Concept Area Three Objectives and Test Items (Rev.). Part One and Part Two. Economic Analysis Course. Segments 50 - 84.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterling Inst., Washington, DC. Educational Technology Center.

A multimedia course in economic analysis was developed and used in conjunction with the United States Naval Academy. (See ED 043 790 and ED 043 791 for final reports of the project evaluation and development model.) This report deals with concept area three of the course, which focuses on microeconomics. The behavioral objectives, hierarchy…

Developing models that analyze the economic/environmental trade-offs implicit in water resource management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howitt, R. E.

2016-12-01

Hydro-economic models have been used to analyze optimal supply management and groundwater use for the past 25 years. They are characterized by an objective function that usually maximizes economic measures such as consumer and producer surplus subject to hydrologic equations of motion or water distribution systems. The hydrologic and economic components are sometimes fully integrated. Alternatively they may use an iterative interactive process. Environmental considerations have been included in hydro-economic models as inequality constraints. Representing environmental requirements as constraints is a rigid approximation of the range of management alternatives that could be used to implement environmental objectives. The next generation of hydro-economic models, currently being developed, require that the environmental alternatives be represented by continuous or semi-continuous functions which relate water resource use allocated to the environment with the probabilities of achieving environmental objectives. These functions will be generated by process models of environmental and biological systems which are now advanced to the state that they can realistically represent environmental systems and flexibility to interact with economic models. Examples are crop growth models, climate modeling, and biological models of forest, fish, and fauna systems. These process models can represent environmental outcomes in a form that is similar to economic production functions. When combined with economic models the interacting process models can reproduce a range of trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives, and thus optimize social value of many water and environmental resources. Some examples of this next-generation of hydro-enviro- economic models are reviewed. In these models implicit production functions for environmental goods are combined with hydrologic equations of motion and economic response functions. We discuss models that show interaction between environmental goods and agricultural production, and others that address alternative climate change policies, or habitat provision.

Measuring the economic contribution of the freight industry to the Maryland economy : [research summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-05-01

The primary objective was to measure the economic contributions of the freight : industry to the Maryland economy and to develop a freight economic output (FECO) : index that tracks the economic performance of the freight industry over time.

Assessment and evaluation of technologies for environmental restoration. Progress report

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

Uzochukwu, G.A.

1999-01-15

Nuclear and commercial non-nuclear technologies that have the potential of meeting the environmental restoration objectives of the Department of Energy are being evaluated. A detailed comparison of innovative technologies available will be performed to determine the safest and most economical technology for meeting these objectives. Information derived from this effort will be matched with the multi-objective of the environmental restoration effort to ensure that the best, most economical, and the safest technologies are used in decision making at USDOE-SRS. Technology-related variables will be developed and the resulting data formatted and computerized for multimedia systems. The multimedia system will be mademore » available to technology developers and evaluators to ensure that the safest and most economical technologies are developed for use at SRS and other DOE sites.« less

Assessment and evaluation of technologies for environmental restoration. Progress report

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

Uzochukwu, G. A.

2000-06-30

Nuclear and commercial non-nuclear technologies that have the potential of meeting the environmental restoration objectives of the Department of Energy are being evaluated. A detailed comparison of innovative technologies available will be performed to determine the safest and most economical technology for meeting these objectives. Information derived from this effort will be matched with the multi-objective of the environmental restoration effort to ensure that the best, most economical, and the safest technologies are used in decision making at USDOE-SRS. Technology-related variables will be developed and the resulting data formatted and computerized for multimedia systems. The multimedia system will be mademore » available to technology developers and evaluators to ensure that the safest and most economical technologies are developed for use at SRS and other DOE sites.« less

Engineering tradeoff problems viewed as multiple objective optimizations and the VODCA methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, T. W.; Thurgood, R. L.

1984-05-01

This paper summarizes a rational model for making engineering tradeoff decisions. The model is a hybrid from the fields of social welfare economics, communications, and operations research. A solution methodology (Vector Optimization Decision Convergence Algorithm - VODCA) firmly grounded in the economic model is developed both conceptually and mathematically. The primary objective for developing the VODCA methodology was to improve the process for extracting relative value information about the objectives from the appropriate decision makers. This objective was accomplished by employing data filtering techniques to increase the consistency of the relative value information and decrease the amount of information required. VODCA is applied to a simplified hypothetical tradeoff decision problem. Possible use of multiple objective analysis concepts and the VODCA methodology in product-line development and market research are discussed.

Folding Our Way to Productivity. Active Learning Lessons. Economics International.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baranova, Daira; Bottomoley, Alice; Brock, John; Shappo, Natalia

This lesson plan was developed through "Economics International," an international program to help build economic education infrastructures in the emerging market economies. It provides a lesson description; economic concepts; content standards and benchmarks; related subject areas; instructional objectives; time required for lesson…

Assessment, evaluation, and testing of technologies for environmental restoration, decontamination, and decommissioning and high level waste management. Progress report

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

Uzochukwu, G.A.

1997-12-31

Nuclear and commercial non-nuclear technologies that have the potential of meeting the environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, and high-level waste management objectives are being assessed and evaluated. A detailed comparison of innovative technologies available will be performed to determine the safest and most economical technology for meeting these objectives. Information derived from this effort will be matched with the multi-objectives of the environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, and high-level waste management effort to ensure that the best, most economical, and the safest technologies are used in decision making at USDOE-SRS. Technology-related variables will be developed and the resulting data formattedmore » and computerized for multimedia systems. The multimedia system will be made available to technology developers and evaluators to ensure that the best, most economical, and the safest technologies are used in decision making at USDOE-SRS. Technology-related variables will be developed and the resulting data formatted and computerized for multimedia systems. The multimedia system will be made available to technology developers and evaluators to ensure that the safest and most economical technologies are developed for use at SRS and other DOE sites.« less

The New Microcomputer Development Technology: Implications for the Economics Instructor and Software Author.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, David W.

1993-01-01

Asserts that a new generation of software authoring applications has led to improvements in the development of economics education software. Describes new software development applications and discusses how to use them. Concludes that object-oriented programming helps economists develop their own courseware. (CFR)

Economic Education Experiences of Enterprising Teachers. Volume 21. A Report Developed by the Joint Council on Economic Education from the 1982-83 Entries in the International Paper Company Foundation Awards Program for the Teaching of Economics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nappi, Andrew T., Ed.; Suglia, Anthony F., Ed.

Designed for use in grades K-12, award winning teacher-developed projects and courses in economics are described. Descriptions indicate grade level, project background, time allotment, objectives, activities, and evaluation. Arranged into 5 chapters, chapter 1 suggests ways to teach economic concepts to grades K-3. Projects include a lesson on…

Meeting the challenge of funding and allocating resources to mental health across Europe: developing the Mental Health Economics European Network.

PubMed

McDaid, David; Knapp, Martin; Curran, Claire

2006-01-01

There is growing demand for economic analysis to support strategic decision-making for mental health but the availability of economic evidence, in particular on system performance remains limited. The Mental Health Economics European Network (MHEEN) was set up in 2002 with the broad objective of developing a base for mental health economics information and subsequent work in 17 countries. Data on financing, expenditure and costs, provision of services, workforce, employment and capacity for economic evaluation were collected through bespoke questionnaires developed iteratively by the Network. This was augmented by a literature review and analysis of international databases. Findings on financing alone suggest that in many European countries mental health appears to be neglected while mechanisms for resource allocation are rarely linked to objective measure of population mental health needs. Numerous economic barriers and potential solutions were identified. Economic incentives may be one way of promoting change, although there is no 'one size fits all solution. There are significant benefits and synergies to be gained from the continuing development of networks such as MHEEN. In particular the analysis can be used to inform developments in Central and Eastern Europe. For instance there is much that can be learnt on both how the balance of care between institutional and non-institutional care has changed and on the role played by economic incentives in ensuring that resources were used to develop alternative community-based systems.

A Rooster and a Bean Seed. Active Learning Lessons. Economics International.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lelyuk, Julia

This lesson plan was developed through "Economics International," an international program to help build economic education infrastructures in the emerging market economies. It provides a description of the lesson; appropriate age level; economic concepts; content standards and benchmarks; related subject areas; instructional objectives;…

Growth and Development among Infants and Preschoolers in Rural India: Economic Inequities and Caregiver Protective/Promotive Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Maureen M.; Fernandez-Rao, Sylvia; Hurley, Kristen M.; Tilton, Nicholas; Balakrishna, Nagalla; Harding, Kimberly B.; Reinhart, Greg; Radhakrishna, Kankipati Vijaya; Nair, Krishnapillai Madhavan

2016-01-01

Economic inequities are common in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), and are associated with poor growth and development among young children. The objectives are to examine whether maternal education and home environment quality: 1) protect children by attenuating the association between economic inequities and children's growth and…

Home Economics: Foods and Nutrition. Secondary Schools. Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Dept. of Education, Saipan.

This home economics curriculum guide on foods and nutrition for secondary students is one of six developed for inservice teachers at Marianas High School in Saipan. The guide provides the rationale, description, goals, and objectives of the program; the program of studies and performance objectives by levels; samples of lesson plans for effective…

43 CFR 1882.0-2 - Objective.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GENERAL MANAGEMENT (1000) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Mineral Development Impact Relief Loans § 1882.0-2 Objective. The objective of the program is to provide financial... social and economic impacts as a result of the development of Federal mineral deposits leased under the...

Associations between forest characteristics and socio-economic development: a case study from Portugal.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Sónia Carvalho; Lovett, Andrew

2009-07-01

The integration of socio-economic and environmental objectives is a major challenge in developing strategies for sustainable landscapes. We investigated associations between socio-economic variables, landscape metrics and measures of forest condition in the context of Portugal. The main goals of the study were to 1) investigate relationships between forest conditions and measures of socio-economic development at national and regional scales, 2) test the hypothesis that a systematic variation in forest landscape metrics occurs according to the stage of socio-economic development and, 3) assess the extent to which landscape metrics can inform strategies to enhance forest sustainability. A ranking approach and statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis were used to achieve these objectives. Relationships between socio-economic characteristics, landscape metrics and measures of forest condition were only significant in the regional analysis of municipalities in Northern Portugal. Landscape metrics for different tree species displayed significant variations across socio-economic groups of municipalities and these differences were consistent with changes in characteristics suggested by the forest transition model. The use of metrics also helped inform place-specific strategies to improve forest management, though it was also apparent that further work was required to better incorporate differences in forest functions into sustainability planning.

Restoration and economics: A union waiting to happen?

Treesearch

Alicia S.T. Robbins; Jean M. Daniels

2012-01-01

In this article, our objective is to introduce economics as a tool for the planning, prioritization, and evaluation of restoration projects. Studies that develop economic estimates of public values for ecological restoration employ methods that may be unfamiliar to practitioners. We hope to address this knowledge gap by describing economic concepts in the context of...

Developing a University Course for Online Delivery Based on Learning Objects: From Ideals to Compromises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilhelm, Pierre; Wilde, Russ

2005-01-01

A course instructor and his assistant at Athabasca University investigated whether the process of transferring interoperable learning objects from online repositories facilitated course production, both pedagogically and economically. They examined the efficiency of the objects-assembly method from several perspectives while developing an online…

Developments in Technical Education in the British Caribbean, 1940-60.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pemberton, S. Macpherson

The paper discusses developments in technical education in the British West Indies from 1940-1960 emphasizing the relation between education and economic development. The objective is to analyze the economic basis of progress in technical education. The document is presented in four chapters. Chapter I summarizes historical background prior to…

The North Dakota Indian Reservation Economy: A Descriptive Study. North Dakota Economic Studies Number 11.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, James J.

Economic development remains one of the most important objectives of American Indian reservations. Various programs for developing the reservations' resources have been implemented. Due to the multiplicity of needs, development policy has been multi-faceted: health programs to upgrade physical well-being; educational programs to enhance scholastic…

Assessing sufficient capability: A new approach to economic evaluation.

PubMed

Mitchell, Paul Mark; Roberts, Tracy E; Barton, Pelham M; Coast, Joanna

2015-08-01

Amartya Sen's capability approach has been discussed widely in the health economics discipline. Although measures have been developed to assess capability in economic evaluation, there has been much less attention paid to the decision rules that might be applied alongside. Here, new methods, drawing on the multidimensional poverty and health economics literature, are developed for conducting economic evaluation within the capability approach and focusing on an objective of achieving "sufficient capability". This objective more closely reflects the concern with equity that pervades the capability approach and the method has the advantage of retaining the longitudinal aspect of estimating outcome that is associated with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), whilst also drawing on notions of shortfall associated with assessments of poverty. Economic evaluation from this perspective is illustrated in an osteoarthritis patient group undergoing joint replacement, with capability wellbeing assessed using ICECAP-O. Recommendations for taking the sufficient capability approach forward are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U.S. Government Supports Low Emission Economic Growth (Fact Sheet)

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

Watson, A.; Sandor, D.; Butheau, M.

Countries around the world face the challenge of maintaining long-term sustainable economic growth and development under the threat of climate change. By identifying and pursuing a sustainable development pathway now, they are better positioned to reach their economic growth goals while addressing climate change impacts and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low emission development strategies - development plans that promote sustainable social and economic development while reducing long-term GHG emissions - provide a pathway to preparing for a global low emission future. Partner country governments are working with the U.S. government through the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategiesmore » (EC-LEDS) program to further their national development objectives.« less

U.S. Government Supports Low Emission Economic Growth

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

Countries around the world face the challenge of maintaining long-term sustainable economic growth and development under the threat of climate change. By identifying and pursuing a sustainable development pathway now, they are better positioned to reach their economic growth goals while addressing climate change impacts and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low emission development strategies - development plans that promote sustainable social and economic development while reducing long-term GHG emissions - provide a pathway to preparing for a global low emission future. Partner country governments are working with the U.S. government through the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategiesmore » (EC-LEDS) program to further their national development objectives.« less

Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 1. Executive summary

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

Not Available

The study was intended to provide the Mineral Management Service (MMS) with an analytical tool to evaluate possible economic impacts from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development. In particular, the study was designed to provide MMS staff who work on lease sale Energy Impact Statements with an objective technique for estimating the impacts to coastal communities from events that might occur as a result of lease sales: oil spills, onshore construction, and construction of platforms offshore. The project had several specific objectives: (1) provide profiles of 1982 socio-economic conditions in coastal communities, including an analysis of the relative importance of themore » tourist industry in each coastal county; (2) develop a methodology for determining the effects of OCS development on coastal recreation; and recommend mitigation measure that may reduce the negative effect of OCS development on coastal recreation using gravity and economic effects models.« less

Economic selection index development for Beefmaster cattle I: Terminal breeding objective.

PubMed

Ochsner, K P; MacNeil, M D; Lewis, R M; Spangler, M L

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to develop an economic selection index for Beefmaster cattle in a terminal production system where bulls are mated to mature cows with all resulting progeny harvested. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Phenotypic and genetic parameter values among the selection criteria and goal traits were obtained from literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits one at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their respective means. Relative economic values (REV) for the terminal objective traits HCW, marbling score (MS), ribeye area (REA), 12th-rib fat (FAT), and feed intake (FI) were 91.29, 17.01, 8.38, -7.07, and -29.66, respectively. Consequently, improving the efficiency of beef production is expected to impact profitability greater than improving carcass merit alone. The accuracy of the index lies between 0.338 (phenotypic selection) and 0.503 (breeding values known without error). The application of this index would aid Beefmaster breeders in their sire selection decisions, facilitating genetic improvement for a terminal breeding objective.

Fertility, immigration, and the fight against climate change.

PubMed

Earl, Jake; Hickey, Colin; Rieder, Travis N

2017-10-01

Several philosophers have recently argued that policies aimed at reducing human fertility are a practical and morally justifiable way to mitigate the risk of dangerous climate change. There is a powerful objection to such "population engineering" proposals: even if drastic fertility reductions are needed to prevent dangerous climate change, implementing those reductions would wreak havoc on the global economy, which would seriously undermine international antipoverty efforts. In this article, we articulate this economic objection to population engineering and show how it fails. We argue, first, that the economic objection paints an inaccurate picture of the complicated relationship between demographic change and economic growth, and second, that any untoward economic effects of fertility reduction can be mitigated with additional policies. Specifically, we argue that supplementing fertility reduction with policies that facilitate the emigration of younger people from developing nations to developed nations could allow for both global reductions in GHG emissions and continued economic stability. Further, we show that moral arguments against such unprecedented increases in immigration are unsuccessful. We conclude that population engineering is a practical and morally justifiable tool for addressing the twin evils of climate change and global poverty. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

45 CFR 1336.33 - Eligible applicants and proposed activities which are ineligible.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... served. (1) Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) and Preservation and Enhancement of Native... 42 U.S.C. 2991b-3) (2) Alaska-Specific Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) Projects: (i... carry out project objectives, is acceptable; (2) Projects that request funds for feasibility studies...

45 CFR 1336.33 - Eligible applicants and proposed activities which are ineligible.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... served. (1) Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) and Preservation and Enhancement of Native... 42 U.S.C. 2991b-3) (2) Alaska-Specific Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) Projects: (i... carry out project objectives, is acceptable; (2) Projects that request funds for feasibility studies...

The Economics of Time in Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christoffersson, Nils-Olaf

The use of a mathematical model supported by empirical findings had developed a method of cost effectiveness that can be used in evaluations between educational objectives and goals. Educational time allocation can be studied and developed into a micro-level economic theory of decision. Learning has been defined as increments which can be…

75 FR 38764 - Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

.... Abstract: The objective of the Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program is to promote sustainable economic development in rural areas. This purpose is achieved through grants made by the Rural Business... economic development planning and technical assistance for rural businesses. The regulations contain...

Optimal design and management of chlorination in drinking water networks: a multi-objective approach using Genetic Algorithms and the Pareto optimality concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nouiri, Issam

2017-11-01

This paper presents the development of multi-objective Genetic Algorithms to optimize chlorination design and management in drinking water networks (DWN). Three objectives have been considered: the improvement of the chlorination uniformity (healthy objective), the minimization of chlorine booster stations number, and the injected chlorine mass (economic objectives). The problem has been dissociated in medium and short terms ones. The proposed methodology was tested on hypothetical and real DWN. Results proved the ability of the developed optimization tool to identify relationships between the healthy and economic objectives as Pareto fronts. The proposed approach was efficient in computing solutions ensuring better chlorination uniformity while requiring the weakest injected chlorine mass when compared to other approaches. For the real DWN studied, chlorination optimization has been crowned by great improvement of free-chlorine-dosing uniformity and by a meaningful chlorine mass reduction, in comparison with the conventional chlorination.

Economic Education Experiences of Enterprising Teachers. Volume 19. A Report Developed from the 1980-81 Entries in the International Paper Company Foundation Awards Program for the Teaching of Economics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nappi, Andrew T., Ed.; Suglia, Anthony F., Ed.

Twenty-five award winning teacher developed projects and courses in economics are described. The projects are designed for use in primary, intermediate, junior high, and senior high schools. Descriptions indicate grade level, project background, time allotment, objectives, activities, and evaluation. The publication consists of five chapters.…

Consumer Economics Education Guidelines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanPatten, Muriel; And Others

These guidelines are designed to assist school districts in the development and implementation of new programs or in strengthening existing programs in consumer economics education at all levels. A variety of resources are included. The need for consumer economics education is discussed and a definition is provided. Goals are listed. Objectives,…

Econosense: A Common Sense Approach to the Study of Economics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McPheron, Linda

This student activity book and teacher's guide address specific economic terms and concepts correlated to specific student learning objectives. The concepts presented are those essential to any student developing a basic understanding of economics. Each lesson follows a specific format with a basic core of information, comprehension questions,…

Science and Math Activities and Resources for Teaching Home Economics (S.M.A.R.T.).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Marjorie C.

This guide was written to aid home economics teachers in developing a greater understanding and use of basic skills in the home economics curriculum. The objectives of this guide are (1) to expand the awareness of underlying mathematics and science principles in the consumer and vocational home economics curriculum and (2) to provide a bank of…

Strategic considerations in Indian space programme—Towards maximising socio-economic benefits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sridhara Murthi, K. R.; Madhusudan, H. N.

2008-07-01

Strategic thinking and planning have been the hallmarks of Indian space programme, whose objectives are sharply focused on deriving socio-economic benefits of space technology. The purpose of this paper is to identify various strategies, which played a role in different phases of the programme, contributing to social and economic outcomes and effectiveness. While self-reliant development of technological capacity and evaluation of applications with involvement of users formed the backbone of strategy in the initial phase of the programme, subsequent strategies were centred on development of organisational culture and systems, industry role and promotion of spin offs. Other strategies dealt with the response to challenges inherent in space endeavours in terms of risk management, sustainability, investments and long-term commitments, judicious make or buy decisions, safeguard of sensitive technologies, space commerce and finally harmonising international cooperation with national objectives. The strategies in the programme were consistently driven by a clear-cut vision and objectives to develop and use space technology in diverse areas where space systems become relevant for socio-economic development such as telecommunications and broadcasting, meteorology, disaster management support, remote sensing of natural and anthropogenic phenomena, and positioning and navigation services. This paper synthesises various studies and experiences in India in order to analyse strategies in the face of changes in technology, application needs and international policies. It also examines the effectiveness of these strategies in terms of economic and social costs and benefits. Based on the above analysis, a typical conceptual model for use of space for development is suggested.

Guide to conducting state recycling economic development finance workshops

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

NONE

1996-12-31

The objective of this project was to demonstrate a two-pronged program for educating economic development and recycling officials about recycling business development opportunities. The project consisted of conducting a stat recycling finance workshop in each of three Northeastern states, as well as recycling economic development finance training program for the region`s economic development and recycling officials. The goal of the project is to facilitate the expansion of recycling businesses in the Northeast. The guide details seven steps to conducting a recycling economic development finance workshop: (1) establish a workshop planning committee, (2) select the target audience, (3) develop the workshopmore » message, (4) identify the message deliverer, (5) choose workshop topics and structure the workshop, (6) attract the audience, and (7) Conduct follow-up. In the process of planning and conducting the three state workshops for this project, NERC learned several important lessons: (1) Conduct workshops that are specific to the recycling and economic development programs in the state. (2) Include recycling business case studies on the workshop agenda. (3) Enhance the workshop with recycling economic development finance training. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy.« less

Economic Education, Executive Education, and the Training of Commercial Diplomats for the Global Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Jerry W., Jr.

The importance of international trade and investment to the achievement of economic diversification objectives has increased need for professionals skilled in trade policy development and negotiation, a field known as commercial diplomacy. A severe shortage of these professionals limits developing countries' abilities to take full advantage of…

3 CFR - Presidential Determination on Major Illicit Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... is the combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to transit or be... economic opportunity, security, and the ability of the Afghan government to project the rule of law... country's wide-ranging national objectives to improve peace, security, and economic development. This year...

Combined Economic and Hydrologic Modeling to Support Collaborative Decision Making Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheer, D. P.

