successful policies to increase the blood supply. In this paper, such a compromise is developed both from a theoretical and empirical perspective, namely implementing well-designed non-cash incentives which cut across the rigid dichotomy of altruistic donations versus payment for donations. In order for this compromise to work, more attention to donation motives, the choice architecture, and the setting in blood donation needs to be paid. PMID:21076552

Voting suffrage and the political budget cycle: Evidence from the London Metropolitan Boroughs 1902–1937

PubMed Central

Aidt, Toke S.; Mooney, Graham

2014-01-01

We study the opportunistic political budget cycle in the London Metropolitan Boroughs between 1902 and 1937 under two different suffrage regimes: taxpayer suffrage (1902–1914) and universal suffrage (1921–1937). We argue and find supporting evidence that the political budget cycle operates differently under the two types of suffrage. Taxpayer suffrage, where the right to vote and the obligation to pay local taxes are linked, encourages demands for retrenchment and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year tax cuts and savings on administration costs. Universal suffrage, where all adult residents can vote irrespective of their taxpayer status, creates demands for productive public services and the political budget cycle manifests itself in election year hikes in capital spending and a reduction in current spending. PMID:25843984

[Are there technological advances in minimally invasive surgery and who will pay them?].

PubMed

Feussner, H; Wilhelm, D; Härtl, F; Schneider, A; Siess, M

2007-06-01

The successful development of minimally invasive surgery would have been inconceivable without continuous advances in medical technology. The users, i.e. the surgeons, however, only accepted innovations with a clear-cut positive impact on clinical care. Accordingly, the expected exponential rise in costs could be avoided. The imbalance in cost/benefit aspects between the deliverers of medical care on one hand, and the patients, the insurance companies and the employers on the other is critical. In addition, further innovations are to be expected. This will not be possible without increasing costs, but there are good reasons to assume that expenses will rise only moderately. Each modern society is able (and obliged) to afford a certain amount of medical progress in order to maintain a high level of medical care and economic strength.

Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) position statement: SBM urges Congress to preserve and extend funding for Medicaid services.

PubMed

Behrman, Pamela; Demirci, Jill; Yanez, Betina; Beharie, Nisha; Laroche, Helena

2018-05-08

In May 2017, the Trump administration proposed steep cuts to Medicaid funding. This proposal was met with bipartisan criticism, as this program provides vital healthcare coverage for vulnerable children, adults, and families, including those living below the federal poverty line. In addition to the proposed funding cuts, federally authorized state restrictions to Medicaid access (e.g., work requirements) have been proposed, putting the Medicaid coverage of scores of enrollees at risk. Overwhelming health costs from inadequate or absent insurance are found to contribute to financial problems, including bankruptcy. Financial strain, in turn, is related to serious and life-threatening health problems in both children and adults. Given these impacts, the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) urges Congress to protect and extend Medicaid funding. To maintain subscriber access, SBM recommends that Congress continue to use percentage rather than block funding determinants and eliminate states' authority to enforce program qualification requirements, including work provisions and stipulations for locking out subscribers who do not pay their premiums on time. It is also recommended that Congress increase and improve the scope and quality of reporting Medicaid's evidence base. This could be achieved through regular evaluations, focusing on Medicaid's impact on the health and economic well-being of its participants. SBM further recommends efforts to increase the public's awareness of and participation in Medicaid for eligible individuals, children, and families.

Cutting off beggars spread in Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thamrin, Husni; Utama Ritonga, Fajar

2018-03-01

Beggars as a problem in urban areas has never been really solved, both by the government and civil societies. Government and civil societies only focus on the downstream, not the upstream or the root of the problem. The government has been concentrating their efforts on lawmaking which restrict beggars and vagabonds in urban areas, crack them down by apprehending and rehabilitating these people. In the meantime, civil societies and non governmental organizations (NGOs) have been paying more attention on socioeconomic empowerment with institutional and non-institutional system. If the root of the problem is not touched upon, beggars influx will always be there: this group will keep coming to urban areas, especially near to religious holidays. Institutions which have never been touched upon by the government and NGOs, the ones who bring about beggars and vagabonds, in this research are called “the beggar home production”.

Attempt of peripheral nerve reconstruction during lung cancer surgery.

PubMed

Li, Hanyue; Hu, Yingjie; Huang, Jia; Yang, Yunhai; Xing, Kaichen; Luo, Qingquan

2018-05-01

Vagus nerve and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury are not rare complications of lung cancer surgery and can cause lethal consequences. Until now, no optimal method other than paying greater attention during surgery has been available. Four patients underwent lung surgery that involved RLN or vagus nerve injury. The left RLN or vagus nerve was cut off and then reconstructed immediately during surgery. Two patients underwent direct anastomosis, while the remaining two underwent phrenic nerve replacing tension-relieving anastomosis. All patients were able to speak immediately after recovery. No or minimal glottal gap was observed during laryngoscopy conducted on the second day after surgery. Most patients achieved full recovery of voice quality. Immediate reconstruction of RLN is technically feasible and can be carried out with satisfying short-term and long-term outcomes. © 2018 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Sine ars scientia nihil est: Leonardo da Vinci and beyond.

PubMed

Kickhöfel, Eduardo H P

2009-01-01

The aim of this article is to reflect on the relationship between art and science so far as it concerns a symposium on neurosciences. We undertake a historical overview of that relationship, paying particular attention to the sui generis case of Leonardo da Vinci, who very often is regarded as the man who worked on art and science with equal ease. We then explain why his idea of merging these two forms of knowledge failed, considering the clear-cut distinction between art and science in his time. With this clarification, we explore the matter today. We look at Raphael's The Transfiguration, in which the representation of the possessed boy is seen by neuroscientists as indicative of an epileptic seizure. We also look at the ideas of neuroscientists Semir Zeki and Vilayanur Ramachandran, who study particular aspects of brain function and suggest a new merging of art and science.

Bringing the environment down to earth.

PubMed

Reinhardt, F L

1999-01-01

The debate on business and the environment has typically been framed in simple yes-or-no terms: "Does it pay to be green?" But the environment, like other business issues, requires a more complex approach--one that demands more than such all-or-nothing thinking. Managers need to ask instead, "Under what circumstances do particular kinds of environmental investments deliver returns to shareholders?" This article presents five approaches that managers can take to identify those circumstances and integrate the environment into their business thinking. These approaches will enable companies with the right industry structure, competitive position, and managerial skills to reconcile their responsibility to shareholders with the pressure to be faithful stewards of the earth's resources. Some companies can distance themselves from competitors by differentiating their products and commanding higher prices for them. Others may be able to "manage" their competitors by imposing a set of private regulations or by helping to shape the rules written by government officials. Still others may be able to cut costs and help the environment simultaneously. Almost all can learn to improve their management of risk and thus reduce the outlays associated with accidents, lawsuits, and boycotts. And some companies may even be able to make systemic changes that will redefine competition in their markets. All five approaches can help managers bring the environment down to earth. And that means bringing the environment back into the fold of business problems and determining when it really pays to be green.

3D FE simulation of semi-finishing machining of Ti6Al4V additively manufactured by direct metal laser sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imbrogno, Stano; Rinaldi, Sergio; Raso, Antonio; Bordin, Alberto; Bruschi, Stefania; Umbrello, Domenico

2018-05-01

The Additive Manufacturing techniques are gaining more and more interest in various industrial fields due to the possibility of drastically reduce the material waste during the production processes, revolutionizing the standard scheme and strategies of the manufacturing processes. However, the metal parts shape produced, frequently do not satisfy the tolerances as well as the surface quality requirements. During the design phase, the finite element simulation results a fundamental tool to help the engineers in the correct decision of the most suitable process parameters, especially in manufacturing processes, in order to produce products of high quality. The aim of this work is to develop a 3D finite element model of semi-finishing turning operation of Ti6Al4V, produced via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). A customized user sub-routine was built-up in order to model the mechanical behavior of the material under machining operations to predict the main fundamental variables as cutting forces and temperature. Moreover, the machining induced alterations are also studied by the finite element model developed.

Embargo on Iran hurts supply firms

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

Lyle, D.

1995-06-01

When President Clinton dropped an embargo on Iran, he also collided with oilfield supply companies to the tune of some $662.5 million. The embargo locked Iran away from oil exports to the US and some imports from the US in an attempt to stop Iran from: building a nuclear weapons stockpile; threatening the Persian Gulf with conventional military operations, and supporting terrorism. Most people would agree with the need to stop that activity. But, the supply companies would have preferred something less drastic. The Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association, and the Tom Wheatley Valve Co. of Houston, said Iran owes suppliersmore » approximately a half-billion dollars in receivables. That money may never be recovered, and it could send some companies into bankruptcy. In addition, the embargo cuts off $325 million in business the US conducts with Iran and about half of that business goes to the oil industry. If you plug that $162.5 million into Department of Labor statistics that say each $1 million sustains 20 jobs, the industry stands to lose 3250 jobs.« less

Cutting Edge: Inflammasome Activation in Primary Human Macrophages Is Dependent on Flagellin

PubMed Central

Kortmann, Jens; Brubaker, Sky W.

2015-01-01

Murine NLR family, apoptosis inhibitory protein (Naip)1, Naip2, and Naip5/6 are host sensors that detect the cytosolic presence of needle and rod proteins from bacterial type III secretion systems and flagellin, respectively. Previous studies using human-derived macrophage-like cell lines indicate that human macrophages sense the cytosolic needle protein, but not bacterial flagellin. In this study, we show that primary human macrophages readily sense cytosolic flagellin. Infection of primary human macrophages with Salmonella elicits robust cell death and IL-1β secretion that is dependent on flagellin. We show that flagellin detection requires a full-length isoform of human Naip. This full-length Naip isoform is robustly expressed in primary macrophages from healthy human donors, but it is drastically reduced in monocytic tumor cells, THP-1, and U937, rendering them insensitive to cytosolic flagellin. However, ectopic expression of full-length Naip rescues the ability of U937 cells to sense flagellin. In conclusion, human Naip functions to activate the inflammasome in response to flagellin, similar to murine Naip5/6. PMID:26109648

"Structure-size me:" weight and health changes in a four week residential program.

PubMed

Shapiro, Jennifer R; Stout, Anna L; Musante, Gerard J

2006-08-01

The prevalence of obesity has been drastically increasing over the past 20 years. Other obesity related conditions, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, have also increased in a corresponding manner and, in 2005, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) reduced the cut-off for defining impaired blood glucose. Evidence suggests that just a modest amount of weight loss can improve obesity related co-morbidities. The present study first, investigated changes in health measures after participation in a four week residential weight loss program. Second, individuals were classified according to the 2005 criteria for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes to determine if glucose regulation changed after weight loss. A total of 93 individuals were categorized as normal glucose (n=56), impaired fasting glucose (n=23) or diabetic range (n=14) after initial blood laboratory screening. After four weeks and a 6.5% weight reduction, participants showed significant improvements in health risks. Further, most participants with elevated fasting glucose shifted into a healthier range. Findings are discussed in terms of health improvements that occur after weight loss within a four week lifestyle intervention.

Start and bomber survivability

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

Speed, R.D.

1989-05-01

The survivability of the strategic bombers, while important today, is likely to be viewed as being of even greater importance in the 1990s if the US makes drastic cuts in its strategic forces as proposed in START and possible follow-on treaties. The analysis in this paper indicates that the Soviets with only a few SSBNs could pose a serious threat to the survivability of the strategic bombers (as presently based) if they moved these SSBNs close to the coasts or developed short-time-of-flight trajectories for their SLBMs. In searching for ways to improve bomber survivability, the use of the proposed LPSmore » (Limited Protection System) ABM to defend bomber bases was examined, but found to offer marginal improvement, at best. However, a significant improvement in survivability against even severe threats could be achieved if the alert bomber forces were rebased at a large number (preferably 40 or more) of separate bases distributed in a region in the interior of the country with the closest base being at least 500 nmi from the coasts.« less

Optimization of L-shaped tunneling field-effect transistor for ambipolar current suppression and Analog/RF performance enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cong; Zhao, Xiaolong; Zhuang, Yiqi; Yan, Zhirui; Guo, Jiaming; Han, Ru

2018-03-01

L-shaped tunneling field-effect transistor (LTFET) has larger tunnel area than planar TFET, which leads to enhanced on-current ION . However, LTFET suffers from severe ambipolar behavior, which needs to be further optimized for low power and high-frequency applications. In this paper, both hetero-gate-dielectric (HGD) and lightly doped drain (LDD) structures are introduced into LTFET for suppression of ambipolarity and improvement of analog/RF performance of LTFET. Current-voltage characteristics, the variation of energy band diagrams, distribution of band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) generation and distribution of electric field are analyzed for our proposed HGD-LDD-LTFET. In addition, the effect of LDD on the ambipolar behavior of LTFET is investigated, the length and doping concentration of LDD is also optimized for better suppression of ambipolar current. Finally, analog/RF performance of HGD-LDD-LTFET are studied in terms of gate-source capacitance, gate-drain capacitance, cut-off frequency, and gain bandwidth production. TCAD simulation results show that HGD-LDD-LTFET not only drastically suppresses ambipolar current but also improves analog/RF performance compared with conventional LTFET.

[Anxiety disorders in DSM-5: an overview on changes in structure and content].

PubMed

Wittchen, H-U; Heinig, I; Beesdo-Baum, K

2014-05-01

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) "anxiety, obsessive-compulsive spectrum, posttraumatic, and dissociative disorders" work group addressed reconceptualization issues regarding all anxiety-related disorders. Based on systematic literature reviews, reanalyses of available data and evaluation of results following the DSM-5 principles it was decided to rearrange the disorder spectrum into separate groupings for the classical anxiety disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and dissociative disorders. Among the classical anxiety disorders DSM-5 now also includes selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder. A major change from DSM-IV is a drastically simplified classification of panic disorder and agoraphobia. Both conditions can be separately coded in DSM-5 and the overlap is disclosed by a comorbid double diagnosis. The anxiety disorder criteria have been generally harmonized regarding content and order. It was assured that criteria are applicable to all age, gender and cultural groups. Furthermore, diagnosis-specific and cross-cutting dimensional anxiety scales have been developed to supplement categorical diagnosis which appears to facilitate assessment of severity and course of treatment.

Biology and management of sugarcane yellow leaf virus: an historical overview.

PubMed

ElSayed, Abdelaleim Ismail; Komor, Ewald; Boulila, Moncef; Viswanathan, Rasappa; Odero, Dennis C

2015-12-01

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) is one of the most widespread viruses causing disease in sugarcane worldwide. The virus has been responsible for drastic economic losses in most sugarcane-growing regions and remains a major concern for sugarcane breeders. Infection with SCYLV results in intense yellowing of the midrib, which extends to the leaf blade, followed by tissue necrosis from the leaf tip towards the leaf base. Such symptomatic leaves are usually characterized by increased respiration, reduced photosynthesis, a change in the ratio of hexose to sucrose, and an increase in starch content. SCYLV infection affects carbon assimilation and metabolism in sugarcane, resulting in stunted plants in severe cases. SCYLV is mainly propagated by planting cuttings from infected stalks. Phylogenetic analysis has confirmed the worldwide distribution of at least eight SCYLV genotypes (BRA, CHN1, CHN3, CUB, HAW, IND, PER, and REU). Evidence of recombination has been found in the SCYLV genome, which contains potential recombination signals in ORF1/2 and ORF5. This shows that recombination plays an important role in the evolution of SCYLV.

Domestic dengue infection with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis successfully treated by early steroid therapy.

PubMed

Yoshifuji, Kota; Oshina, Takahiro; Sonokawa, Saeko; Noguchi, Yuma; Suzuki, Sayaka; Tanaka, Keisuke; Kumagai, Takashi

2016-07-01

A 34-year-old man, working at a park in Tokyo, Japan, was repeatedly bitten by mosquitoes while cutting grass. He was hospitalized with sudden fever, fatigue, and weakness. He was eventually diagnosed with dengue virus infection, detected using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for the genome and by the presence of nonstructural protein 1 in his peripheral blood. Symptomatic treatments such as acetaminophen for the fever were not effective. Moreover, peripheral blood examination showed drastically decreased white blood cells and platelets, as well as marked elevations of ferritin and soluble interleukin 2 receptor. Furthermore, bone marrow examination revealed increased macrophages with hemophagocytosis. Dengue infection with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was ultimately diagnosed. Half-dose steroid pulse therapy for three days dramatically reduced his temperature, thereby ameliorating physical symptoms and restoring normal peripheral blood data. He was discharged 12 days after admission. Dengue infection with HLH is rare and this is the first report, to our knowledge, of domestic dengue infection with HLH in Japan. Early steroid therapy may be effective in such cases.

Temporal Resolution Needed for Auditory Communication: Measurement With Mosaic Speech

PubMed Central

Nakajima, Yoshitaka; Matsuda, Mizuki; Ueda, Kazuo; Remijn, Gerard B.

2018-01-01

Temporal resolution needed for Japanese speech communication was measured. A new experimental paradigm that can reflect the spectro-temporal resolution necessary for healthy listeners to perceive speech is introduced. As a first step, we report listeners' intelligibility scores of Japanese speech with a systematically degraded temporal resolution, so-called “mosaic speech”: speech mosaicized in the coordinates of time and frequency. The results of two experiments show that mosaic speech cut into short static segments was almost perfectly intelligible with a temporal resolution of 40 ms or finer. Intelligibility dropped for a temporal resolution of 80 ms, but was still around 50%-correct level. The data are in line with previous results showing that speech signals separated into short temporal segments of <100 ms can be remarkably robust in terms of linguistic-content perception against drastic manipulations in each segment, such as partial signal omission or temporal reversal. The human perceptual system thus can extract meaning from unexpectedly rough temporal information in speech. The process resembles that of the visual system stringing together static movie frames of ~40 ms into vivid motion. PMID:29740295

A Total Factor Productivity Based Structure for Tactical Cluster Assessment: Empirical Investigation in the Airline Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasigh, Bijan; Fleming, Kenneth

2005-01-01

In this paper we analyze and assess the efficiency of the United States (U.S.) airline industry through the total factor productivity (TFP) method. While airlines use various resources to produce a heterogeneous group of outputs, this article focuses on certain fundamental outputs as final products of selected airlines. The results from this analysis indicate that the national airlines (US. domestic carriers) have higher TFP as compared to the major airlines. While major airlines have drastically cut costs in the past few years, they also need to improve efficiency or risk going out of business. In this paper, we investigate the efficiency and productivity of a selection of U.S. airlines for the years 1996 through 2001. These years have been chosen as a good example of years in which the industry experienced normal growth and generally positively returns. Subsequent to 2001 the industry experienced two severe external shocks, namely, the September 11, 2001. terrorist attacks and the Iraq war. These anomalous shocks make the years after 2001 inconsistent with respect to the type of index developed in this article.

15 CFR 15.25 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... moneys are subject to inclusion in computation of the officer's disposable earnings: (1) Basic pay. (2... pay. (7) Diving pay. (8) Sea pay. (9) Severance pay (including disability severance pay). (10) Retired pay (including disability retired pay). (c) Exclusions. In determining the amount of any moneys due...

5 CFR 550.131 - Authorization of pay for holiday work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... entitled to pay at his or her rate of basic pay plus premium pay at a rate equal to his or her rate of... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Authorization of pay for holiday work... REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Pay for Holiday Work § 550.131 Authorization of pay for...

5 CFR 550.604 - Biweekly pay periods and computation of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Biweekly pay periods and computation of pay. 550.604 Section 550.604 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Computation of Pay for Biweekly Pay Periods § 550.604 Biweekly pay...