2008-12-01

For more than a decade, the core concept of the author's efforts in support of collaborative decision making has been a combination of hydrologic simulation and multi-objective optimization. The modeling has generally been used to support collaborative decision making processes. The OASIS model developed by HydroLogics Inc. solves a multi-objective optimization at each time step using a mixed integer linear program (MILP). The MILP can be configured to include any user defined objective, including but not limited too economic objectives. For example, an estimated marginal value for water for crops and M&I use were included in the objective function to drive trades in a model of the lower Rio Grande. The formulation of the MILP, constraints and objectives, in any time step is conditional: it changes based on the value of state variables and dynamic external forcing functions, such as rainfall, hydrology, market prices, arrival of migratory fish, water temperature, etc. It therefore acts as a dynamic short term multi-objective economic optimization for each time step. MILP is capable of solving a general problem that includes a very realistic representation of the physical system characteristics in addition to the normal multi-objective optimization objectives and constraints included in economic models. In all of these models, the short term objective function is a surrogate for achieving long term multi-objective results. The long term performance for any alternative (especially including operating strategies) is evaluated by simulation. An operating rule is the combination of conditions, parameters, constraints and objectives used to determine the formulation of the short term optimization in each time step. Heuristic wrappers for the simulation program have been developed improve the parameters of an operating rule, and are initiating research on a wrapper that will allow us to employ a genetic algorithm to improve the form of the rule (conditions, constraints, and short term objectives) as well. In the models operating rules represent different models of human behavior, and the objective of the modeling is to find rules for human behavior that perform well in terms of long term human objectives. The conceptual model used to represent human behavior incorporates economic multi-objective optimization for surrogate objectives, and rules that set those objectives based on current conditions and accounting for uncertainty, at least implicitly. The author asserts that real world operating rules follow this form and have evolved because they have been perceived as successful in the past. Thus, the modeling efforts focus on human behavior in much the same way that economic models focus on human behavior. This paper illustrates the above concepts with real world examples.

Commercial objectives, technology transfer, and systems analysis for fusion power development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dean, Stephen O.

1988-09-01

Fusion is an inexhaustible source of energy that has the potential for economic commercial applications with excellent safety and environmental characteristics. The primary focus for the fusion energy development program is the generation of central station electricity. Fusion has the potential, however, for many other applications. The fact that a large fraction of the energy released in a DT fusion reaction is carried by high energy neutrons suggests potentially unique applications. In addition, fusion R and D will lead to new products and new markets. Each fusion application must meet certain standards of economic and safety and environmental attractiveness. For this reason, economics on the one hand, and safety and environment and licensing on the other, are the two primary criteria for setting long range commercial fusion objectives. A major function of systems analysis is to evaluate the potential of fusion against these objectives and to help guide the fusion R and D program toward practical applications. The transfer of fusion technology and skills from the national labs and universities to industry is the key to achieving the long range objective of commercial fusion applications.

Commercial objectives, technology transfer, and systems analysis for fusion power development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, Stephen O.

1988-01-01

Fusion is an inexhaustible source of energy that has the potential for economic commercial applications with excellent safety and environmental characteristics. The primary focus for the fusion energy development program is the generation of central station electricity. Fusion has the potential, however, for many other applications. The fact that a large fraction of the energy released in a DT fusion reaction is carried by high energy neutrons suggests potentially unique applications. In addition, fusion R and D will lead to new products and new markets. Each fusion application must meet certain standards of economic and safety and environmental attractiveness. For this reason, economics on the one hand, and safety and environment and licensing on the other, are the two primary criteria for setting long range commercial fusion objectives. A major function of systems analysis is to evaluate the potential of fusion against these objectives and to help guide the fusion R and D program toward practical applications. The transfer of fusion technology and skills from the national labs and universities to industry is the key to achieving the long range objective of commercial fusion applications.

The integral indicator of socio-economic assessment in regard to resource-oriented territories development in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuvashova, M. N.; Avramchikova, N. T.; Zelenkov, P. V.; Petrosyan, M. O.

2016-04-01

Economic peculiarity of Russian resource-oriented territories are based on a focal type of industrial complex, differentiation of economies within a principle of mining and processing of natural resources. To improve the economic condition and integrate into the world innovative process is essential to solve the problem of eliminating the prevalence of resourse focus in the industrial economic structure that could ensure the overcoming of the existing spa- cial dissociation and market mechanisms development in innovative promotion. The monitoring system, involving the integral indicator of socioeconomic and territorial potential assessment, has suggested by the authors. The integral indicator could guarantee the objective evaluation of economic condition within a territory that is vital for the governmental authorities to design strategies providing the economic development of administrative territories.

78 FR 46374 - Minority Depository Institution Preservation Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-31

... in preserving the economic viability of their institutions. These benefits include facilitating... goals and objectives related to credit union viability and access. Specifically, the program is...) Economic Development Specialist assistance in addressing examination concerns or topics of interest; (3...

The value of materials R&D in the fast track development of fusion power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, D. J.; Taylor, N. P.; Cook, I.

2007-08-01

The objective of the international fusion program is the creation of power plants with attractive safety and environmental features and viable economics. There is a range of possible plants that can meet these objectives, as studied for instance in the recent EU studies of power plant concepts. All of the concepts satisfy safety and environmental objectives but the economic performance is interpreted differently in different world regions according to the perception of future energy markets. This leads to different materials performance targets and the direction and timescales of the materials development programme needed to meet those targets. In this paper, the implications for materials requirements of a fast track approach to fusion development are investigated. This includes a quantification of the overall benefits of more advanced materials: including the effect of trading off an extended development time against a reduced cost of electricity for resulting power plants.

On the pursuit of a nuclear development capability: The case of the Cuban nuclear program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benjamin-Alvarado, Jonathan Calvert

1998-09-01

While there have been many excellent descriptive accounts of modernization schemes in developing states, energy development studies based on prevalent modernization theory have been rare. Moreover, heretofore there have been very few analyses of efforts to develop a nuclear energy capability by developing states. Rarely have these analyses employed social science research methodologies. The purpose of this study was to develop a general analytical framework, based on such a methodology to analyze nuclear energy development and to utilize this framework for the study of the specific case of Cuba's decision to develop nuclear energy. The analytical framework developed focuses on a qualitative tracing of the process of Cuban policy objectives and implementation to develop a nuclear energy capability, and analyzes the policy in response to three models of modernization offered to explain the trajectory of policy development. These different approaches are the politically motivated modernization model, the economic and technological modernization model and the economic and energy security model. Each model provides distinct and functionally differentiated expectations for the path of development toward this objective. Each model provides expected behaviors to external stimuli that would result in specific policy responses. In the study, Cuba's nuclear policy responses to stimuli from domestic constraints and intensities, institutional development, and external influences are analyzed. The analysis revealed that in pursuing the nuclear energy capability, Cuba primarily responded by filtering most of the stimuli through the twin objectives of economic rationality and technological advancement. Based upon the Cuban policy responses to the domestic and international stimuli, the study concluded that the economic and technological modernization model of nuclear energy development offered a more complete explanation of the trajectory of policy development than either the politically-motivated or economic and energy security models. The findings of this case pose some interesting questions for the general study of energy programs in developing states. By applying the analytical framework employed in this study to a number of other cases, perhaps the understanding of energy development schemes may be expanded through future research.

Education in Rural America: Object or Instrumentality of Rural Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Daryl

Rural schools have had a traditional role as major vehicles of rural economic development. During the rapid economic changes of the 20th century rural schools supplied the literate migrants who flocked to the cities to become the human capital for urban based expansion. Rural schools also provided the literate farmers who stayed at home and…

Home Economics Teachers' Intentions and Engagement in Teaching Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haapala, Irja; Biggs, Simon; Cederberg, Riitta; Kosonen, Anna-Liisa

2014-01-01

Home Economics (HE) teachers can have a central role in teaching sustainable development (SD) to young adolescents through everyday household management and the promotion of personally and globally sustainable well-being. How well the teachers cope with this task is not well known. The objective of this study was to survey Finnish HE teachers'…

A Pilot Study for Gainful Employment in Home Economics. Final Report. Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cozine, June; And Others

The major purpose of the study was to develop and test curriculum materials for three entry level gainful employment courses: Child Care Services, Clothing Services, Food Services. A second objective was to formulate recommendations for policies and procedures to follow in initiating and developing gainful employment programs in home economics.…

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WORK ORIENTATION PROGRAM FOR HOME ECONOMICS RELATED OCCUPATIONS, 1964-1966.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FETTERMAN, ELSIE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY, WHICH IS A SUMMARY OF A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION, WAS TO DEVELOP A WORK ORIENTATION PROGRAM FOR HOME ECONOMICS-RELATED OCCUPATIONS IN CONNECTICUT. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO 43 TEACHERS OF SUCH PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALL RESPONDED, GIVING INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR OBJECTIVES, COURSES, TEACHERS' BACKGROUNDS,…

Exploring the Use of Electroencephalography to Gather Objective Evidence of Cognitive Processing during Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delahunty, Thomas; Seery, Niall; Lynch, Raymond

2018-01-01

Currently, there is significant interest being directed towards the development of STEM education to meet economic and societal demands. While economic concerns can be a powerful driving force in advancing the STEM agenda, care must be taken that such economic imperative does not promote research approaches that overemphasize pragmatic application…

Ecologically and economically conscious design of the injected pultrusion process via multi-objective optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasagupta, Deepak; Kardos, John L.

2004-05-01

Injected pultrusion (IP) is an environmentally benign continuous process for low-cost manufacture of prismatic polymer composites. IP has been of recent regulatory interest as an option to achieve significant vapour emissions reduction. This work describes the design of the IP process with multiple design objectives. In our previous work (Srinivasagupta D et al 2003 J. Compos. Mater. at press), an algorithm for economic design using a validated three-dimensional physical model of the IP process was developed, subject to controllability considerations. In this work, this algorithm was used in a multi-objective optimization approach to simultaneously meet economic, quality related, and environmental objectives. The retrofit design of a bench-scale set-up was considered, and the concept of exergy loss in the process, as well as in vapour emission, was introduced. The multi-objective approach was able to determine the optimal values of the processing parameters such as heating zone temperatures and resin injection pressure, as well as the equipment specifications (die dimensions, heater, puller and pump ratings) that satisfy the various objectives in a weighted sense, and result in enhanced throughput rates. The economic objective did not coincide with the environmental objective, and a compromise became necessary. It was seen that most of the exergy loss is in the conversion of electric power into process heating. Vapour exergy loss was observed to be negligible for the most part.

Developing a Social, Cultural and Economic Report Card for a Regional Industrial Harbour.

PubMed

Pascoe, Sean; Tobin, Renae; Windle, Jill; Cannard, Toni; Marshall, Nadine; Kabir, Zobaidul; Flint, Nicole

2016-01-01

Report cards are increasingly used to provide ongoing snap-shots of progress towards specific ecosystem health goals, particularly in coastal regions where planners need to balance competing demands for coastal resources from a range of industries. While most previous report cards focus on the biophysical components of the system, there is a growing interest in including the social and economic implications of ecosystem management to provide a greater social-ecological system understanding. Such a report card was requested on the Gladstone Harbour area in central Queensland, Australia. Gladstone Harbour adjoins the southern Great Barrier Reef, and is also a major industrial and shipping port. Balancing social, economic and environmental interests is therefore of great concern to the regional managers. While environmental benchmarking procedures are well established within Australia (and elsewhere), a method for assessing social and economic performance of coastal management is generally lacking. The key aim of this study was to develop and pilot a system for the development of a report card relating to appropriate cultural, social and economic objectives. The approach developed uses a range of multicriteria decision analysis methods to assess and combine different qualitative and quantitative measures, including the use of Bayesian Belief Networks to combine the different measures and provide an overall quantitative score for each of the key management objectives. The approach developed is readily transferable for purposes of similar assessments in other regions.

Developing a Social, Cultural and Economic Report Card for a Regional Industrial Harbour

PubMed Central

Pascoe, Sean; Tobin, Renae; Windle, Jill; Cannard, Toni; Marshall, Nadine; Kabir, Zobaidul; Flint, Nicole

2016-01-01

Report cards are increasingly used to provide ongoing snap-shots of progress towards specific ecosystem health goals, particularly in coastal regions where planners need to balance competing demands for coastal resources from a range of industries. While most previous report cards focus on the biophysical components of the system, there is a growing interest in including the social and economic implications of ecosystem management to provide a greater social-ecological system understanding. Such a report card was requested on the Gladstone Harbour area in central Queensland, Australia. Gladstone Harbour adjoins the southern Great Barrier Reef, and is also a major industrial and shipping port. Balancing social, economic and environmental interests is therefore of great concern to the regional managers. While environmental benchmarking procedures are well established within Australia (and elsewhere), a method for assessing social and economic performance of coastal management is generally lacking. The key aim of this study was to develop and pilot a system for the development of a report card relating to appropriate cultural, social and economic objectives. The approach developed uses a range of multicriteria decision analysis methods to assess and combine different qualitative and quantitative measures, including the use of Bayesian Belief Networks to combine the different measures and provide an overall quantitative score for each of the key management objectives. The approach developed is readily transferable for purposes of similar assessments in other regions. PMID:26839949

Education for Sustainable Development to Nurture Sensibility and Creativity: An Interdisciplinary Approach Based on Collaboration between "Kateika" (Japanese Home Economics), Art, and Music Departments in a Japanese Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Yoko; Nakayama, Setsuko

2014-01-01

The objectives of the research reported in this article were to develop and evaluate an interdisciplinary primary school Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curriculum as a collaboration among the subject areas of "kateika" (Japanese home economics), art, and music. In our curriculum, which focused on the improvement of…

History and Analysis of Growth Impacts in the Fort Drum Region 1984-1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

objective of this inter-governmental relations council was to strengthen the local government ability to promote efficient and economic government...the Development Authority of the North Country, which would serve as the lead agency in promoting economic development, and supported activities of...mechanism. By using existing mechanisms, the group was able to develop and distribute a brochure to promote local services such as employment training and

Women Empowerment and Participation in Economic Activities: Indispensable Tools for Self-Reliance and Development of Nigerian Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

E. N., Ekesionye; A. N., Okolo

2012-01-01

The objective of the study was to examine women empowerment and participation in economic activities as tools for self-reliance and development of the Nigerian society. Research questions and hypothesis were used to guide the study. Structured questionnaire was used as the major instrument for data collection. Copies of questionnaires were…

Modeling and optimization of a hybrid solar combined cycle (HYCS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eter, Ahmad Adel

2011-12-01

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of integrating concentrated solar power (CSP) technology with the conventional combined cycle technology for electric generation in Saudi Arabia. The generated electricity can be used locally to meet the annual increasing demand. Specifically, it can be utilized to meet the demand during the hours 10 am-3 pm and prevent blackout hours, of some industrial sectors. The proposed CSP design gives flexibility in the operation system. Since, it works as a conventional combined cycle during night time and it switches to work as a hybrid solar combined cycle during day time. The first objective of the thesis is to develop a thermo-economical mathematical model that can simulate the performance of a hybrid solar-fossil fuel combined cycle. The second objective is to develop a computer simulation code that can solve the thermo-economical mathematical model using available software such as E.E.S. The developed simulation code is used to analyze the thermo-economic performance of different configurations of integrating the CSP with the conventional fossil fuel combined cycle to achieve the optimal integration configuration. This optimal integration configuration has been investigated further to achieve the optimal design of the solar field that gives the optimal solar share. Thermo-economical performance metrics which are available in the literature have been used in the present work to assess the thermo-economic performance of the investigated configurations. The economical and environmental impact of integration CSP with the conventional fossil fuel combined cycle are estimated and discussed. Finally, the optimal integration configuration is found to be solarization steam side in conventional combined cycle with solar multiple 0.38 which needs 29 hectare and LEC of HYCS is 63.17 $/MWh under Dhahran weather conditions.

Multi-criteria decision models for forestry and natural resources management: an annotated bibliography

Treesearch

Joseph E. de Steiguer; Leslie Liberti; Albert Schuler; Bruce Hansen

2003-01-01

Foresters and natural resource managers must balance conflicting objectives when developing land-management plans. Conflicts may encompass economic, environmental, social, cultural, technical, and aesthetic objectives. Selecting the best combination of management uses from numerous objectives is difficult and challenging. Multi-Criteria Decision Models (MCDM) provide a...

33 CFR 239.4 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... planning objectives, the contributions which the plan makes to the National Economic Development (NED), Environmental Quality (EQ), Regional Development (RD) and Social Well Being (SWB) accounts, and the public...

Rural inland waterways economic impact kit : users guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

The primary objective of the project was to develop a PC-based kit allowing users to evaluate the economic impact of existing rural inland waterways ports and terminals. By using the Kit, the importance to a community of a port and terminals can be q...

Outdoor Living.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotter, Kathy

Course objectives and learning activities are contained in this curriculum guide for a 16-week home economics course which teaches cooking and sewing skills applicable to outdoor living. The course goals include increasing male enrollment in the home economics program, developing students' self-confidence and ability to work in groups, and…

Rural inland waterways economic impact kit : analysis manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

The primary objective of the project was to develop a PC-based kit allowing users to evaluate the economic impact of existing rural inland waterways ports and terminals. By using the Kit, the importance to a community of a port and terminals can be q...

Economic and cultural correlates of subjective wellbeing in countries using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).

PubMed

Gaygisiz, Esma

2010-06-01

The correlations among indicators of objective well-being, cultural dimensions, and subjective well-being were investigated using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data from 35 countries. The subjective well-being measures included life satisfaction as well as six positive and six negative indexes of experience. Positive and negative experience scores were subjected to principal component analysis, and two positive experience components (labeled as "positive experiences" and "time management") and two negative experience components (labeled as "pain, worry, and sadness" and "anger and boredom") were extracted. Objective well-being included economic indicators, education, and health. The cultural variables included Hofstede's and Schwartz's cultural dimensions, national Big Five personality scores, and national IQs. High life satisfaction was positively related to Gross Domestic Product, life expectancy, education, individualism, affective and intellectual autonomy, egalitarianism, and conscientiousness, whereas low life satisfaction was related to unemployment, unequal income distribution, power distance, masculinity uncertainty avoidance, embeddedness, hierarchy, and neuroticism.

Current Challenges in Health Economic Modeling of Cancer Therapies: A Research Inquiry

PubMed Central

Miller, Jeffrey D.; Foley, Kathleen A.; Russell, Mason W.

2014-01-01

Background The demand for economic models that evaluate cancer treatments is increasing, as healthcare decision makers struggle for ways to manage their budgets while providing the best care possible to patients with cancer. Yet, after nearly 2 decades of cultivating and refining techniques for modeling the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of cancer therapies, serious methodologic and policy challenges have emerged that question the adequacy of economic modeling as a sound decision-making tool in oncology. Objectives We sought to explore some of the contentious issues associated with the development and use of oncology economic models as informative tools in current healthcare decision-making. Our objective was to draw attention to these complex pharmacoeconomic concerns and to promote discussion within the oncology and health economics research communities. Methods Using our combined expertise in health economics research and economic modeling, we structured our inquiry around the following 4 questions: (1) Are economic models adequately addressing questions relevant to oncology decision makers; (2) What are the methodologic limitations of oncology economic models; (3) What guidelines are followed for developing oncology economic models; and (4) Is the evolution of oncology economic modeling keeping pace with treatment innovation? Within the context of each of these questions, we discuss issues related to the technical limitations of oncology modeling, the availability of adequate data for developing models, and the problems with how modeling analyses and results are presented and interpreted. Discussion There is general acceptance that economic models are good, essential tools for decision-making, but the practice of oncology and its rapidly evolving technologies present unique challenges that make assessing and demonstrating value especially complex. There is wide latitude for improvement in oncology modeling methodologies and how model results are presented and interpreted. Conclusion Complex technical and data availability issues with oncology economic modeling pose serious concerns that need to be addressed. It is our hope that this article will provide a framework to guide future discourse on this important topic. PMID:24991399

A Survey of Residents' Perceptions of the Effect of Large-Scale Economic Developments on Perceived Safety, Violence, and Economic Benefits

PubMed Central

Geller, Ruth; Bear, Todd M.; Foulds, Abigail L.; Duell, Jessica; Sharma, Ravi

2015-01-01

Background. Emerging research highlights the promise of community- and policy-level strategies in preventing youth violence. Large-scale economic developments, such as sports and entertainment arenas and casinos, may improve the living conditions, economics, public health, and overall wellbeing of area residents and may influence rates of violence within communities. Objective. To assess the effect of community economic development efforts on neighborhood residents' perceptions on violence, safety, and economic benefits. Methods. Telephone survey in 2011 using a listed sample of randomly selected numbers in six Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Descriptive analyses examined measures of perceived violence and safety and economic benefit. Responses were compared across neighborhoods using chi-square tests for multiple comparisons. Survey results were compared to census and police data. Results. Residents in neighborhoods with the large-scale economic developments reported more casino-specific and arena-specific economic benefits. However, 42% of participants in the neighborhood with the entertainment arena felt there was an increase in crime, and 29% of respondents from the neighborhood with the casino felt there was an increase. In contrast, crime decreased in both neighborhoods. Conclusions. Large-scale economic developments have a direct influence on the perception of violence, despite actual violence rates. PMID:26273310

An ecosystem services framework to support both practical conservation and economic development.

PubMed

Tallis, Heather; Kareiva, Peter; Marvier, Michelle; Chang, Amy

2008-07-15

The core idea of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is that the human condition is tightly linked to environmental condition. This assertion suggests that conservation and development projects should be able to achieve both ecological and social progress without detracting from their primary objectives. Whereas "win-win" projects that achieve both conservation and economic gains are a commendable goal, they are not easy to attain. An analysis of World Bank projects with objectives of alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity revealed that only 16% made major progress on both objectives. Here, we provide a framework for anticipating win-win, lose-lose, and win-lose outcomes as a result of how people manage their ecosystem services. This framework emerges from detailed explorations of several case studies in which biodiversity conservation and economic development coincide and cases in which there is joint failure. We emphasize that scientific advances around ecosystem service production functions, tradeoffs among multiple ecosystem services, and the design of appropriate monitoring programs are necessary for the implementation of conservation and development projects that will successfully advance both environmental and social goals. The potentially bright future of jointly advancing ecosystem services, conservation, and human well-being will be jeopardized unless a global monitoring effort is launched that uses the many ongoing projects as a grand experiment.

An ecosystem services framework to support both practical conservation and economic development

PubMed Central

Tallis, Heather; Kareiva, Peter; Marvier, Michelle; Chang, Amy

2008-01-01

The core idea of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is that the human condition is tightly linked to environmental condition. This assertion suggests that conservation and development projects should be able to achieve both ecological and social progress without detracting from their primary objectives. Whereas “win–win” projects that achieve both conservation and economic gains are a commendable goal, they are not easy to attain. An analysis of World Bank projects with objectives of alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity revealed that only 16% made major progress on both objectives. Here, we provide a framework for anticipating win–win, lose–lose, and win–lose outcomes as a result of how people manage their ecosystem services. This framework emerges from detailed explorations of several case studies in which biodiversity conservation and economic development coincide and cases in which there is joint failure. We emphasize that scientific advances around ecosystem service production functions, tradeoffs among multiple ecosystem services, and the design of appropriate monitoring programs are necessary for the implementation of conservation and development projects that will successfully advance both environmental and social goals. The potentially bright future of jointly advancing ecosystem services, conservation, and human well-being will be jeopardized unless a global monitoring effort is launched that uses the many ongoing projects as a grand experiment. PMID:18621702

43 CFR 26.3 - Program purpose and objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... sufficient size (not less than 10 enrollees) that will permit social interaction and group learning. The...- through 18-year-old males and females from all social, economic, and racial backgrounds. (3) Develop an... lasting cultural bridges between youth from various social, ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. (c...

43 CFR 26.3 - Program purpose and objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... sufficient size (not less than 10 enrollees) that will permit social interaction and group learning. The...- through 18-year-old males and females from all social, economic, and racial backgrounds. (3) Develop an... lasting cultural bridges between youth from various social, ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. (c...

43 CFR 26.3 - Program purpose and objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... sufficient size (not less than 10 enrollees) that will permit social interaction and group learning. The...- through 18-year-old males and females from all social, economic, and racial backgrounds. (3) Develop an... lasting cultural bridges between youth from various social, ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. (c...

Economic impact of multi-span, prestressed concrete girder bridges designed as simple span versus continuous span : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to determine the economic impact of designing pre-tensioned prestressed concrete beam (PPCB) : bridges utilizing the continuity developed in the bridge deck as opposed to the current Iowa Department of Transportation (...

43 CFR 26.3 - Program purpose and objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... sufficient size (not less than 10 enrollees) that will permit social interaction and group learning. The...- through 18-year-old males and females from all social, economic, and racial backgrounds. (3) Develop an... lasting cultural bridges between youth from various social, ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. (c...

Reviewing an Economics Curriculum in the Context of University-Wide Reforms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Vardaman R.; And Others

1992-01-01

Reviews the process and method used by the department of economics at James Madison University in developing a coherent and substantive curriculum review within the broader context of university general education reforms. Considers departmental objectives for student outcomes, assessment methods, operational definitions, strategies for…

Calibrating and testing a gap model for simulating forest management in the Oregon Coast Range

Treesearch

Robert J. Pabst; Matthew N. Goslin; Steven L. Garman; Thomas A. Spies

2008-01-01

The complex mix of economic and ecological objectives facing today's forest managers necessitates the development of growth models with a capacity for simulating a wide range of forest conditions while producing outputs useful for economic analyses. We calibrated the gap model ZELIG to simulate stand level forest development in the Oregon Coast Range as part of a...

Concept Area Four and Five Objectives, Hierarchy Charts, and Test Items. Economic Analysis Course. Segments 85-96.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterling Inst., Washington, DC. Educational Technology Center.

A multimedia course in economic analysis was developed and used in conjunction with the United States Naval Academy. (See ED 043 790 and ED 043 791 for final reports of the project evaluation and development model.) This report deals with concept areas four and five, which focus on international trade and enrichment areas. The behavioral…

Integrating indigenous livelihood and lifestyle objectives in managing a natural resource

PubMed Central

Plagányi, Éva Elizabeth; van Putten, Ingrid; Hutton, Trevor; Deng, Roy A.; Dennis, Darren; Pascoe, Sean; Skewes, Tim; Campbell, Robert A.

2013-01-01

Evaluating the success of natural resource management approaches requires methods to measure performance against biological, economic, social, and governance objectives. In fisheries, most research has focused on industrial sectors, with the contributions to global resource use by small-scale and indigenous hunters and fishers undervalued. Globally, the small-scale fisheries sector alone employs some 38 million people who share common challenges in balancing livelihood and lifestyle choices. We used as a case study a fishery with both traditional indigenous and commercial sectors to develop a framework to bridge the gap between quantitative bio-economic models and more qualitative social analyses. For many indigenous communities, communalism rather than capitalism underlies fishers’ perspectives and aspirations, and we find there are complicated and often unanticipated trade-offs between economic and social objectives. Our results highlight that market-based management options might score highly in a capitalistic society, but have negative repercussions on community coherence and equity in societies with a strong communal ethic. There are complex trade-offs between economic indicators, such as profit, and social indicators, such as lifestyle preferences. Our approach makes explicit the “triple bottom line” sustainability objectives involving trade-offs between economic, social, and biological performance, and is thus directly applicable to most natural resource management decision-making situations. PMID:23401546

Integrating indigenous livelihood and lifestyle objectives in managing a natural resource.

PubMed

Plagányi, Éva Elizabeth; van Putten, Ingrid; Hutton, Trevor; Deng, Roy A; Dennis, Darren; Pascoe, Sean; Skewes, Tim; Campbell, Robert A

2013-02-26

Evaluating the success of natural resource management approaches requires methods to measure performance against biological, economic, social, and governance objectives. In fisheries, most research has focused on industrial sectors, with the contributions to global resource use by small-scale and indigenous hunters and fishers undervalued. Globally, the small-scale fisheries sector alone employs some 38 million people who share common challenges in balancing livelihood and lifestyle choices. We used as a case study a fishery with both traditional indigenous and commercial sectors to develop a framework to bridge the gap between quantitative bio-economic models and more qualitative social analyses. For many indigenous communities, communalism rather than capitalism underlies fishers' perspectives and aspirations, and we find there are complicated and often unanticipated trade-offs between economic and social objectives. Our results highlight that market-based management options might score highly in a capitalistic society, but have negative repercussions on community coherence and equity in societies with a strong communal ethic. There are complex trade-offs between economic indicators, such as profit, and social indicators, such as lifestyle preferences. Our approach makes explicit the "triple bottom line" sustainability objectives involving trade-offs between economic, social, and biological performance, and is thus directly applicable to most natural resource management decision-making situations.

Mechanism of realization economic strategy of transport organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palkina, E. S.

2017-10-01

In modern conditions of economic globalization, high dynamism of external environment, economic strategy of transport organization plays an important role in maintaining its competitive advantages, long-term development. For effective achievement of set strategic goals it is necessary to use an adequate mechanism based on completeness and interrelation of its constituent instruments. The main objective of the study presented in this paper is to develop methodological provisions on formation the mechanism of realization economic strategy for transport organizations. The principles of its construction have been proposed, the key components have been defined. Finally, an attempt to implementation this mechanism into the transport organization management system has been realized.

The contribution of health to the economy in the European Union.

PubMed

Suhrcke, Marc; McKee, Martin; Stuckler, David; Sauto Arce, Regina; Tsolova, Svetla; Mortensen, Jørgen

2006-11-01

Despite increasing recognition of the link between health and economic development in low-income countries, the relationship has to date received scant attention in rich countries. We argue that this lack of attention is not justifiable. While the economic argument for investing in health in rich countries may differ in detail from that in low-income countries, there is considerable and convincing evidence that significant economic benefits can be achieved by improving health not only in poor, but also in rich countries. Better health increases labour supply and productivity and historically, health has been a major contributor to economic growth. In spite of remaining evidence gaps economic policy-makers also in developed countries should consider investing in health as one (of few) ways by which to achieve their economic objectives.

Using GeoRePORT to report socio-economic potential for geothermal development

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

Young, Katherine R.; Levine, Aaron

The Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Tool (GeoRePORT, http://en.openei.org/wiki/GeoRePORT) was developed for reporting resource grades and project readiness levels, providing the U.S. Department of Energy a consistent and comprehensible means of evaluating projects. The tool helps funding organizations (1) quantitatively identify barriers, (2) develop measureable goals, (3) objectively evaluate proposals, including contribution to goals, (4) monitor progress, and (5) report portfolio performance. GeoRePORT assesses three categories: geological, technical, and socio-economic. Here, we describe GeoRePORT, then focus on the socio-economic assessment and its applications for assessing deployment potential in the U.S. Socio-economic attributes include land access, permitting, transmission, and market.

Numerical Optimization Using Desktop Computers

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-11

concentrating compound parabolic trough solar collector . Thermophysical, geophysical, optical and economic analyses were used to compute a life-cycle...third computer program, NISCO, was developed to model a nonimaging concentrating compound parabolic trough solar collector using thermophysical...concentrating compound parabolic trough Solar Collector . C. OBJECTIVE The objective of this thesis was to develop a system of interactive programs for the Hewlett

First annual report SHRP C103 task 4 : rapid repair techniques.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

The objective of task four is to develop technically and economically feasible methods of concrete bridge deck protection, rehabilitation, and replacement. The objective of the task will be accomplished through a progression of six subtasks. The subt...

The Illinois Plan for Home Economics Education. A Curriculum Guide. Creative Lifeskills Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Univ., Normal. Dept. of Home Economics.

This curriculum guide, which was designed for an exploration/orientation course in home economics aimed at encouraging and developing personal creativity, contains the following materials: a course description, course objectives, background information for instructors, curriculum guide interpretation, an abbreviated course outline, a detailed…

Methodology for determining economic impacts of raised medians : data collection for additional case studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

The objective of this four-year resaerch effort is to develop and test a methodology to estimate the economic impact of median design. This report summarizes the work performed in the second year. The secnd year of this study included collecting data...

Economic impact of multi-span, prestressed concrete girder bridges designed as simple span versus continuous span : tech transfer summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-10-01

The objective of this study was to determine the economic impact of : designing pre-tensioned prestressed concrete beam (PPCB) bridges : utilizing the continuity developed in the bridge deck as opposed to the : current Iowa Department of Transportati...

Programs To Create Economic Self-Sufficiency for Women in Public Housing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Cynthia; DeTardo-Bora, Kimberly; Durbin, Latrisha

The Wheeling Housing Authority in Wheeling, West Virginia, conducted two residential programs to help women living in public housing develop economic self-sufficiency. The Learning Independence from Employment (LIFE) program was an intensive 3-week program designed to accomplish the following objectives: improve participants' communication skills…

A methodology for determining economic impacts of raised medians : data analysis on additional case studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-10-01

The objective of this four-year research effort is to develop and test a methodology to estimate the economic impacts of median design. This report summarizes the activities performed in the third year of this project. The primary task in the third y...

Consumer-Homemaking I Curriculum Guide. Bulletin 1810.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholls State Univ., Thibodaux, LA.

This model instructional unit was developed to aid home economics teachers in Louisiana to teach a course in consumer and homemaking education in grades 9-10. The guide is designed for a full-year comprehensive home economics course. It provides guidance on model performance objectives, current technology content, sources, and supplemental…

To What Extent Educational Planning and Policy Decision Ought to Be Guided by Economic Considerations--A Case Study on Recent Educational Developments of Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Margaret Wai Ki

2010-01-01

The ascendance to popularity of the liberal ideologies and the concepts of political economy of education will be put forward as the root cause for an increasing subordination of education objectives to national economic goals. Through a case study of the educational development of Hong Kong, this paper will evaluate the extent to which…

Identification of breeding objectives for Begait goat in western Tigray, North Ethiopia.

PubMed

Abraham, Hagos; Gizaw, Solomon; Urge, Mengistu

2018-06-21

A sound breeding objective is the basis for genetic improvement in overall economic merit of farm animals. Begait goat is one of the identified breeds in Ethiopia, which is a multipurpose breed as it serves as source of cash income and source of food (meat and milk). Despite its importance, no formal breeding objectives exist for Begait goat. The objective of the present study was to identify breeding objectives for the breed through two approaches: using own-flock ranking experiment and developing deterministic bio-economic models as a preliminary step towards designing sustainable breeding programs for the breed. In the own-flock ranking experiment, a total of 45 households were visited at their homesteads and were asked to select, with reasons, the first best, second best, third best, and the most inferior does from their own flock. Age, previous reproduction, and production information of the identified animals were inquired; live body weight and some linear body measurements were taken. The bio-economic model included performance traits (weights, daily weight gain, kidding interval, litter size, milk yield, kid mortality, pregnancy, and replacement rates) and economic (revenue and costs) parameters. It was observed that there was close agreement between the farmers' ranking and bio-economic model results. In general, the results of the present study indicated that Begait goat owners could improve performance of their goats and profitability of their farms by selecting for 6-month weight, litter size, pre-weaning kid survival rate, and milk yield.

2014 consensus statement from the first Economics of Physical Inactivity Consensus (EPIC) conference (Vancouver).

PubMed

Davis, Jennifer C; Verhagen, Evert; Bryan, Stirling; Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Borland, Jeff; Buchner, David; Hendriks, Marike R C; Weiler, Richard; Morrow, James R; van Mechelen, Willem; Blair, Steven N; Pratt, Mike; Windt, Johann; al-Tunaiji, Hashel; Macri, Erin; Khan, Karim M

2014-06-01

This article describes major topics discussed from the 'Economics of Physical Inactivity Consensus Workshop' (EPIC), held in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2011. Specifically, we (1) detail existing evidence on effective physical inactivity prevention strategies; (2) introduce economic evaluation and its role in health policy decisions; (3) discuss key challenges in establishing and building health economic evaluation evidence (including accurate and reliable costs and clinical outcome measurement) and (4) provide insight into interpretation of economic evaluations in this critically important field. We found that most methodological challenges are related to (1) accurately and objectively valuing outcomes; (2) determining meaningful clinically important differences in objective measures of physical inactivity; (3) estimating investment and disinvestment costs and (4) addressing barriers to implementation. We propose that guidelines specific for economic evaluations of physical inactivity intervention studies are developed to ensure that related costs and effects are robustly, consistently and accurately measured. This will also facilitate comparisons among future economic evidence. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Adult Roles & Functions. Objective Based Evaluation System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West Virginia State Vocational Curriculum Lab., Cedar Lakes.

This book of objective-based test items is designed to be used with the Adult Roles and Functions curriculum for a non-laboratory home economic course for grades eleven and twelve. It contains item banks for each cognitive objective in the curriculum. In addition, there is a form for the table of specifications to be developed for each unit. This…

Environment, health, and sustainable development: the role of economic instruments and policies.

PubMed Central

Warford, J. J.

1995-01-01

Recent years have seen considerable progress in integrating environmental concerns into the mainstream of development policy and planning. Economic instruments designed explicitly for environmental purposes may help to achieve cost-effective solutions, and generate public revenues. Macroeconomic and sectoral policies may impact heavily upon the environment, and there is much scope for policy reforms that are justified in both economic and environmental terms. Progress in this area has been much more rapid than in the case of health objectives, even though the rationale for environmental improvement is often ultimately related to human health and well-being. It is proposed that lessons from recent experience in the use of economic instruments and policies to achieve environmental objectives are highly relevant for the health sector, which should seek and encourage support for measures that requires consumer and producers of environmentally degrading products to pay for the economic and social costs of the damage resulting from their use. Policy reform at the macroeconomic or sectoral level may yield cost-effective solutions to some health problems, and may even bring about improvements in health status that involve no net cost at all. The countrywide impact of such policies indicate that health agencies, including WHO, should develop the capacity to understand how economic policies and the adjustment process impact upon human health, not only direct through the effect on incomes, but also indirectly, via changes in the natural environment. Ability to conduct rigorous health impact assessment of economic policy reform, which requires a multidisciplinary effort, is a necessary condition if health ministries are to maximize their effectiveness in influencing overall government economic policy. PMID:7614671

Assessment of eco-environmental quality of Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone.

PubMed

Ma, He; Shi, Longyu

2016-05-01

Regional eco-environmental quality is the key and foundation to the sustainable socio-economic development of a region. Eco-environmental quality assessment can reveal the capacity of sustainable socio-economic development in a region and the degree of coordination between social production and the living environment. As part of a new development strategy for Fujian Province, the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone (hereafter referred to as the Economic Zone) provides an important guarantee for the development of China's southeastern coastal area. Based on ecological and remote sensing data on the Economic Zone obtained in 2000, 2005, and 2010, this study investigated county-level administrative regions with a comprehensive index of eco-environmental indicators. An objective weighting method was used to determine the importance of each indicator. This led to the development of an indicator system to assess the eco-environmental quality of the economic zone. ArcGIS software was used to assess the eco-environmental quality of the economic zone based on each indicator. The eco-environmental quality index (EQI) of the county-level administrative regions was calculated. The overall eco-environmental quality of the Economic Zone during the period studied is described and analyzed. The results show that the overall eco-environmental quality of the Economic Zone is satisfactory, but significant intraregional differences still exist. The key to improving the overall eco-environmental quality of this area is to restore vegetation and preserve biodiversity.

Efficient and Equitable Design of Wildfire Mitigation Programs

Treesearch

Thomas P. Holmes; Karen L. Abt; Robert Huggett; Jeffrey P. Prestemon

2007-01-01

Natural resource economists have addresssed the economic effienciency of expenditures on wildfire mitigation for nearly a century (Gope and Gorte 1979). Beginning with the work of Sparhawk (1925), the theory of efficent wildfire mitigation developed alolng conceptual lines drawn form neoclassical economics. The objective of the traditional least-cost-plus-loss model...

Economics and Education for Human Flourishing: Wendell Berry and the "Oikonomic" Alternative to Neoliberalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Joseph A.; Hursh, David W.

2014-01-01

Neoliberal ideologies and policies have transformed how we think about the economy, education, and the environment. Economics is presented as objective and quantifiable, best left to distant experts who develop algorithms regarding different monetary relations in our stead. This same kind of thinking--technical, numerical, decontextualized, and…

Test of Economic Literacy: Discussion Guide and Rationale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soper, John C.

Part of a series which offers educational resources and teaching techniques related to major social issues to high school social studies teachers, the booklet describes and reproduces a test measuring students' economic literacy. Part I is the test manual, which explains the objectives, value, development, and two-form structure of the test. It…

Drivers Behind the PRC’s Port Investments: Cases in Darwin and Sri Lanka

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

Territory Government’s Port of Darwin in Australia and the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. It examines whether security concerns or economic ...objectives are driving Chinese, Australian, and Sri Lankan behavior. Through a detailed analysis of available policy statements and economic data, the thesis...principally motivated by economic goals. They both lack sufficient domestic funds to accomplish their own large-scale port development goals, with Darwin

Domestic Agricultural Subsidies’ Impacts on National Security Objectives Relative to the SOUTHCOM AOR

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-12

x6x75745r2140160 (accessed November 17, 2008). Haggblade, Steven, Peter B. R. Hazell, and Thomas Reardon. Transforming the Rural Nonfarm Economy...Commander‘s Posture Statement to Congress, recognize the role of economic development and liberalized trade in promoting global and regional security...National Security Strategy down to the SOUTHCOM Commander‘s Posture Statement to Congress, recognize the role of economic development and liberalized trade

Assessing economic impacts to coastal recreation and tourism from oil and gas development in the Oregon and Washington Outer Continental Shelf. Inventory and evaluation of Washington and Oregon coastal recreation resources

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

Ellis, G.M.; Johnson, N.S.; Chapman, D.

The purpose of the three-part study was to assist Materials Management Service (MMS) planners in evaluation of the anticipated social impact of proposed oil and gas development on the environment. The purpose of the report is primarily to analyze the econometric models of the Dornbusch study. The authors examine, in detail, key aspects of the gravity, consumer surplus, and economic effects (input-output) models. The purpose is two-fold. First, the authors evaluate the performance of the model in satisfying the objective for which it was developed: analyzing economic impacts of OCS oil and gas development in California. Second, the authors evaluatemore » the applicability of the modeling approach employed in the Dornbusch study for analyzing potential OCS development impacts in Washington and Oregon. At the end of the report, the authors offer suggestions for any future study of economic impacts of OCS development in Washington and Oregon. The recommendations concern future data gathering procedures and alternative modeling approaches for measuring economic impacts.« less

Integrating science, policy and stakeholder perspectives for water resource management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbour, Emily; Allan, Andrew; Whitehead, Paul; Salehin, Mashfiqus; Lazzar, Attila; Lim, Michelle; Munsur Rahman, Md.

2015-04-01

Successful management of water resources requires an integrated approach considering the complex relationships between different biophysical processes, governance frameworks and socio-economic factors. The Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Deltas project has developed a range of socio-economic scenarios using a participatory approach, and applied these across different biophysical models as well as an integrated environmental, socio-economic model of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Delta. This work demonstrates a novel approach through the consideration of multiple ecosystem services and related socio-economic factors in the development of scenarios; the application of these to multiple models at multiple scales; and the participatory approach to improve project outcomes and engage national level stakeholders and policy makers. Scenarios can assist in planning for an uncertain future through exploring plausible alternatives. To adequately assess the potential impacts of future changes and management strategies on water resources, the wider biophysical, socio-economic and governance context needs to be considered. A series of stakeholder workshops have been held in Bangladesh to identify issues of main concern relating to the GBM Delta; to iteratively develop scenario narratives for business as usual, less sustainable, and more sustainable development pathways; and to translate these qualitative scenarios into a quantitative form suitable for analysis. The combined impact of these scenarios and climate change on water quantity and quality within the GBM Basin are demonstrated. Results suggest that climate change is likely to impact on both peak and low flows to a greater extent than most socio-economic changes. However, the diversion of water from the Ganges and Brahmaputra has the potential to significantly impact on water availability in Bangladesh depending on the timing and quantity of diversions. Both climate change and socio-economic scenarios are likely to impact on water quality. This work provides the foundation for investigating the effects of different policy and management interventions in coastal Bangladesh, and exploring trade-offs between different water resource objectives, and other ecosystem, social or economic objectives.

Ecosystem objectives to support the UK vision for the marine environment.

PubMed

Rogers, S I; Tasker, M L; Earll, R; Gubbay, S

2007-02-01

European Maritime States already have commitments to protect species and habitats and maintain quality standards in coastal and offshore waters. These are a direct response to environmental legislation in Europe and commitments made to biodiversity conservation in OSPAR and at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. An integrated approach to management requires that these are consistent with the requirements for sustainable development, and include wider social considerations and active stakeholder participation. This review describes a hierarchical framework that incorporates the marine objectives and delivery statements of ecological, social and economic sectors. The framework leads from the UK's guiding principles for sustainable development, through visionary statements and strategic goals for high level delivery, to operational objectives and statements of action which deliver management. Parts of this hierarchy can already be populated for the UK, especially those at the higher levels. At the operational level, however, there is less clarity. The review shows that, despite some gaps, existing commitments for ecological components of the ecosystem are transparent and generally conform to this framework, due largely to high profile government funding of environmental protection and science and a single national vision for the marine environment. Specific objectives for six components of the ecosystem were developed; benthic habitats, seabirds and mammals, phytoplankton and zooplankton, fish, and physical/chemical quality of the water and atmosphere. The objectives included some that avoided limits and others that aimed to achieve targets, and for management to be effective it will be important to have a common understanding of how these can together be interpreted and made operational. In a review of 13 social and economic sectors, few provided a clear breakdown of objectives leading from a high level vision or a sustainable development principle. Six sectors did not have high level government targets for production or other measures of sectoral performance. Such commercial operations generally determine their own operational delivery targets based on market forces. Recent proposals in Europe to create an integrated framework for social, economic and environmental activities will need to carefully balance the development of a strong and competitive marine economy with existing international obligations to environmental protection.

Measuring research impact in Australia's medical research institutes: a scoping literature review of the objectives for and an assessment of the capabilities of research impact assessment frameworks.

PubMed

Deeming, Simon; Searles, Andrew; Reeves, Penny; Nilsson, Michael

2017-03-21

Realising the economic potential of research institutions, including medical research institutes, represents a policy imperative for many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations. The assessment of research impact has consequently drawn increasing attention. Research impact assessment frameworks (RIAFs) provide a structure to assess research translation, but minimal research has examined whether alternative RIAFs realise the intended policy outcomes. This paper examines the objectives presented for RIAFs in light of economic imperatives to justify ongoing support for health and medical research investment, leverage productivity via commercialisation and outcome-efficiency gains in health systems, and ensure that translation and impact considerations are embedded into the research process. This paper sought to list the stated objectives for RIAFs, to identify existing frameworks and to evaluate whether the identified frameworks possessed the capabilities necessary to address the specified objectives. A scoping review of the literature to identify objectives specified for RIAFs, inform upon descriptive criteria for each objective and identify existing RIAFs. Criteria were derived for each objective. The capability for the existing RIAFs to realise the alternative objectives was evaluated based upon these criteria. The collated objectives for RIAFs included accountability (top-down), transparency/accountability (bottom-up), advocacy, steering, value for money, management/learning and feedback/allocation, prospective orientation, and speed of translation. Of the 25 RIAFs identified, most satisfied objectives such as accountability and advocacy, which are largely sufficient for the first economic imperative to justify research investment. The frameworks primarily designed to optimise the speed of translation or enable the prospective orientation of research possessed qualities most likely to optimise the productive outcomes from research. However, the results show that few frameworks met the criteria for these objectives. It is imperative that the objective(s) for an assessment framework are explicit and that RIAFs are designed to realise these objectives. If the objectives include the capability to pro-actively drive productive research impacts, the potential for prospective orientation and a focus upon the speed of translation merits prioritisation. Frameworks designed to optimise research translation and impact, rather than simply assess impact, offer greater promise to contribute to the economic imperatives compelling their implementation.