5 CFR 9901.353 - Setting pay upon reassignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon reassignment. 9901.353... SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9901.353 Setting pay upon... position or set of duties within his/her pay band or to a position in a comparable pay band, or from a non...

5 CFR 534.305 - Pay periods and computation of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay periods and computation of pay. 534... PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.305 Pay periods and computation of pay. (a) The requirements of 5 U.S.C. 5504, must be applied to employees of temporary...

Human resource management in post-conflict health systems: review of research and knowledge gaps

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

In post-conflict settings, severe disruption to health systems invariably leaves populations at high risk of disease and in greater need of health provision than more stable resource-poor countries. The health workforce is often a direct victim of conflict. Effective human resource management (HRM) strategies and policies are critical to addressing the systemic effects of conflict on the health workforce such as flight of human capital, mismatches between skills and service needs, breakdown of pre-service training, and lack of human resource data. This paper reviews published literatures across three functional areas of HRM in post-conflict settings: workforce supply, workforce distribution, and workforce performance. We searched published literatures for articles published in English between 2003 and 2013. The search used context-specific keywords (e.g. post-conflict, reconstruction) in combination with topic-related keywords based on an analytical framework containing the three functional areas of HRM (supply, distribution, and performance) and several corresponding HRM topic areas under these. In addition, the framework includes a number of cross-cutting topics such as leadership and governance, finance, and gender. The literature is growing but still limited. Many publications have focused on health workforce supply issues, including pre-service education and training, pay, and recruitment. Less is known about workforce distribution, especially governance and administrative systems for deployment and incentive policies to redress geographical workforce imbalances. Apart from in-service training, workforce performance is particularly under-researched in the areas of performance-based incentives, management and supervision, work organisation and job design, and performance appraisal. Research is largely on HRM in the early post-conflict period and has relied on secondary data. More primary research is needed across the areas of workforce supply, workforce distribution, and workforce performance. However, this should apply a longer-term focus throughout the different post-conflict phases, while paying attention to key cross-cutting themes such as leadership and governance, gender equity, and task shifting. The research gaps identified should enable future studies to examine how HRM could be used to meet both short and long term objectives for rebuilding health workforces and thereby contribute to achieving more equitable and sustainable health systems outcomes after conflict. PMID:25295071

22 CFR 34.4 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... debt in full satisfaction of the entire amount of the debt. (d) Creditor agency means the Federal... remains from an employee's current basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case of an employee not entitled to basic pay, other authorized pay remaining after required...

29 CFR 1650.110 - Implementation of salary offset.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION DEBT COLLECTION... established pay intervals from an employee's current pay account, unless the employee and the Commission agree... only from basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay or in the case of an...

5 CFR 410.402 - Paying premium pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Paying premium pay. 410.402 Section 410... for Training Expenses § 410.402 Paying premium pay. (a) Prohibitions. Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this section, an agency may not use its funds, appropriated or otherwise available, to pay...

To Remove or Not to Remove? The Challenge of Extracting the Template to Make the Cavities Available in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs)

PubMed Central

Lorenzo, Rosa A.; Carro, Antonia M.; Alvarez-Lorenzo, Carmen; Concheiro, Angel

2011-01-01

Template removal is a critical step in the preparation of most molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The polymer network itself and the affinity of the imprinted cavities for the template make its removal hard. If there are remaining template molecules in the MIPs, less cavities will be available for rebinding, which decreases efficiency. Furthermore, if template bleeding occurs during analytical applications, errors will arise. Despite the relevance to the MIPs performance, template removal has received scarce attention and is currently the least cost-effective step of the MIP development. Attempts to reach complete template removal may involve the use of too drastic conditions in conventional extraction techniques, resulting in the damage or the collapse of the imprinted cavities. Advances in the extraction techniques in the last decade may provide optimized tools. The aim of this review is to analyze the available data on the efficiency of diverse extraction techniques for template removal, paying attention not only to the removal yield but also to MIPs performance. Such an analysis is expected to be useful for opening a way to rational approaches for template removal (minimizing the costs of solvents and time) instead of the current trial-and-error methods. PMID:21845081

[Survey report on end-of-life care for ALS patients of ALS physicians in Japan].

PubMed

Ogino, Mieko

2010-11-01

In March 2009 we sent out the questionnaire to the 4,478 board certified neurologist to ask about the palliative care in ALS. 1,495 anonymous responses (33%) have been returned. 21% of the respondents prescribe morphine, which shows a drastic increase from the 14% in the 2007 survey. However, 77% of them had only less than 5 patients, 47% of them studied and trained themselves. It illustrates that most of the neurologists are not well experienced with morphine, and that they are isolated in practice. However, 47% of the respondents answer that they would prescribe morphine whether or not the national insurance pays. As for the withdrawal of the permanent ventilation, 21% of the respondents were asked by their patients to turn off the ventilation. While 24% of the respondents believe that the withdrawal right not should be promoted, 46% believe that such right should be granted if the decision made by the patient and/or his/her family members can explicitly be recognized. The result illustrates that the physicians are also divided. It may be the time to lay the foundation for the Japanese ALS physicians to discuss openly and candidly together to deal with the wants and wishes of their patients.

To remove or not to remove? The challenge of extracting the template to make the cavities available in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs).

PubMed

Lorenzo, Rosa A; Carro, Antonia M; Alvarez-Lorenzo, Carmen; Concheiro, Angel

2011-01-01

Template removal is a critical step in the preparation of most molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The polymer network itself and the affinity of the imprinted cavities for the template make its removal hard. If there are remaining template molecules in the MIPs, less cavities will be available for rebinding, which decreases efficiency. Furthermore, if template bleeding occurs during analytical applications, errors will arise. Despite the relevance to the MIPs performance, template removal has received scarce attention and is currently the least cost-effective step of the MIP development. Attempts to reach complete template removal may involve the use of too drastic conditions in conventional extraction techniques, resulting in the damage or the collapse of the imprinted cavities. Advances in the extraction techniques in the last decade may provide optimized tools. The aim of this review is to analyze the available data on the efficiency of diverse extraction techniques for template removal, paying attention not only to the removal yield but also to MIPs performance. Such an analysis is expected to be useful for opening a way to rational approaches for template removal (minimizing the costs of solvents and time) instead of the current trial-and-error methods.

5 CFR 532.503 - Overtime pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... shall be entitled to overtime pay computed on the average rate of basic pay for all regularly scheduled... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Overtime pay. 532.503 Section 532.503... Pay and Differentials § 532.503 Overtime pay. (a)(1) Employees who are exempt from the overtime pay...

5 CFR 550.122 - Computation of night pay differential.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the total amount of that leave in a pay period, including both night and day hours, is less than 8... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Computation of night pay differential... REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Night Pay § 550.122 Computation of night pay differential...

28 CFR 345.51 - Inmate pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Inmate pay. 345.51 Section 345.51... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.51 Inmate pay. (a) Grade levels. Inmate workers in FPI locations receive pay at five levels ranging from 5th grade pay (lowest) to 1st grade pay...

20 CFR 404.1242 - Back pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Back pay. 404.1242 Section 404.1242 Employees... Prior to 1987 § 404.1242 Back pay. (a) Back pay defined. Back pay is pay received in one period of time... an employer. It includes pay made under Federal or State laws intended to create an employment...

5 CFR 9901.354 - Setting pay upon promotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon promotion. 9901.354... SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9901.354 Setting pay upon... salary rate may not be lower than the minimum rate or higher than the maximum rate of the new pay band...

Multi-criteria evaluation of hydro-geological and anthropogenic parameters for the groundwater vulnerability assessment.

PubMed

Kumar, Prashant; Thakur, Praveen K; Bansod, Baban Ks; Debnath, Sanjit K

2017-10-16

Groundwater contamination assessment is a challenging task due to inherent complex dynamisms associated with the groundwater. DRASTIC is a very widely used rapid regional tool for the assessment of vulnerability of groundwater to contamination. DRASTIC has many lacunas in the form of subjectivities associated with weights and ratings of its hydro-geological parameters, and, therefore, the accuracy of the DRASTIC-based vulnerability map is questioned. The present study demonstrates the optimisation of the DRASTIC parameters along with a scientific consideration to the anthropogenic factors causing groundwater contamination. The resulting scientific consistent weights and ratings to DRASTIC parameters assist in the development of a very precise groundwater vulnerability map highlighting different zones of different gravity of contamination. One of the most important aspects of this study is that we have considered the impact of vadose zone in a very comprehensive manner by considering every sub-surface layer from the earth surface to the occurrence of groundwater. The study area for our experiment is Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab which is facing several groundwater issues.

V-DRASTIC: Using visualization to engage policymakers in groundwater vulnerability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojórquez-Tapia, Luis A.; Cruz-Bello, Gustavo M.; Luna-González, Laura; Juárez, Lourdes; Ortiz-Pérez, Mario A.

2009-06-01

SummaryGroundwater vulnerability mapping is increasingly being used to design aquifer protection and management strategies. This paper presents a dynamic visualization method to groundwater vulnerability mapping. This method—called V-DRASTIC—extends the capacities of DRASTIC, an overlay/index technique that has been applied worldwide to evaluate the condition of hydrogeological factors and determine groundwater vulnerability at regional scales. V-DRASTIC is based upon psychophysics' principles (a theory that describes the people's response to a stimulus) to generate alternative groundwater vulnerability categorization schemes. These are used as inputs in a fuzzy pattern recognition procedure to enable planners, decision makers and stakeholders identify which scheme conveys meaningful information regarding groundwater vulnerability across a territory. V-DRASTIC was applied in the groundwater vulnerability assessment of two urban watersheds in Mexico.

An Examination of Pay Facets and Referent Groups for Assessing Pay Satisfaction of Male Elementary School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, I. Phillip; Young, Karen Holsey; Okhremtchouk, Irina; Castaneda, Jose Moreno

2009-01-01

Pay satisfaction was assessed according to different facets (pay level, benefits, pay structure, and pay raises) and potential referent groups (teachers and elementary school principals) for a random sample of male elementary school principals. A structural model approach was used that considers facets of the pay process, potential others as…

5 CFR 550.154 - Rates of premium pay payable under § 550.151.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Rates of premium pay payable under § 550... REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Administratively Uncontrollable Work § 550.154 Rates of premium pay payable under § 550.151. (a) An agency may pay the premium pay on an annual basis referred to...

41 CFR 105-56.025 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... GSA provides financial support services to the other agency on a reimbursable basis. Financial support... programs, including contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); premiums for life (excluding amounts...) Pay means basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case of an...

5 CFR 9701.354 - Setting pay upon demotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon demotion. 9701.354 Section 9701.354 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9701.354 Setting pay...

5 CFR 9701.353 - Setting pay upon promotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon promotion. 9701.353 Section 9701.353 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9701.353 Setting pay...

The effect of nursing professional pay structures and pay levels on hospitals' heart attack outcomes.

PubMed

Brown, Mark P

2006-01-01

The effect of nursing professionals (i.e., nurse aid/orderly, licensed practical nurse, registered nurse) pay structures and pay levels on hospitals risk-adjusted heart attack outcomes was determined. Operationalizing hospitals' heart attack outcomes as their thirty-day risk-adjusted mortality rates, a positive curvilinear relation is hypothesized between pay dispersion and hospitals' heart attack outcomes, whereas a direct relation is hypothesized between pay level and hospitals' heart attack outcomes. Pay level is also hypothesized as a moderator of the relation between pay dispersion and hospitals' heart attack outcomes. Using a sample of 138 California hospitals, support is not found for either the curvilinear relation between hospitals' nursing professionals pay dispersion and hospitals' heart attack outcomes, or the direct relation between nursing professionals' pay level and hospitals' heart attack outcomes. Support is found for the moderation hypothesis in which nursing professionals' pay level moderates the relation between hospitals' nursing professionals pay dispersion and hospitals' heart attack outcomes. Implications for practice are discussed in light of the study's results.

5 CFR 550.113 - Computation of overtime pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Computation of overtime pay. 550.113 Section 550.113 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Overtime Pay § 550.113 Computation of overtime pay. (a) For each employee...

45 CFR 708.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS COLLECTION BY SALARY OFFSET FROM... position or its elimination, the Director of Human Resources. (e) Disposable pay means that part of current basic pay, special pay, incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case of an employee not...

5 CFR 9701.346 - Pay progression for new supervisors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay progression for new supervisors. 9701.346 Section 9701.346 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES... SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.346 Pay...

5 CFR 9901.364 - Foreign language proficiency pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Foreign language proficiency pay. 9901... NATIONAL SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration Premium Pay § 9901.364 Foreign language proficiency pay. (a) General provisions. (1) This section applies to employees who may be paid...

5 CFR 1604.3 - Contribution elections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... special pay (including bonuses). However, the service member must elect to contribute to the TSP from basic pay in order to contribute to the TSP from incentive pay and special pay (including bonuses). A service member may elect to contribute from special pay or incentive pay (including bonuses) in...

The demise of Oregon's Medically Needy program: effects of losing prescription drug coverage.

PubMed

Zerzan, Judy; Edlund, Tina; Krois, Lisa; Smith, Jeanene

2007-06-01

In January 2003, people covered by Oregon's Medically Needy program lost benefits owing to state budget shortfalls. The Medically Needy program is a federally matched optional Medicaid program. In Oregon, this program mainly provided prescription drug benefits. To describe the Medically Needy population and determine how benefit loss affected this population's health and prescription use. A 49-question telephone survey instrument created by the research team and administered by a research contractor. A random sample of 1,269 eligible enrollees in Oregon's Medically Needy Program. Response rate was 35% with 439 individuals, ages 21-91 and 64% women, completing the survey. Demographics, health information, and medication use at the time of the survey obtained from the interview. Medication use during the program obtained from administrative data. In the 6 months after the Medically Needy program ended, 75% had skipped or stopped medications. Sixty percent of the respondents had cut back on their food budget, 47% had borrowed money, and 49% had skipped paying other bills to pay for medications. By self-report, there was no significant difference in emergency department visits, but a significant decrease in hospitalizations comparing 6 months before and after losing the program. Two-thirds of respondents rated their current health as poor or fair. The Medically Needy program provided coverage for a low-income, chronically ill population. Since its termination, enrollees have decreased prescription drug use and increased financial burden. As states make program changes and Medicare Part D evolves, effects on vulnerable populations must be considered.

Classification of aquifer vulnerability using K-means cluster analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javadi, S.; Hashemy, S. M.; Mohammadi, K.; Howard, K. W. F.; Neshat, A.

2017-06-01

Groundwater is one of the main sources of drinking and agricultural water in arid and semi-arid regions but is becoming increasingly threatened by contamination. Vulnerability mapping has been used for many years as an effective tool for assessing the potential for aquifer pollution and the most common method of intrinsic vulnerability assessment is DRASTIC (Depth to water table, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone and hydraulic Conductivity). An underlying problem with the DRASTIC approach relates to the subjectivity involved in selecting relative weightings for each of the DRASTIC factors and assigning rating values to ranges or media types within each factor. In this study, a clustering technique is introduced that removes some of the subjectivity associated with the indexing method. It creates a vulnerability map that does not rely on fixed weights and ratings and, thereby provides a more objective representation of the system's physical characteristics. This methodology was applied to an aquifer in Iran and compared with the standard DRASTIC approach using the water quality parameters nitrate, chloride and total dissolved solids (TDS) as surrogate indicators of aquifer vulnerability. The proposed method required only four of DRASTIC's seven factors - depth to groundwater, hydraulic conductivity, recharge value and the nature of the vadose zone, to produce a superior result. For nitrate, chloride, and TDS, respectively, the clustering approach delivered Pearson correlation coefficients that were 15, 22 and 5 percentage points higher than those obtained for the DRASTIC method.

A GIS-based DRASTIC model for assessing intrinsic groundwater vulnerability in northeastern Missan governorate, southern Iraq

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Abadi, Alaa M.; Al-Shamma'a, Ayser M.; Aljabbari, Mukdad H.

2017-03-01

In this study, intrinsic groundwater vulnerability for the shallow aquifer in northeastern Missan governorate, south of Iraq is evaluated using commonly used DRASTIC model in framework of GIS environment. Preparation of DRASTIC parameters is attained through gathering data from different sources including field survey, geological and meteorological data, a digital elevation model DEM of the study area, archival database, and published research. The different data used to build DRASTIC model are arranged in a geospatial database using spatial analyst extension of ArcGIS 10.2 software. The obtained results related to the vulnerability to general contaminants show that the study area is characterized by two vulnerability zones: low and moderate. Ninety-four percentage (94 %) of the study area has a low class of groundwater vulnerability to contamination, whereas a total of (6 %) of the study area has moderate vulnerability. The pesticides DRASTIC index map shows that the study area is also characterized by two zones of vulnerability: low and moderate. The DRASTIC map of this version clearly shows that small percentage (13 %) of the study area has low vulnerability to contamination, and most parts have moderate vulnerability (about 87 %). The final results indicate that the aquifer system in the interested area is relatively protected from contamination on the groundwater surface. To mitigate the contamination risks in the moderate vulnerability zones, a protective measure must be put before exploiting the aquifer and before comprehensive agricultural activities begin in the area.

Experimental response of Salix cuttings to sudden water table changing dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorla, L.; Signarbieux, C.; Turberg, P.; Buttler, A.; Perona, P.

2013-12-01

Hydropower production, agriculture and other human activities change the natural flow regime of rivers, in turn impacting the riparian environment. Inadequate flow rules (e.g., minimal or residual flows) reflecting our limited understanding of eco-hydrological processes have thus been applied since decades. The main challenge for an eco-sustainable water management is to quantify the effects of flow regulation on channel morphodynamics and biological processes. We present a controlled laboratory experiment to investigate riparian vegetation (Salix Viminalis) response to forced water table changing dynamics, from one water regime to another, in a temperate region (Switzerland). Three synthetic flow regimes have been simulated and applied to three batteries of Salix cuttings (60 in total) growing outdoor within plastic pots, each about 1 meter tall. After an initial period where all pots undergone the same oscillations in order to uniform the plants initial conditions, the experiment started, and the water dynamic was changed for two out of three batteries. In particular, one treatment simulated a minimal flow policy, which drastically impacts the low and the medium-low components of the hydrograph, but not the extremes. The other treatment reproduced only the low frequencies corresponding to the seasonal trend of the natural flow regime, still applied on the third battery. Cuttings transitory response dynamics has been quantified by continuous sap flow and water potential measurements, and by regularly collecting growth parameters, as well as leaves photosynthesis, fluorescence, and pictures of each plant. At the end of the experiment, all cuttings were carefully removed and the both above and below ground biomass analyzed in detail. Particularly, the 3D root structure was obtained by High Resolution Computer Tomography. Our analyses reveal a clear dependence between roots distribution and water regime reflecting the need for adaptation, which are also in agreement with field observations of Pasquale et al. (2012, in press). In particular, an initial strong difference in terms of stress and growth performances was then followed by a later adjustment in the roots system, notably detected from tomographic images. Roots tropic response resulted in spatial reallocation, which likely allowed survivors to adapt to new conditions. Macroscopic effects in terms of growth parameters at weekly time step have found correspondence at higher time resolution in terms of sap flow and stem pressure, strengthening our results interpretation. Other interesting effects detected by sap flow meters and psychrometers in the transition time, even if coherent to water regimes, have not led to macroscopic effects. A discussion with data from a parallel field installation along the Thur River (Switzerland) is also made. REFERENCES - Pasquale et al., Effects of streamflow variability on the vertical root density distribution of willow cutting experiments, Ecological Engineering,2011, 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.12.002 - Pasquale et al., Above and below-ground Salix dynamics in response to river processes, Hydrological Processes., in press, 10.1002/hyp.9993

50 CFR 600.120 - Employment practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) The annual pay rates for Council staff positions shall be consistent with the pay rates established... adjust pay rates and pay increases based on cost of living (COLA) differentials in their geographic locations. COLA adjustments in pay rates and pay increases may be provided for staff members whose post of...