Economic selection index development for Beefmaster cattle II: General-purpose breeding objective.

PubMed

Ochsner, K P; MacNeil, M D; Lewis, R M; Spangler, M L

2017-05-01

An economic selection index was developed for Beefmaster cattle in a general-purpose production system in which bulls are mated to a combination of heifers and mature cows, with resulting progeny retained as replacements or sold at weaning. National average prices from 2010 to 2014 were used to establish income and expenses for the system. Genetic parameters were obtained from the literature. Economic values were estimated by simulating 100,000 animals and approximating the partial derivatives of the profit function by perturbing traits 1 at a time, by 1 unit, while holding the other traits constant at their respective means. Relative economic values for the objective traits calving difficultly direct (CDd), calving difficulty maternal (CDm), weaning weight direct (WWd), weaning weight maternal (WWm), mature cow weight (MW), and heifer pregnancy (HP) were -2.11, -1.53, 18.49, 11.28, -33.46, and 1.19, respectively. Consequently, under the scenario assumed herein, the greatest improvements in profitability could be made by decreasing maintenance energy costs associated with MW followed by improvements in weaning weight. The accuracy of the index lies between 0.218 (phenotypic-based index selection) and 0.428 (breeding values known without error). Implementation of this index would facilitate genetic improvement and increase profitability of Beefmaster cattle operations with a general-purpose breeding objective when replacement females are retained and with weaned calves as the sale end point.

Encouraging Asset Development for Low-Income Workers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Resources for Welfare Decisions, 2002

2002-01-01

Asset development is an emerging approach to promoting self-sufficiency for low-income workers. By promoting and rewarding savings, asset development strategies encourage individuals to set long-term economic goals. Asset development strategies can accomplish the following objectives: (1) give low-income workers the knowledge required to navigate…

Home Economics. Sample Test Items. Levels I and II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Educational Testing.

A sample of behavioral objectives and related test items that could be developed for content modules in Home Economics levels I and II, this book is intended to enable teachers to construct more valid and reliable test materials. Forty-eight one-page modules are presented, and opposite each module are listed two to seven specific behavioral…

12 CFR 1805.201 - Certification as a Community Development Financial Institution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... not constitute an opinion by the Fund as to the financial viability of the CDFI or that the CDFI will... improving the social and/or economic conditions of underserved people (which may include Low-Income persons... either (2) Meets at least one of the objective criteria of economic distress as set forth in paragraph (b...

12 CFR 1805.201 - Certification as a Community Development Financial Institution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... not constitute an opinion by the Fund as to the financial viability of the CDFI or that the CDFI will... improving the social and/or economic conditions of underserved people (which may include Low-Income persons... either (2) Meets at least one of the objective criteria of economic distress as set forth in paragraph (b...

12 CFR 1805.201 - Certification as a Community Development Financial Institution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... not constitute an opinion by the Fund as to the financial viability of the CDFI or that the CDFI will... improving the social and/or economic conditions of underserved people (which may include Low-Income persons... either (2) Meets at least one of the objective criteria of economic distress as set forth in paragraph (b...

12 CFR 1805.201 - Certification as a Community Development Financial Institution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... not constitute an opinion by the Fund as to the financial viability of the CDFI or that the CDFI will... improving the social and/or economic conditions of underserved people (which may include Low-Income persons... either (2) Meets at least one of the objective criteria of economic distress as set forth in paragraph (b...

12 CFR 1805.201 - Certification as a Community Development Financial Institution.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... not constitute an opinion by the Fund as to the financial viability of the CDFI or that the CDFI will... improving the social and/or economic conditions of underserved people (which may include Low-Income persons... either (2) Meets at least one of the objective criteria of economic distress as set forth in paragraph (b...

Feasibility Study for Renewable Energy Development on Tribal Lands

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

John Hendrix, Project Director; Charles Weir, Project Manager; Dr. John Plodinec, Technology Advisor

2005-07-21

Project Objective: The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) conducted a study of the feasibility of siting a renewable energy biomass-based installation on tribal lands. The purpose of the study was to determine whether such an installation can be economically sustainable, as well as consistent with the cultural, social, and economic goals of the Tribe. Scope: To achieve the goal of the feasibility study, the following tasks were carried out: (1) Resource availability assessment--The objective of this assessment was to determine the availability of both poultry litter and wood residues for use in the proposed facility. (2) Power utilization assessment--Themore » objective of this assessment was to determine the potential market size for power produced, the existing infrastructure for delivering power to that market, and the costs and economic returns for doing so. (3) Technology review--The objective of this review was to identify one, or more, technical options for detailed economic and technical assessment. The study considered a range of feedstock and product mixtures of poultry litter; wood residues as feedstock; and electrical power and other ancillary products as outputs. Distributed power sources was also examined. Technologies ranging from gasification to systems that produce both power and value-added chemicals were considered. Technologies selected for detailed review were those that can be sized to process the amount of available feed (poultry litter, or poultry litter and wood residues), and that also appear to make economic sense in terms of the value of their inputs. The technology review leaned heavily on the experience from similar prior DOE projects, particularly those conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL was involved in a consultative role, so that the project team could leverage their experience. (4) Systems Design(s)--Based on the technology review, a pre-conceptual design for an installation was developed. This included identification of unit operations and equipment, maintenance, manpower, feedstock requirements, and output (power and any other ancillary products). Energy and mass flows were identified. (5) Manpower development assessment--The objectives of this assessment was to identify training needs for the selected option(s), and determine how they can best be met. Using the manpower estimates from the pre-conceptual system design, skills and training needs were to be identified. A plan for providing the needed manpower was to be developed, and any associated costs determined. (6) Economic assessment--The objective of this assessment was to determine the economic viability and sustainability of the technology option(s) identified through the technical review option. The costs of bringing the feedstock to the proposed facility were combined with nominal operation costs and potential production distribution costs to identify total costs. Revenue from power distribution (and, possibly, from sale of ancillary products) were combined with any possible government credits or payments to identify gross revenue. Economic viability was determined by net revenue and return on investment. A business plan for the selected option was to be produced that would consider long-term sustainability of the project. (7) MBCI compatibility assessment--The objective of this assessment was to determine whether the renewable energy technology was compatible with the MBCI's cultural, social and economic values. As part of this assessment, the environmental impacts and benefits were to be determined (Environmental stewardship is an important part of the Choctaw culture.). The effects of a project on employment were projected. The compatibility of the renewable energy project with MBCI cultural and social values were determined. Most importantly, the compatibility of the renewable energy installation with the MBCIs economic development goals and directions were determined. A project team led by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) conducted the feasibility study. The team included the Mississippi Alternative Energy Enterprise (MAEE), the Mississippi State University Food and Fiber Center, Mississippi State University Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory (DIAL), and the Mississippi State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This report and its findings are based on the best available data existing during the covering period and the analysis reflects good faith estimates and assumptions of factors for a biomass-based renewable energy project for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and any conclusions or finding herein should not be extrapolated to other areas of the country.« less

Non-technical impediments to maglev development : a lesson learned study of the Florida Maglev Demonstration Project

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-04-01

The objective of this paper is to study lessons learned, to date, from the Orlando experience. Particular attention will be given to the economics of competing modes in the private and public section. That objective will entail identifying the groups...

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pessemier, Edgar A.

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

Impact of solar-energy development. The aggregate impact on basic economic objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, A.; Kirschner, C.; Roach, F.

Two categories of incentives for the development of solar energy are described: those that increase the benefits associated with the ownership of a solar energy system and those that reduce the cost of the system. The impact of two alternative programs are presented. Short run and long run impacts expected to result from the installation of passive solar designs on existing housing rock are distinguished. Impacts associated with a program to deregulate natural gas and one combining tax credits and low interest loans are compared. The impacts of solar programs on seven basic economic goals are analyzed. The goals are full employment, price stability, economic efficienty, equitable distribution of income, economic growth, balancing the federal budget, and a strong national defense.

Strategies in disability management. Corporate disability management programs implemented at the work site.

PubMed

Kalina, C M

1999-10-30

Managers are challenged to demonstrate all programs as economically essential to the business, generating an appreciable return on investment. Further challenge exists to blend and integrate clinical and business objectives in program development. Disability management programs must be viewed as economically essential to the financial success of the business to assure management support for clinical interventions and return-to-work strategies essential for a successful program. This paper discusses a disability management program integrating clinical and business goals and objectives in return-to-work strategies to effect positive clinical, social-cultural, and business results. Clinical, educational, social, and economic challenges in the development, implementation, and continued management of a disability program at a large corporation with multiple global work sites are defined. Continued discussion addresses the effective clinical interventions and educational strategies utilized successfully within the workplace environment in response to each defined challenge. A multiple disciplinary team approach, clinical and business outcome measures, and quality assurance indicators are discussed as major program components. This article discusses a successful program approach focusing on business process and methodology. These parameters are used to link resources to strategy, developing a product for implementing and managing a program demonstrating economic value added through effective clinical medical case management.

Health of midlife and older adults in China: the role of regional economic development, inequality, and institutional setting.

PubMed

Ding, Xuejie; Billari, Francesco C; Gietel-Basten, Stuart

2017-11-01

To document the association between economic development, income inequality, and health-related public infrastructure, and health outcomes among Chinese adults in midlife and older age. We use a series of multi-level regression models with individual-level baseline data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS). Provincial-level data are obtained both from official statistics and from CHARLS itself. Multi-level models are estimated with different subjective and objective health outcomes. Economic growth is associated with better self-rated health, but also with obesity. Better health infrastructure tends to be negatively associated with health outcomes, indicating the likely presence of reverse causality. No supportive evidence is found for the hypothesis that income inequality leads to worse health outcomes. Our study shows that on top of individual characteristics, provincial variations in economic development, income inequality, and health infrastructure are associated with a range of health outcomes for Chinese midlife and older adults. Economic development in China might also bring adverse health outcomes for this age group; as such specific policy responses need to be developed.

A framework for sustainable invasive species management: environmental, social and economic objectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, Diane L.; Phillips-Mao, Laura; Quiram, Gina; Sharpe, Leah; Stark, Rebecca; Sugita, Shinya; Weiler, Annie

2011-01-01

Applying the concept of sustainability to invasive species management (ISM) is challenging but necessary, given the increasing rates of invasion and the high costs of invasion impacts and control. To be sustainable, ISM must address environmental, social, and economic factors (or *pillars*) that influence the causes, impacts, and control of invasive species across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Although these pillars are generally acknowledged, their implementation is often limited by insufficient control options and significant economic and political constraints. In this paper, we outline specific objectives in each of these three *pillars* that, if incorporated into a management plan, will improve the plan's likelihood of sustainability. We then examine three case studies that illustrate how these objectives can be effectively implemented. Each pillar reinforces the others, such that the inclusion of even a few of the outlined objectives will lead to more effective management that achieves ecological goals, while generating social support and long-term funding to maintain projects to completion. We encourage agency directors and policy-makers to consider sustainability principles when developing funding schemes, management agendas, and policy.

The economic case for precision medicine.

PubMed

Gavan, Sean P; Thompson, Alexander J; Payne, Katherine

2018-01-01

Introduction : The advancement of precision medicine into routine clinical practice has been highlighted as an agenda for national and international health care policy. A principle barrier to this advancement is in meeting requirements of the payer or reimbursement agency for health care. This special report aims to explain the economic case for precision medicine, by accounting for the explicit objectives defined by decision-makers responsible for the allocation of limited health care resources. Areas covered : The framework of cost-effectiveness analysis, a method of economic evaluation, is used to describe how precision medicine can, in theory, exploit identifiable patient-level heterogeneity to improve population health outcomes and the relative cost-effectiveness of health care. Four case studies are used to illustrate potential challenges when demonstrating the economic case for a precision medicine in practice. Expert commentary : The economic case for a precision medicine should be considered at an early stage during its research and development phase. Clinical and economic evidence can be generated iteratively and should be in alignment with the objectives and requirements of decision-makers. Programmes of further research, to demonstrate the economic case of a precision medicine, can be prioritized by the extent that they reduce the uncertainty expressed by decision-makers.

The economic case for precision medicine

PubMed Central

Gavan, Sean P.; Thompson, Alexander J.; Payne, Katherine

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Introduction: The advancement of precision medicine into routine clinical practice has been highlighted as an agenda for national and international health care policy. A principle barrier to this advancement is in meeting requirements of the payer or reimbursement agency for health care. This special report aims to explain the economic case for precision medicine, by accounting for the explicit objectives defined by decision-makers responsible for the allocation of limited health care resources. Areas covered: The framework of cost-effectiveness analysis, a method of economic evaluation, is used to describe how precision medicine can, in theory, exploit identifiable patient-level heterogeneity to improve population health outcomes and the relative cost-effectiveness of health care. Four case studies are used to illustrate potential challenges when demonstrating the economic case for a precision medicine in practice. Expert commentary: The economic case for a precision medicine should be considered at an early stage during its research and development phase. Clinical and economic evidence can be generated iteratively and should be in alignment with the objectives and requirements of decision-makers. Programmes of further research, to demonstrate the economic case of a precision medicine, can be prioritized by the extent that they reduce the uncertainty expressed by decision-makers. PMID:29682615

Development and Climate Change: A Mainstreaming Approach for Assessing Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Adaptation Measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halsnæs, Kirsten; Trærup, Sara

2009-05-01

The paper introduces the so-called climate change mainstreaming approach, where vulnerability and adaptation measures are assessed in the context of general development policy objectives. The approach is based on the application of a limited set of indicators. These indicators are selected as representatives of focal development policy objectives, and a stepwise approach for addressing climate change impacts, development linkages, and the economic, social and environmental dimensions related to vulnerability and adaptation are introduced. Within this context it is illustrated using three case studies how development policy indicators in practice can be used to assess climate change impacts and adaptation measures based on three case studies, namely a road project in flood prone areas of Mozambique, rainwater harvesting in the agricultural sector in Tanzania and malaria protection in Tanzania. The conclusions of the paper confirm that climate risks can be reduced at relatively low costs, but the uncertainty is still remaining about some of the wider development impacts of implementing climate change adaptation measures.

Development and climate change: a mainstreaming approach for assessing economic, social, and environmental impacts of adaptation measures.

PubMed

Halsnaes, Kirsten; Traerup, Sara

2009-05-01

The paper introduces the so-called climate change mainstreaming approach, where vulnerability and adaptation measures are assessed in the context of general development policy objectives. The approach is based on the application of a limited set of indicators. These indicators are selected as representatives of focal development policy objectives, and a stepwise approach for addressing climate change impacts, development linkages, and the economic, social and environmental dimensions related to vulnerability and adaptation are introduced. Within this context it is illustrated using three case studies how development policy indicators in practice can be used to assess climate change impacts and adaptation measures based on three case studies, namely a road project in flood prone areas of Mozambique, rainwater harvesting in the agricultural sector in Tanzania and malaria protection in Tanzania. The conclusions of the paper confirm that climate risks can be reduced at relatively low costs, but the uncertainty is still remaining about some of the wider development impacts of implementing climate change adaptation measures.

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

Weldu, Yemane W., E-mail: ywweldem@ucalgary.ca; Assefa, Getachew; Athena Chair in Life Cycle Assessment in Design

A roadmap for a more sustainable energy strategy is complex, as its development interacts critically with the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. This paper applied an impact matrix method to evaluate the environmental sustainability and to identify the desirable policy objectives of biomass-based energy strategy for the case of Alberta. A matrix with the sustainability domains on one axis and areas of environmental impact on the other was presented to evaluate the nexus effect of policy objectives and bioenergy production. As per to our analysis, economic diversification, technological innovation, and resource conservation came up as the desirablemore » policy objectives of sustainable development for Alberta because they demonstrated environmental benefits in all environmental impact categories, namely climate change, human health, and ecosystem. On the other hand, human health and ecosystem impacts were identified as trade-offs when the policy objectives for sustainability were energy security, job creation, and climate change. Thus, bioenergy can mitigate climate change but may impact human health and ecosystem which then in turn can become issues of concern. Energy strategies may result in shifting of risks from one environmental impact category to another, and from one sustainable domain to another if the technical and policy-related issues are not identified.« less

Commercial objectives, technology transfer, and systems analysis for fusion power development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dean, Stephen O.

1988-03-01

Fusion is an essentially inexhaustible source of energy that has the potential for economically attractive commercial applications with excellent safety and environmental characteristics. The primary focus for the fusion-energy development program is the generation of centralstation electricity. Fusion has the potential, however, for many other applications. The fact that a large fraction of the energy released in a DT fusion reaction is carried by high-energy neutrons suggests potentially unique applications. These include breeding of fissile fuels, production of hydrogen and other chemical products, transmutation or “burning” of various nuclear or chemical wastes, radiation processing of materials, production of radioisotopes, food preservation, medical diagnosis and medical treatment, and space power and space propulsion. In addition, fusion R&D will lead to new products and new markets. Each fusion application must meet certain standards of economic and safety and environmental attractiveness. For this reason, economics on the one hand, and safety and environment and licensing on the other hand, are the two primary criteria for setting long-range commercial fusion objectives. A major function of systems analysis is to evaluate the potential of fusion against these objectives and to help guide the fusion R&D program toward practical applications. The transfer of fusion technology and skills from the national laboratories and universities to industry is the key to achieving the long-range objective of commercial fusion applications.

The Biofuels Revolution: Understanding the Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts of Biofuels Development on Rural Communities

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

Selfa, Theresa L; Goe, Richard; Kulcsar, Laszlo

2013-02-11

The aim of this research was an in-depth analysis of the impacts of biofuels industry and ethanol plants on six rural communities in the Midwestern states of Kansas and Iowa. The goal was to provide a better understanding of the social, cultural, and economic implications of biofuels development, and to contribute to more informed policy development regarding bioenergy.Specific project objectives were: 1. To understand how the growth of biofuel production has affected and will affect Midwestern farmers and rural communities in terms of economic, demographic, and socio-cultural impacts; 2. To determine how state agencies, groundwater management districts, local governments andmore » policy makers evaluate or manage bioenergy development in relation to competing demands for economic growth, diminishing water resources, and social considerations; 3. To determine the factors that influence the water management practices of agricultural producers in Kansas and Iowa (e.g. geographic setting, water management institutions, competing water-use demands as well as producers attitudes, beliefs, and values) and how these influences relate to bioenergy feedstock production and biofuel processing; 4. To determine the relative importance of social-cultural, environmental and/or economic factors in the promotion of biofuels development and expansion in rural communities; The research objectives were met through the completion of six detailed case studies of rural communities that are current or planned locations for ethanol biorefineries. Of the six case studies, two will be conducted on rural communities in Iowa and four will be conducted on rural communities in Kansas. A multi-method or mixed method research methodology was employed for each case study.« less

Reproductive rights approach to reproductive health in developing countries

PubMed Central

Pillai, Vijayan K.; Gupta, Rashmi

2011-01-01

Background Research on reproductive health in developing countries focuses mostly on the role of economic development on various components of reproductive health. Cross-sectional and empirical research studies in particular on the effects of non-economic factors such as reproductive rights remain few and far between. Objective This study investigates the influence of two components of an empowerment strategy, gender equality, and reproductive rights on women's reproductive health in developing countries. The empowerment strategy for improving reproductive health is theoretically situated on a number of background factors such as economic and social development. Design Cross-national socioeconomic and demographic data from a number of international organizations on 142 developing countries are used to test a model of reproductive rights and reproductive health. Results The findings suggest that both economic and democratic development have significant positive effects on levels of gender equality. The level of social development plays a prominent role in promoting reproductive rights. It is found that reproductive rights channel the influences of social structural factors and gender equality on reproductive health. PMID:22184501

18 CFR 708.3 - Policy, objectives, and standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... program developed by the Commission as part of the Master Plan are: (1) To develop awareness of public... officials. In developing the plan, the Commission is required to identify various economic, recreational... program of public participation involving fair representation of all segments of the public. The public...

Programs of Interest to Indians and Metis Administered by The Department of Regional Economic Expansion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassirer, E.

The primary objective of the report is to describe and clarify those departmental projects which help Indians and Metis move into the economic mainstream of Canadian life. More specifically, it examines programs used by Indians and Metis which are carried out in Western, Central, and Eastern Canada, under the Agricultural and Rural Development Act…

Fire Safety for Consumers. Economics (High School). Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the high school economics component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. It is designed to meet the age-specific needs of eleventh and twelfth grade students. Objectives include: (1) developing an awareness of adult responsibilities to preserve family, property, and economy; (2) preparing for…

Water security for productive economies: Applying an assessment framework in southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmatov, Bunyod; Lautze, Jonathan; Manthrithilake, Herath; Makin, Ian

2017-08-01

Achieving water security has emerged as a major objective in Africa, yet an analytical or diagnostic framework for assessing water security in African countries is not known to exist. This paper applies one key dimension of the 2016 Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) to assess levels of water security for productive economies in countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Economic aspects of water security cover four areas: economic activities in the broad sense, agriculture, electricity, and industry. Water security in each area is measured through application of a set of indicators; results of indicator application are then aggregated to determine economic water security at a country-level. Results show that economic water security in SADC is greatest in the Seychelles and South Africa, and lowest in Madagascar and Malawi. Opportunities for strengthening economic water security in the majority of SADC countries exist through improving agricultural water productivity, strengthening resilience, and expanding sustainable electricity generation. More profoundly, this paper suggests that there is clear potential and utility in applying approaches used elsewhere to assess economic water security in southern Africa.

Considering social and environmental concerns as reservoir operating objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilmant, A.; Georis, B.; Doulliez, P.

2003-04-01

Sustainability principles are now widely recognized as key criteria for water resource development schemes, such as hydroelectric and multipurpose reservoirs. Development decisions no longer rely solely on economic grounds, but also consider environmental and social concerns through the so-called environmental and social impact assessments. The objective of this paper is to show that environmental and social concerns can also be addressed in the management (operation) of existing or projected reservoir schemes. By either adequately exploiting the results of environmental and social impact assessments, or by carrying out survey of water users, experts and managers, efficient (Pareto optimal) reservoir operating rules can be derived using flexible mathematical programming techniques. By reformulating the problem as a multistage flexible constraint satisfaction problem, incommensurable and subjective operating objectives can contribute, along with classical economic objectives, to the determination of optimal release decisions. Employed in a simulation mode, the results can be used to assess the long-term impacts of various operating rules on the social well-being of affected populations as well as on the integrity of the environment. The methodology is illustrated with a reservoir reallocation problem in Chile.

Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology, Quarterly report, October 1995--December 1995

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

Pope, G.A.; Sepehrnoori, K.

1995-12-31

The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost. In this quarter, we have continued working on Task 2 to optimizemore » surfactant flooding design and have included economic analysis to the optimization process. An economic model was developed using a spreadsheet and the discounted cash flow (DCF) method of economic analysis. The model was designed specifically for a domestic onshore surfactant flood and has been used to economically evaluate previous work that used a technical approach to optimization. The DCF model outputs common economic decision making criteria, such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period.« less

Swedish Support to Non-Formal Adult Education Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).

This document presents an overview of support for economic development provided by the Swedish government to a variety of nonformal adult education programs in developing nations (mostly in Africa). The four sections of the report provide details of the following: (1) scope, objectives, and methods of Swedish development cooperation; (2) the…

Teaching about Developing Nations: The Role of Food and Hunger.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Ellen Hayes, Comp.; Harrell, Patricia S., Comp.

This 7-unit curriculum guide presents a factual basis for understanding the global implications of hunger and poverty in developing countries and their effects on political stability and peace, economic and development productivity, and the well-being of families. The philosophy, rationale and objectives of the International Service Association…

The Role of Higher Education in Equitable Human Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peercy, Chavanne; Svenson, Nanette

2016-01-01

As developing countries continue to battle poverty despite strong economic growth, understanding the relationship between equity and human development becomes increasingly important. In this context, equity is not equivalent to equality for any specific outcome such as health status, education or income. It is an objective ideal whereby people's…

Multi-objective, multiple participant decision support for water management in the Andarax catchment, Almeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Cauwenbergh, N.; Pinte, D.; Tilmant, A.; Frances, I.; Pulido-Bosch, A.; Vanclooster, M.

2008-04-01

Water management in the Andarax river basin (Almeria, Spain) is a multi-objective, multi-participant, long-term decision-making problem that faces several challenges. Adequate water allocation needs informed decisions to meet increasing socio-economic demands while respecting the environmental integrity of this basin. Key players in the Andarax water sector include the municipality of Almeria, the irrigators involved in the intensive greenhouse agricultural sector, and booming second residences. A decision support system (DSS) is developed to rank different sustainable planning and management alternatives according to their socio-economic and environmental performance. The DSS is intimately linked to sustainability indicators and is designed through a public participation process. Indicators are linked to criteria reflecting stakeholders concerns in the 2005 field survey, such as fulfilling water demand, water price, technical and economical efficiency, social and environmental impacts. Indicators can be partly quantified after simulating the operation of the groundwater reservoir over a 20-year planning period and partly through a parallel expert evaluation process. To predict the impact of future water demand in the catchment, several development scenarios are designed to be evaluated in the DSS. The successive multi-criteria analysis of the performance indicators permits the ranking of the different management alternatives according to the multiple objectives formulated by the different sectors/participants. This allows more informed and transparent decision-making processes for the Andarax river basin, recognizing both the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of water resources management.

Economic weights for maternal traits of sows, including sow longevity.

PubMed

Amer, P R; Ludemann, C I; Hermesch, S

2014-12-01

The objective of this study was to develop a transparent, comprehensive, and flexible model for each trait for the formulation of breeding objectives for sow traits in swine breeding programs. Economic values were derived from submodels considering a typical Australian pig production system. Differences in timing and expressions of traits were accounted for to derive economic weights that were compared on the basis of their relative size after multiplication by their corresponding genetic standard deviation to account for differences in scale and genetic variability present for each trait. The number of piglets born alive had the greatest contribution (27.1%) to a subindex containing only maternal traits, followed by daily gain (maternal; 22.0%) and sow mature weight (15.0%). Other traits considered in the maternal breeding objective were preweaning survival (11.8%), sow longevity (12.5%), gilt age at puberty (8.7%), and piglet survival at birth (3.1%). The economic weights for number of piglets born alive and preweaning piglet survival were found to be highly dependent on the definition of scale of enterprise, with each economic value increasing by approximately 100% when it was assumed that the value of extra output per sow could be captured, rather than assuming a consequent reduction in the number of sows to maintain a constant level of output from a farm enterprise. In the context of a full maternal line index that must account also for the expression of direct genetic traits by the growing piglet progeny of sows, the maternal traits contributed approximately half of the variation in the overall breeding objective. Deployment of more comprehensive maternal line indexes incorporating the new maternal traits described would lead to more balanced selection outcomes and improved survival of pigs. Future work could facilitate evaluation of the economic impacts of desired-gains indexes, which could further improve animal welfare through improved sow and piglet survival. The results justify further development of selection criteria and breeding value prediction systems for a wider range of maternal traits relevant to pig production systems.

Early Childhood Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Edgar, Ed.

1989-01-01

Focused on early childhood development, this "UNICEF Intercom" asserts that developmental programs should aim to give children a fair chance at growth beyond survival. First presented are moral, scientific, social equity, economic, population, and programatic arguments for looking beyond the fundamental objective of saving young lives.…

NREL: International Activities Home Page

Science.gov Websites

key international strategic objectives: economic development, energy security, and environmental protection at home and abroad. NREL's international work spans our full range of capabilities, which includes three primary areas of expertise: research and development, energy analysis, and commercialization and

Simulation System for Making Political and Macroeconomical Decisions and Its Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vnukov, A. A.; Blinov, A. E.

2018-01-01

Object of this research are macroeconomic indicators, which are important to descript economic situation in a country. Purpose of this work is to identify these indicators and to analyze how the state can affect these figures with available instruments. Here was constructed a model where the targets can be calculated from raw data - tools in the field of economic policy. Software code that implements all relations among the indicators and allows to analyze with high accuracy, sufficiently successful economic policies and with the help of some tools, you can achieve better results. This model can be used to forecast macroeconomic scenarios. The corresponding values of the objective (outcome) variables are set as a consequence of the configuration data of the previous period, subject to external influences and depend on the instrumental variables. The results may be useful in economical predictions. The results were successfully checked on real scenarios of Russian, European and Chinese economics. Moreover, the results can be applied in the field of education. Program is available to use as “economical game” the educational process of the University, in which you can virtually implement various macroeconomic scenarios, draw conclusions about their success.

The management and design of economic development projects: A case study of World Bank electricity projects in Egypt

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

El Sabaa, S.M.

1992-01-01

This study is concerned with the efficiency of World Bank projects in Egypt. The study seeks improvements in the methods of evaluating public sector projects in Egypt. To approaches are employed: (1) project identification to optimally allocate Egypt's and World Bank's resources; (2) project appraisal to assess the economic viability and efficiency of investments. The electricity sector is compared with the agriculture sector as a means of employing project identification for priority ordering of investment for development in Egypt. The key criteria for evaluation are the impacts of developments of each sector upon Egypt's national objectives and needs. These includemore » employment opportunities, growth, alleviation of poverty, cross comparison of per capita consumption in each sector, economic rate of return, national security, balance of payments and foreign debt. The allocation of scarce investments would have been more efficient in agriculture than in electricity in meeting Egypt's national objectives and needs. World Bank lending programs in Egypt reveal a priority ordering of electricity over agriculture and rural development. World Bank development projects in Egypt have not been optimally identified, and its programs have not followed an efficient allocation of World Bank's and Egypt's resources. The key parameters in evaluating economic viability and efficiency of development projects are: (1) the discount rate (the opportunity cost of public funds); (2) the exchange rate; and (3) the cost of major inputs, as approximated by shadow prices of labor, water, electricity, and transportation for development projects. Alternative approaches to estimating the opportunity cost of public funds are made. The parameters in evaluating the efficiency of projects have not been accurately estimated in the appraisal stage of the World Bank projects in Egypt, resulting in false or misleading information concerning the economic viability and efficiency of the projects.« less

Optimization of Land Use Suitability for Agriculture Using Integrated Geospatial Model and Genetic Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansor, S. B.; Pormanafi, S.; Mahmud, A. R. B.; Pirasteh, S.

2012-08-01

In this study, a geospatial model for land use allocation was developed from the view of simulating the biological autonomous adaptability to environment and the infrastructural preference. The model was developed based on multi-agent genetic algorithm. The model was customized to accommodate the constraint set for the study area, namely the resource saving and environmental-friendly. The model was then applied to solve the practical multi-objective spatial optimization allocation problems of land use in the core region of Menderjan Basin in Iran. The first task was to study the dominant crops and economic suitability evaluation of land. Second task was to determine the fitness function for the genetic algorithms. The third objective was to optimize the land use map using economical benefits. The results has indicated that the proposed model has much better performance for solving complex multi-objective spatial optimization allocation problems and it is a promising method for generating land use alternatives for further consideration in spatial decision-making.

Selection of reservoirs amenable to micellar flooding. First annual report, October 1978-December 1979

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

Goldburg, A.; Price, H.

The overall project objective is to build a solid engineering base upon which the Department of Energy (DOE) can improve and accelerate the application of micellar-polymer recovery technology to Mid-Continent and California sandstone reservoirs. The purpose of the work carried out under these two contracts is to significantly aid, both DOE and the private sector, in gaining the following Project Objectives: to select the better micellar-polymer prospects in the Mid-Continent and California regions; to assess all of the available field and laboratory data which has a bearing on recovering oil by micellar-polymer projects in order to help identify and resolvemore » both the technical and economic constraints relating thereto; and to design and analyze improved field pilots and tests and to develop a micellar-polymer applications matrix for use by the potential technology users; i.e., owner/operators. The report includes the following: executive summary and project objectives; development of a predictive model for economic evaluation of reservoirs; reservoir data bank for micellar-polymer recovery evaluation; PECON program for preliminary economic evaluation; ordering of candidate reservoirs for additional data acquisition; validation of predictive model by numerical simulation; and work forecast. Tables, figures and references are included.« less

DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A MODEL DESCRIBING THE FLOW OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION INTO THE SECONDARY VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL. FINAL REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SILVERN, LEONARD C.

THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THIS FEASIBILITY STUDY WERE (1) TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION SOURCES WHICH FURNISH OCCUPATIONAL AND ECONOMIC DATA TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS, (2) TO SELECT THOSE SOURCES WHICH ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE A MEASURABLE INFLUENCE ON THE VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM, AND (3) TO CATEGORIZE, RELATE, AND COMBINE OR RESTRUCTURE THOSE SOURCES INTO A…

Interrelating Selected Aspects of Home Economics and Physical Education for a Health Program in the Middle School at the Sixth Grade Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Virginia Malzahn

This study was conducted to develop, implement, and evaluate a 9-week unit interrelating the health aspects of home economics and physical education at the sixth grade level. The curriculum, which emphasizes physical, social, and mental health, was designed by: (1) diagnosing needs of the students, (2) formulating specific objectives, (3)…

Economical and crack-free high-performance concrete for pavement and transportation infrastructure construction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-05-01

The main objective of this research is to develop and validate the behavior of a new class of environmentally friendly and costeffective : high-performance concrete (HPC) referred to herein as Eco-HPC. The proposed project aimed at developing two cla...

Challenges Faced by Development Partners in Supporting the Growth and Development of Commercial Enterprises in Lira District, Northern Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eton, Marus; Mwirumubi, Richard; Edaku, Charles

2017-01-01

Entrepreneurship is defined as the process where an individual discovers, evaluates and exploit opportunities independently. Most countries have embraced entrepreneurship development as ways of creating employment and economic growth and development. The objective of the study was to examine the challenges faced by commercial enterprises in Lira…

Healthy public policy in poor countries: tackling macro-economic policies.

PubMed

Mohindra, K S

2007-06-01

Large segments of the population in poor countries continue to suffer from a high level of unmet health needs, requiring macro-level, broad-based interventions. Healthy public policy, a key health promotion strategy, aims to put health on the agenda of policy makers across sectors and levels of government. Macro-economic policy in developing countries has thus far not adequately captured the attention of health promotion researchers. This paper argues that healthy public policy should not only be an objective in rich countries, but also in poor countries. This paper takes up this issue by reviewing the main macro-economic aid programs offered by international financial institutions as a response to economic crises and unmanageable debt burdens. Although health promotion researchers were largely absent during a key debate on structural adjustment programs and health during the 1980s and 1990s, the international macro-economic policy tool currently in play offers a new opportunity to participate in assessing these policies, ensuring new forms of macro-economic policy interventions do not simply reproduce patterns of (neoliberal) economics-dominated development policy.

Metabolizable protein supply alters pregnancy and subsequent retention rate during heifer development while grazing dormant winter forage

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Type of heifer development system can have major impact on the future productivity and retention rate of the cowherd. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine growth, reproductive performance, retention rate, and economic efficiency of heifer’s developed in a range raised (with ...

Personal and Social Development in Post-compulsory Education in the UK and Mexico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Christopher

1996-01-01

Compares the role of post-compulsory technical education in less developed countries and in developed market economies. Argues that England, by displacing education with skill accreditation, has turned the student into an object of economic policy. Mexico remains focused on a crude program designed to "modernize" the "ignorant"…

Economical assessment of private sector for power generation in Egypt

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

El-Zeftawy, A.A.

1992-09-01

The objective of this paper is to develop a renewable energy source as a private generation system, PGS. A proposed approach is presented for this issue which includes economical model for deducing the rate of return on the capital invested under different utilization modes. These modes are; stand-alone system, distribution - PGS connection and PGS central power station. The proposed approach has been used for operating the photovoltaic and wind energy systems as PGSs at different sites in Egypt. A number of measures are developed concerning this point.

Balancing Conservation with National Development: A Socio-Economic Case Study of the Alternatives to the Serengeti Road.

PubMed

Hopcraft, J Grant C; Bigurube, Gerald; Lembeli, James Daudi; Borner, Markus

2015-01-01

Developing countries often have rich natural resources but poor infrastructure to capitalize on them, which leads to significant challenges in terms of balancing poverty alleviation with conservation. The underlying premise in development strategies is to increase the socio-economic welfare of the people while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability, however these objectives are often in direct conflict. National progress is dependent on developing infrastructure such as effective transportation networks, however roads can be ecologically catastrophic in terms of disrupting habitat connectivity and facilitating illegal activity. How can national development and conservation be balanced? The proposed Serengeti road epitomizes the conflict between poverty alleviation on one hand, and the conservation of a critical ecosystem on the other. We use the Serengeti as an exemplar case-study in which the relative economic and social benefits of a road can be assessed against the ecological impacts. Specifically, we compare three possible transportation routes and ask which route maximizes the socio-economic returns for the people while minimizing the ecological costs. The findings suggest that one route in particular that circumnavigates the Serengeti links the greatest number of small and medium sized entrepreneurial businesses to the largest labour force in the region. Furthermore, this route connects the most children to schools, provisions the greatest access to hospitals, and opens the most fertile crop and livestock production areas, and does not compromise the ecology and tourism revenue of the Serengeti. This route would improve Tanzania's food security and self-reliance and would facilitate future infrastructure development which would not be possible if the road were to pass through the Serengeti. This case study provides a compelling example of how a detailed spatial analysis can balance the national objectives of poverty alleviation while maintaining ecological integrity.

Balancing Conservation with National Development: A Socio-Economic Case Study of the Alternatives to the Serengeti Road

PubMed Central

Hopcraft, J. Grant C.; Bigurube, Gerald; Lembeli, James Daudi; Borner, Markus

2015-01-01

Developing countries often have rich natural resources but poor infrastructure to capitalize on them, which leads to significant challenges in terms of balancing poverty alleviation with conservation. The underlying premise in development strategies is to increase the socio-economic welfare of the people while simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability, however these objectives are often in direct conflict. National progress is dependent on developing infrastructure such as effective transportation networks, however roads can be ecologically catastrophic in terms of disrupting habitat connectivity and facilitating illegal activity. How can national development and conservation be balanced? The proposed Serengeti road epitomizes the conflict between poverty alleviation on one hand, and the conservation of a critical ecosystem on the other. We use the Serengeti as an exemplar case-study in which the relative economic and social benefits of a road can be assessed against the ecological impacts. Specifically, we compare three possible transportation routes and ask which route maximizes the socio-economic returns for the people while minimizing the ecological costs. The findings suggest that one route in particular that circumnavigates the Serengeti links the greatest number of small and medium sized entrepreneurial businesses to the largest labour force in the region. Furthermore, this route connects the most children to schools, provisions the greatest access to hospitals, and opens the most fertile crop and livestock production areas, and does not compromise the ecology and tourism revenue of the Serengeti. This route would improve Tanzania’s food security and self-reliance and would facilitate future infrastructure development which would not be possible if the road were to pass through the Serengeti. This case study provides a compelling example of how a detailed spatial analysis can balance the national objectives of poverty alleviation while maintaining ecological integrity. PMID:26200107

Cost Effectiveness of Research and Development Related to Railroad Electrification in the United States

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-12-01

The object of this report is to determine the impact of research and development on railroad electrification in the United States. It is presumed that electrification is economically viable and that a prior commitment has been made to electrifying th...

SCSD: An Interim Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

Following a brief history and explication of the School Construction System Development Project, descriptions of a group of standard building components developed to satisfy three objective are presented--(1) to build better schools, (2) to build them more economically, and (3) to build them more rapidly. Detailed structural and performance…

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner. Program review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Progress in the effort to develop a residential solar-powered air conditioning system is reported. The topics covered include the objectives, scope and status of the program. The results of state-of-art, design, and economic studies and component and system data are also presented.

Isolating social influences on vulnerability to earthquake shaking: identifying cost-effective mitigation strategies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhloscaidh, Mairead Nic; McCloskey, John; Pelling, Mark; Naylor, Mark

2013-04-01

Until expensive engineering solutions become more universally available, the objective targeting of resources at demonstrably effective, low-cost interventions might help reverse the trend of increasing mortality in earthquakes. Death tolls in earthquakes are the result of complex interactions between physical effects, such as the exposure of the population to strong shaking, and the resilience of the exposed population along with supporting critical infrastructures and institutions. The identification of socio-economic factors that contribute to earthquake mortality is crucial to identifying and developing successful risk management strategies. Here we develop a quantitative methodology more objectively to assess the ability of communities to withstand earthquake shaking, focusing on, in particular, those cases where risk management performance appears to exceed or fall below expectations based on economic status. Using only published estimates of the shaking intensity and population exposure for each earthquake, data that is available for earthquakes in countries irrespective of their level of economic development, we develop a model for mortality based on the contribution of population exposure to shaking only. This represents an attempt to remove, as far as possible, the physical causes of mortality from our analysis (where we consider earthquake engineering to reduce building collapse among the socio-economic influences). The systematic part of the variance with respect to this model can therefore be expected to be dominated by socio-economic factors. We find, as expected, that this purely physical analysis partitions countries in terms of basic socio-economic measures, for example GDP, focusing analytical attention on the power of economic measures to explain variance in observed distributions of earthquake risk. The model allows the definition of a vulnerability index which, although broadly it demonstrates the expected income-dependence of vulnerability to strong shaking, also identifies both anomalously resilient and anomalously vulnerable countries. We argue that this approach has the potential to direct sociological investigations to expose the underlying causes of the observed non-economic differentiation of vulnerability. At one level, closer study of the earthquakes represented by these data points might expose local or national interventions which are increasing resilience of communities to strong shaking in the absence of major national investment. Ultimately it may contribute to the development of a quantitative evaluation of risk management effectiveness at the national level that can be used better to target and track risk management investments.

Our Needs and Wants: Green Power. Grade One, Unit Four, 1.4. Comprehensive Social Studies Curriculum for the Inner City.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Mary Louise; And Others

Objectives of the fourth unit of the first grade section of the Focus on Inner City Social Studies (FICSS) series (see SO 008 271) are to help the student develop an understanding of his needs and his economic environment. The many learning activities, focus on the economic system -- consumers, money, exchange of goods, use of resources,…

The Hidden Benefits of Part-Time Higher Education Study to Working Practices: Is There a Case for Making Them More Visible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callender, Claire; Little, Brenda

2015-01-01

Within the UK, part-time study is now seen as important in meeting wider government objectives for higher education (HE) and for sustainable economic growth through skills development. Yet, measures to capture the impact of HE may not be wholly appropriate to part-time study. In particular, the continuing focus on tangible, economic measures may…

Mechanism of Determination of Effectiveness of Spending Assets of Endowment Funds on the Basis of Mathematical Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sazonov, Sergey; Kharlamova, Ekaterina; Chekhovskaya, Irina; Polyanskaya, Elena

2017-01-01

Purpose: Economic problems of the system of education were the object of interest of classics of economic science--A. Smith and A. Marshall--who viewed education as a source of public capital, and acquired skills and competences--as a part of national wealth. These ideas were further developed in the theory of human capital by T. Schultz, G.S.…

Addressing economic development goals through innovative teaching of university statistics: a case study of statistical modelling in Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oseloka Ezepue, Patrick; Ojo, Adegbola

2012-12-01

A challenging problem in some developing countries such as Nigeria is inadequate training of students in effective problem solving using the core concepts of their disciplines. Related to this is a disconnection between their learning and socio-economic development agenda of a country. These problems are more vivid in statistical education which is dominated by textbook examples and unbalanced assessment 'for' and 'of' learning within traditional curricula. The problems impede the achievement of socio-economic development objectives such as those stated in the Nigerian Vision 2020 blueprint and United Nations Millennium Development Goals. They also impoverish the ability of (statistics) graduates to creatively use their knowledge in relevant business and industry sectors, thereby exacerbating mass graduate unemployment in Nigeria and similar developing countries. This article uses a case study in statistical modelling to discuss the nature of innovations in statistics education vital to producing new kinds of graduates who can link their learning to national economic development goals, create wealth and alleviate poverty through (self) employment. Wider implications of the innovations for repositioning mathematical sciences education globally are explored in this article.

Paediatric health economic evaluations: a world view.

PubMed

Ungar, Wendy J

2007-01-01

As economic evaluation methods evolve, their applicability to special populations, such as children, has received increased scrutiny. The objective was to review paediatric health economic evaluations published over the last quarter century, comment on trends, discuss gaps between developed and developing nations, and point to future directions for research. Data compiled for the Paediatric Economic Database Evaluation (PEDE) project to 2003 were used to describe temporal and geographic trends and evaluate the frequency of intervention categories and conditions studied. The volume of paediatric health economic evaluations rose rapidly since 1980. Studies of infective/parasitic diseases, congenital anomalies and complications of pregnancy accounted for the majority. Prevention rather than treatment was emphasized. Most evaluations performed since 1998 (78%) were cost-effectiveness analyses. Cost-utility analyses were rare. The US produced half of all publications, with the U.K. contributing 12%. Economic evaluations from developing countries were uncommon, despite an urgent need for evidence-based decision-making in these regions. The interventions studied reflected local health priorities; HIV and malaria prevention were more commonly studied in developing nations, whereas treatments for asthma and birth malformations were more often evaluated in developed nations. Despite global initiatives to combat disease, developing nations rely on foreign research to inform implementation of local health programs. There is a need for better methods for data transfer and extrapolation. Future research must focus on paediatric models of costs and consequences and the development of tools to measure long-term effects.

Breeding objectives for pigs in Kenya. I: bio-economic model development and application to smallholder production systems.

PubMed

Mbuthia, Jackson M; Rewe, Thomas O; Kahi, Alexander K

2015-02-01

A deterministic bio-economic model was developed and applied to evaluate biological and economic variables that characterize smallholder pig production systems in Kenya. Two pig production systems were considered namely, semi-intensive (SI) and extensive (EX). The input variables were categorized into biological variables including production and functional traits, nutritional variables, management variables and economic variables. The model factored the various sow physiological systems including gestation, farrowing, lactation, growth and development. The model was developed to evaluate a farrow to finish operation, but the results were customized to account for a farrow to weaner operation for a comparative analysis. The operations were defined as semi-intensive farrow to finish (SIFF), semi-intensive farrow to weaner (SIFW), extensive farrow to finish (EXFF) and extensive farrow to weaner (EXFW). In SI, the profits were the highest at KES. 74,268.20 per sow per year for SIFF against KES. 4026.12 for SIFW. The corresponding profits for EX were KES. 925.25 and KES. 626.73. Feed costs contributed the major part of the total costs accounting for 67.0, 50.7, 60.5 and 44.5 % in the SIFF, SIFW, EXFF and EXFW operations, respectively. The bio-economic model developed could be extended with modifications for use in deriving economic values for breeding goal traits for pigs under smallholder production systems in other parts of the tropics.