50 CFR 600.120 - Employment practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) The annual pay rates for Council staff positions shall be consistent with the pay rates established... adjust pay rates and pay increases based on cost of living (COLA) differentials in their geographic locations. COLA adjustments in pay rates and pay increases may be provided for staff members whose post of...

50 CFR 600.120 - Employment practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) The annual pay rates for Council staff positions shall be consistent with the pay rates established... adjust pay rates and pay increases based on cost of living (COLA) differentials in their geographic locations. COLA adjustments in pay rates and pay increases may be provided for staff members whose post of...

50 CFR 600.120 - Employment practices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) The annual pay rates for Council staff positions shall be consistent with the pay rates established... adjust pay rates and pay increases based on cost of living (COLA) differentials in their geographic locations. COLA adjustments in pay rates and pay increases may be provided for staff members whose post of...

76 FR 32859 - General Schedule Locality Pay Areas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... remoteness and isolation. (OPM notes, however, that locality pay must be based on pay comparisons, not... locality pay rate due to the effect of remoteness and isolation from the mainland. We respond in detail... * * *''. OPM Response The locality pay statute bases locality pay on comparisons of General Schedule and non...

5 CFR 550.185 - Payment of availability pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 550.185 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Law Enforcement Availability Pay § 550.185 Payment of availability pay. (a... earnings limitation on premium pay for law enforcement officers in 5 U.S.C. 5547(c). (b) Except as provided...

5 CFR 550.185 - Payment of availability pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Section 550.185 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Law Enforcement Availability Pay § 550.185 Payment of availability pay. (a... earnings limitation on premium pay for law enforcement officers in 5 U.S.C. 5547(c). (b) Except as provided...

5 CFR 550.185 - Payment of availability pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Section 550.185 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Law Enforcement Availability Pay § 550.185 Payment of availability pay. (a... earnings limitation on premium pay for law enforcement officers in 5 U.S.C. 5547(c). (b) Except as provided...

5 CFR 550.185 - Payment of availability pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Section 550.185 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Law Enforcement Availability Pay § 550.185 Payment of availability pay. (a... earnings limitation on premium pay for law enforcement officers in 5 U.S.C. 5547(c). (b) Except as provided...

5 CFR 550.185 - Payment of availability pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Section 550.185 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Law Enforcement Availability Pay § 550.185 Payment of availability pay. (a... earnings limitation on premium pay for law enforcement officers in 5 U.S.C. 5547(c). (b) Except as provided...

28 CFR 345.56 - Vacation pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Vacation pay. 345.56 Section 345.56... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.56 Vacation pay. Inmate workers are granted FPI vacation pay by the SOI when their continued good work performance justifies such pay, based on...

5 CFR 534.502 - Pay range.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay range. 534.502 Section 534.502 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.502 Pay range. A pay rate fixed under this...

5 CFR 536.301 - Mandatory pay retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mandatory pay retention. 536.301 Section... PAY RETENTION Pay Retention § 536.301 Mandatory pay retention. (a) Subject to the requirements in § 536.102 and this section, an agency must provide pay retention to an employee who moves between...

28 CFR 345.52 - Premium pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Premium pay. 345.52 Section 345.52... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.52 Premium pay. Payment of premium pay to... inmates at a location. (a) Eligibility. Inmates in first grade pay status may be considered for premium...

Comparative studies of groundwater vulnerability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maria, Rizka

2018-02-01

Pollution of groundwater is a primary issue because aquifers are susceptible to contamination from land use and anthropogenic impacts. Groundwater susceptibility is intrinsic and specific. Intrinsic vulnerability refers to an aquifer that is susceptible to pollution and to the geological and hydrogeological features. Vulnerability assessment is an essential step in assessing groundwater contamination. This approach provides a visual analysis for helping planners and decision makers to achieve the sustainable management of water resources. Comparative studies are applying different methodologies to result in the basic evaluation of the groundwater vulnerability. Based on the comparison of methods, there are several advantages and disadvantages. SI can be overlaid on DRASTIC and Pesticide DRASTIC to extract the divergence in sensitivity. DRASTIC identifies low susceptibility and underestimates the pollution risk while Pesticide DRASTIC and SI represents better risk and is recommended for the future. SINTACS method generates very high vulnerability zones with surface waters and aquifer interactions. GOD method could be adequate for vulnerability mapping in karstified carbonate aquifers at small-moderate scales, and EPIK method can be used for large scale. GOD method is suitable for designing large area such as land management while DRASTIC has good accuracy and more real use in geoenvironmental detailed studies.

CAD-DRASTIC: chloride application density combined with DRASTIC for assessing groundwater vulnerability to road salt application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salek, Mansour; Levison, Jana; Parker, Beth; Gharabaghi, Bahram

2018-06-01

Road salt is pervasively used throughout Canada and in other cold regions during winter. For cities relying exclusively on groundwater, it is important to plan and minimize the application of salt accordingly to mitigate the adverse effects of high chloride concentrations in water supply aquifers. The use of geospatial data (road network, land use, Quaternary and bedrock geology, average annual recharge, water-table depth, soil distribution, topography) in the DRASTIC methodology provides an efficient way of distinguishing salt-vulnerable areas associated with groundwater supply wells, to aid in the implementation of appropriate management practices for road salt application in urban areas. This research presents a GIS-based methodology to accomplish a vulnerability analysis for 12 municipal water supply wells within the City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The chloride application density (CAD) value at each supply well is calculated and related to the measured groundwater chloride concentrations and further combined with soil media and aquifer vadose- and saturated-zone properties used in DRASTIC. This combined approach, CAD-DRASTIC, is more accurate than existing groundwater vulnerability mapping methods and can be used by municipalities and other water managers to further improve groundwater protection related to road salt application.

29 CFR 1620.27 - Relationship to the Equal Pay Act of title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Relationship to the Equal Pay Act of title VII of the Civil... OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION THE EQUAL PAY ACT § 1620.27 Relationship to the Equal Pay Act of title VII of the Civil... equal pay under the Equal Pay Act has no relationship to whether the employee is in the lower paying job...

5 CFR 534.404 - Setting and adjusting pay for senior executives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting and adjusting pay for senior... REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay and Performance Awards Under the Senior Executive Service § 534.404 Setting and adjusting pay for senior executives. (a) Setting pay upon initial appointment to the SES. An...

5 CFR 531.206 - Order of processing simultaneous pay actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Determining Rate of Basic Pay General Provisions § 531.206 Order of... employee's rate of basic pay, the actions will be processed in the following order: (a) Process general pay... base rates; an adjustment of a locality pay percentage under subpart F of this part; the establishment...

4 CFR 5.1 - Pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 4 Accounts 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay. 5.1 Section 5.1 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.1 Pay. (a) Pay principles. Pay of the employees of GAO shall be fixed by the Comptroller General consistent with the principles that— (1) There be equal pay for work of...

78 FR 21213 - Federal Employee Pay Schedules and Rates That Are Set by Administrative Discretion

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-10

... Employee Pay Schedules and Rates That Are Set by Administrative Discretion Memorandum for the Heads of... adjustments to any pay systems or pay schedules covering executive branch employees. In light of the Congress..., 2012, regarding general increases in pay schedules and employees' rates of pay that might otherwise...

5 CFR 870.204 - Annual rates of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Annual rates of pay. 870.204 Section 870... rates of pay. (a) (1) An insured employee's annual pay is his/her annual rate of basic pay as fixed by law or regulation. (2) Annual pay for this purpose includes the following: (i) Interim geographic...

5 CFR 532.503 - Overtime pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Overtime pay. 532.503 Section 532.503... Pay and Differentials § 532.503 Overtime pay. (a)(1) Employees who are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be paid overtime pay in accordance with...

29 CFR 778.303 - Retroactive pay increases.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Retroactive pay increases. 778.303 Section 778.303 Labor... Additional Pay for Past Period § 778.303 Retroactive pay increases. Where a retroactive pay increase is... regular rate of pay of the employees for the period of its retroactivity. Thus, if an employee is awarded...

5 CFR 550.1409 - Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Compensatory Time Off for Travel § 550.1409 Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps. Accrued compensatory time off under this subpart is not...

5 CFR 550.1409 - Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Compensatory Time Off for Travel § 550.1409 Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps. Accrued compensatory time off under this subpart is not...

5 CFR 550.1409 - Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Compensatory Time Off for Travel § 550.1409 Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps. Accrued compensatory time off under this subpart is not...

5 CFR 550.1409 - Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Compensatory Time Off for Travel § 550.1409 Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps. Accrued compensatory time off under this subpart is not...

5 CFR 550.1409 - Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Compensatory Time Off for Travel § 550.1409 Inapplicability of premium pay and aggregate pay caps. Accrued compensatory time off under this subpart is not...

5 CFR 9901.372 - Conversion or movement out of NSPS pay system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

....372 Conversion or movement out of NSPS pay system. (a) General. (1) This section applies to the conversion or movement of employees out of the NSPS pay system to a different pay system. Under this section... system. When converting or moving an employee out of NSPS to another pay system, the pay-setting rules of...

5 CFR 550.709 - Accrual and payment of severance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... under § 550.707(b) using an average rate of basic pay, that average rate is used to determine the amount... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Accrual and payment of severance pay. 550... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Severance Pay § 550.709 Accrual and payment of severance pay. (a...

5 CFR 870.204 - Annual rates of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... who works at different pay rates is the weighted average of the rates at which the employee is paid... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Annual rates of pay. 870.204 Section 870... rates of pay. (a) (1) An insured employee's annual pay is his/her annual rate of basic pay as fixed by...

5 CFR 550.709 - Accrual and payment of severance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... under § 550.707(b) using an average rate of basic pay, that average rate is used to determine the amount... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Accrual and payment of severance pay. 550... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Severance Pay § 550.709 Accrual and payment of severance pay. (a...

5 CFR 550.143 - Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized. 550.143 Section 550.143 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Regularly Scheduled Standby Duty Pay § 550.143 Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is...

5 CFR 550.143 - Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized. 550.143 Section 550.143 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Regularly Scheduled Standby Duty Pay § 550.143 Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is...

5 CFR 550.143 - Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... premium pay under § 550.141 is authorized. 550.143 Section 550.143 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Regularly Scheduled Standby Duty Pay § 550.143 Bases for determining positions for which premium pay under § 550.141 is...

5 CFR 9901.305 - Rate of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Rate of pay. 9901.305 Section 9901.305... (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration General § 9901.305 Rate of pay. (a) The term “rate of pay” in 5 U.S.C... overtime and other premium pay rates (including compensatory time off); and (2) The rates comprising the...

33 CFR 52.71 - Authority to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Authority to pay. 52.71 Section... § 52.71 Authority to pay. (a) The Coast Guard is authorized to pay the claims of any person as the... authorized to pay any claim heretofore compensated by Congress through enactment of private law, or to pay...

41 CFR 301-54.2 - What is disposable pay?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is disposable pay... BILLED TRAVEL CHARGE CARD General Rules § 301-54.2 What is disposable pay? Disposable pay is your..., etc. Deductions may be made from any type of pay you receive from your agency, e.g., basic pay...

Pay-for-virtue: an option to improve pay-for-performance?

PubMed

Buetow, Stephen; Entwistle, Vikki

2011-10-01

Pay-for-performance schemes reward standardized professional behaviours associated with effective care. However, they neglect the significance of virtue and devalue and erode professional motivation based on virtue. Pay for training to cultivate virtue, and/or pay-for-virtue, may mitigate these dangers. Although virtue is typically considered its own reward, and the assessment of virtue is problematic, pay-for-virtue could involve (1) stringent checks on the appropriateness of the standardized care currently rewarded by pay-for-performance for individual patients or (2) pay for indicators of virtue. These indicators could be based on virtues identified from a framework of universal virtues and through logical inferences from features of practice. It is possible that pay-for-virtue could ultimately strengthen health professionals' intrinsic motivation for good practice, but this and the broader effects of pay-for-virtue would need careful investigation. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

20 CFR 10.216 - How is the pay rate for COP calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false How is the pay rate for COP calculated? 10..., AS AMENDED Continuation of Pay Calculation of Cop § 10.216 How is the pay rate for COP calculated? The employer shall calculate COP using the period of time and the weekly pay rate. (a) The pay rate...

5 CFR 534.406 - Conversion to the SES pay system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... to the SES pay system. (a) On the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after... rate of basic pay that is equal to the employee's rate of basic pay, plus any applicable locality-based... first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2004. If an SES member's...

20 CFR 10.216 - How is the pay rate for COP calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... for COP purposes is equal to the employee's regular “weekly” pay (the average of the weekly pay over... occurred during the 45-day period are to be reflected in the weekly pay determination. (b) The weekly pay... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How is the pay rate for COP calculated? 10...

[Women's willingness to pay for cancer screening].

PubMed

Kwak, Min-Son; Sung, Na-Young; Yang, Jeong Hee; Park, Eun-Cheol; Choi, KuiSon

2006-07-01

The goal of this study is to measure women's willingness to pay for cancer screening and to identify those factors associated with this willingness to pay A population-based telephone survey was performed on 1,562 women (aged 30 years or over) for 2 weeks (9-23th, July, 2004). Data about sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, the intention of the cancer screenings and willingness to pay for cancer screening were collected. 1,400 respondents were included in the analysis. The women's willingness to pay for cancer screening and the factors associated with this willingness to pay were evaluated. The results show that 76% of all respondents have a willingness to pay for cancer screening. Among those who are willing to pay, the average and median amount of money for which the respondents are willing to pay are 126,636 (s.d.: 58,414) and 120,000 won, respectively. As the status of education & the income are higher, the average amount that women are willing to pay becomes much more. The amount of money women are willing to pay is the highest during the 'contemplation' stage. Being willing to pay or not is associated with a change of behavior (transtheoretical model), the income, the concern about the cancer risk, the family cancer history, the marital status, the general health exam, age and the place of residence. Income is associated with a greater willingness to pay. Old age was associated with a lower willingness to pay. According to the two-part model, income and TTM are the most important variables associated with the willingness to pay for cancer screening. The cancer screening participation rate is low compared with the willingness to pay for cancer screening. It is thought that we have to consider the participants' behavior that's associated with cancer screening and their willingness to pay in order to organize and manage cancer screening program.

Calibration of the DRASTIC ground water vulnerability mapping method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rupert, M.G.

2001-01-01

Ground water vulnerability maps developed using the DRASTIC method have been produced in many parts of the world. Comparisons of those maps with actual ground water quality data have shown that the DRASTIC method is typically a poor predictor of ground water contamination. This study significantly improved the effectiveness of a modified DRASTIC ground water vulnerability map by calibrating the point rating schemes to actual ground water quality data by using nonparametric statistical techniques and a geographic information system. Calibration was performed by comparing data on nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen (NO2 + NO3-N) concentrations in ground water to land-use, soils, and depth to first-encountered ground water data. These comparisons showed clear statistical differences between NO2 + NO3-N concentrations and the various categories. Ground water probability point ratings for NO2 + NO3-N contamination were developed from the results of these comparisons, and a probability map was produced. This ground water probability map was then correlated with an independent set of NO2 + NO3-N data to demonstrate its effectiveness in predicting elevated NO2 + NO3-N concentrations in ground water. This correlation demonstrated that the probability map was effective, but a vulnerability map produced with the uncalibrated DRASTIC method in the same area and using the same data layers was not effective. Considerable time and expense have been outlaid to develop ground water vulnerability maps with the DRASTIC method. This study demonstrates a cost-effective method to improve and verify the effectiveness of ground water vulnerability maps.

Do we pay our community preceptors? Results from a CERA clerkship directors' survey.

PubMed

Anthony, David; Jerpbak, Christine M; Margo, Katherine L; Power, David V; Slatt, Lisa M; Tarn, Derjung M

2014-03-01

Family medicine clerkships depend heavily on community-based family physician preceptors to teach medical students. These preceptors have traditionally been unpaid, but in recent years some clerkships have started to pay preceptors. This study determines trends in the number and geographic region of programs that pay their community preceptors, identifies reasons programs pay or do not pay, and investigates perceived advantages and disadvantages of payment. We conducted a cross-sectional, electronic survey of 134 family medicine clerkship directors at allopathic US medical schools. The response rate was 62% (83/132 clerkship directors). Nineteen of these (23%) currently pay community preceptors, 11 of whom are located in either New England or the South Atlantic region. Sixty-three percent of programs who pay report that their community preceptors are also paid for teaching other learners, compared to 32% of those programs who do not pay. Paying respondents displayed more positive attitudes toward paying community preceptors, though a majority of non-paying respondents indicated they would pay if they had the financial resources. The majority of clerkships do not pay their community preceptors to teach medical students, but competition from other learners may drive more medical schools to consider payment to help with preceptor recruitment and retention. Medical schools located in regions where there is competition for community preceptors from other medical and non-medical schools may need to consider paying preceptors as part of recruitment and retention efforts.

Impacts of air pollution on cultural heritage corrosion at European level: What has been achieved and what are the future scenarios.

PubMed

Di Turo, Francesca; Proietti, Chiara; Screpanti, Augusto; Fornasier, M Francesca; Cionni, Irene; Favero, Gabriele; De Marco, Alessandra

2016-11-01

The interaction of pollutants with Cultural Heritage materials leads to artworks and materials degradation and loss, causing an unpriceless damage. This works aims to estimate the impacts of air pollution and meteorological conditions on limestone, copper and bronze and represents the European risk assessment for corrosion of Cultural Heritage materials. The measures and policies for atmospheric pollution reduction have cut off the SO 2 concentration and consequently its impact on materials is drastically reduced. Indeed, in 1980 the number of UNESCO sites in danger was extremely high (94% for limestone, 54% for copper and 1% for bronze) while in 2010 these sites did not exceed the tolerable value of surface recession and corrosion. However, some problem related to air pollution persists. In particular, Random Forest Analysis (RFA), highlights PM 10 as the main responsible for materials corrosion, in 2010. Two scenarios in 2030 have been tested, highlighting that the corrosion levels of limestone, copper and bronze exceed the tolerable limits only in the Balkan area and Turkey. Our results show the importance in the air quality modelling as a powerful tool for the UNESCO sites conservation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of software for computing forming information using a component based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kwang Hee; Park, Jiing Seo; Kim, Jung; Kim, Young Bum; Shin, Jong Gye

2009-12-01

In shipbuilding industry, the manufacturing technology> has advanced at an unprecedented pace for the last decade. As a result, many automatic systems for cutting, welding, etc. have been developed and employed in the manufacturing process and accordingly the productivity has been increased drastically. Despite such improvement in the manufacturing technology', however, development of an automatic system for fabricating a curved hull plate remains at the beginning stage since hardware and software for the automation of the curved hull fabrication process should be developed differently depending on the dimensions of plates, forming methods and manufacturing processes of each shipyard. To deal with this problem, it is necessary> to create a "plug-in ''framework, which can adopt various kinds of hardware and software to construct a full automatic fabrication system. In this paper, a frame-work for automatic fabrication of curved hull plates is proposed, which consists of four components and related software. In particular the software module for computing fabrication information is developed by using the ooCBD development methodology; which can interface with other hardware and software with minimum effort. Examples of the proposed framework applied to medium and large shipyards are presented.

Experimental investigation of the radiation of sound from an unflanged duct and a bellmouth, including the flow effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ville, J. M.; Silcox, R. J.

1980-01-01

The radiation of sound from an inlet as a function of flow velocity, frequency, duct mode structure, and inlet geometry was examined by using a spinning mode synthesizer to insure a given space-time structure inside the duct. Measurements of the radiation pattern (amplitude and phase) and of the pressure reflection coefficient were obtained over an azimuthal wave number range of 0 to 6 and a frequency range up to 5000 Hz for an unflanged duct and a bellmouth. The measured radiated field and pressure reflection coefficient without flow for the unflanged duct agree reasonably well with theory. The influence of the inlet contour appears to be very drastic near the cut-on frequency of a mode and reasonable agreement is found between the bellmouth pressure reflection coefficient and a infinite hyperboloidal inlet theory. It is also shown that the flow has a weak effect on the amplitude of the directivity factor but significantly shifts the directivity factor phase. The influence of the flow on the modulus of the pressure reflection coefficient is found to be well described by a theoretical prediction.

In-Pile Instrumentation Multi- Parameter System Utilizing Photonic Fibers and Nanovision

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

Burgett, Eric

2015-10-13

An advanced in-pile multi-parameter reactor monitoring system is being proposed in this funding opportunity. The proposed effort brings cutting edge, high fidelity optical measurement systems into the reactor environment in an unprecedented fashion, including in-core, in-cladding and in-fuel pellet itself. Unlike instrumented leads, the proposed system provides a unique solution to a multi-parameter monitoring need in core while being minimally intrusive in the reactor core. Detector designs proposed herein can monitor fuel compression and expansion in both the radial and axial dimensions as well as monitor linear power profiles and fission rates during the operation of the reactor. In additionmore » to pressure, stress, strain, compression, neutron flux, neutron spectra, and temperature can be observed inside the fuel bundle and fuel rod using the proposed system. The proposed research aims at developing radiation-hard, harsh-environment multi-parameter systems for insertion into the reactor environment. The proposed research holds the potential to drastically increase the fidelity and precision of in-core instrumentation with little or no impact in the neutron economy in the reactor environment while providing a measurement system capable of operation for entire operating cycles.« less

Some factors affecting skin and wound healing.

PubMed

Winter, G D

2006-05-01

The domestic pig is the preferred animal for studying the effects of environmental factors on skin and wound because its integument is more like that of man than any other. The three factors that most drastically affect the pattern, speed and quality of healing are dehydration of exposed tissues, the status of the blood supply bringing oxygen and nutrients to the area and sepsis. Wounds exposed to the air lose water vapour, the upper dermis dries and healing takes place beneath a dry scab. Covering a wound with an occlusive dressing prevents scab formation and radically alters the pattern of epidermal wound healing. Blowing on wounds creates a scab within three hours instead of the normal 24 hours but more tissue is sacrificed in the process. This may only be justified if it can be shown that rapid artificial scab formation significantly cuts down the incidence of severe infections, i.e. in large burns. Less serious wounds heal faster when covered with a suitable occlusive dressing. Indolent wounds are characterised by a rim of infected, necrotic tissue in which leucocytes and macrophages are unable to function effectively through lack of oxygen. A suitable dressing changed frequently can bring about mild debridement and re-establish the conditions for healing.

Control of runaway electron energy using externally injected whistler waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zehua; McDevitt, Christopher J.; Tang, Xian-Zhu

2018-03-01

One way of mitigating runaway damage of the plasma-facing components in a tokamak fusion reactor is by limiting the runaway electron energy under a few MeV, while not necessarily reducing the runaway current appreciably. Here, we describe a physics mechanism by which such momentum space engineering of the runaway distribution can be facilitated by externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves such as whistler waves. The drastic impact that wave-induced scattering can have on the runaway energy distribution is fundamentally the result of its ability to control the runaway vortex in the momentum space. The runaway vortex, which is a local circulation of runaways in momentum space, is the outcome of the competition between Coulomb collisions, synchrotron radiation damping, and runaway acceleration by the parallel electric field. By introducing a wave that resonantly interacts with runaways in a particular range of energies which is mildly relativistic, the enhanced scattering would reshape the vortex by cutting off the part that is highly relativistic. The efficiency of resonant scattering accentuates the requirement that the wave amplitude can be small so the power requirement from external wave injection is practical for the mitigation scheme.

Controlling runaway vortex via externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zehua; McDevitt, Chris; Tang, Xianzhu

2017-10-01

One way of mitigating runaway damage of the plasma-facing components in a tokamak fusion reactor is by limiting the runaway electron energy under a few MeV, while not necessarily reducing the runaway current appreciably. Here we describe a physics mechanism by which such momentum space engineering of the runaway distribution can be facilitated by externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves such as the whistler waves. The drastic impact that wave-induced scattering can have on the runaway energy distribution is fundamentally the result of its ability to control the runaway vortex in the momentum space. The runaway vortex, which is a local circulation of runaways in momentum space, is the outcome of the competition between Coulomb collisions, synchrotron radiation damping, and runaway acceleration by parallel electric field. By introducing a wave that resonantly interacts with runaways at a particular range of energy that is mildly relativistic, the enhanced scattering would reshape the vortex by cutting off the part that is highly relativistic. The efficiency of resonant scattering accentuates the requirement that the wave amplitude can be small so the power requirement from external wave injection is practical for the mitigation scheme.

32 CFR 113.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and reenlistment bonuses). (iii) Incentive pay. (iv) Accrued leave payments (basic pay portion only... pay). (ii) Retainer pay. (iii) Separation pay, Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI), and Special...) Federal and State employment and income tax withholding (amount limited only to that which is necessary to...

5 CFR 9701.345 - Developmental pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Developmental pay adjustments. 9701.345 Section 9701.345 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.345...

5 CFR 9701.342 - Performance pay increases.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Performance pay increases. 9701.342 Section 9701.342 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.342...

Smaller Cigarette Pack as a Commitment to Smoke Less? Insights from Behavioral Economics

PubMed Central

Marti, Joachim; Sindelar, Jody

2015-01-01

Cigarettes are commonly sold in packs of 20 units and therefore little is known about the potential impact of pack size on consumption. Using insights from behavioral economics, we suggest that cigarette packs smaller than the standard size may help some smokers cut back and/or quit, consistent with their long-term goals. Results from an online hypothetical purchase experiment conducted in a sample of US smokers reveal that over a third of smokers are willing to pay a price premium to purchase in smaller quantities. Further, a desire to quit smoking and high self-control is associated with preference for a smaller pack. While we provide some preliminary evidence that smaller packs may be beneficial to certain types of smokers, further research should be conducted to assess whether the smaller pack size should be considered in the arsenal of tobacco control policies to help current smokers quit (JEL: I18; I12; D12) PMID:26356844

Meat packaging solutions to current industry challenges: A review.

PubMed

Holman, Benjamin W B; Kerry, Joseph P; Hopkins, David L

2018-04-30

Many advances have occurred in the field of smart meat packaging, and the potential for these to be used as tools that respond to challenges faced by industry is exciting. Here, we review packaging solutions to several immediate concerns, encompassing dark cutting, purge and yield losses, product traceability and provenance, packaging durability, microbial spoilage and safety, colour stability, environmental impacts, and the preservation of eating quality. Different active and intelligent packaging approaches to each of these were identified and are discussed in terms of their usefulness - to processors, retailers and/or consumers. From this, it became apparent that prior to selecting a packaging solution, industry should first define their criteria for success (e.g. How much purge is too much? What is a reasonable shelf-life to facilitate product turnover? Is the customer willing to pay for this?), and understand that packaging is not the sole solution, but acts as part of a holistic response to these issues. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The personal touch: strategies toward personalized vaccines and predicting immune responses to them

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Richard B.; Ovsyannikova, Inna G.; Lambert, Nathaniel D.; Haralambieva, Iana H.; Poland, Gregory A.

2014-01-01

The impact of vaccines on public health and well-being has been profound. Smallpox has been eradicated, polio is nearing eradication, and multiple diseases have been eliminated from certain areas of the world. Unfortunately, we now face diseases such as: hepatitis C, malaria, or tuberculosis, as well as new and re-emerging pathogens for which lack effective vaccines. Empirical approaches to vaccine development have been successful in the past, but may not be up to the current infectious disease challenges facing us. New, directed approaches to vaccine design, development, and testing need to be developed. Ideally these approaches will capitalize on cutting-edge technologies, advanced analytical and modeling strategies, and up-to-date knowledge of both pathogen and host. These approaches will pay particular attention to the causes of inter-individual variation in vaccine response in order to develop new vaccines tailored to the unique needs of individuals and communities within the population. PMID:24702429

Out of place: mediating health and social care in Ontario's long-term care sector.

PubMed

Daly, Tamara

2007-01-01

The paper discusses two reforms in Ontario's long-term care. The first is the commercialization of home care as a result of the implementation of a "managed competition" delivery model. The second is the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's privileging of "health care" over "social care" through changes to which types of home care and home support services receive public funding. It addresses the effects of these reforms on the state–non-profit relationship, and the shifting balance between public funding of health and social care. At a program level, and with few exceptions, homemaking services have been cut from home care, and home support services are more medicalized. With these changes, growing numbers of people no longer eligible to receive publicly funded home care services look for other alternatives: they draw available resources from home support, they draw on family and friend networks, they hire privately and pay out of pocket, they leave home and enter an institution, or they do without.

Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westerhoff, John

2004-01-01

An advanced concept in in-space transportation currently being studied is the Momentum-Exchange/Electrodynamic Reboost Tether System (MXER). The MXER system is a permanently orbiting platform designed to boost payloads from low earth orbit (LEO). Unlike conventional rockets that use propellants, MXER acts as a large momentum wheel, imparting a Av to a payload at the expense of its own orbital energy. After throwing a payload, the system reboosts itself using an electrodynamic tether to push against Earth s magnetic field and brings itself back up to an operational orbit to prepare for the next payload. The ability to reboost itself allows for continued reuse of the system without the expenditure of propellants. Considering the cost of lifting propellant from the ground to LEO to do the same Av boost at $10000 per pound, the system cuts the launch cost of the payload dramatically, and subsequently, the MXER system pays for itself after a small number of missions. As such, this technology is a valuable addition to NASA s mission for in-space transportation.

20 CFR 10.216 - How is the pay rate for COP calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2014-04-01 2012-04-01 true How is the pay rate for COP calculated? 10.216... AMENDED Continuation of Pay Calculation of Cop § 10.216 How is the pay rate for COP calculated? The employer shall calculate COP using the period of time and the weekly pay rate. (a) The pay rate for COP...

20 CFR 10.216 - How is the pay rate for COP calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2013-04-01 2012-04-01 true How is the pay rate for COP calculated? 10.216... AMENDED Continuation of Pay Calculation of Cop § 10.216 How is the pay rate for COP calculated? The employer shall calculate COP using the period of time and the weekly pay rate. (a) The pay rate for COP...

30 CFR 203.3 - Do I have to pay a fee to request royalty relief?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... electronically through the Pay.gov Web site and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with your application or assessment. The Pay.gov Web site may be accessed through a link on the MMS Offshore Web site at: http://www.mms.gov/offshore/ homepage or directly through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay...

Review of Related Literature and Research: History of Merit Pay, Differentiated Staffing, and Incentive Pay Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guernsey, Marsha A.

This paper reviews selected literature pertaining to merit pay, differentiated staffing, and incentive pay programs. The first section reviews the history of these alternatives to the single salary schedule, beginning with an account of two experimental merit pay plans in the early 20th century. During the 1920s, merit pay plans gave way to the…

5 CFR 9701.342 - Performance pay increases.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... pools and may adjust those amounts based on overall levels of organizational performance or contribution... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance pay increases. 9701.342... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.342...

5 CFR 9701.351 - Setting an employee's starting pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting an employee's starting pay. 9701.351 Section 9701.351 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES... SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9701.351 Setting...

5 CFR 531.215 - Setting pay upon demotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon demotion. 531.215 Section 531.215 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Determining Rate of Basic Pay Setting Pay When Appointment Or Position...

5 CFR 534.604 - Pay administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay administration. 534.604 Section 534.604 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Administrative Appeals Judge Positions § 534.604 Pay administration. (a) The head of each...

5 CFR 531.214 - Setting pay upon promotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Setting pay upon promotion. 531.214 Section 531.214 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Determining Rate of Basic Pay Setting Pay When Appointment Or Position...

Executive turnover: the influence of dispersion and other pay system characteristics.

PubMed

Messersmith, Jake G; Guthrie, James P; Ji, Yong-Yeon; Lee, Jeong-Yeon

2011-05-01

Using tournament theory as a guiding theoretical framework, in this study, we assess the organizational implications of pay dispersion and other pay system characteristics on the likelihood of turnover among individual executives in organizational teams. Specifically, we estimate the effect of these pay system characteristics on executive turnover decisions. We use a multi-industry, multilevel data set composed of executives in publicly held firms to assess the effects of pay dispersion at the individual level. Consistent with previous findings, we find that pay dispersion is associated with an increased likelihood of executive turnover. In addition, we find that other pay characteristics also affect turnover, both directly and through a moderating effect on pay dispersion. Turnover is more likely when executives receive lower portions of overall top management team compensation and when they have more pay at risk. These conditions also moderate the relationship between pay dispersion and individual turnover decisions, as does receiving lower compensation relative to the market.

5 CFR 534.505 - Pay related matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Pay related matters. 534.505 Section 534.505 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.505 Pay related matters. (a...

5 CFR 534.505 - Pay related matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Pay related matters. 534.505 Section 534.505 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.505 Pay related matters. (a...

5 CFR 534.505 - Pay related matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Pay related matters. 534.505 Section 534.505 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.505 Pay related matters. (a...

5 CFR 534.505 - Pay related matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Pay related matters. 534.505 Section 534.505 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.505 Pay related matters. (a...

5 CFR 534.503 - Pay setting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay setting. 534.503 Section 534.503 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.503 Pay setting. (a) Each agency with...

5 CFR 534.505 - Pay related matters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay related matters. 534.505 Section 534.505 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.505 Pay related matters. (a...

28 CFR 545.25 - Eligibility for performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Eligibility for performance pay. 545.25... WORK AND COMPENSATION Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program § 545.25 Eligibility for performance pay. (a) An inmate may receive performance pay for accomplishments in one or more of the following areas...

5 CFR 9901.371 - Conversion into NSPS pay system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Conversion into NSPS pay system. 9901.371... SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration Conversion Provisions § 9901.371 Conversion....231 for conversion rules related to determining an employee's career group, pay schedule, and band...

28 CFR 545.26 - Performance pay provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... month that the inmate was working. Performance pay may not be awarded retroactively. (d) An inmate is... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Performance pay provisions. 545.26... WORK AND COMPENSATION Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program § 545.26 Performance pay provisions. (a...

28 CFR 545.22 - Institution work and performance pay committee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Institution work and performance pay... INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT WORK AND COMPENSATION Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program § 545.22 Institution work... Institution Inmate Work and Performance Pay Committee to administer the institution's work and performance pay...

5 CFR 9901.342 - Performance payouts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance payouts. 9901.342 Section... PERSONNEL SYSTEM (NSPS) Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9901.342 Performance payouts. (a) Overview. (1) The NSPS pay system will be a performance-based pay system and will result in a distribution...

5 CFR 550.105 - Biweekly maximum earnings limitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Biweekly maximum earnings limitation. 550... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay Maximum Earnings Limitations § 550.105 Biweekly maximum... basic pay and premium pay for any biweekly pay period to exceed the greater of— (1) The maximum biweekly...

Performance Pay and Teacher Motivation: Separating Myth from Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulleman, Chris S.; Barron, Kenneth E.

2010-01-01

This article draws on research from outside of education to evaluate some common myths about performance pay and to consider future directions for designing and evaluating performance pay systems in K-12 education. The five common myths surrounding performance pay include: (1) Performance pay systems improve performance; (2) Performance pay…

5 CFR 534.603 - Rates of basic pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Rates of basic pay. 534.603 Section 534.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Administrative Appeals Judge Positions § 534.603 Rates of basic pay. (a) The...

28 CFR 345.57 - Administrative pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Administrative pay. 345.57 Section 345.57... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.57 Administrative pay. An inmate excused from a job assignment may receive administrative pay for such circumstances as a general recall for an...

28 CFR 345.58 - Holiday pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Holiday pay. 345.58 Section 345.58... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.58 Holiday pay. An inmate worker in FPI work status shall receive pay at the standard hourly rate, plus longevity where applicable, for all Federal...

28 CFR 345.59 - Inmate performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Inmate performance pay. 345.59 Section... INDUSTRIES (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.59 Inmate performance pay. Inmate workers for FPI may also receive Inmate Performance Pay for participation in programs where this award is made...

4 CFR 5.2 - Grade and pay retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 4 Accounts 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grade and pay retention. 5.2 Section 5.2 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.2 Grade and pay retention. (a) Change of... employee's position for all purposes (including pay and pay administration, retirement, life insurance and...

5 CFR 359.705 - Pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay. 359.705 Section 359.705... EXECUTIVE SERVICE; GUARANTEED PLACEMENT IN OTHER PERSONNEL SYSTEMS Guaranteed Placement § 359.705 Pay. (a...) is entitled to receive basic pay at the highest of— (1) The rate of basic pay in effect for the...

Social patterns of pay systems and their associations with psychosocial job characteristics and burnout among paid employees in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yeh, Wan-Yu; Cheng, Yawen; Chen, Chiou-Jung

2009-04-01

Today, performance-based pay systems, also known as variable pay systems, are commonly implemented in workplaces as a business strategy to improve workers' performance and reduce labor costs. However, their impact on workers' job stress and stress-related health outcomes has rarely been investigated. By utilizing data from a nationally representative sample of paid employees in Taiwan, we examined the distribution of variable pay systems across socio-demographic categories and employment sectors. We also examined the associations of pay systems with psychosocial job characteristics (assessed by Karasek's Demand-Control model) and self-reported burnout status (measured by the Chinese version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory). A total of 8906 men and 6382 women aged 25-65 years were studied, and pay systems were classified into three categories, i.e., fixed salary, performance-based pay (with a basic salary), and piece-rated or time-based pay (without a basic salary). Results indicated that in men, 57% of employees were given a fixed salary, 24% were given a performance-based pay, and 19% were remunerated through a piece-rated or time-based pay. In women, the distributions of the 3 pay systems were 64%, 20% and 15%, respectively. Among the three pay systems, employees earning through a performance-based pay were found to have the longest working hours, highest level of job control, and highest percentage of workers who perceived high stress at work. Those remunerated through a piece-rated/time-based pay were found to have the lowest job control, shortest working hours, highest job insecurity, lowest potential for career growth, and lowest job satisfaction. The results of multivariate regression analyses showed that employees earning through performance-based and piece-rated pay systems showed higher scores for personal burnout and work-related burnout, as compared to those who were given fixed salaries, after adjusting for age, education, marital status, employment grade, job characteristics, and family care workloads. As variable pay systems have gained in popularity, findings from this study call for more attention on the tradeoff between the widely discussed management advantages of such pay systems and the health burden they place on employees.

Improvements to the DRASTIC ground-water vulnerability mapping method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rupert, Michael G.