The development of multi-objective optimization model for excess bagasse utilization: A case study for Thailand

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

Buddadee, Bancha; Wirojanagud, Wanpen; Watts, Daniel J.

In this paper, a multi-objective optimization model is proposed as a tool to assist in deciding for the proper utilization scheme of excess bagasse produced in sugarcane industry. Two major scenarios for excess bagasse utilization are considered in the optimization. The first scenario is the typical situation when excess bagasse is used for the onsite electricity production. In case of the second scenario, excess bagasse is processed for the offsite ethanol production. Then the ethanol is blended with an octane rating of 91 gasoline by a portion of 10% and 90% by volume respectively and the mixture is used asmore » alternative fuel for gasoline vehicles in Thailand. The model proposed in this paper called 'Environmental System Optimization' comprises the life cycle impact assessment of global warming potential (GWP) and the associated cost followed by the multi-objective optimization which facilitates in finding out the optimal proportion of the excess bagasse processed in each scenario. Basic mathematical expressions for indicating the GWP and cost of the entire process of excess bagasse utilization are taken into account in the model formulation and optimization. The outcome of this study is the methodology developed for decision-making concerning the excess bagasse utilization available in Thailand in view of the GWP and economic effects. A demonstration example is presented to illustrate the advantage of the methodology which may be used by the policy maker. The methodology developed is successfully performed to satisfy both environmental and economic objectives over the whole life cycle of the system. It is shown in the demonstration example that the first scenario results in positive GWP while the second scenario results in negative GWP. The combination of these two scenario results in positive or negative GWP depending on the preference of the weighting given to each objective. The results on economics of all scenarios show the satisfied outcomes.« less

Power Market Design | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Power Market Design Power Market Design NREL researchers are developing a modeling platform to test (a commercial electricity production simulation model) and FESTIV (the NREL-developed Flexible Energy consisting of researchers in power systems and economics Projects Grid Market Design Project The objective of

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Well Construction Technology Evaluation Report

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

Polsky, Yarom; Capuano, Louis; Finger, John

2008-12-01

This report provides an assessment of well construction technology for EGS with two primary objectives: 1. Determining the ability of existing technologies to develop EGS wells. 2. Identifying critical well construction research lines and development technologies that are likely to enhance prospects for EGS viability and improve overall economics.

Vocational Training in Germany: Modernisation and Responsiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This volume presents a report on recent developments and current policy objectives in vocational education and training in Germany. The study is based on a conceptual and analytical framework jointly elaborated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Secretariat and representatives of member countries. Part I is "The…

Curriculum Guide for the Educable Mentally Handicapped.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Div. of Instruction.

Focusing on the general objectives of emotional, social, and academic development, and economic and physical growth, five areas of curriculum are described. The area of language arts includes motor, oral sensory development in readiness, habits and attitudes, reading, writing, spelling, and language. Arithmetic instruction is divided into primary,…

Developing an Environmental Scanning System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.

A step-by-step approach is provided for developing an environmental scanning system for colleges and universities to assist them in planning for the future. The objectives of such a system are to detect social, scientific, economic, technical, and political interactions important to the organization; define potential threats and opportunities from…

Development of national genomic evaluations for health traits in U.S. Holsteins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this research was to develop genomic evaluation for resistance to six common health events reported in U.S. dairy herds. The diseases of interest were selected based on their frequency, severity, and economic impact. They included hypocalcemia (milk fever), displaced abomasum, ketos...

Vocational Training in the Netherlands: Reform and Innovation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This volume presents a report on recent developments and current policy objectives in vocational education and training in the Netherlands. The study is based on a conceptual and analytical framework jointly elaborated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Secretariat and representatives of member countries. Organized in two…

POLLUTION PREVENTION IN INDUSTRIAL CONDENSATION REACTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this project is to develop heterogeneous acid-base catalysts to increase the economic and environmental performance of the current homogeneous catalysts used to make industrially important condensation products. Such products include methyl isobutyl ketone ...

Best practices for rural smart growth.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-07-01

Smart growth is a development strategy that encompasses economic, environmental and social objectives to manage : the growth of a community. The basic principles of smart growth are to: : Mix land uses. : Take advantage of compact building de...

Doctoral Theses from Nursing Postgraduate Programs in Brazil and their Association with the Millennium Development Goals

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, Rosalina Aparecida Partezani; Robazzi, Maria Lúcia do Carmo Cruz; Erdmann, Alacoque Lorenzini; Fernandes, Josicélia Dumet; de Barros, Alba Lucia Bottura Leite; Ramos, Flávia Regina Souza

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The Millennium Development Goals are centered around combatting poverty and other social evils all over the world. Thus, this study seeks to identify the Millennium Development Goals as an object of study in theses from Postgraduate Nursing Programs in Brazil scoring 5 (national excellence) and 6 or 7 (international excellence), and evaluate the association between the score for the program and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. METHOD: Exploratory descriptive document research. Data were collected from the Notes on Indicators/Coordination for Higher Education Personnel Improvement for the 15 Postgraduate Nursing Courses scoring between 5 and 7 in the three-year-period of 2010/2012. RESULTS: of the 8 Millennium Development Objectives, 6 were dealt with in the theses. There was an association (Fisher's exact test p-value=0.0059) between the distribution of the theses and the program scores in relation to the Millennium Development Objectives (p-valor=0.0347) CONCLUSION: the doctoral theses were slightly related to the Millennium Development Objectives, covering the population's economic development, health conditions and quality of life. It is recommended that Postgraduate Programs in Nursing pay closer attention to the Millennium Development Objectives.. PMID:26312631

When Science is Not Enough: A Framework Towards More Customer-Focused Drug Development.

PubMed

Oraiopoulos, Nektarios; Dunlop, William C N

2017-07-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the key barriers to a customer-focused drug development process and develop a comprehensive framework to overcome them. The paper draws on existing literature, both academic and practitioner, across a range of disciplines (innovation management, marketing, organizational behavior, behavioral economics, health economics, industry reports). On the basis of this extensive review, a conceptual framework is developed that offers concrete suggestions on how organizations can overcome the barriers and enable a more customer-focused development process. The barriers to collaboration are organized into three distinct categories (economic, behavioral, organizational), and within each category, a one-to-one mapping between barriers and solutions is developed. The framework is specifically designed with the objective of offering actionable and practical advice to executives who face these challenges in their organizations. The paper provides a unique theoretical contribution by synthesizing findings from several academic disciplines with concrete examples from the pharmaceutical industry. Mundipharma International Limited.

Biological Terrorism: US Policies to Reduce Global Biothreats

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

program for pro- jects that advance BEP objectives. Global Cooperation to develop bio- safety and pathogen security stan- dards that are consistent with...security. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD ) has recently developed voluntary biosecurity guidelines for implementation...Abbreviations AG Australia Group BEP Biosecurity Engagement Program BSL Biosafety level BWC Biological Weapons Convention BWC-ISU Biological Weapons

Prospects for Formation and Development of the Geographical (Territorial) Industrial Clusters in West Kazakhstan Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imashev, Eduard Zh.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research is to develop and implement an economic and geographic approach to forming and developing geographic (territorial) industrial clusters in regions of Kazakhstan. The purpose necessitates the accomplishment of the following scientific objectives: to investigate scientific approaches and experience of territorial economic…

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheer, D. P.

2011-12-01

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

Optimal allocation of bulk water supplies to competing use sectors based on economic criterion - An application to the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divakar, L.; Babel, M. S.; Perret, S. R.; Gupta, A. Das

2011-04-01

SummaryThe study develops a model for optimal bulk allocations of limited available water based on an economic criterion to competing use sectors such as agriculture, domestic, industry and hydropower. The model comprises a reservoir operation module (ROM) and a water allocation module (WAM). ROM determines the amount of water available for allocation, which is used as an input to WAM with an objective function to maximize the net economic benefits of bulk allocations to different use sectors. The total net benefit functions for agriculture and hydropower sectors and the marginal net benefit from domestic and industrial sectors are established and are categorically taken as fixed in the present study. The developed model is applied to the Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. The case study results indicate that the WAM can improve net economic returns compared to the current water allocation practices.

Air Pollution, Disease Burden, and Health Economic Loss in China.

PubMed

Niu, Yue; Chen, Renjie; Kan, Haidong

2017-01-01

As the largest developing country in the world, China is now facing one of the severest air pollution problems. The objective of this section is to evaluate the disease burden and corresponding economic loss attributable to ambient air pollution in China. We reviewed a series of studies by Chinese or foreign investigators focusing on the disease burden and economic loss in China. These studies showed both the general air pollution and haze episodes have resulted in substantial disease burden in terms of excess number of premature deaths, disability-adjusted life-year loss, and years of life lost. The corresponding economic loss has accounted for an appreciable proportion of China's national economy. Overall, the disease burden and health economic loss due to ambient air pollution in China is greater than in the remaining parts of the world, for one of the highest levels of air pollution and the largest size of exposed population. Consideration of both health and economic impacts of air pollution can facilitate the Chinese government to develop environmental policies to reduce the emissions of various air pollutants and protect the public health.

Multinational Limited Objective Experiment II (MN LOE II)

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-06-01

multinational ONA development to the international players for the first time. Vignette 4 promoted the systems-of-systems approach , the need to...as a result of ongoing famines and economic chaos. The new nation adopted the South Korean form of government and economic system. Concern of a...negative impact on the economy of the south , as they combined with the north, was well founded. Without a Korean “Marshall Plan” instituted by the

Hybridizing a Geothermal Plant with Solar and Thermal Energy Storage to Enhance Power Generation

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

McTigue, Joshua Dominic P; Zhu, Guangdong; Turchi, Craig S

The objective of this project is to identify cost-effective thermal storage systems for a geothermal/solar hybrid system in order to increase the plant dispatchability. Furthermore, an optimal quantity of thermal storage will also be determined to achieve the best economics of a geothermal/solar hybrid plant. NREL is working with Hyperlight Energy and Coso Operating Company to develop techno-economic models of such a system.

The Joint CEDEFOP/ETF Project on 'Scenarios and Strategies for Vocational Training and Lifelong Learning in Europe': A Contribution to the Debate on the Future of Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellin, Burkart

A project in Europe is working to improve the quality of work, promote equal opportunities, combat exclusion and poverty; promote lasting economic growth and a European Union economic policy; and promote sustainable development and quality of life. In order to achieve these goals, three main objectives for vocational education and training (VET)…

The affordability of antiretroviral therapy in developing countries: what policymakers need to know.

PubMed

Forsythe, S S

1998-01-01

The objective of this paper is to assist policymakers in developing countries and international donors by providing an outline of economic information needed to make a decision regarding the purchase of drugs to provide highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The following paper: (i) reviews existing experiences of policymakers in developing countries regarding the purchase of drugs needed for HAART, (ii) identifies issues that would need to be addressed and data that would be required to make more informed decisions regarding this issue, (iii) develops a cost-benefit model that could be utilized in designing an economic research project evaluating the economic costs and benefits of HAART, and (iv) performs a preliminary test of this model with data from Costa Rica. A review of experiences with this issue reveals that there are growing political, legal and budgetary pressures for countries to make tenable decisions regarding the purchase of drugs for HAART. An economic model describing the costs and benefits of HAART is proposed, although much of the required data for using such a model is currently neither available or in the process of being collected. It is imperative that economic data be collected to better inform policymakers in developing countries about their decision regarding the purchase of these drugs. It is recommended that such economic data be collected as organizations such as the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) initiate their medical assessments of HAART in developing countries.

Missouri airport investment study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

The studys purpose is to provide MoDOT with insight to the potential ROI for airport : investments in terms of economic development. To do so, this study addresses two central : objectives: first, an approach to evaluate airport investments; and s...

Engineering Challenges for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

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

Butterfield, S.; Musial, W.; Jonkman, J.

The major objective of this paper is to survey the technical challenges that must be overcome to develop deepwater offshore wind energy technologies and to provide a framework from which the first-order economics can be assessed.

Transportation Infrastructure Robustness : Joint Engineering and Economic Analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-11-01

The objectives of this study are to develop a methodology for assessing the robustness of transportation infrastructure facilities and assess the effect of damage to such facilities on travel demand and the facilities users welfare. The robustness...

Sex- and age- specific relations between economic development, economic inequality and homicide rates in people aged 0-24 years: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed Central

Butchart, Alexander; Engström, Karin

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To test whether relations between economic development, economic inequality, and child and youth homicide rates are sex- and age-specific, and whether a country's wealth modifies the impact of economic inequality on homicide rates. METHODS: Outcome variables were homicide rates around 1994 in males and females in the age ranges 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24 years from 61 countries. Predictor variables were per capita gross domestic product (GDP), GINI coefficient, percentage change in per capita gross national product (GNP) and female economic activity as a percentage of male economic activity. Relations were analysed by ordinary least squares regression. FINDINGS: All predictors explained significant variances in homicide rates in those aged 15-24. Associations were stronger for males than females and weak for children aged 0-9. Models that included female economic inequality and percentage change in GNP increased the effect in children aged 0-9 and the explained variance in females aged 20-24. For children aged 0-4, country clustering by income increased the explained variance for both sexes. For males aged 15-24, the association with economic inequality was strong in countries with low incomes and weak in those with high incomes. CONCLUSION: Relations between economic factors and child and youth homicide rates varied with age and sex. Interventions to target economic factors would have the strongest impact on rates of homicide in young adults and late adolescent males. In societies with high economic inequality, redistributing wealth without increasing per capita GDP would reduce homicide rates less than redistributions linked with overall economic development. PMID:12471400

NASA-UVa Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology Program: Aluminum-Based Materials for High Speed Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starke, E. A., Jr. (Editor)

1996-01-01

This report is concerned with 'Aluminum-Based Materials for High Speed Aircraft' which was initiated to identify the technology needs associated with advanced, low-cost aluminum base materials for use as primary structural materials. Using a reference baseline aircraft, these materials concept will be further developed and evaluated both technically and economically to determine the most attractive combinations of designs, materials, and manufacturing techniques for major structural sections of an HSCT. Once this has been accomplished, the baseline aircraft will be resized, if applicable, and performance objectives and economic evaluations made to determine aircraft operating costs. The two primary objectives of this study are: (1) to identify the most promising aluminum-based materials with respect to major structural use on the HSCT and to further develop those materials, and (2) to assess these materials through detailed trade and evaluation studies with respect to their structural efficiency on the HSCT.

Western oil shale development: a technology assessment. Volume 1. Main report

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

Not Available

1981-11-01

The general goal of this study is to present the prospects of shale oil within the context of (1) environmental constraints, (2) available natural and economic resources, and (3) the characteristics of existing and emerging technology. The objectives are: to review shale oil technologies objectively as a means of supplying domestically produced fuels within environmental, social, economic, and legal/institutional constraints; using available data, analyses, and experienced judgment, to examine the major points of uncertainty regarding potential impacts of oil shale development; to resolve issues where data and analyses are compelling or where conclusions can be reached on judgmental grounds; tomore » specify issues which cannot be resolved on the bases of the data, analyses, and experienced judgment currently available; and when appropriate and feasible, to suggest ways for the removal of existing uncertainties that stand in the way of resolving outstanding issues.« less

A FRAMEWORK TO DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE CHEMICAL FLOODING PROCESSES

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2005-07-01

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

A Framework to Design and Optimize Chemical Flooding Processes

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2006-08-31

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

A FRAMEWORK TO DESIGN AND OPTIMIZE CHEMICAL FLOODING PROCESSES

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

Mojdeh Delshad; Gary A. Pope; Kamy Sepehrnoori

2004-11-01

The goal of this proposed research is to provide an efficient and user friendly simulation framework for screening and optimizing chemical/microbial enhanced oil recovery processes. The framework will include (1) a user friendly interface to identify the variables that have the most impact on oil recovery using the concept of experimental design and response surface maps, (2) UTCHEM reservoir simulator to perform the numerical simulations, and (3) an economic model that automatically imports the simulation production data to evaluate the profitability of a particular design. Such a reservoir simulation framework is not currently available to the oil industry. The objectivesmore » of Task 1 are to develop three primary modules representing reservoir, chemical, and well data. The modules will be interfaced with an already available experimental design model. The objective of the Task 2 is to incorporate UTCHEM reservoir simulator and the modules with the strategic variables and developing the response surface maps to identify the significant variables from each module. The objective of the Task 3 is to develop the economic model designed specifically for the chemical processes targeted in this proposal and interface the economic model with UTCHEM production output. Task 4 is on the validation of the framework and performing simulations of oil reservoirs to screen, design and optimize the chemical processes.« less

An integrated GIS-based interval-probabilistic programming model for land-use planning management under uncertainty--a case study at Suzhou, China.

PubMed

Lu, Shasha; Zhou, Min; Guan, Xingliang; Tao, Lizao

2015-03-01

A large number of mathematical models have been developed for supporting optimization of land-use allocation; however, few of them simultaneously consider land suitability (e.g., physical features and spatial information) and various uncertainties existing in many factors (e.g., land availabilities, land demands, land-use patterns, and ecological requirements). This paper incorporates geographic information system (GIS) technology into interval-probabilistic programming (IPP) for land-use planning management (IPP-LUPM). GIS is utilized to assemble data for the aggregated land-use alternatives, and IPP is developed for tackling uncertainties presented as discrete intervals and probability distribution. Based on GIS, the suitability maps of different land users are provided by the outcomes of land suitability assessment and spatial analysis. The maximum area of every type of land use obtained from the suitability maps, as well as various objectives/constraints (i.e., land supply, land demand of socioeconomic development, future development strategies, and environmental capacity), is used as input data for the optimization of land-use areas with IPP-LUPM model. The proposed model not only considers the outcomes of land suitability evaluation (i.e., topography, ground conditions, hydrology, and spatial location) but also involves economic factors, food security, and eco-environmental constraints, which can effectively reflect various interrelations among different aspects in a land-use planning management system. The case study results at Suzhou, China, demonstrate that the model can help to examine the reliability of satisfying (or risk of violating) system constraints under uncertainty. Moreover, it may identify the quantitative relationship between land suitability and system benefits. Willingness to arrange the land areas based on the condition of highly suitable land will not only reduce the potential conflicts on the environmental system but also lead to a lower economic benefit. However, a strong desire to develop lower suitable land areas will bring not only a higher economic benefit but also higher risks of violating environmental and ecological constraints. The land manager should make decisions through trade-offs between economic objectives and environmental/ecological objectives.

Incorporating Learning Objects in a Curriculum Re-Design to Meet Needs of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Illinois Agricultural Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pense, Seburn L.; Calvin, Jennifer; Watson, Dennis G.; Wakefield, Dexter B.

2012-01-01

A quasi-experimental pilot study of curriculum re-design using Learning Objects (LO) to instruct agricultural education students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) was conducted in five high schools in the federally designated economically distressed area, the Illinois Delta Region. Six LOs were developed based on a unit of instruction in…

An Analysis of the Economic Structure and Industrial Potential of the Four Corners Region. Summary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minshall, Charles W.; And Others

The overall objective of this 4-phase study was to provide the Four Corners Regional Commission with an evaluation of industries best suited for the region. In order to satisfy this objective, 100 industries and products were identified which have the highest potential for development in the total region, as well as in specific subregions. The…

Multiobjective optimization for Groundwater Nitrate Pollution Control. Application to El Salobral-Los Llanos aquifer (Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llopis-Albert, C.; Peña-Haro, S.; Pulido-Velazquez, M.; Molina, J.

2012-04-01

Water quality management is complex due to the inter-relations between socio-political, environmental and economic constraints and objectives. In order to choose an appropriate policy to reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater it is necessary to consider different objectives, often in conflict. In this paper, a hydro-economic modeling framework, based on a non-linear optimization(CONOPT) technique, which embeds simulation of groundwater mass transport through concentration response matrices, is used to study optimal policies for groundwater nitrate pollution control under different objectives and constraints. Three objectives were considered: recovery time (for meeting the environmental standards, as required by the EU Water Framework Directive and Groundwater Directive), maximum nitrate concentration in groundwater, and net benefits in agriculture. Another criterion was added: the reliability of meeting the nitrate concentration standards. The approach allows deriving the trade-offs between the reliability of meeting the standard, the net benefits from agricultural production and the recovery time. Two different policies were considered: spatially distributed fertilizer standards or quotas (obtained through multi-objective optimization) and fertilizer prices. The multi-objective analysis allows to compare the achievement of the different policies, Pareto fronts (or efficiency frontiers) and tradeoffs for the set of mutually conflicting objectives. The constraint method is applied to generate the set of non-dominated solutions. The multi-objective framework can be used to design groundwater management policies taking into consideration different stakeholders' interests (e.g., policy makers, agricultures or environmental groups). The methodology was applied to the El Salobral-Los Llanos aquifer in Spain. Over the past 30 years the area has undertaken a significant socioeconomic development, mainly due to the intensive groundwater use for irrigated crops, which has provoked a steady decline of groundwater levels as well as high nitrate concentrations at certain locations (above 50 mg/l.). The results showed the usefulness of this multi-objective hydro-economic approach for designing sustainable nitrate pollution control policies (as fertilizer quotas or efficient fertilizer pricing policies) with insight into the economic cost of satisfying the environmental constraints and the tradeoffs with different time horizons.

Development and Pilot Evaluation of an Internet-Facilitated Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Maternal Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheeber, Lisa B.; Seeley, John R.; Feil, Edward G.; Davis, Betsy; Sorensen, Erik; Kosty, Derek B.; Lewinsohn, Peter M.

2012-01-01

Objective: Develop and pilot an Internet-facilitated cognitive-behavioral treatment intervention for depression, tailored to economically disadvantaged mothers of young children. Method: Mothers (N = 70) of children enrolled in Head Start, who reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms, were randomized to either the 8-session,…

Appalachia: Goals, Objectives and Development Strategies. Supplement 1: Resolutions Adopted December 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC.

Recommendations by task forces at the Appalachian Balanced Growth and Economic Development Conference in 1977 to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) resulted in ARC's adoption of six resolutions which are listed in this supplement. Specific recommendations were made under the following resolution headings: (1) legislation for a national…

Education and Working Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

The development of national policies for education and employment is the major concern of this report of a joint working party of officials from member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Focus is on the objectives of public policies for education and working life and on how they can be attained in…

The Place of Education in Manpower Planning in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fapohunda, Olanrewaju J.

1974-01-01

Defines manpower planning and outlines its objectives, describes the effects of education on economic growth in developing countries, and discusses problems of education in manpower planning: questions of the source of education, the content, and the percentage of the population ot be educated at a given time. Important political limitations are…

A Game Simulation of Multilateral Trade for Classroom Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Gary L.; Carter, Ronald L.

An alternative to existing methods for teaching elementary economic geography courses was developed in a game format to teach the basic process of trade through role playing. Simplifying the complexities of multilateral trade to a few basic decisions and acts, the cognitive objectives are to develop in the student: 1) an understanding of regional…

Critical Reading: A Guide for Faculty and Students in Economics and History. Final Report, Second Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bean, Thomas W.

The first year of California State University's program to improve university students' critical reading of introductory texts had two objectives: to develop professors' available repertoire of strategies for guiding students' independent learning from texts and to develop students' facility in learning from texts with adjunct guide materials…

Professional Education Programme for Land Management and Land Administration in Cambodia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setha, Vung; Mund, Jan-Peter

2008-01-01

Land management and land administration are defined as a system of planning, management and administration methods and techniques that aims to integrate ecological with social, economic and legal principles in the management of land for urban and rural development purposes. The main objective is to meet changing and developing human needs, while…

A tree biomass and carbon estimation system

Treesearch

Emily B. Schultz; Thomas G. Matney; Donald L. Grebner

2013-01-01

Appropriate forest management decisions for the developing woody biofuel and carbon credit markets require inventory and growth-and-yield systems reporting component tree dry weight biomass estimates. We have developed an integrated growth-and-yield and biomass/carbon calculator. The objective was to provide Mississippi’s State inventory system with bioenergy economic...

California Community Colleges Economic Development Program Annual Report, 2000-2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrier, Kay; Magee, Mike

This document discusses the Small Business Development Center initiative which addresses the needs of California businesses to grow through the delivery of one-on-one counseling, seminars, workshops, conferences, and other technical activities. The community colleges host 21 full centers. Some of the major objectives of the initiative are the…

Economic Development: A Community College Faces the Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowley, Jackie; Boatright, Joyce

1988-01-01

Faced with a changing economy, the Houston Community College System (Texas) set goals and objectives to pull together its resources in response to the crisis in the Houston area. This article describes successful strategies and approaches used to network, market, and develop company partnerships and training activities to meet local needs. (Author)

An innovative approach to developing the reflective skills of medical students

PubMed Central

Henderson, Penny; Johnson, Martin H

2002-01-01

Background Development of the reflective skills of medical students is an acknowledged objective of medical education. Description Description of an educational exercise which uses an email-based process for developing the reflective skills of undergraduate medical students. Student quotations illustrate learning outcomes qualitatively. Discussion The process described is immediate, direct, linked to learning objectives, enables rapid responses to be given to the students individually, and is followed by group sharing of learning. It provides a rigorous and robust feedback loop for students. It is relatively economic for teachers and incidentally benefits curriculum design and evolution. The approach supports development of a reflective approach to learning. PMID:12003640

Carbon mitigation with biomass: An engineering, economic and policy assessment of opportunities and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, James S., III

2007-12-01

Industrial bio-energy systems provide diverse opportunities for abating anthropogenic greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions and for advancing other important policy objectives. The confluence of potential contributions to important social, economic, and environmental policy objectives with very real challenges to deployment creates rich opportunities for study. In particular, the analyses developed in this thesis aim to increase understanding of how industrial bio-energy may be applied to abate GHG emissions in prospective energy markets, the relative merits of alternate bio-energy systems, the extent to which public support for developing such systems is justified, and the public policy instruments that may be capable of providing such support. This objective is advanced through analysis of specific industrial bio-energy technologies, in the form of bottom-up engineering-economic analyses, to determine their economic performance relative to other mitigation options. These bottom-up analyses are used to inform parameter definitions in two higher-level stochastic models that explicitly account for uncertainty in key model parameters, including capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, and fuel costs. One of these models is used to develop supply curves for electricity generation and carbon mitigation from biomass-coal cofire in the U.S. The other is used to characterize the performance of multiple bio-energy systems in the context of a competitive market for low-carbon energy products. The results indicate that industrial bio-energy systems are capable of making a variety of potentially important contributions under scenarios that value anthropogenic GHG emissions. In the near term, cofire of available biomass in existing coal fired power plants has the potential to provide substantial emissions reductions at reasonable costs. Carbon prices between 30 and 70 per ton carbon could induce reductions in U.S. carbon emissions by 100 to 225 megatons carbon ("MtC"), equivalent to roughly 3% of U.S. GHG emissions. In the medium or longer term, integration of carbon capture and storage technologies with advanced bio-energy conversion technologies ("biomass-CCS"), in both liquid fuels production and electric sector applications, will likely be feasible. These systems are capable of generating useful energy products with negative net atmospheric carbon emissions at carbon prices between 100 and 200 per tC. Negative emissions from biomass-CCS could be applied to offset emissions sources that are difficult or expensive to abate directly. Such indirect mitigation may prove cost competitive and provide important flexibility in achieving stabilization of atmospheric GHG concentrations at desirable levels. With increasing deployments, alternate bio-energy systems will eventually compete for limited biomass resources and inputs to agricultural production--particularly land. In this context, resource allocation decisions will likely turn on the relative economic performance of alternate bio-energy systems in their respective energy markets. The relatively large uncertainty in forecasts of energy futures confounds reliable prediction of economically efficient uses for available biomass resources. High oil prices or large valuation of energy security benefits will likely enable bio-fuels production to dominate electric-sector options. In contrast, low oil prices and low valuation of energy security benefits will likely enable electric-sector applications to dominate. In the latter scenario, indirect mitigation of transportation-sector emissions via emissions offsets from electric-sector biomass-CCS could prove more efficient than direct fuel substitution with biofuels, both economically and in terms of the transportation-sector mitigation of available biomass resources [tC tbiomass-1]. The policy environment surrounding industrial bio-energy development is systematically examined. Specifically, the policy objectives that may be advanced with bio-energy and the challenges constraining deployment are examined to understand the extent to which public policy support is justified to accelerate development. Policy frameworks and specific policy instruments that have been proposed or enacted to support industrial bio-energy are evaluated to understand their current and potential future roles in shaping bio-energy development. This analysis indicates that deployment of industrial bio-energy systems to advance specified policy objectives has been compromised by inefficient and inconsistent public policies. Amending existing policies could substantially accelerate bio-energy deployment. More generally, public policies that set even prices across the economy for advancing targeted policy objectives should be developed. Industrial bio-energy systems can be expected to compete favorably in the context of such policies, including those valuing deep reductions in anthropogenic GHG emissions.

Water Availability for Synthetic Fuels: An Assessment of Current Studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-10-01

The objective of this study is to describe and analyze the hydrologic, institutional, legal, and economic issues involved in assessing and interpreting estimates of water availability for synfuels development in four major river basins: (1) Upper Mis...

Freight optimization and development in Missouri : ports and waterways module

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-04-01

Missouris ports and waterways have proven to be important to the regions economic growth and significant to the states role in transporting waterborne freight. The ultimate objectives of this analysis are to provide an inventory of Missouri...

Development of an efficient, low cost, small-scale natural gas fuel reformer for residential scale electric power generation. Final report for the period October 1, 1998 - December 31, 1999

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

Kreutz, Thomas G; Ogden, Joan M

2000-07-01

In the final report, we present results from a technical and economic assessment of residential scale PEM fuel cell power systems. The objectives of our study are to conceptually design an inexpensive, small-scale PEMFC-based stationary power system that converts natural gas to both electricity and heat, and then to analyze the prospective performance and economics of various system configurations. We developed computer models for residential scale PEMFC cogeneration systems to compare various system designs (e.g., steam reforming vs. partial oxidation, compressed vs. atmospheric pressure, etc.) and determine the most technically and economically attractive system configurations at various scales (e.g., singlemore » family, residential, multi-dwelling, neighborhood).« less

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) The contract was signed on August 20, 2000. Little work has been performed other than preliminary planning to get the project underway.« less

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) Continued coordinating the final selection of candidates and field implementation with Oneok. Oneok plans on performing the operations early in 2003.« less

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) Began preparing final project report, less the field implementation component. (2) Coordinated the final selection of candidates and field implementation with Oneok.« less

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-04-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: Continued coordinating the final selection of candidates and field implementation with Oneok. Oneok plans on performing the operations early in 2003.« less

Technical and economic assessment of processes for the production of butanol and acetone. Phase two: analysis of research advances. Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies Program

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

None

1984-08-01

The initial objective of this work was to develop a methodology for analyzing the impact of technological advances as a tool to help establish priorities for R and D options in the field of biocatalysis. As an example of a biocatalyzed process, butanol/acetone fermentation (ABE process) was selected as the specific topic of study. A base case model characterizing the technology and economics associated with the ABE process was developed in the previous first phase of study. The project objectives were broadened in this second phase of work to provide parametric estimates of the economic and energy impacts of amore » variety of research advances in the hydrolysis, fermentation and purification sections of the process. The research advances analyzed in this study were based on a comprehensive literature review. The six process options analyzed were: continuous ABE fermentaton; vacuum ABE fermentation; Baelene solvent extraction; HRI's Lignol process; improved prehydrolysis/dual enzyme hydrolysis; and improved microorganism tolerance to butanol toxicity. Of the six options analyzed, only improved microorganism tolerance to butanol toxicity had a significant positive effect on energy efficiency and economics. This particular process option reduced the base case production cost (including 10% DCF return) by 20% and energy consumption by 16%. Figures and tables.« less

Physical growth of children and adolescents in China over the past 35 years

PubMed Central

Zong, Xin-Nan

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To examine if economic development in China correlates with physical growth among Chinese children and adolescents. Methods The height, body weight and physical activity level of children and adolescents aged 18 years and under, as well as dietary data, were obtained from seven large surveys conducted in China between 1975 and 2010. Chinese economic development indicators were obtained from the World Bank. Trends in body weight, height, economic data and diet were examined. Tests were conducted to check for correlations between height at 17 years of age and three indicators of economic development: gross domestic product, urbanization and infant mortality rate. Regional differences in physical growth were assessed. Findings Between 1975 and 2010, the growth of children and adolescents improved in tandem with economic development. The largest increment in height was observed during the period of puberty. Regional inequalities in nutritional status were correlated with disparities in economic development among regions. Over the past two decades, undernutrition declined among children less than 5 years of age, but in 2010 underweight and stunting were still common in poor rural areas. A large increase in obesity was observed in both urban and rural areas, but especially in large cities and, more recently, in small and medium-sized cities and affluent rural areas. Conclusion The average weight of children and adolescents has been increasing progressively since the 1970s. Current strategies to combat both child undernutrition and obesity need to be improved, especially in poor rural areas. PMID:25177070

Economic consequences of earthquakes: bridging research and practice with HayWired

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wein, A. M.; Kroll, C.

2016-12-01

The U.S. Geological Survey partners with organizations and experts to develop multiple hazard scenarios. The HayWired earthquake scenario refers to a rupture of the Hayward fault in the Bay Area of California and addresses the potential chaos related to interconnectedness at many levels: the fault afterslip and aftershocks, interdependencies of lifelines, wired/wireless technology, communities at risk, and ripple effects throughout today's digital economy. The scenario is intended for diverse audiences. HayWired analyses translate earthquake hazards (surface rupture, ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides) into physical engineering and environmental health impacts, and into societal consequences. Damages to life and property and lifeline service disruptions are direct causes of business interruption. Economic models are used to estimate the economic impacts and resilience in the regional economy. The objective of the economic analysis is to inform policy discourse about economic resilience at all three levels of the economy: macro, meso, and micro. Stakeholders include businesses, economic development, and community leaders. Previous scenario analyses indicate the size of an event: large earthquakes and large winter storms are both "big ones" for California. They motivate actions to reduce the losses from fire following earthquake and water supply outages. They show the effect that resilience can have on reducing economic losses. Evaluators find that stakeholders learned the most about the economic consequences.

Management of local economic and ecological system of coal processing company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiseleva, T. V.; Mikhailov, V. G.; Karasev, V. A.

2016-10-01

The management issues of local ecological and economic system of coal processing company - coal processing plant - are considered in the article. The objectives of the research are the identification and the analysis of local ecological and economic system (coal processing company) performance and the proposals for improving the mechanism to support the management decision aimed at improving its environmental safety. The data on the structure of run-of-mine coal processing products are shown. The analysis of main ecological and economic indicators of coal processing enterprises, characterizing the state of its environmental safety, is done. The main result of the study is the development of proposals to improve the efficiency of local enterprise ecological and economic system management, including technical, technological and business measures. The results of the study can be recommended to industrial enterprises to improve their ecological and economic efficiency.

Doctoral Theses from Nursing Postgraduate Programs in Brazil and their Association with the Millennium Development Goals.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Rosalina Aparecida Partezani; Robazzi, Maria Lúcia do Carmo Cruz; Erdmann, Alacoque Lorenzini; Fernandes, Josicélia Dumet; de Barros, Alba Lucia Bottura Leite; Ramos, Flávia Regina Souza

2015-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals are centered around combatting poverty and other social evils all over the world. Thus, this study seeks to identify the Millennium Development Goals as an object of study in theses from Postgraduate Nursing Programs in Brazil scoring 5 (national excellence) and 6 or 7 (international excellence), and evaluate the association between the score for the program and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Exploratory descriptive document research. Data were collected from the Notes on Indicators/Coordination for Higher Education Personnel Improvement for the 15 Postgraduate Nursing Courses scoring between 5 and 7 in the three-year-period of 2010/2012. of the 8 Millennium Development Objectives, 6 were dealt with in the theses. There was an association (Fisher's exact test p-value=0.0059) between the distribution of the theses and the program scores in relation to the Millennium Development Objectives (p-valor=0.0347)CONCLUSION: the doctoral theses were slightly related to the Millennium Development Objectives, covering the population's economic development, health conditions and quality of life. It is recommended that Postgraduate Programs in Nursing pay closer attention to the Millennium Development Objectives.

The Development of the Guide to Economic Analysis and Research (GEAR) Online Resource for Low- and Middle-Income Countries' Health Economics Practitioners: A Commentary.

PubMed

Adeagbo, Chiaki Urai; Rattanavipapong, Waranya; Guinness, Lorna; Teerawattananon, Yot

2018-05-01

Public health authorities around the world are increasingly using economic evaluation to set priorities and inform decision making in health policy, especially in the development of health benefit packages. Nevertheless, researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) encounter many barriers when conducting economic evaluations. In 2015, the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program identified key technical and context-specific challenges faced in conducting and using health economic evaluations in LMICs. On the basis of these research findings, the Guide to Economic Analysis and Research (GEAR) online resource (www.gear4health.com) was developed as a reliable aid to researchers in LMICs that would help overcome those challenges. Funded by the Thailand Research Fund and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GEAR is a free online resource that provides a visual aid tool for planning economic evaluation studies (GEAR mind maps), a repository of national and international economic evaluation guidelines (GEAR guideline comparison), and an active link to a network of volunteer international experts (GEAR: Ask an expert). GEAR will evolve over time to provide relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information through inputs from its users (e.g., periodic survey on methodological challenges) and experts (e.g., in responding to users' questions). The objective of this commentary was to give a brief description of the development and key features of this unique collective information hub aimed at facilitating high-quality research and empowering health care decision makers and stakeholders to use economic evaluation evidence. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative and qualitative approaches in the study of poverty and adolescent development: separation or integration?

PubMed

Leung, Janet T Y; Shek, Daniel T L

2011-01-01

This paper examines the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches to study the impact of economic disadvantage on family processes and adolescent development. Quantitative research has the merits of objectivity, good predictive and explanatory power, parsimony, precision and sophistication of analysis. Qualitative research, in contrast, provides a detailed, holistic, in-depth understanding of social reality and allows illumination of new insights. With the pragmatic considerations of methodological appropriateness, design flexibility, and situational responsiveness in responding to the research inquiry, a mixed methods approach could be a possibility of integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches and offers an alternative strategy to study the impact of economic disadvantage on family processes and adolescent development.

A dynamic code for economic object valuation in prefrontal cortex neurons

PubMed Central

Tsutsui, Ken-Ichiro; Grabenhorst, Fabian; Kobayashi, Shunsuke; Schultz, Wolfram

2016-01-01

Neuronal reward valuations provide the physiological basis for economic behaviour. Yet, how such valuations are converted to economic decisions remains unclear. Here we show that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) implements a flexible value code based on object-specific valuations by single neurons. As monkeys perform a reward-based foraging task, individual DLPFC neurons signal the value of specific choice objects derived from recent experience. These neuronal object values satisfy principles of competitive choice mechanisms, track performance fluctuations and follow predictions of a classical behavioural model (Herrnstein’s matching law). Individual neurons dynamically encode both, the updating of object values from recently experienced rewards, and their subsequent conversion to object choices during decision-making. Decoding from unselected populations enables a read-out of motivational and decision variables not emphasized by individual neurons. These findings suggest a dynamic single-neuron and population value code in DLPFC that advances from reward experiences to economic object values and future choices. PMID:27618960

Low-cost solar array project progress and plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callaghan, W. T.

1981-01-01

The considered project is part of the DOE Photovoltaic Technology and Market Development Program. This program is concerned with the development and the utilization of cost-competitive photovoltaic systems. The project has the objective to develop, by 1986, the national capability to manufacture low-cost, long-life photovoltaic arrays at production rates that will realize economies of scale, and at a price of less than $0.70/watt. The array performance objectives include an efficiency greater than 10% and an operating lifetime longer than 20 years. The objective of the silicon material task is to establish the practicality of processes for producing silicon suitable for terrestrial photovoltaic applications at a price of $14/kg. The large-area sheet task is concerned with the development of process technology for sheet formation. Low-cost encapsulation material systems are being developed in connection with the encapsulation task. Another project goal is related to the development of economical process sequences.

New breeding objectives and selection indices for the Australian dairy industry.

PubMed

Byrne, T J; Santos, B F S; Amer, P R; Martin-Collado, D; Pryce, J E; Axford, M

2016-10-01

This study comprises an update of the economic values for dairy traits for the Australian industry and the formulation of updated selection indices. An economic model, which calculates partial economic values for each trait individually, was developed to determine the economic implications of selective dairy breeding, based on the effect of trait changes on the profit of commercial dairy farms in Australia. Selection indices were developed from economic values, which were transformed into base economic weights by including the discounted genetic expressions coefficients. Economic weights (in Australian dollars) were 1.79, 6.92, -0.10, -5.44, 8.84, 7.68, 1.07, 4.86, 1.91, 3.51, 4.90, 0.31, 2.03, 2.00, and 0.59, for milk fat (kg), milk protein (kg), milk volume (L), body weight (kg), survival (%), residual survival (%), somatic cell count (cells/mL), fertility (%), mammary system [Australian Breeding Value (ABV) unit], temperament (ABV unit), milking speed (ABV unit), udder depth (%), overall type (%), fore udder attachment (%), and pin set (%), respectively. The updated economic weights presented in this study constituted the basis of the definition for 3 new indices. These indices were developed from combination of bioeconomic principles, patterns of farmer preferences for trait improvements, and desired gains approaches. The 3 indices, Balanced Performance Index, Health Weighted Index, and Type Weighted Index, have been released to the industry. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The use of efficiency frontiers to evaluate the optimal land cover and irrigation practices for economic returns and ecosystem services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovacs, Kent; West, Grant; Xu, Ying

2017-04-01

Efficiency frontiers are a useful tool for governmental agencies that balance the protection of ecosystem services with the economic returns from an agricultural landscape because the tool illustrates that a compromise of objectives generates greater value to society than optimizing a sole objective. Policy makers facing the problem of groundwater overdraft on an agricultural landscape want to know if regulations or irrigation technology adoption will enhance both economic and ecosystem service benefits. Conjunctive water management with on-farm reservoirs and tail water recovery system is frequently suggested to alleviate groundwater and surface water quality problems in the Lower Mississippi River Basin of the United States, and this study evaluates the consequence of the adoption of this technology for the balance of ecosystem service and economic objectives. A compromise of objectives that maximizes the value to society provides 76% more value to society without reservoirs and 66% more value to society with reservoirs than the sole objective of economic returns. The reservoirs help an agricultural landscape maximizing economic returns to align more closely with a landscape maximizing the value to society, although there are still significant gains possible from finding a landscape that directly compromises on the objectives.

49 CFR 1244.9 - Procedures for the release of waybill data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Director of the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall be responsible for... Board's Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration. (3) Objections to release. (i... copies of each objection shall be filed with the Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1244.9 - Procedures for the release of waybill data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Director of the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall be responsible for... Board's Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration. (3) Objections to release. (i... copies of each objection shall be filed with the Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1244.9 - Procedures for the release of waybill data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Director of the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall be responsible for... Board's Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration. (3) Objections to release. (i... copies of each objection shall be filed with the Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1244.9 - Procedures for the release of waybill data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Director of the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall be responsible for... Board's Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration. (3) Objections to release. (i... copies of each objection shall be filed with the Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1244.9 - Procedures for the release of waybill data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Director of the Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration shall be responsible for... Board's Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis, and Administration. (3) Objections to release. (i... copies of each objection shall be filed with the Director, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis...

GIS and remote sensing applications in the assessment of change within a coastal environment in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

PubMed

Twumasi, Yaw A; Merem, Edmund C

2006-03-01

In the last decades, the Niger Delta region has experienced rapid growth in population and economic activity with enormous benefits to the adjacent states and the entire Nigerian society. As the region embarks upon an unprecedented phase of economic expansion in the 21st century, it faces several environmental challenges fuelled partly by the pressures caused by human activities such as oil and gas exploration, housing development, and road construction for transportation, economic development and demographic changes. This continued growth has resulted in environmental problems such as coastal wetland loss, habitat degradation, and water pollution, gas flaring, destruction of forest vegetation as well as a host of other issues. This underscores the urgent need to design new approaches for managing remote costal resources in sensitive tropical environments effectively in order to maintain a balance between coastal resource conservation and rapid economic development in developing countries for sustainability. Notwithstanding previous initiatives, there have not been any major efforts in the literature to undertake a remote sensing and GIS based assessment of the growing incidence of environmental change within coastal zone environments of the study area. This project is an attempt to fill that void in the literature by exploring the applications of GIS and remote sensing in a tropical coastal zone environment with emphasis on the environmental impacts of development in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria. To deal with some of the aforementioned issues, several research questions that are of great relevance to the paper have been posed. The questions include, Have there been any changes in the coastal environment of the study area? What are the impacts of the changes? What forces are responsible for the changes? Has there been any major framework in place to deal with the changes? The prime objective of the paper is to provide a novel approach for assessing the state of coastal environments while the second objective seeks a contribution to the literature. The third objective is to provide a decision support tool for coastal resource managers in the assessment of environmental impacts of development in tropical areas. The fourth objective is to assess the extent of change in a tropical ecosystem with the latest advances in geo-spatial information technologies and methods. In terms of methodology, the paper draws from primary and census data sources analyzed with descriptive statistics, GIS techniques and remote sensing. The sections in the paper consist of a review of the major environmental effects and factors associated with the problem: initiatives and mitigation measures. The project offers some recommendations as part of the conservation strategies. In spite of concerted efforts by managers to address the problems, results revel that the study area experienced some significant changes in its coastal environments. These changes are attributed to socio-economic and environmental variables.

GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in the Assessment of Change within a Coastal Environment in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

PubMed Central

Twumasi, Yaw A.; Merem, Edmund C.

2006-01-01

In the last decades, the Niger Delta region has experienced rapid growth in population and economic activity with enormous benefits to the adjacent states and the entire Nigerian society. As the region embarks upon an unprecedented phase of economic expansion in the 21st century, it faces several environmental challenges fuelled partly by the pressures caused by human activities such as oil and gas exploration, housing development, and road construction for transportation, economic development and demographic changes. This continued growth has resulted in environmental problems such as coastal wetland loss, habitat degradation, and water pollution, gas flaring, destruction of forest vegetation as well as a host of other issues. This underscores the urgent need to design new approaches for managing remote costal resources in sensitive tropical environments effectively in order to maintain a balance between coastal resource conservation and rapid economic development in developing countries for sustainability. Notwithstanding previous initiatives, there have not been any major efforts in the literature to undertake a remote sensing and GIS based assessment of the growing incidence of environmental change within coastal zone environments of the study area. This project is an attempt to fill that void in the literature by exploring the applications of GIS and remote sensing in a tropical coastal zone environment with emphasis on the environmental impacts of development in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria. To deal with some of the aforementioned issues, several research questions that are of great relevance to the paper have been posed. The questions include, Have there been any changes in the coastal environment of the study area? What are the impacts of the changes? What forces are responsible for the changes? Has there been any major framework in place to deal with the changes? The prime objective of the paper is to provide a novel approach for assessing the state of coastal environments while the second objective seeks a contribution to the literature. The third objective is to provide a decision support tool for coastal resource managers in the assessment of environmental impacts of development in tropical areas. The fourth objective is to assess the extent of change in a tropical ecosystem with the latest advances in geo-spatial information technologies and methods. In terms of methodology, the paper draws from primary and census data sources analyzed with descriptive statistics, GIS techniques and remote sensing. The sections in the paper consist of a review of the major environmental effects and factors associated with the problem: initiatives and mitigation measures. The project offers some recommendations as part of the conservation strategies. In spite of concerted efforts by managers to address the problems, results revel that the study area experienced some significant changes in its coastal environments. These changes are attributed to socio-economic and environmental variables. PMID:16823081

An empirical analysis of financial development and energy demand: establishing the role of globalization.