1999-01-01

Ground-water vulnerability maps are designed to show areas of greatest potential for ground-water contamination on the basis of hydrogeologic and anthropogenic (human) factors. The maps are developed by using computer mapping hardware and software called a geographic information system (GIS) to combine data layers such as land use, soils, and depth to water. Usually, ground-water vulnerability is determined by assigning point ratings to the individual data layers and then adding the point ratings together when those layers are combined into a vulnerability map. Probably the most widely used ground-water vulnerability mapping method is DRASTIC, named for the seven factors considered in the method: Depth to water, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone media, and hydraulic Conductivity of the aquifer (Aller and others, 1985, p. iv). The DRASTIC method has been used to develop ground-water vulnerability maps in many parts of the Nation; however, the effectiveness of the method has met with mixed success (Koterba and others, 1993, p. 513; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1993; Barbash and Resek, 1996; Rupert, 1997). DRASTIC maps usually are not calibrated to measured contaminant concentrations. The DRASTIC ground-water vulnerability mapping method was improved by calibrating the point rating scheme to measured nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen (NO2+NO3–N) concentrations in ground water on the basis of statistical correlations between NO2+NO3–N concentrations and land use, soils, and depth to water (Rupert, 1997). This report describes the calibration method developed by Rupert and summarizes the improvements in results of this method over those of the uncalibrated DRASTIC method applied by Rupert and others (1991) in the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho.

Willingness to pay for an Ebola vaccine during the 2014-2016 ebola outbreak in West Africa: Results from a U.S. National sample.

PubMed

Painter, Julia E; von Fricken, Michael E; Viana de O Mesquita, Suyane; DiClemente, Ralph J

2018-01-15

The 2014-2016 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa led to advances in the development of vaccines against Ebola. This study examined factors associated with willingness to pay for an Ebola vaccine among a U.S. national sample during the recent Ebola outbreak. From April 30-May 8, 2015, a national survey was conducted using the GfK Group's KnowlegePanel®. Main outcome measures included willingness to pay at least $1; more than $50; and more than $100 for an Ebola vaccine. Analyses were conducted using weighted multivariable logistic regression. Among participants (N = 1,447), 583 (40.3%) would not pay for an Ebola vaccine; 864 (59.7%) would pay at least $1. Among those willing to pay at least $1: 570 (66.0%) would pay $1-50; 174 (20.1%) would pay $51-100; and 120 (13.9%) would pay more than $100. Willingness to pay at least $1 for an Ebola vaccine was associated with international travel; interest in getting an Ebola vaccine; and beliefs that the U.S. government should spend money to control Ebola and assume worldwide leadership in confronting emerging epidemics. Willingness to pay more than $50 was associated with similar variables. Willingness to pay more than $100 was associated with international travel; interest in getting an Ebola vaccine; information seeking; and beliefs that the U.S. government should assume worldwide leadership in confronting emerging epidemics. International travel and interest in an Ebola vaccine were key predictors of willingness to pay across all price points. Understanding willingness to pay for vaccines against emerging infectious diseases remains critical.

28 CFR 345.60 - Training pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Training pay. 345.60 Section 345.60... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.60 Training pay. Inmates directed by the SOI to take a particular type of training in connection with a FPI job are to receive FPI pay if the...

5 CFR 531.406 - Creditable service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... pay is equal to or greater than the rate of basic pay for step 4 of the applicable grade and less than... period for an employee whose rate of basic pay is equal to or greater than the rate of basic pay for step....406 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE...

5 CFR 837.503 - Supplemental annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Average pay. The average pay used in the computation of a supplemental annuity is the average basic pay... reemployment; and (ii) The pay during reemployment was subject to offset by the amount of annuity allocable to... continues and annuity is paid, and which is excluded from the normal annuity offset from pay by special...

5 CFR 837.503 - Supplemental annuity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) Average pay. The average pay used in the computation of a supplemental annuity is the average basic pay... reemployment; and (ii) The pay during reemployment was subject to offset by the amount of annuity allocable to... continues and annuity is paid, and which is excluded from the normal annuity offset from pay by special...

5 CFR 9901.363 - Premium pay for health care personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., the employee is not expected to be able to return to the worksite immediately. (c) Night pay for....m. Night pay for health care personnel is 10 percent of the employee's hourly rate of adjusted salary. An employee receiving night pay under this section may not also receive night pay under § 9901...

5 CFR 534.406 - Conversion to the SES pay system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Conversion to the SES pay system. 534.406... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay and Performance Awards Under the Senior Executive Service § 534.406 Conversion... senior executive's converted rate of basic pay. Conversion to a new SES rate of basic pay is not...

5 CFR 530.323 - Setting pay when a special rate is discontinued or decreased.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY RATES AND SYSTEMS (GENERAL) Special Rate Schedules for Recruitment and Retention Setting An Employee's Rate of Pay § 530.323 Setting pay when a special rate is discontinued or... schedule. (b) Employee entitled to pay retention. When a special rate applicable to a position is...

5 CFR 531.603 - Locality pay areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Locality pay areas. 531.603 Section 531.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Locality-Based Comparability Payments § 531.603 Locality pay areas. (a) Locality rates of pay under this subpart shall be payable to...

5 CFR 9701.312 - Maximum rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Maximum rates. 9701.312 Section 9701.312... MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Overview of Pay System § 9701.312 Maximum rates. (a) DHS may not pay any employee an annual rate of basic pay in excess of the rate for level III of the Executive...

5 CFR 9701.312 - Maximum rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Maximum rates. 9701.312 Section 9701.312... MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Overview of Pay System § 9701.312 Maximum rates. (a) DHS may not pay any employee an annual rate of basic pay in excess of the rate for level III of the Executive...

5 CFR 9701.312 - Maximum rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Maximum rates. 9701.312 Section 9701.312... MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Overview of Pay System § 9701.312 Maximum rates. (a) DHS may not pay any employee an annual rate of basic pay in excess of the rate for level III of the Executive...

5 CFR 550.203 - Advances in pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Advances in pay. 550.203 Section 550.203 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Advances in Pay § 550.203 Advances in pay. (a) The head of an agency may provide for the advance payment of...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

28 CFR 345.60 - Training pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Training pay. 345.60 Section 345.60... (FPI) INMATE WORK PROGRAMS Inmate Pay and Benefits § 345.60 Training pay. Inmates directed by the SOI to take a particular type of training in connection with a FPI job are to receive FPI pay if the...

Compensation Reform in the Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laine, Sabrina; Potemski, Amy; Rowland, Cortney

2010-01-01

One of the most frequently discussed topics in education reform circles is teacher pay--how much money teachers make, for what work and who decides teachers' salaries. Over time, educator pay reform has included many different reward structures and goes by as many different names, such as merit pay, performance pay and differentiated pay. The…

75 FR 81817 - Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-29

... Order 13561 of December 22, 2010 Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay By the authority vested in me as..., it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. Pursuant to the Continuing... ``Continuing Appropriations Act''), the rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined...

20 CFR 218.27 - Vacation pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Vacation pay. 218.27 Section 218.27 Employees... Beginning Date § 218.27 Vacation pay. (a) From railroad employer. Vacation pay may be credited to the... vacation pay is credited to the vacation period, the annuity can begin no earlier than the day after the...

41 CFR 301-76.2 - What is disposable pay?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is disposable pay... What is disposable pay? Disposable pay is the part of the employee's compensation remaining after the... deductions such as savings bonds, charitable contributions, etc. Deductions may be made from any type of pay...

5 CFR 304.104 - Determining rate of pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Determining rate of pay. 304.104 Section... CONSULTANT APPOINTMENTS § 304.104 Determining rate of pay. (a) The rate of basic pay for experts and... appropriate rate of basic pay on an hourly or daily basis, subject to the limitations described in section 304...

5 CFR 532.509 - Pay for Sunday work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay for Sunday work. 532.509 Section 532... SYSTEMS Premium Pay and Differentials § 532.509 Pay for Sunday work. A wage employee whose regular work... entitled to additional pay under the provisions of section 5544 of title 5, United States Code. [46 FR...

76 FR 52537 - Pay for Sunday Work

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-23

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 5 CFR Parts 532 and 550 RIN 3206-AM08 Pay for Sunday Work AGENCY... the payment of Sunday premium pay for work performed on Sundays. The revised Sunday premium pay... Sunday premium pay, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5544(a). Intermittent employees continue to be excluded from...

The history of human cytogenetics in India-A review.

PubMed

Dutta, Usha R

2016-09-10

It is 60years since the discovery of the correct number of chromosomes in 1956; the field of cytogenetics had evolved. The late evolution of this field with respect to other fields is primarily due to the underdevelopment of lenses and imaging techniques. With the advent of the new technologies, especially automation and evolution of advanced compound microscopes, cytogenetics drastically leaped further to greater heights. This review describes the historic events that had led to the development of human cytogenetics with a special attention about the history of cytogenetics in India, its present status, and future. Apparently, this review provides a brief account into the insights of the early laboratory establishments, funding, and the German collaborations. The details of the Indian cytogeneticists establishing their labs, promoting the field, and offering the chromosomal diagnostic services are described. The detailed study of chromosomes helps in increasing the knowledge of the chromosome structure and function. The delineation of the chromosomal rearrangements using cytogenetics and molecular cytogenetic techniques pays way in identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in the chromosomal rearrangement. Although molecular cytogenetics is greatly developing, the conventional cytogenetics still remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of various numerical chromosomal aberrations and a few structural aberrations. The history of cytogenetics and its importance even in the era of molecular cytogenetics are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

5 CFR 591.238 - How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false How do agencies pay COLAs and post... Program Administration § 591.238 How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials? (a) Agencies pay COLAs... pay. This includes all periods of paid leave, detail, or travel status outside the COLA or post...

5 CFR 591.238 - How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false How do agencies pay COLAs and post... Program Administration § 591.238 How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials? (a) Agencies pay COLAs... pay. This includes all periods of paid leave, detail, or travel status outside the COLA or post...

5 CFR 591.238 - How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false How do agencies pay COLAs and post... Program Administration § 591.238 How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials? (a) Agencies pay COLAs... pay. This includes all periods of paid leave, detail, or travel status outside the COLA or post...

5 CFR 591.238 - How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false How do agencies pay COLAs and post... Program Administration § 591.238 How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials? (a) Agencies pay COLAs... pay. This includes all periods of paid leave, detail, or travel status outside the COLA or post...

5 CFR 591.238 - How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false How do agencies pay COLAs and post... Program Administration § 591.238 How do agencies pay COLAs and post differentials? (a) Agencies pay COLAs... pay. This includes all periods of paid leave, detail, or travel status outside the COLA or post...

20 CFR 10.216 - How is the pay rate for COP calculated?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... for COP purposes is equal to the employee's regular “weekly” pay (the average of the weekly pay over... period of appointment), the weekly pay rate is an average of the weekly earnings, established by dividing... or every week of the year (or period of appointment), the weekly pay rate is the average weekly...

30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the MMS Offshore Web site at: http://www.mms.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...

30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...

30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...

30 CFR 291.108 - How do I pay the processing fee?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... electronically through Pay.Gov. The Pay.Gov Web site may be accessed through links on the BSEE Offshore Web site at: http://www.bsee.gov/offshore/homepage (on drop-down topic list) or directly through Pay.Gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/. (b) You must include with the payment: (1) Your taxpayer identification...

Paying for Better Teaching: Merit Pay and Its Alternatives. OAP Monograph Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacharach, Samuel B.; And Others

President Reagan's promotion of merit pay as the main vehicle of educational change has prompted a sharp debate. This monograph presents arguments for and against merit pay and assesses its relative worth as a means of improving American education. First, merit pay is defined as a compensation system linking individual teachers' salaries to…

Behind the Pay Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dey, Judy Goldberg; Hill, Catherine

2007-01-01

Women have made remarkable gains in education during the past three decades, yet these achievements have resulted in only modest improvements in pay equity. The gender pay gap has become a fixture of the U.S. workplace and is so ubiquitous that many simply view it as normal. "Behind the Pay Gap" examines the gender pay gap for college graduates.…

26 CFR 1.1441-10 - Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay... Foreign Corporations and Tax-Free Covenant Bonds § 1.1441-10 Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements. (a) In general. A corporation that issues fast-pay stock in a fast-pay arrangement described in...

26 CFR 1.1441-10 - Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay... Foreign Corporations and Tax-Free Covenant Bonds § 1.1441-10 Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements. (a) In general. A corporation that issues fast-pay stock in a fast-pay arrangement described in...

26 CFR 1.1441-10 - Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay... Foreign Corporations and Tax-Free Covenant Bonds § 1.1441-10 Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements. (a) In general. A corporation that issues fast-pay stock in a fast-pay arrangement described in...

26 CFR 1.1441-10 - Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay... Foreign Corporations and Tax-Free Covenant Bonds § 1.1441-10 Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements. (a) In general. A corporation that issues fast-pay stock in a fast-pay arrangement described in...

The Relationship between Pay and Job Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Judge, Timothy A.; Piccolo, Ronald F.; Podsakoff, Nathan P.; Shaw, John C.; Rich, Bruce L.

2010-01-01

Whereas the motivational aspects of pay are well-documented, the notion that high pay leads to high levels of satisfaction is not without debate. The current study used meta-analysis to estimate the population correlation between pay level and measures of pay and job satisfaction. Cumulating across 115 correlations from 92 independent samples,…

5 CFR 532.419 - Grade and pay retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Grade and pay retention. 532.419 Section... RATE SYSTEMS Pay Administration § 532.419 Grade and pay retention. (a) In accordance with section 9(a)(1) of Public Law 92-392 (86 Stat. 564, 573), an employee's initial rate of pay on conversion to a...

5 CFR 532.507 - Pay for holiday work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay for holiday work. 532.507 Section 532... SYSTEMS Premium Pay and Differentials § 532.507 Pay for holiday work. (a) An employee who is entitled to holiday premium pay and who performs work on a holiday which is not overtime work shall be paid the...

The Effects of Objective Feedback on Performance when Individuals Receive Fixed and Individual Incentive Pay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Douglas A.; Dickinson, Alyce M.; Huitema, Bradley E.

2008-01-01

We examined whether objective feedback would enhance performance when individuals were paid monetary incentives. A two-by-two factorial design was used, with 123 college students assigned to incentive pay without feedback, incentive pay with feedback, fixed pay without feedback, or fixed pay with feedback. Participants attended six sessions and…

29 CFR 4.53 - Collective bargaining agreement (successorship) determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... or salary rate, cost-of-living allowance, and any shift, hazardous, and other similar pay differentials) and to fringe benefits (such as holiday pay, vacation pay, sick leave pay, life, accidental death...

Achieving equal pay for comparable worth through arbitration.

PubMed

Wisniewski, S C

1982-01-01

Traditional "women's jobs" often pay relatively low wages because of the effects of institutionalized stereotypes concerning women and their role in the work place. One way of dealing with sex discrimination that results in job segregation is to narrow the existing wage differential between "men's jobs" and "women's jobs." Where the jobs are dissimilar on their face, this narrowing of pay differences involves implementing the concept of "equal pay for jobs of comparable worth." Some time in the future, far-reaching, perhaps even industrywide, reductions in male-female pay differentials may be achieved by pursuing legal remedies based on equal pay for comparable worth. However, as the author demonstrates, immediate, albeit more limited, relief for sex-based pay inequities found in specific work places can be obtained by implementing equal pay for jobs of comparable worth through the collective bargaining and arbitration processes.

Pay for performance in commercial HMOs.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Meredith B; Landon, Bruce E; Normand, Sharon-Lise T; Frank, Richard G; Epstein, Arnold M

2006-11-02

Pay for performance has increasingly become the subject of intense interest and debate, both of which have been heightened as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services moves closer to adopting this approach for Medicare. Although many claims have been made for the effectiveness of this approach, the extent of its national penetration remains unknown. We surveyed a sample of 252 health maintenance organizations (HMOs) (response rate, 96%) drawn from 41 metropolitan areas across the nation about use of pay for performance. We determined the prevalence of pay-for-performance programs, detailed the features of such programs, and examined the adoption of pay for performance as a function of the characteristics of both the health plans and markets. More than half the HMOs, representing more than 80% of persons enrolled, use pay for performance in their provider contracts. Of the 126 health plans with pay-for-performance programs, nearly 90% had programs for physicians and 38% had programs for hospitals. Use of pay for performance was statistically associated with geographic region, use of primary care providers (PCPs) as gatekeepers, use of capitation to pay PCPs, and whether the plans themselves received bonuses or penalties according to performance. Pay for performance is now commonly used by HMOs, especially those that are situated to assign responsibility for a particular patient to a PCP or medical group. As the design of Medicare with pay for performance moves forward, it will be important to leverage the early experience of pay for performance in the commercial market. Copyright 2006 Massachusetts Medical Society.

Assessing groundwater vulnerability in the Kinshasa region, DR Congo, using a calibrated DRASTIC model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mfumu Kihumba, Antoine; Vanclooster, Marnik; Ndembo Longo, Jean

2017-02-01

This study assessed the vulnerability of groundwater against pollution in the Kinshasa region, DR Congo, as a support of a groundwater protection program. The parametric vulnerability model (DRASTIC) was modified and calibrated to predict the intrinsic vulnerability as well as the groundwater pollution risk. The method uses groundwater body specific parameters for the calibration of the factor ratings and weightings of the original DRASTIC model. These groundwater specific parameters are inferred from the statistical relation between the original DRASTIC model and observed nitrate pollution for a specific period. In addition, site-specific land use parameters are integrated into the method. The method is fully embedded in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Following these modifications, the correlation coefficient between groundwater pollution risk and observed nitrate concentrations for the 2013-2014 survey improved from r = 0.42, for the original DRASTIC model, to r = 0.61 for the calibrated model. As a way to validate this pollution risk map, observed nitrate concentrations from another survey (2008) are compared to pollution risk indices showing a good degree of coincidence with r = 0.51. The study shows that a calibration of a vulnerability model is recommended when vulnerability maps are used for groundwater resource management and land use planning at the regional scale and that it is adapted to a specific area.

Explaining the Gender Wage Gap: Pay Expectations for Self, Others, and Perceptions of "Fair Pay."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Philip D.; Jackson, Linda A.

This study was conducted to investigate the pay expectations of graduating seniors, and specifically, the relationship between gender and pay expectations for one's self and others. The main purpose of the study was to determine if women and men differed in their initial pay expectations. Surveys were received from 447 college seniors, including…

29 CFR 1620.28 - Relationship to other equal pay laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... PAY ACT § 1620.28 Relationship to other equal pay laws. The provisions of various State or local laws may differ from the equal pay provisions set forth in the FLSA. No provisions of the EPA will excuse... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Relationship to other equal pay laws. 1620.28 Section 1620...

29 CFR 778.325 - Effect on salary covering more than 40 hours' pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Effect on salary covering more than 40 hours' pay. 778.325... COMPENSATION Special Problems Reduction in Workweek Schedule with No Change in Pay § 778.325 Effect on salary covering more than 40 hours' pay. The same reasoning applies to salary covering straight time pay for a...

27 CFR 70.103 - Failure to pay tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Failure to pay tax. 70.103... § 70.103 Failure to pay tax. Whoever fails to pay any tax imposed by Part I of Subchapter A of Chapter... penalty of 5 percent of the tax due but unpaid. For additional penalties for failure to pay tax, see 27...

27 CFR 70.103 - Failure to pay tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Failure to pay tax. 70.103... § 70.103 Failure to pay tax. Whoever fails to pay any tax imposed by Part I of Subchapter A of Chapter... penalty of 5 percent of the tax due but unpaid. For additional penalties for failure to pay tax, see 27...

27 CFR 70.103 - Failure to pay tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Failure to pay tax. 70.103... § 70.103 Failure to pay tax. Whoever fails to pay any tax imposed by Part I of Subchapter A of Chapter... penalty of 5 percent of the tax due but unpaid. For additional penalties for failure to pay tax, see 27...

27 CFR 70.103 - Failure to pay tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Failure to pay tax. 70.103... § 70.103 Failure to pay tax. Whoever fails to pay any tax imposed by Part I of Subchapter A of Chapter... penalty of 5 percent of the tax due but unpaid. For additional penalties for failure to pay tax, see 27...

26 CFR 1.1441-10 - Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 12 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay... Corporations and Tax-Free Covenant Bonds § 1.1441-10 Withholding agents with respect to fast-pay arrangements. (a) In general. A corporation that issues fast-pay stock in a fast-pay arrangement described in § 1...

78 FR 80451 - Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-31

... of Pay By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted under 5 U.S...

27 CFR 70.103 - Failure to pay tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Failure to pay tax. 70.103... § 70.103 Failure to pay tax. Whoever fails to pay any tax imposed by Part I of Subchapter A of Chapter... penalty of 5 percent of the tax due but unpaid. For additional penalties for failure to pay tax, see 27...

EFFECTS OF PAY RESETS FOLLOWING DRUG USE ON ATTENDANCE AND HOURS WORKED IN A THERAPEUTIC WORKPLACE

PubMed Central

Holtyn, August F.; Silverman, Kenneth

2016-01-01

This secondary data analysis examined effects of an abstinence contingency on participation in a therapeutic workplace. Participants exposed to a pay reset after drug use did not differ in overall attendance from participants who were not exposed to a pay reset after drug use; however, they initially worked less after a pay reset than participants who did not receive a pay reset, and their attendance increased as their pay increased. Overall participation was not influenced by the abstinence contingency, but transient decreases in attendance occurred. PMID:26990530

5 CFR 610.407 - Premium pay for holiday work for employees on compressed work schedules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... schedule who performs work on a holiday is entitled to basic pay, plus premium pay at a rate equal to basic pay, for the work that is not in excess of the employee's compressed work schedule for that day. For... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Premium pay for holiday work for...

5 CFR 536.308 - Loss of eligibility for or termination of pay retention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... is entitled to a rate of basic pay under a covered pay system which is equal to or greater than the... equal or higher rate of basic pay during a temporary promotion or temporary reassignment but will be... determined under § 536.104) of a position in which the employee's rate of basic pay would be equal to or...

30 CFR 218.305 - How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM regulations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM... Geothermal Resources § 218.305 How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM regulations? If you pay advanced royalties under 43 CFR 3212.15(a)(1) to retain your lease: (a) You must pay an advanced royalty...

30 CFR 1218.305 - How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM regulations?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM... CREDITS AND INCENTIVES Geothermal Resources § 1218.305 How do I pay advanced royalties I owe under BLM regulations? If you pay advanced royalties under 43 CFR 3212.15(a)(1) to retain your lease: (a) You must pay...

Why doesn't performance pay work?

PubMed

1993-01-01

Examines performance pay as a means of motivation in the health sector, and indicates possible reasons for its ineffectiveness. Points out that there are various means of motivating employees, with pay being just one of these. Suggests that this is the reason why performance pay has little impact. Concludes that the NHS is about to implement performance pay within its system. Predicts that this may be problematic.

Ultra-narrow surface lattice resonances in plasmonic metamaterial arrays for biosensing applications.

PubMed

Danilov, Artem; Tselikov, Gleb; Wu, Fan; Kravets, Vasyl G; Ozerov, Igor; Bedu, Frederic; Grigorenko, Alexander N; Kabashin, Andrei V

2018-05-01

When excited over a periodic metamaterial lattice of gold nanoparticles (~ 100nm), localized plasmon resonances (LPR) can be coupled by a diffraction wave propagating along the array plane, which leads to a drastic narrowing of plasmon resonance lineshapes (down to a few nm full-width-at-half-maximum) and the generation of singularities of phase of reflected light. These phenomena look very promising for the improvement of performance of plasmonic biosensors, but conditions of implementation of such diffractively coupled plasmonic resonances, also referred to as plasmonic surface lattice resonances (PSLR), are not always compatible with biosensing arrangement implying the placement of the nanoparticles between a glass substrate and a sample medium (air, water). Here, we consider conditions of excitation and properties of PSLR over arrays of glass substrate-supported single and double Au nanoparticles (~ 100-200nm), arranged in a periodic metamaterial lattice, in direct and Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) geometries, and assess their sensitivities to variations of refractive index (RI) of the adjacent sample dielectric medium. First, we identify medium (PSLR air , PSLR wat for air and water, respectively) and substrate (PSLR sub ) modes corresponding to the coupling of individual plasmon oscillations at medium- and substrate-related diffraction cut-off edges. We show that spectral sensitivity of medium modes to RI variations is determined by the lattice periodicity in both direct and ATR geometries (~ 320nm per RIU change in our case), while substrate mode demonstrates much lower sensitivity. We also show that phase sensitivity of PSLR can exceed 10 5 degrees of phase shift per RIU change and thus outperform the relevant parameter for all other plasmonic sensor counterparts. We finally demonstrate the applicability of surface lattice resonances in plasmonic metamaterial arrays to biosensing using standard streptavidin-biotin affinity model. Combining advantages of nanoscale architectures, including drastic concentration of electric field, possibility of manipulation at the nanoscale etc, and high phase and spectral sensitivities, PSLRs promise the advancement of current state-of-the-art plasmonic biosensing technology toward single molecule label-free detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of European legislation on marketed pesticides--a view from the standpoint of health impact assessment studies.

PubMed

Karabelas, A J; Plakas, K V; Solomou, E S; Drossou, V; Sarigiannis, D A

2009-10-01

The very significant impact of European legislation (Directive 91/414/EEC) on the authorization of plant protection products is reviewed herein, which has resulted in withdrawal of 704 active substances (AS) out of 889 assessed so far. The list of currently approved 276 AS includes 194 AS "existing" in the market before 1993 and 82 "new" AS introduced during the last 15 years. Results of toxicity characterization of the approved AS are also summarized, utilizing several well-known databases. Although significant data gaps exist for a rather large part of the approved AS, it is found that 84 AS are positive for at least one health effect (after chronic and/or acute exposure) including carcinogenicity, reproductive and neuro-developmental disorders, as well as endocrine disruption. The toxicity characterization results of this study are compared to those of recent assessments by other organizations (KemI, the Swedish Chemicals Agency, and the Pesticide Safety Directorate of the UK), where interpretation and use is made of AS "cut-off" criteria foreseen in new EU legislation. These studies report a comparatively smaller AS number with positive toxicity characterization. The possibility of some additional AS withdrawal in the near future, combined with the rather small rate of new AS introduction (approx. 5 per year) suggest that the list of approved AS over the next 10-15 years may not change very drastically. Consideration of the above trends is necessary and instructive in evaluating results of existing health impact assessment (HIA) studies, as well as in planning new ones. Due to the very drastic change in the number and type of marketed AS, that took place within the past 8-9years, it is suggested that new HIA studies (based on epidemiological data after year 2000) should focus on a rather short time frame and, therefore, on appropriate cohort groups, e.g. young children. For the same reason, results of epidemiological studies of the past (involving banned AS) should be carefully interpreted and used with caution.

5 CFR 9701.345 - Developmental pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Section 9701.345 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.345...

5 CFR 9701.345 - Developmental pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Section 9701.345 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.345...

5 CFR 9701.345 - Developmental pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Section 9701.345 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.345...

5 CFR 9701.345 - Developmental pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Section 9701.345 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Performance-Based Pay § 9701.345...

30 CFR 590.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with your Notice of Appeal. (2) You...

30 CFR 590.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with your Notice of Appeal. (2) You...

30 CFR 290.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with your Notice of Appeal. (2) You cannot...

30 CFR 290.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... processing fee of $150 paid with the Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with...

30 CFR 290.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... processing fee of $150 paid with the Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with...

30 CFR 290.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... processing fee of $150 paid with the Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with...

30 CFR 290.4 - How do I file an appeal?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... processing fee of $150 paid with the Notice of Appeal. (1) You must pay electronically through Pay.gov at: https://www.pay.gov/paygov/, and you must include a copy of the Pay.gov confirmation receipt page with...

Pay for Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaFee, Scott

1999-01-01

Top school administrators and school boards across the country are increasingly employing a private-sector incentive: bonus pay for improved (school) performance. Connecticut, Texas, and North Carolina have merit-pay clauses in superintendents' contracts. This article discusses pay-for-performance criteria, increased job expectations, and ethical…

Graduating to a Pay Gap: The Earnings of Women and Men One Year after College Graduation. Executive Summary and Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of University Women, 2012

2012-01-01

Fifty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women continue to be paid less than men in nearly every occupation. Because pay is a fundamental part of everyday life, enabling individuals to support themselves and their families, the pay gap evokes passionate debate. Although the data confirming the persistence of the pay gap are…

Effects of pay resets following drug use on attendance and hours worked in a therapeutic workplace.

PubMed

Holtyn, August F; Silverman, Kenneth

2016-06-01

This secondary data analysis examined effects of an abstinence contingency on participation in a therapeutic workplace. Participants exposed to a pay reset after drug use did not differ in overall attendance from participants who were not exposed to a pay reset after drug use; however, they initially worked less after a pay reset than participants who did not receive a pay reset, and their attendance increased as their pay increased. Overall participation was not influenced by the abstinence contingency, but transient decreases in attendance occurred. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Developing physician pay arrangements: the cash and care equation.

PubMed

Levitch, J H

1998-11-01

Developing physician compensation packages that help a healthcare organization meet its business objectives while satisfying physician pay expectations requires new ways of linking pay to physician performance. Such compensation arrangements specifically should include pay tied to defined performance standards, compensation linked to group performance, performance incentives based on realistic, achievable goals, work performance measured by common criteria, and similar pay ensured for similar work. Final pay arrangements also should include items that are sometimes overlooked, such as fully delineated job responsibilities, performance measures aligned correctly with performance areas, and the value of benefits considered in the cash compensation levels.

Serum protein electrophoresis: an interesting diagnosis tool to distinguish viral from bacterial community-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Davido, B; Badr, C; Lagrange, A; Makhloufi, S; De Truchis, P; Perronne, C; Salomon, J; Dinh, A

2016-06-01

29-69 % of pneumonias are microbiologically documented because it can be considered as an invasive procedure with variable test sensitivity. However, it drastically impacts therapeutic strategy in particular the use of antibiotics. Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) is a routine and non-invasive test commonly used to identify serum protein disorders. As virus and bacteria may induce different globulins production, we hypothesize that SPEP can be used as an etiological diagnosis test. Retrospective study conducted from 1/1/13 until 5/1/15 among patient hospitalized for an acute community-acquired pneumonia based on fever, crackles and radiological abnormalities. α/β, α/γ, β/γ globulins and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio were calculated from SPEP. Data were analyzed in 3 groups: documented viral (DVP) or bacterial pneumonia (DBP) and supposedly bacterial pneumonia (SBP). We used ANOVA statistic test with multiple comparisons using CI95 and ROC curve to compare them. 109 patients included divided into DBP (n = 16), DVP (n = 26) and SBP (n = 67). Mean age was 62 ± 18 year-old with a sex ratio M/F of 1.3. Underlying conditions (e.g. COPD, diabetes) were comparable between groups in multivariate analysis. Means of A/G ratio were 0.80 [0.76-0.84], 0.96 [0.91-1.01], 1.08 [0.99-1.16] respectively for DBP, SBP and DVP (p = 0.0002). A/G ratio cut-off value of 0.845 has a sensitivity of 87.5 % and a specificity of 73.1 %. A/G ratio seems to be an easy diagnostic tool to differentiate bacterial from viral pneumonia. A/G ratio cut-off value below 0.845 seems to be predictable of a bacterial origin and support the use of antibiotics.

5 CFR 550.162 - Payment provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... leave without pay period occurs during the employee's high-3 average salary period.) (g) Notwithstanding....162 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay General Rules Governing Payments of Premium Pay on An Annual Basis § 550.162...

5 CFR 550.162 - Payment provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... leave without pay period occurs during the employee's high-3 average salary period.) (g) Notwithstanding....162 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Premium Pay General Rules Governing Payments of Premium Pay on An Annual Basis § 550.162...

41 CFR 105-56.015 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., State and local income taxes; Social Security taxes, including Medicare taxes; Federal retirement... deducted for supplemental coverage) and health insurance benefits; Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax..., incentive pay, retired pay, retainer pay, or in the case of an individual not entitled to basic pay, other...

5 CFR 9701.372 - Creating initial pay ranges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Creating initial pay ranges. 9701.372 Section 9701.372 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT... HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Transitional Provisions § 9701.372 Creating...

75 FR 4592 - January 2010 Pay Adjustments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-28

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT January 2010 Pay Adjustments AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The President adjusted the rates of basic pay and locality payments for certain categories of Federal employees effective in January 2010. This notice documents those pay...

Multiple effects of performance-contingent pay for wait-persons

PubMed Central

George, James T.; Hopkins, B. L.

1989-01-01

The owners of three restaurants requested help with the pay of waitpersons who were paid by the hour. The waitpersons asked for raises which the owners said they could not afford. This research changed the method of compensating waitpersons by making their pay contingent on dollars of food sold. Increased productivity and increased earnings per hour of work for all of the waitpersons followed the beginning of the performance-contingent pay. Most of the waitpersons also earned increased take-home pay when the performance-contingent pay began. There was little improvement in labor costs per dollar of food sold, a measure of benefit to the owners. The fact that benefits to workers occurred without benefits to owners is contrary to common views about the effects of performance-contingent pay. PMID:16795723

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment of the Pingtung Plain in Southern Taiwan.

PubMed

Liang, Ching-Ping; Jang, Cheng-Shin; Liang, Cheng-Wei; Chen, Jui-Sheng

2016-11-23

In the Pingtung Plain of southern Taiwan, elevated levels of NO₃ - -N in groundwater have been reported. Therefore, efforts for assessing groundwater vulnerability are required as part of the critical steps to prevent and control groundwater pollution. This study makes a groundwater vulnerability assessment for the Pingtung Plain using an improved overlay and index-based DRASTIC model. The improvement of the DRASTIC model is achieved by reassigning the weighting coefficients of the factors in this model with the help of a discriminant analysis statistical method. The analytical results obtained from the improved DRASTIC model provide a reliable prediction for use in groundwater vulnerability assessment to nitrate pollution and can correctly identify the groundwater protection zones in the Pingtung Plain. Moreover, the results of the sensitivity analysis conducted for the seven parameters in the improved DRASTIC model demonstrate that the aquifer media (A) is the most sensitive factor when the nitrate-N concentration is below 2.5 mg/L. For the cases where the nitrate-N concentration is above 2.5 mg/L, the aquifer media (A) and net recharge (R) are the two most important factors.

Cost sharing and hereditary cancer risk: predictors of willingness-to-pay for genetic testing.

PubMed

Matro, Jennifer M; Ruth, Karen J; Wong, Yu-Ning; McCully, Katen C; Rybak, Christina M; Meropol, Neal J; Hall, Michael J

2014-12-01

Increasing use of predictive genetic testing to gauge hereditary cancer risk has been paralleled by rising cost-sharing practices. Little is known about how demographic and psychosocial factors may influence individuals' willingness-to-pay for genetic testing. The Gastrointestinal Tumor Risk Assessment Program Registry includes individuals presenting for genetic risk assessment based on personal/family cancer history. Participants complete a baseline survey assessing cancer history and psychosocial items. Willingness-to-pay items include intention for: genetic testing only if paid by insurance; testing with self-pay; and amount willing-to-pay ($25-$2,000). Multivariable models examined predictors of willingness-to-pay out-of-pocket (versus only if paid by insurance) and willingness-to-pay a smaller versus larger sum (≤$200 vs. ≥$500). All statistical tests are two-sided (α = 0.05). Of 385 evaluable participants, a minority (42%) had a personal cancer history, while 56% had ≥1 first-degree relative with colorectal cancer. Overall, 21.3% were willing to have testing only if paid by insurance, and 78.7% were willing-to-pay. Predictors of willingness-to-pay were: 1) concern for positive result; 2) confidence to control cancer risk; 3) fewer perceived barriers to colorectal cancer screening; 4) benefit of testing to guide screening (all p < 0.05). Subjects willing-to-pay a higher amount were male, more educated, had greater cancer worry, fewer relatives with colorectal cancer, and more positive attitudes toward genetic testing (all p < 0.05). Individuals seeking risk assessment are willing-to-pay out-of-pocket for genetic testing, and anticipate benefits to reducing cancer risk. Identifying factors associated with willingness-to-pay for genetic services is increasingly important as testing is integrated into routine cancer care.

Cost sharing and hereditary cancer risk: Predictors of willingness-to-pay for genetic testing

PubMed Central

Matro, Jennifer M.; Ruth, Karen J.; Wong, Yu-Ning; McCully, Katen C.; Rybak, Christina M.; Meropol, Neal J.; Hall, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Increasing use of predictive genetic testing to gauge hereditary cancer risk has been paralleled by rising cost-sharing practices. Little is known about how demographic and psychosocial factors may influence individuals’ willingness-to-pay for genetic testing. The Gastrointestinal Tumor Risk Assessment Program Registry includes individuals presenting for genetic risk assessment based on personal/family cancer history. Participants complete a baseline survey assessing cancer history and psychosocial items. Willingness-to-pay items include intention for: genetic testing only if paid by insurance; testing with self-pay; and amount willing-to-pay ($25–$2000). Multivariable models examined predictors of willingness-to-pay out-of-pocket (versus only if paid by insurance) and willingness-to-pay a smaller versus larger sum (≤200 vs. ≥$500). All statistical tests are two-sided (α=0.05). Of 385 evaluable participants, a minority (42%) had a personal cancer history, while 56% had ≥1 first-degree relative with colorectal cancer. Overall, 21.3% were willing to have testing only if paid by insurance, and 78.7% were willing-to-pay. Predictors of willingness-to-pay were: 1) concern for positive result; 2) confidence to control cancer risk; 3) fewer perceived barriers to colorectal cancer screening; 4) benefit of testing to guide screening (all p<0.05). Subjects willing-to-pay a higher amount were male, more educated, had greater cancer worry, fewer relatives with colorectal cancer, and more positive attitudes toward genetic testing (all p<0.05). Individuals seeking risk assessment are willing-to-pay out-of-pocket for genetic testing, and anticipate benefits to reducing cancer risk. Identifying factors associated with willingness-to-pay for genetic services is increasingly important as testing is integrated into routine cancer care. PMID:24794065

Teacher Pay-for-Performance in School Turnaround: How Bonuses and Differentiated Pay Scales Can Help Support School Turnaround. Meeting the Turnaround Challenge: Strategies, Resources & Tools to Transform a Framework into Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mass Insight Education (NJ1), 2009

2009-01-01

Given the importance of good teaching and leadership for school success, turnaround schools should think carefully about how to structure professional environments that reward and motivate excellence. A system of "Pay-for-Contribution" that includes tools such as hard-to-staff and skill shortage pay, performance pay, and/or retention…

The Impact of Pay on Navy Physician Retention in a Health Care Reform Environment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-01

Analyses 33 6. Generalist Physician Supply Under Alternative Specialty Mix 33 7. Specialist Physician Supply Under Alternative Specialty Mix 34 8...Fiscal Years 1992 to 1997 40 5. Comparison of proposed alternative pay plans 54 6. Evaluation of expected outcomes of alternative pay plans 55 7...Explanatory variables with the expected sign of regression coefficient 76 8. Comparison of Navy physicians’ pay to alternative civilian pay for selected

Marine Corps Pay Incentives

DTIC Science & Technology

Marines from 2000 to 2017. The thesis includes a literature review on economic theory related to pay incentives in the Department of Defense, a...The purpose of this thesis to provide the Marine Corps with a comprehensive report on pay incentive programs and special pay that were available to...summarization of pay incentive categories, a data analysis on take-up rates and average annual amounts at the end of each fiscal year, and a program review

5 CFR 550.1302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... effect throughout the year, averages at least 106 hours per biweekly pay period; and (2) Who is in a... Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1302 Definitions. In this subpart: Annual rate of basic pay (except as otherwise...

5 CFR 550.1302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... effect throughout the year, averages at least 106 hours per biweekly pay period; and (2) Who is in a... Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1302 Definitions. In this subpart: Annual rate of basic pay (except as otherwise...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

28 CFR 551.108 - Performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Performance pay. 551.108 Section 551.108 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Pretrial Inmates § 551.108 Performance pay. The Warden may approve a pretrial inmate for performance pay...

28 CFR 551.108 - Performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Performance pay. 551.108 Section 551.108 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Pretrial Inmates § 551.108 Performance pay. The Warden may approve a pretrial inmate for performance pay...

5 CFR 9901.212 - Pay schedules and pay bands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 9901.212 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND LABOR RELATIONS SYSTEMS (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL... Secretary may establish one or more pay schedules within each career group. (b) Each pay schedule may...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

26 CFR 1.7701(l)-0 - Table of contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... arrangements. § 1.7701(l)-3Recharacterizing financing arrangements involving fast-pay stock. (a) Purpose and scope. (b) Definitions. (1) Fast-pay arrangement. (2) Fast-pay stock. (i) Defined. (ii) Determination. (3) Benefited stock. (c) Recharacterization of certain fast-pay arrangements. (1) Scope. (2...

26 CFR 1.7701(l)-0 - Table of contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

....7701(l)-3Recharacterizing financing arrangements involving fast-pay stock. (a) Purpose and scope. (b) Definitions. (1) Fast-pay arrangement. (2) Fast-pay stock. (i) Defined. (ii) Determination. (3) Benefited stock. (c) Recharacterization of certain fast-pay arrangements. (1) Scope. (2) Recharacterization. (i...

26 CFR 1.7701(l)-0 - Table of contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... arrangements. § 1.7701(l)-3Recharacterizing financing arrangements involving fast-pay stock. (a) Purpose and scope. (b) Definitions. (1) Fast-pay arrangement. (2) Fast-pay stock. (i) Defined. (ii) Determination. (3) Benefited stock. (c) Recharacterization of certain fast-pay arrangements. (1) Scope. (2...

26 CFR 1.7701(l)-0 - Table of contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... arrangements. § 1.7701(l)-3Recharacterizing financing arrangements involving fast-pay stock. (a) Purpose and scope. (b) Definitions. (1) Fast-pay arrangement. (2) Fast-pay stock. (i) Defined. (ii) Determination. (3) Benefited stock. (c) Recharacterization of certain fast-pay arrangements. (1) Scope. (2...

26 CFR 1.7701(l)-0 - Table of contents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... arrangements. § 1.7701(l)-3Recharacterizing financing arrangements involving fast-pay stock. (a) Purpose and scope. (b) Definitions. (1) Fast-pay arrangement. (2) Fast-pay stock. (i) Defined. (ii) Determination. (3) Benefited stock. (c) Recharacterization of certain fast-pay arrangements. (1) Scope. (2...

77 FR 11599 - January 2012 Pay Schedules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-27

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT January 2012 Pay Schedules AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The President has signed an Executive order containing the 2012 pay schedules for certain Federal civilian employees. The rates of pay for these employees will not be increased...

28 CFR 551.108 - Performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Performance pay. 551.108 Section 551.108 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT MISCELLANEOUS Pretrial Inmates § 551.108 Performance pay. The Warden may approve a pretrial inmate for performance pay...

Does it pay to have a network contact? Social network ties, workplace racial context, and pay outcomes.

PubMed

Kmec, Julie A; Trimble, Lindsey B

2009-06-01

This article investigates how social network use to find work affects pay. Analyses using the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality consider the extent to which a network contact's influence level affects a job applicant's pay, whether this effect differs for white, black, and Latino contacts, and how workplace racial context moderates this relationship. Three main findings emerge. First, having an influential contact--one with hiring authority--compared to having no contact yields higher pay. Second, white and minority contact influence on pay differs: among minority contacts, being an outsider (i.e., someone not employed by the firm to which the applicant applies) is associated with higher pay, but being an employee of the firm--an insider--is not. Third, regardless of workplace racial context, black and Latino contacts' influence is most beneficial when their race/ethnicity is not known to the hiring agent. We offer a new interpretation of the mixed findings with regard to the relationship between social network use and pay.

Individual pay-for-performance in Canadian healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Greengarten, Moshe; Hundert, Mark

2006-01-01

Pink et al. discuss some of the issues related to pay-for-performance for individual and organizational healthcare providers. This commentary addresses key success factors for the implementation of individual pay-for-performance in publicly financed Canadian healthcare organizations. Publicly financed healthcare organizations in Canada have been relatively slow to adopt performance-pay programs as compared with private sector organizations; and those that have been developed have been, for the most part, rather crude. In many cases, they have become an additional mechanism for delivering base pay, rather than a true variable-pay program that motivates and differentiates performance. In light of the many issues that need to be addressed, we feel that pay-for-performance should be introduced gradually, beginning at the most senior levels of the organization. Above all, it is critical for publicly financed healthcare organizations to recognize that introducing pay-for-performance involves not only a set of structures and processes, but also likely a profound change in organizational values and behaviours.

Salaries and incomes of health workers in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

McCoy, David; Bennett, Sara; Witter, Sophie; Pond, Bob; Baker, Brook; Gow, Jeff; Chand, Sudeep; Ensor, Tim; McPake, Barbara

2008-02-23

Public-sector health workers are vital to the functioning of health systems. We aimed to investigate pay structures for health workers in the public sector in sub-Saharan Africa; the adequacy of incomes for health workers; the management of public-sector pay; and the fiscal and macroeconomic factors that impinge on pay policy for the public sector. Because salary differentials affect staff migration and retention, we also discuss pay in the private sector. We surveyed historical trends in the pay of civil servants in Africa over the past 40 years. We used some empirical data, but found that accurate and complete data were scarce. The available data suggested that pay structures vary across countries, and are often structured in complex ways. Health workers also commonly use other sources of income to supplement their formal pay. The pay and income of health workers varies widely, whether between countries, by comparison with cost of living, or between the public and private sectors. To optimise the distribution and mix of health workers, policy interventions to address their pay and incomes are needed. Fiscal constraints to increased salaries might need to be overcome in many countries, and non-financial incentives improved.

Pay for performance in orthopaedic surgery.

PubMed

Pierce, Read G; Bozic, Kevin J; Bradford, David S

2007-04-01

In recent decades American medicine has undergone tremendous changes. Numerous reimbursement and systems approaches to controlling medical inflation and improving quality have failed to provide cost-effective, high-quality health care in most circumstances. Public and private payers are currently implementing pay for performance, a new reimbursement method linking physician pay to evidence of adherence to performance measures, to constrain costs, encourage efficiency, and maximize value for health care dollars. High-quality research regarding pay for performance and its impact is scarce, particularly in orthopaedic surgery. Although supporters argue pay for performance will remedy the fragmented, costly delivery of health services in the United States, skeptics raise concerns about disagreement over quality guidelines, financial implications for providers and hospitals, inadequate infrastructure, public reporting, system gaming, and physician support. Our survey of orthopaedic surgeons reveals limited understanding of pay for performance, marked skepticism of nonphysician stakeholders' intentions, and a strong desire for greater clinician involvement in shaping the pay for performance movement. As pay for performance will likely be a long-term change that will have an impact on every orthopaedic surgeon, clinician awareness and participation will be fundamental in creating successful pay for performance programs.

28 CFR 545.26 - Performance pay provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... categories as quality of work, quantity of work, initiative, ability to learn, dependability, response to... inmate may receive special bonus pay based on the inmate's exceptional work in a temporary job assignment... WORK AND COMPENSATION Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program § 545.26 Performance pay provisions. (a...

28 CFR 545.26 - Performance pay provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... categories as quality of work, quantity of work, initiative, ability to learn, dependability, response to... inmate may receive special bonus pay based on the inmate's exceptional work in a temporary job assignment... WORK AND COMPENSATION Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program § 545.26 Performance pay provisions. (a...

RCN asks: are you prepared to strike for better pay?

PubMed

Mckew, Matthew

2017-04-19

The RCN has opened an online poll on whether members would strike over pay. Some 270,000 RCN members are being asked for their views on NHS pay, two weeks after governments in England, Scotland and Wales announced the latest below-inflation pay increases.

5 CFR 1604.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... contributions that are made from compensation subject to the Federal income tax exclusion at 26 U.S.C. 112 for..., incentive pay, and special pay (including bonuses). Employing agency means the organization that employs an... employee contributions made from recurring incentive pay and special pay (including bonuses) as defined in...

5 CFR 536.303 - Geographic conversion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Geographic conversion. 536.303 Section... PAY RETENTION Pay Retention § 536.303 Geographic conversion. (a) Geographic conversion at time of... basic pay resulting from this geographic conversion is not a basis for entitlement to pay retention. The...

5 CFR 536.303 - Geographic conversion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Geographic conversion. 536.303 Section... PAY RETENTION Pay Retention § 536.303 Geographic conversion. (a) Geographic conversion at time of... basic pay resulting from this geographic conversion is not a basis for entitlement to pay retention. The...

75 FR 9544 - Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... inmate may receive performance pay only for that portion of the month that the inmate was working... Inmate Work and Performance Pay Program AGENCY: Bureau of Prisons, Justice. ACTION: Proposed rule... work and performance pay by removing redundant language and provisions that relate solely to staff...

5 CFR 550.1307 - Authority to regularize paychecks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... an agency's plan to reduce or eliminate variation in the amount of firefighters' biweekly paychecks... period to pay period. Such a plan must provide that the total pay any firefighter would otherwise receive... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1307 Authority to regularize paychecks. Upon a...

5 CFR 550.1307 - Authority to regularize paychecks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... an agency's plan to reduce or eliminate variation in the amount of firefighters' biweekly paychecks... period to pay period. Such a plan must provide that the total pay any firefighter would otherwise receive... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1307 Authority to regularize paychecks. Upon a...

5 CFR 550.1307 - Authority to regularize paychecks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... an agency's plan to reduce or eliminate variation in the amount of firefighters' biweekly paychecks... period to pay period. Such a plan must provide that the total pay any firefighter would otherwise receive... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1307 Authority to regularize paychecks. Upon a...

5 CFR 550.1307 - Authority to regularize paychecks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... an agency's plan to reduce or eliminate variation in the amount of firefighters' biweekly paychecks... period to pay period. Such a plan must provide that the total pay any firefighter would otherwise receive... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1307 Authority to regularize paychecks. Upon a...

5 CFR 550.1307 - Authority to regularize paychecks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... an agency's plan to reduce or eliminate variation in the amount of firefighters' biweekly paychecks... period to pay period. Such a plan must provide that the total pay any firefighter would otherwise receive... PAY ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL) Firefighter Pay § 550.1307 Authority to regularize paychecks. Upon a...

28 CFR 545.25 - Eligibility for performance pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., is expelled, or otherwise fails attendance requirements of the drug abuse education course or the... have committed a level 100 or 200 series drug- or alcohol-related prohibited act will automatically... shall not ordinarily receive performance pay above the maintenance pay level, or bonus pay, or vacation...

32 CFR 54.6 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Diving pay. (viii) Proficiency pay or special duty assignment pay. (ix) Career sea pay. (2) To determine..., U.S. Army Finance and Accounting Center, ATTN: FINCL-G, Indianapolis, IN 46249-0160, (317) 542-2155... 44199, (216) 522-5301. Air Force—Commander, Air Force Accounting and Finance Center, ATTN: JA, Denver...

5 CFR 9701.355 - Setting pay upon movement to a different occupational cluster.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... occupational cluster. 9701.355 Section 9701.355 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY-OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT) DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Pay and Pay Administration Pay Administration § 9701...

76 FR 18262 - January 2011 Pay Schedules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-01

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT January 2011 Pay Schedules AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel... civilian employee pay schedules are not adjusted in 2011 and remain at 2010 levels. This notice serves as documentation for the public record. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Dismond, Pay and Leave, Employee...

5 CFR 531.207 - Applying annual pay adjustments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Applying annual pay adjustments. 531.207 Section 531.207 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Determining Rate of Basic Pay General Provisions § 531.207 Applying annual...

38 CFR 3.654 - Active service pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Active service pay. 3.654..., Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Adjustments and Resumptions § 3.654 Active service pay. (a) General. Pension, compensation, or retirement pay will be discontinued under the circumstances...

28 CFR 0.145 - Overtime pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Overtime pay. 0.145 Section 0.145... Respect to Personnel and Certain Administrative Matters § 0.145 Overtime pay. The Director of the Federal... Attorney General may prescribe, authorize overtime pay (including additional compensation in lieu of...

5 CFR 531.603 - Locality pay areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Locality pay areas. 531.603 Section 531.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Locality-Based Comparability Payments § 531.603 Locality pay areas. (a) Locality rates of...

3 CFR - Pay Freeze

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay Freeze Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of January 21, 2009 Pay Freeze Memorandum for the Assistant to the President and Chief... the White House staff forgo pay increases until further notice. Accordingly, as a signal of our shared...

5 CFR 534.504 - Annual adjustment in pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Annual adjustment in pay. 534.504 Section 534.504 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Pay for Senior-Level and Scientific and Professional Positions § 534.504 Annual adjustment...

Retention, Incentives, and DoD Experience Under the 40-Year Military Pay Table

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

year table, effective April 2007, added longevity increases after YOS 26 for officers in O-6 and above, warrant officers in W- 4 and W-5, and enlisted...realized basic pay increases after YOS 30, while both O-8s and O-9s received pay increases after YOS 28. Figure 2.2 shows basic pay for officers in O- 4 ...8 2.2. Basic Pay, Officers, O- 4 to O-6

Using Occupational Characteristics Information from O*NET to Identify Occupations for Compensations Comparisons with K-12 Teaching. WCER Working Paper No. 2008-4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milanowski, Anthony

2008-01-01

A common theme in policy discussions of teacher quality is that K-12 teacher salaries need to be increased. While raising pay may attract more people to the occupation and improve retention, it is not completely obvious how much pay levels should be increased. One way to determine the pay level needed has been to compare teacher pay to pay levels…

An immodest proposal: pay equity for nursing faculty who do clinical teaching.

PubMed

Boughn, S

1992-05-01

Pay equity, the concept of equal pay for equal or comparable work, will continue to be of paramount importance to women as the 20th century draws to a close. While it might have been anticipated that women in academic settings would enjoy pay equity, clinical teaching in nursing education provides a model for gender discrimination as related to women's work. Elements of proposal development and a case study for contesting pay inequity are presented.

Salary discrepancies between practicing male and female physician assistants.

PubMed

Coplan, Bettie; Essary, Alison C; Virden, Thomas B; Cawley, James; Stoehr, James D

2012-01-01

Salary discrepancies between male and female physicians are well documented; however, gender-based salary differences among clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) have not been studied since 1992 (Willis, 1992). Therefore, the objectives of the current study are to evaluate the presence of salary discrepancies between clinically practicing male and female PAs and to analyze the effect of gender on income and practice characteristics. Using data from the 2009 American Academy of Physician Assistants' (AAPA) Annual Census Survey, we evaluated the salaries of PAs across multiple specialties. Differences between men and women were compared for practice characteristics (specialty, experience, etc) and salary (total pay, base pay, on-call pay, etc) in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and family practice. Men reported working more years as a PA in their current specialty, working more hours per month on-call, providing more direct care to patients, and more funding available from their employers for professional development (p < .001, all comparisons). In addition, men reported a higher total income, base pay, overtime pay, administrative pay, on-call pay, and incentive pay based on productivity and performance (p < .001, all comparisons). Multivariate analysis of covariance and analysis of variance revealed that men reported higher total income (p < .0001) and base pay (p = .001) in orthopedic surgery, higher total income (p = .011) and base pay (p = .005) in emergency medicine, and higher base pay in family practice (p < .001), independent of clinical experience or workload. These results suggest that certain salary discrepancies remain between employed male and female PAs regardless of specialty, experience, or other practice characteristics. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Willingness to pay for quality of life technologies to enhance independent functioning among baby boomers and the elderly adults.

PubMed

Schulz, Richard; Beach, Scott R; Matthews, Judith T; Courtney, Karen; Devito Dabbs, Annette; Person Mecca, Laurel; Sankey, Steadman Scott

2014-06-01

We report the results of a study designed to assess whether and how much potential individual end users are willing to pay for Quality of Life Technologies (QoLTs) designed to enhance functioning and independence. We carried out a web survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. baby boomers (aged 45-64; N = 416) and older adults (aged 65 and greater, N = 114). Respondents were first instructed to assume that they needed help with kitchen activities/personal care and that technology was available to help with things like meal preparation/dressing, and then they were asked the most they would be willing to pay each month out of pocket for these technologies. We modeled willingness to pay some (72% of respondents) versus none (28%), and the most people were willing to pay. Those willing to pay something were on average willing to pay a maximum of $40.30 and $45.00 per month for kitchen and personal care technology assistance, respectively. Respondents concerned about privacy or who were currently using assistive technology were less willing to pay. Respondents with higher incomes, who were Hispanic, or who perceived a higher likelihood of needing help in the future were more willing to pay. Consumers' willingness to pay out of pocket for technologies to improve their well-being and independence is limited. In order to be widely adopted, QoLTs will have to be highly cost effective so that third party payers such as Medicare and private insurance companies are willing to pay for them.

Willingness to pay for methadone maintenance treatment in Vietnamese epicentres of injection-drug-driven HIV infection.

PubMed

Tran, Bach Xuan

2013-07-01

Willingness to pay for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in three Vietnamese epicentres of injection-drug-driven human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was assessed. A convenience sample of 1016 patients receiving HIV treatment in seven clinics was enrolled during 2012. Contingent valuation was used to assess willingness to pay. Interviewers reviewed adverse consequences of injection drug use and the benefits of MMT. Interviewers then described the government's plan to scale up MMT and the financial barriers to scale-up. Willingness to pay was assessed using double-bounded binary questions and a follow-up open-ended question. Point and interval data models were used to estimate maximum willingness to pay. A total of 548 non-drug-users and 468 injection drug users were enrolled; 988 were willing to pay for MMT. Monthly mean willingness to pay among non-drug-users, 347 drug users not receiving MMT and 121 drug users receiving MMT was 10.7 United States dollars [US$] (35.7% of treatment costs), US$ 21.1 (70.3%) and US$ 26.2 (87.3%), respectively (mean: US$ 15.9; 95% confidence interval, CI: 13.6-18.1). Fifty per cent of drug users were willing to pay 50% of MMT costs. Residence in households with low monthly per capita income and poor health status predicted willingness to pay less among drug users; educational level, employment status, health status and current antiretroviral therapy receipt predicted willingness to pay less among non-drug-users. Willingness to pay for MMT was very high, supporting implementation of a co-payment programme.

5 CFR 591.202 - Why does the Government pay COLAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Why does the Government pay COLAs? 591.202 Section 591.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS... Allowances and Post Differentials § 591.202 Why does the Government pay COLAs? The Government pays COLAs as...

5 CFR 591.202 - Why does the Government pay COLAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Why does the Government pay COLAs? 591.202 Section 591.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS... Allowances and Post Differentials § 591.202 Why does the Government pay COLAs? The Government pays COLAs as...

5 CFR 591.202 - Why does the Government pay COLAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Why does the Government pay COLAs? 591.202 Section 591.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS... Allowances and Post Differentials § 591.202 Why does the Government pay COLAs? The Government pays COLAs as...

5 CFR 591.202 - Why does the Government pay COLAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Why does the Government pay COLAs? 591.202 Section 591.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS... Allowances and Post Differentials § 591.202 Why does the Government pay COLAs? The Government pays COLAs as...

5 CFR 591.202 - Why does the Government pay COLAs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Why does the Government pay COLAs? 591.202 Section 591.202 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS... Allowances and Post Differentials § 591.202 Why does the Government pay COLAs? The Government pays COLAs as...

5 CFR 550.707 - Computation of severance pay fund.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... pay for standby duty regularly varies throughout the year, compute the average standby duty premium...), compute the weekly average percentage, and multiply that percentage by the weekly scheduled rate of pay in... hours in a pay status (excluding overtime hours) and multiply that average by the hourly rate of basic...

29 CFR 548.500 - Methods of computation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... AUTHORIZATION OF ESTABLISHED BASIC RATES FOR COMPUTING OVERTIME PAY Interpretations Computation of Overtime Pay § 548.500 Methods of computation. The methods of computing overtime pay on the basic rates for piece... pay at the regular rate. Example 1. Under an employment agreement the basic rate to be used in...

75 FR 68040 - Proposed Information Collection Activity: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-04

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS [OMB Control No. 2900-0663 (Pay Now Enter Info Page)] Proposed... of automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: Pay... make online payments through VA's Pay Now Enter Info Page Web site. Data entered on the Pay Now Enter...

42 CFR 24.6 - Pay and compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Pay and compensation. 24.6 Section 24.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PERSONNEL SENIOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SERVICE § 24.6 Pay and compensation. The SBRS is an ungraded system, with a single, flexible pay...

42 CFR 24.6 - Pay and compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Pay and compensation. 24.6 Section 24.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PERSONNEL SENIOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SERVICE § 24.6 Pay and compensation. The SBRS is an ungraded system, with a single, flexible pay...

42 CFR 24.6 - Pay and compensation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Pay and compensation. 24.6 Section 24.6 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PERSONNEL SENIOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SERVICE § 24.6 Pay and compensation. The SBRS is an ungraded system, with a single, flexible pay...

Value-Added Merit Pay.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twomey, Daniel F.

The purpose of merit pay is to reward employees for their accomplishments and motivate them to continue improving. Critics of merit pay say the increased extrinsic motivation that it prompts is more than offset by the decrease in intrinsic motivation. Supporters of performance-based pay claim several benefits of the practice. This study addressed…

Reviving Pay Equity: New Strategies for Attacking the Wage Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, Peggy; Figart, Deborah M.

1998-01-01

Pay equity remains a problem linked to the problem of low pay. Pay equity must be understood as one solution to the problem of securing a living wage for women and men in the restructuring economy as well as a means for challenging gender equity. (JOW)

29 CFR 20.84 - Collections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... debtor is financially unable to pay the indebtedness in one lump sum, or the amount of the debt exceeds 15 percent of disposable pay for an officially established pay interval, collection must be made in... the debt and the employee's ability to pay. However, the amount deducted for any period must not...

29 CFR 20.84 - Collections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... debtor is financially unable to pay the indebtedness in one lump sum, or the amount of the debt exceeds 15 percent of disposable pay for an officially established pay interval, collection must be made in... the debt and the employee's ability to pay. However, the amount deducted for any period must not...

29 CFR 20.84 - Collections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... debtor is financially unable to pay the indebtedness in one lump sum, or the amount of the debt exceeds 15 percent of disposable pay for an officially established pay interval, collection must be made in... the debt and the employee's ability to pay. However, the amount deducted for any period must not...

29 CFR 20.84 - Collections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... debtor is financially unable to pay the indebtedness in one lump sum, or the amount of the debt exceeds 15 percent of disposable pay for an officially established pay interval, collection must be made in... the debt and the employee's ability to pay. However, the amount deducted for any period must not...

44 CFR 354.7 - Failure to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Failure to pay. 354.7 Section 354.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... PROGRAM § 354.7 Failure to pay. Where a licensee fails to pay a prescribed fee required under this part...

44 CFR 354.7 - Failure to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Failure to pay. 354.7 Section 354.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... PROGRAM § 354.7 Failure to pay. Where a licensee fails to pay a prescribed fee required under this part...

44 CFR 354.7 - Failure to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Failure to pay. 354.7 Section 354.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... PROGRAM § 354.7 Failure to pay. Where a licensee fails to pay a prescribed fee required under this part...

44 CFR 354.7 - Failure to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2012-10-01 2011-10-01 true Failure to pay. 354.7 Section 354.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... PROGRAM § 354.7 Failure to pay. Where a licensee fails to pay a prescribed fee required under this part...

32 CFR 728.113 - Categories of pay patients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Categories of pay patients. 728.113 Section 728.113 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY PERSONNEL MEDICAL AND... Pay Patients § 728.113 Categories of pay patients. The categories of patients for whom collection...

44 CFR 354.7 - Failure to pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Failure to pay. 354.7 Section 354.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... PROGRAM § 354.7 Failure to pay. Where a licensee fails to pay a prescribed fee required under this part...

5 CFR 304.106 - Pay and leave administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pay and leave administration. 304.106... AND CONSULTANT APPOINTMENTS § 304.106 Pay and leave administration. (a) The employing agency has the authority to adjust the pay of experts and consultants after initial appointment and to establish...

75 FR 19878 - Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Compensation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-16

... 0790-AI59] Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Compensation AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of... Stop Loss Special Pay as authorized and appropriated in The Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009. This... claims to the Secretaries of the Military Departments for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay is October 21...

38 CFR 10.0 - Adjusted service pay entitlements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Adjusted service pay... COMPENSATION Adjusted Compensation; General § 10.0 Adjusted service pay entitlements. A veteran entitled to adjusted service pay is one whose adjusted service credit does not amount to more than $50 as distinguished...

12 CFR 268.202 - Equal Pay Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Equal Pay Act. 268.202 Section 268.202 Banks... REGARDING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Provisions Applicable to Particular Complaints § 268.202 Equal Pay Act. Complaints alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act shall be processed under this part. ...

76 FR 80191 - Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-23

... Order 13594 of December 19, 2011 Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay By the authority vested in me as... Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011 (Public Law 111-322), which freezes certain pay... full applicable locality pay rates in non-foreign areas pursuant to the Non-Foreign Area Retirement...

29 CFR 1450.23 - Deduction from pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Deduction from pay. 1450.23 Section 1450.23 Labor... OWED THE UNITED STATES Salary Offset § 1450.23 Deduction from pay. (a) Deduction by salary offset, from an employee's current disposable pay, shall be subject to the following conditions: (1) Ordinarily...

22 CFR 512.22 - Deduction from pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Deduction from pay. 512.22 Section 512.22... 1982 Salary Offset § 512.22 Deduction from pay. (a) Deduction by salary offset, from an employee's disposable current pay, shall be subject to the following circumstances: (1) When funds are available, the...

Teachers' Perception on Pay-for-Performance Programs in Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mighty, Nardiann Kenisha

2013-01-01

States are implementing performance programs to help reform compensation systems for teachers; however, little is known on teachers' perception on alternative pay plans. Accordingly, this research study examined the types of pay-for-performance programs Georgia teachers prefer by exploring their perceptions of pay for individual performance, pay…

78 FR 21503 - Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-11

... Order 13641 of April 5, 2013 Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay By the authority vested in me as... Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public Law 113-6), which requires certain pay... follows: Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. Pursuant to the Consolidated and Further Continuing...

75 FR 18133 - Pay for Sunday Work

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-09

...-AM08 Pay for Sunday Work AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The U... provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5546(a), the statute governing the payment of Sunday premium pay for work performed on Sundays. The revised Sunday premium pay regulations would eliminate references to ``full-time'' employees...

44 CFR 208.12 - Maximum Pay Rate Table.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Maximum Pay Rate Table. 208... § 208.12 Maximum Pay Rate Table. (a) Purpose. This section establishes the process for creating and updating the Maximum Pay Rate Table (Table), and the Table's use to reimburse Affiliated Personnel (Task...

5 CFR 531.215 - Setting pay upon demotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Setting pay upon demotion. 531.215 Section 531.215 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY... Changes § 531.215 Setting pay upon demotion. (a) General. Except as otherwise provided in this section, an...

41 CFR 301-76.2 - What is disposable pay?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 4 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true What is disposable pay? 301-76.2 Section 301-76.2 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System... What is disposable pay? Disposable pay is the part of the employee's compensation remaining after the...

Identifying 1st instar larvae for three forensically important blowfly species using "fingerprint" cuticular hydrocarbon analysis.

PubMed

Moore, Hannah E; Adam, Craig D; Drijfhout, Falko P

2014-07-01

Calliphoridae are known to be the most forensically important insects when it comes to establishing the minimum post mortem interval (PMImin) in criminal investigations. The first step in calculating the PMImin is to identify the larvae present to species level. Accurate identification which is conventionally carried out by morphological analysis is crucial because different insects have different life stage timings. Rapid identification in the immature larvae stages would drastically cut time in criminal investigations as it would eliminate the need to rear larvae to adult flies to determine the species. Cuticular hydrocarbon analysis on 1st instar larvae has been applied to three forensically important blowflies; Lucilia sericata, Calliphora vicina and Calliphora vomitoria, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and principal component analysis (PCA). The results show that each species holds a distinct "fingerprint" hydrocarbon profile, allowing for accurate identification to be established in 1-day old larvae, when it can be challenging to apply morphological criteria. Consequently, this GC-MS based technique could accelerate and strengthen the identification process, not only for forensically important species, but also for other entomological samples which are hard to identify using morphological features. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The gymnastics of epigenomics in rice.

PubMed

Banerjee, Aditya; Roychoudhury, Aryadeep

2018-01-01

Epigenomics is represented by the high-throughput investigations of genome-wide epigenetic alterations, which ultimately dictate genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic dynamism. Rice has been accepted as the global staple crop. As a result, this model crop deserves significant importance in the rapidly emerging field of plant epigenomics. A large number of recently available data reveal the immense flexibility and potential of variable epigenomic landscapes. Such epigenomic impacts and variability are determined by a number of epigenetic regulators and several crucial inheritable epialleles, respectively. This article highlights the correlation of the epigenomic landscape with growth, flowering, reproduction, non-coding RNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation, transposon mobility and even heterosis in rice. We have also discussed the drastic epigenetic alterations which are reported in rice plants grown from seeds exposed to the extraterrestrial environment. Such abiotic conditions impose stress on the plants leading to epigenomic modifications in a genotype-specific manner. Some significant bioinformatic databases and in silico approaches have also been explained in this article. These softwares provide important interfaces for comparative epigenomics. The discussion concludes with a unified goal of developing epigenome editing to promote biological hacking of the rice epigenome. Such a cutting-edge technology if properly standardized, can integrate genomics and epigenomics together with the generation of high-yielding trait in several cultivars of rice.

Watchers of the multiverse

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

Garriga, Jaume; Vilenkin, Alexander, E-mail: jaume.garriga@ub.edu, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu

2013-05-01

An unresolved question in inflationary cosmology is the assignment of probabilities to different types of events that can occur in the eternally inflating multiverse. We explore the possibility that the resolution of this ''measure problem'' may rely on non-standard dynamics in regions of high curvature. In particular, ''big crunch'' singularities at the future boundary of bubbles with negative vacuum energy density may lead to bounces, where contraction is replaced by inflationary expansion driven by different vacua in the landscape. Similarly, singularities inside of black holes might be gateways to other inflating vacua. This would drastically affect the global structure ofmore » the inflating multiverse. We consider a measure based on a probe geodesic which undergoes an infinite number of passages through crunches. This can be thought of as the world-line of an eternal ''watcher{sup ,} collecting data in an orderly fashion. We compare this to previous approaches to the measure problem. The watcher's measure is independent of initial conditions and does not suffer from ambiguities associated with the choice of a cut-off surface. Another potential benefit from passing through crunches is that the observations collected by the watcher may easily depart from ergodicity, in very generic landscapes. This may significantly alleviate the problem of Boltzmann Brain dominance.« less

Rainbow-trapping absorbers: Broadband, perfect and asymmetric sound absorption by subwavelength panels for transmission problems.

PubMed

Jiménez, Noé; Romero-García, Vicent; Pagneux, Vincent; Groby, Jean-Philippe

2017-10-19

Perfect, broadband and asymmetric sound absorption is theoretically, numerically and experimentally reported by using subwavelength thickness panels in a transmission problem. The panels are composed of a periodic array of varying crosssection waveguides, each of them being loaded by Helmholtz resonators (HRs) with graded dimensions. The low cut-off frequency of the absorption band is fixed by the resonance frequency of the deepest HR, that reduces drastically the transmission. The preceding HR is designed with a slightly higher resonance frequency with a geometry that allows the impedance matching to the surrounding medium. Therefore, reflection vanishes and the structure is critically coupled. This results in perfect sound absorption at a single frequency. We report perfect absorption at 300 Hz for a structure whose thickness is 40 times smaller than the wavelength. Moreover, this process is repeated by adding HRs to the waveguide, each of them with a higher resonance frequency than the preceding one. Using this frequency cascade effect, we report quasi-perfect sound absorption over almost two frequency octaves ranging from 300 to 1000 Hz for a panel composed of 9 resonators with a total thickness of 11 cm, i.e., 10 times smaller than the wavelength at 300 Hz.

Straight talk with... Ricardo Dolmetsch. Interview by Elie Dolgin.

PubMed

Dolmetsch, Ricardo

2013-11-01

Neuroscience, in recent years, has started to look like a graveyard for drug development, with many large pharmaceutical companies either eliminating their brain disorder programs or cutting back heavily on such research. Novartis seemed to have made exactly this kind of drastic change two years ago when the company announced plans to shutter its neuroscience operations at its global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. But the company made it known then that its intention was to ultimately set up a new neuroscience division at the company's US base in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The US site was initially picked to take advantage of the local academic strength in the field of psychiatric genetics. Now, it seems that Novartis is also looking to add stem cell technologies to the mix with the appointment in August of Ricardo Dolmetsch as the company's global head of neurosciences-the first new hire for the company's reincarnated division. As a professor at California's Stanford University School of Medicine for the past ten years, Dolmetsch made his name using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to study a rare form of autism known as Timothy syndrome. Elie Dolgin met with Dolmetsch at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research in the Technology Square area of Cambridge to discuss how he plans to succeed where so many others have failed.

Managing carbon emissions in China through building energy efficiency.

PubMed

Li, Jun; Colombier, Michel

2009-06-01

This paper attempts to analyse the role of building energy efficiency (BEE) in China in addressing climate change mitigation. It provides an analysis of the current situation and future prospects for the adoption of BEE technologies in Chinese cities. It outlines the economic and institutional barriers to large-scale deployment of the sustainable, low-carbon, and even carbon-free construction techniques. Based on a comprehensive overview of energy demand characteristics and development trends driven by economic and demographic growth, different policy tools for cost-effective CO(2) emission reduction in the Chinese construction sector are described. We propose a comprehensive approach combining building design and construction, and the urban planning and building material industries, in order to drastically improve BEE during this period of rapid urban development. A coherent institutional framework needs to be established to ensure the implementation of efficiency policies. Regulatory and incentive options should be integrated into the policy portfolios of BEE to minimise the efficiency gap and to realise sizeable carbon emissions cuts in the next decades. We analyse in detail several policies and instruments, and formulate relevant policy proposals fostering low-carbon construction technology in China. Specifically, Our analysis shows that improving building energy efficiency can generate considerable carbon emissions reduction credits with competitive price under the CDM framework.

Characterisation of melt spun Ni-Ti shape memory Ribbons' microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehrabi, Kambiz; Brunčko, Mihael; Kneissl, Albert C.; Čolič, Miodrag; Stamenković, Dragoslav; Ferčec, Janko; Anžel, Ivan; Rudolf, Rebeka

2012-06-01

NiTi alloys are the most technologically important medical Shape Memory Alloys in a wide range of applications used in Orthopaedics, Neurology, Cardiology and interventional Radiology as guide-wires, self-expandable stents, stent grafts, inferior vena cava filters and clinical instruments. This paper discusses the use of rapid solidification by the melt spinning method for the preparation of thin NiTi ribbons for medical uses. Generally, the application of rapid solidification via melt-spinning can change the microstructure drastically, which improves ductility and shape memory characteristics and leads to samples with small dimensions. As the increase in the wheel speed led to a reduced ribbon thickness, the cooling rate increased and, therefore, the martensitic substructure became finer. Furthermore, no transition from the crystalline phase to the amorphous phase was obtained by increasing the cooling rate, even at a wheel speed of 30 m/s. Specimens for our metallographic investigation were cut from the longitudinal cross sections of melt-spun ribbons. Conventional TEM studies were carried out with an acceleration voltage of 120 kV. Additionally, the chemical composition of the samples was examined with a TEM equipped with an EDX analyser. The crystallographic structure was determined using Bragg-Brentano x-ray diffraction with Cu-Kα radiation at room temperature.

Gene Expression Profile Analysis is Directly Affected by the Selected Reference Gene: The Case of Leaf-Cutting Atta Sexdens

PubMed Central

Máximo, Wesley P. F.; Zanetti, Ronald; Paiva, Luciano V.

2018-01-01

Although several ant species are important targets for the development of molecular control strategies, only a few studies focus on identifying and validating reference genes for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) data normalization. We provide here an extensive study to identify and validate suitable reference genes for gene expression analysis in the ant Atta sexdens, a threatening agricultural pest in South America. The optimal number of reference genes varies according to each sample and the result generated by RefFinder differed about which is the most suitable reference gene. Results suggest that the RPS16, NADH and SDHB genes were the best reference genes in the sample pool according to stability values. The SNF7 gene expression pattern was stable in all evaluated sample set. In contrast, when using less stable reference genes for normalization a large variability in SNF7 gene expression was recorded. There is no universal reference gene suitable for all conditions under analysis, since these genes can also participate in different cellular functions, thus requiring a systematic validation of possible reference genes for each specific condition. The choice of reference genes on SNF7 gene normalization confirmed that unstable reference genes might drastically change the expression profile analysis of target candidate genes. PMID:29419794

Tidal Waves of School Reform: Types of Reforms, Government Controls, and Community Advocates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Samuel

The more revolutionary, drastic education reform efforts are usually supported by new governmental legislation. This book offers three case studies of drastic reform carried out in Kentucky, Alberta, and Chicago. The reforms can be visualized in terms of how close they are to the alternative aims of expert guidance, social activism, and an…

Educational Leaders and the Prospective Responsiveness to the Vast Drastic Educational Changes in the Abu Dhabi Emirate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Zyoud, Mohammad Sayel

2015-01-01

This study examines the prospective responsiveness of school leaders to the drastic educational changes currently being instituted in Abu Dhabi. The study utilizes a qualitative research approach by using a focused group interview with twenty-five teachers selected by purposive sampling from Abu Dhabi Emirate schools. The study revealed that…

Species Boundaries and Interrelationships of Solanum Sect. Petota (Wild and Cultivated Potatoes) are Drastically Altered as a Result of PBI-Funded Research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In 1990, the latest comprehensive taxonomic monograph of Solanum section Petota Dumort, recognized 232 species partitioned into 21 series. PBI-sponsored research has drastically altered knowledge of their species boundaries and interrelationships. The series contains diploids (2n = 2x = 24), tetrapl...

Species Boundaries and Interrelationships of Solanum Sect. Petota (Wild and Cultivated Potatoes) are Drastically Altered as a Result of PBI-Funded Research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In 1990, the latest comprehensive taxonomic monograph of Solanum section Petota Dumort recognized 232 species partitioned into 21 series. PBI-sponsored research has drastically altered knowledge of their species boundaries and interrelationships. The series contains diploids (2n = 2x = 24), tetraplo...