PubMed

Saud, Shah; Danish; Chen, Songsheng

2018-06-14

The rapid mode of globalization is experienced in the last few years. The acceleration in globalization expands economic activities through a share of knowledge and transfer of technology which influence energy demand. So, the objective of this empirical work is to explore the impact of financial development on energy demand incorporating globalization. The empirical finding is based on autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound testing approach from 1980 to 2016 in case of China. Overall, we infer that financial development increases energy demand in China. Furthermore, the finding shows that globalization has a negative and significant impact on energy demand. The additional determinants, such as economic growth, and urbanization stimulate energy consumption. Besides, energy consumption granger cause financial development in the long-run path. Similarly, unidirectional causality is detected between globalization and energy consumption. The result gives direction to policymakers to preserve as well as to enhance efficient energy consumption and sustain economic growth in China with acceleration in globalization.

Understanding Electronic Medical Record Adoption in the United States: Communication and Sociocultural Perspectives

PubMed Central

Kreps, Gary L; Polit, Stan

2013-01-01

Background This paper adopts a communication and sociocultural perspective to analyze the factors behind the lag in electronic medical record (EMR) adoption in the United States. Much of the extant research on this topic has emphasized economic factors, particularly, lack of economic incentives, as the primary cause of the delay in EMR adoption. This prompted the Health Information Technology on Economic and Clinical Health Act that allow financial incentives through the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services for many health care organizations planning to adopt EMR. However, financial incentives alone have not solved the problem; many new innovations do not diffuse even when offered for free. Thus, this paper underlines the need to consider communication and sociocultural factors to develop a better understanding of the impediments of EMR adoption. Objective The objective of this paper was to develop a holistic understanding of EMR adoption by identifying and analyzing the impact of communication and sociocultural factors that operate at 3 levels: macro (environmental), meso (organizational), and micro (individual). Methods We use the systems approach to focus on the 3 levels (macro, meso, and micro) and developed propositions at each level drawing on the communication and sociocultural perspectives. Results Our analysis resulted in 10 propositions that connect communication and sociocultural aspects with EMR adoption. Conclusions This paper brings perspectives from the social sciences that have largely been missing in the extant literature of health information technology (HIT) adoption. In doing so, it implies how communication and sociocultural factors may complement (and in some instances, reinforce) the impact of economic factors on HIT adoption. PMID:23612390

Optimizing Environmental Flow Operation Rules based on Explicit IHA Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dongnan, L.; Wan, W.; Zhao, J.

2017-12-01

Multi-objective operation of reservoirs are increasingly asked to consider the environmental flow to support ecosystem health. Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) is widely used to describe environmental flow regimes, but few studies have explicitly formulated it into optimization models and thus is difficult to direct reservoir release. In an attempt to incorporate the benefit of environmental flow into economic achievement, a two-objective reservoir optimization model is developed and all 33 hydrologic parameters of IHA are explicitly formulated into constraints. The benefit of economic is defined by Hydropower Production (HP) while the benefit of environmental flow is transformed into Eco-Index (EI) that combined 5 of the 33 IHA parameters chosen by principal component analysis method. Five scenarios (A to E) with different constraints are tested and solved by nonlinear programming. The case study of Jing Hong reservoir, located in the upstream of Mekong basin, China, shows: 1. A Pareto frontier is formed by maximizing on only HP objective in scenario A and on only EI objective in scenario B. 2. Scenario D using IHA parameters as constraints obtains the optimal benefits of both economic and ecological. 3. A sensitive weight coefficient is found in scenario E, but the trade-offs between HP and EI objectives are not within the Pareto frontier. 4. When the fraction of reservoir utilizable capacity reaches 0.8, both HP and EI capture acceptable values. At last, to make this modelmore conveniently applied to everyday practice, a simplified operation rule curve is extracted.

Pan-European management of coastal lagoons: A science-policy-stakeholder interface perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillebø, Ana I.; Stålnacke, Per; Gooch, Geoffrey D.; Krysanova, Valentina; Bielecka, Małgorzata

2017-11-01

The main objective of the work carried out in the scope of a three years collaborative research project was to develop science-based strategies and a decision support framework for the integrated management of coastal lagoons and their catchments and, in this context, to enhance connectivity between research and policymaking. In this paper our main objective is to share the lessons learned from the innovative methodology used throughout the project. To achieve the proposed objectives, the multidisciplinary scientific knowledge in the project team was combined and integrated with the knowledge and views of local stakeholders of four selected European coastal lagoons, using a three step participatory approach. With this innovative approach, which included the usage of eco-hydrological and water quality-modelling tools, the team developed and analyzed integrated scenarios of possible economic development and environmental impacts in four European lagoons and their catchments. These scenarios were presented and discussed with stakeholders, giving rise to management recommendations for each case study lagoon. Results show that some management options might be transferrable to other European lagoons having similar climatic, geophysical and socio-economic settings. In management terms, the project output provides a set of policy guidelines derived from the different analyses conducted and proposes initiatives concerning management implementation in a local-regional-national-European setting.

Impacts of oil and gas development on the recreation and tourism off the Florida straits

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

Bell, F.

The study was undertaken for the purpose of addressing potential problems of OCS activities on tourism and recreation in Monroe County, Florida. The strategic objective of the study was to develop a model to simulate the effects of various OCS activities on tourism visitation, expenditures, and regional gross economic impacts.

Impact of the Bologna Process on Turkish Higher Education: The Case of Izmir University of Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esen, Oguz; Gürleyen, Isik; Binatli, Ayla Ogus

2012-01-01

This article focuses on Turkey's experience of the Bologna Process. Its main objective is to contribute to the literature on the impact of Bologna Process on national higher education systems regarding the issue of curricula development. It argues that the Bologna Process has fostered development of transparent and systematic curricula, which…

Papers of the Rural Community Development Seminar: Focus on Iowa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.

A seminar was conducted which provides a foundation upon which research, education, and action programs might be based as a state university brings its programs to focus more fully on the economic and social problems of rural areas. Papers presented covered the following subjects: objectives of community development, trends related to rural areas,…

GENERAL BUSINESS UNIT, THE INFLUENCE OF AUTOMATION ON BUSINESS AND PERSONAL LIFE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SPARKS, MAVIS C.

DEVELOPED BY A SPECIALIST IN BUSINESS AND OFFICE EDUCATION, THIS 6- TO 10-CLASS PERIOD UNIT IS FOR USE IN A HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS EDUCATION COURSE. THE TEACHING OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES, THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS, AND THE OCCUPATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IMPORTANT IN AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.…

Population Education and Socio-Economic Development. Selected Articles and Studies from Periodical Publications. Bibliographies on Population Education No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

The annotated bibliography lists 299 materials written in the 1970s about population education, with emphasis on the Asian region. Citations are included for journals, newsletters, and serials publications. The objective is to make available information on which curriculum developers, educators, and practising teachers may draw in developing…

Economic Intervention and Parenting: A Randomized Experiment of Statewide Child Development Accounts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Yunju; Wikoff, Nora; Sherraden, Michael

2016-01-01

Objective: We examine the effects of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) on parenting stress and practices. Methods: We use data from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment. SEED OK selected caregivers of infants from Oklahoma birth certificates using a probability sampling method, randomly assigned caregivers to the treatment (n = 1,132)…

Developing management options for longleaf communities of the gulf coastal plain

Treesearch

Kenneth W. Outcalt

2003-01-01

Choosing treatments to reduce fuel loads and readjust structure and composition in longleaf communities of the Gulf Coastal Plains region is difficult because benefits and costs of possible treatment combinations are not fully known. The objective of this research project is to develop management options to reduce fuels and restore the ecosystem that are economically...

Promoting Access to Finance by Empowering Consumers--Financial Literacy in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kefela, Ghirmai T.

2010-01-01

This paper is an effort to establish the financial sector in developing countries to promote financial literacy of their customers. This could have access to finance and savings, which in turn support livelihoods, economic growth, sound financial systems, and participate in the economy. The main objectives of this paper is to enhance a bank's…

Community Development, Problems and Prospects. Proceedings of a Commonwealth Conference, University Park, Pennsylvania, March 7-9, 1965.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Roy C., Ed.; Rath, Robert A., Ed.

Conference papers on community development problems and prospects deal with needs, methods, objectives, resources, and the role of universities, with particular reference to urban areas. Concerns include deficiencies in knowledge, leadership, government, and the quality of urban life; land use and urban design; principles of economic development…

Development of alternative oxygen production source using a zirconia solid electrolyte membrane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suitor, J. W.; Clark, D. J.; Losey, R. W.

1990-01-01

The objective of this multiyear effort was the development, fabrication and testing of a zirconia oxygen production module capable of delivering approximately 100 liters/minute (LPM) of oxygen. The work discussed in this report consists of development and improvement of the zirconia cell along with manufacture of cell components, preliminary design of the final plant, additional economic analysis and industrial participation.

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) Completed both type curve and artificial neural network analysis of the field. Developed list of production enhancement candidates. (2) Made final presentation of results to Oneok in Tulsa (February 26). (3) Made presentations on the project at the PTTC Marginal Well workshops in Tyler (February 6) and Lansing (February 19).« less

Into the Curriculum. Art: Landscape Painting; Home Economics/Social Studies: Greek Clothing; Reading/Language Arts: In Search of Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses!; Science: Magnets; Social Studies/Language Arts: Great Primary Sources on the Great Depression: Using the Library of Congress Collections Online.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbour, Jeffrey Paul; Ward, Lisa M.

2001-01-01

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in art, home economics, social studies, reading, language arts, and science. Library Media skills, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each…

Development of Analytical Systems for Evaluation of US Reconstitution and Recovery Programs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-01

Program Evaluation Economic M4odels US Economy ’MABB"ACT (Cort~at m~ Mae @0b neamv md kavily by block numbr) ~This study identifies economic models and...planning tasks Are more complex and difficult than those faced by planners In the post 󈧬s era. Also, because of those same factors and that the 1980s...comparative analysis outlined in the second study , while also concerned with the accomplishment of societal objectives, is somewhat different. The approach

Comprehensive benefit analysis of regional water resources based on multi-objective evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Yixia; Xue, Lianqing; Zhang, Hui

2018-01-01

The purpose of the water resources comprehensive benefits analysis is to maximize the comprehensive benefits on the aspects of social, economic and ecological environment. Aiming at the defects of the traditional analytic hierarchy process in the evaluation of water resources, it proposed a comprehensive benefit evaluation of social, economic and environmental benefits index from the perspective of water resources comprehensive benefit in the social system, economic system and environmental system; determined the index weight by the improved fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), calculated the relative index of water resources comprehensive benefit and analyzed the comprehensive benefit of water resources in Xiangshui County by the multi-objective evaluation model. Based on the water resources data in Xiangshui County, 20 main comprehensive benefit assessment factors of 5 districts belonged to Xiangshui County were evaluated. The results showed that the comprehensive benefit of Xiangshui County was 0.7317, meanwhile the social economy has a further development space in the current situation of water resources.

Dynamics of renewable energy consumption and economic activities across the agriculture, industry, and service sectors: evidence in the perspective of sustainable development.

PubMed

Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy; Apergis, Nicholas; Ummalla, Mallesh

2018-01-01

This study aims to examine the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on the agriculture, industry, services, and overall economic activities (GDP) across a panel of G20 nations. The study makes use of annual data from 1980 to 2012 on 17 countries of the G20. To achieve the study objectives, we apply several robust panel econometric models which account for cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity in the analysis. The empirical findings confirm the significant long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. The long-run elasticities indicate that both renewable and non-renewable energy consumptions have significant positive effect on the economic activities across the sectors and also on the overall economic output. These results also imply that the impact is more from renewable energy on economic activities than that of non-renewable energy. Given that, our results offer significant policy implications. We suggest that the policy makers should aim to initiate effective policies to turn domestic and foreign investments into renewable energy projects. This eventually ensures low carbon emissions and sustainable economic development across the G20 nations.

16 CFR 1000.25 - Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... has line authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences. The Office develops strategies for and implements the agency's... social impacts of projects are comprehensively and objectively presented to the Commission for decision. ...

16 CFR 1000.25 - Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... has line authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences. The Office develops strategies for and implements the agency's... social impacts of projects are comprehensively and objectively presented to the Commission for decision. ...

16 CFR 1000.25 - Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... has line authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences. The Office develops strategies for and implements the agency's... social impacts of projects are comprehensively and objectively presented to the Commission for decision. ...

16 CFR 1000.25 - Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... has line authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences. The Office develops strategies for and implements the agency's... social impacts of projects are comprehensively and objectively presented to the Commission for decision. ...

A data library management system for midwest FreightView and its data repository.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

Midwest FreightView (MWFV) and its associated data repository is part of a large multifaceted : effort to promote regional economic development throughout the Great Lakes : system. The main objective for the system is to promote sustainable maritime ...

REPRODUCTIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING PROTOCOLS FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS USING ESTUARINE CRUSTACEANS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this research is to develop in vivo screening protocols for endocrine disruption in marine crustaceans, invertebrates of ecological and economic importance. A series of comparative developmental and reproductive studies were performed on several species of estuar...

Making the Grade. Assessment Provides Focus for Vocational Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seybert, Jeffrey A.

1993-01-01

Johnson County (Kansas) Community College assesses vocational programs in terms of (1) accomplishment of objectives; (2) student opinions of services; (3) appropriate employment; (4) employer satisfaction with student skills; and (5) responsiveness to local labor market and economic development needs. (SK)

3. How comprehensive can we be in the economic assessment of vaccines?

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT In two previous papers we argued on current vaccines economic assessment not fully comprehensive when using the incremental cost-utility analysis normally applied for treatments. Many differences exist between vaccines and drug treatments making vaccines economic evaluation more cumbersome. Four challenges overwhelmingly present in vaccines assessment are less important for treatments: requirements for population, societal perspectives, budget impact evaluation, and time focused objectives (control or elimination). Based on this, economic analysis of vaccines may need to be presented to many different stakeholders with various evaluation preferences, in addition to the current stakeholders involved for drugs treatment assessment. Then, we may need a tool making the inventory of the different vaccines health economic assessment programmes more comprehensive. The cauliflower value toolbox has been developed with that aim, and its use is illustrated here with rotavirus vaccine. Given the broader perspectives for vaccine assessment, it provides better value and cost evaluations. Cost-benefit analysis may be the preferred economic assessment method when considering substitution from treatment to active medical prevention. Other economic evaluation methods can be selected (i.e. optimisation modelling, return on investment) when project prioritisation is the main focus considered and when stakeholders would like to influence the development of the healthcare programme. PMID:29785253

Rich, poor share stake in poverty, pollution link

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

DeCanio, S.J.

A dirty environment and poverty go together, and this link between environmental protection and economic development is creating a new basis for international cooperation, says Stephen J. DeCanio of the University of California at Santa Barbara. [open quotes]Both developed and developing countries have a stake in solving the development/environment impasse,[close quotes] DeCanio adds. [open quotes]Furthermore, the link between these problems offers a fresh opportunity to make progress on both fronts.[close quotes] He says environmental protection expenditures by developed countries can be used to promote the sustainable economic growth of those countries struggling to escape from poverty. The money could bemore » collected in several ways, he notes: from various types of environmental taxes, such as a carbon tax; from environmental user fees; from [open quotes]debt-for nature[close quotes] swaps; and from tradable emissions permits. Such mechanisms transfer resources to developing countries, where they can be applied to economic development-a desired objective, according to DeCanio. [open quotes]The benefits of equitable worldwide growth and development outweigh any temporary loss of wealth developed countries may experience as a result of environmental transfers,[close quotes] he asserts.« less

Emergy analysis of an industrial park: the case of Dalian, China.

PubMed

Geng, Yong; Zhang, Pan; Ulgiati, Sergio; Sarkis, Joseph

2010-10-15

With the rapid development of eco-industrial park projects in China, evaluating their overall eco-efficiency is becoming an important need and a big challenge academically. Developing ecologically conscious industrial park management requires analysis of both industrial and ecological systems. Traditional evaluation methods based on neoclassical economics and embodied energy and exergy analyses have certain limitations due to their focus with environmental issues considered secondary to the maximization of economic and technical objectives. Such methods focus primarily on the environmental impact of emissions and their economic consequences. These approaches ignore the contribution of ecological products and services as well as the load placed on environmental systems and related problems of carrying capacity of economic and industrial development. This paper presents a new method, based upon emergy analysis and synthesis. Such a method links economic and ecological systems together, highlighting the internal relations among the different subsystems and components. The emergy-based method provides insight into the environmental performance and sustainability of an industrial park. This paper depicts the methodology of emergy analysis at the industrial park level and provides a series of emergy-based indices. A case study is investigated and discussed in order to show the emergy method's practical potential. Results from DEDZ (Dalian Economic Development Zone) case show us the potential of emergy synthesis method at the industrial park level for environmental policy making. Its advantages and limitations are also discussed with avenues for future research identified. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EconoMe-Develop - a calculation tool for multi-risk assessment and benefit-cost-analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bründl, M.

2012-04-01

Public money is used to finance the protection of human life, material assets and the environment against natural hazards. This limited resource should be used in a way that it achieves the maximum possible effect by minimizing as many risks as possible. Hence, decision-makers are facing the question which mitigation measures should be prioritised. Benefit-Cost-Analysis (BCA) is a recognized method for determining the economic efficiency of investments in mitigation measures. In Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) judges the benefit-cost-ratio of mitigation projects on the base of the results of the calculation tool "EconoMe" [1]. The check of the economic efficiency of mitigation projects with an investment of more than 1 million CHF (800,000 EUR) by using "EconoMe" is mandatory since 2008 in Switzerland. Within "EconoMe", most calculation parameters cannot be changed by the user allowing for comparable results. Based on the risk guideline "RIKO" [2] an extended version of the operational version of "EconoMe", called "EconoMe-Develop" was developed. "EconoMe-Develop" is able to deal with various natural hazard processes and thus allows multi-risk assessments, since all restrictions of the operational version of "EconoMe" like e.g. the number of scenarios and expositions, vulnerability, spatial probability of processes and probability of presence of objects, are not existing. Additionally, the influences of uncertainty of calculation factors, like e.g. vulnerability, on the final results can be determined. "EconoMe-Develop" offers import and export of data, e.g. results of GIS-analysis. The possibility for adapting the tool to user specific requirements makes EconoMe-Develop an easy-to-use tool for risk assessment and assessment of economic efficiency of mitigation projects for risk experts. In the paper we will present the most important features of the tool and we will illustrate the application by a practical example.

Effect of Component Failures on Economics of Distributed Photovoltaic Systems

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

Lubin, Barry T.

2012-02-02

This report describes an applied research program to assess the realistic costs of grid connected photovoltaic (PV) installations. A Board of Advisors was assembled that included management from the regional electric power utilities, as well as other participants from companies that work in the electric power industry. Although the program started with the intention of addressing effective load carrying capacity (ELCC) for utility-owned photovoltaic installations, results from the literature study and recommendations from the Board of Advisors led investigators to the conclusion that obtaining effective data for this analysis would be difficult, if not impossible. The effort was then re-focusedmore » on assessing the realistic costs and economic valuations of grid-connected PV installations. The 17 kW PV installation on the University of Hartford's Lincoln Theater was used as one source of actual data. The change in objective required a more technically oriented group. The re-organized working group (changes made due to the need for more technically oriented participants) made site visits to medium-sized PV installations in Connecticut with the objective of developing sources of operating histories. An extensive literature review helped to focus efforts in several technical and economic subjects. The objective of determining the consequences of component failures on both generation and economic returns required three analyses. The first was a Monte-Carlo-based simulation model for failure occurrences and the resulting downtime. Published failure data, though limited, was used to verify the results. A second model was developed to predict the reduction in or loss of electrical generation related to the downtime due to these failures. Finally, a comprehensive economic analysis, including these failures, was developed to determine realistic net present values of installed PV arrays. Two types of societal benefits were explored, with quantitative valuations developed for both. Some societal benefits associated with financial benefits to the utility of having a distributed generation capacity that is not fossil-fuel based have been included into the economic models. Also included and quantified in the models are several benefits to society more generally: job creation and some estimates of benefits from avoiding greenhouse emissions. PV system failures result in a lowering of the economic values of a grid-connected system, but this turned out to be a surprisingly small effect on the overall economics. The most significant benefit noted resulted from including the societal benefits accrued to the utility. This provided a marked increase in the valuations of the array and made the overall value proposition a financially attractive one, in that net present values exceeded installation costs. These results indicate that the Department of Energy and state regulatory bodies should consider focusing on societal benefits that create economic value for the utility, confirm these quantitative values, and work to have them accepted by the utilities and reflected in the rate structures for power obtained from grid-connected arrays. Understanding and applying the economic benefits evident in this work can significantly improve the business case for grid-connected PV installations. This work also indicates that the societal benefits to the population are real and defensible, but not nearly as easy to justify in a business case as are the benefits that accrue directly to the utility.« less

The Story of a Seminar in Applied Communication. The Dag Hammarskjold Seminar on "Communication--An Essential Component in Development Work" (Uppsala, Sweden, August 27-September 9, 1972).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuglesang, Andreas, Ed.

The objective of the two week long 1972 Dag Hammarskjold Seminar was to break away from traditional and theoretical concepts of information work in order to gain a practical insight into communication, especially as it applies to social and economic development. Fifty participants and lecturers from developed and developing countries in Europe and…

Current challenges in health economic modeling of cancer therapies: a research inquiry.

PubMed

Miller, Jeffrey D; Foley, Kathleen A; Russell, Mason W

2014-05-01

The demand for economic models that evaluate cancer treatments is increasing, as healthcare decision makers struggle for ways to manage their budgets while providing the best care possible to patients with cancer. Yet, after nearly 2 decades of cultivating and refining techniques for modeling the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of cancer therapies, serious methodologic and policy challenges have emerged that question the adequacy of economic modeling as a sound decision-making tool in oncology. We sought to explore some of the contentious issues associated with the development and use of oncology economic models as informative tools in current healthcare decision-making. Our objective was to draw attention to these complex pharmacoeconomic concerns and to promote discussion within the oncology and health economics research communities. Using our combined expertise in health economics research and economic modeling, we structured our inquiry around the following 4 questions: (1) Are economic models adequately addressing questions relevant to oncology decision makers; (2) What are the methodologic limitations of oncology economic models; (3) What guidelines are followed for developing oncology economic models; and (4) Is the evolution of oncology economic modeling keeping pace with treatment innovation? Within the context of each of these questions, we discuss issues related to the technical limitations of oncology modeling, the availability of adequate data for developing models, and the problems with how modeling analyses and results are presented and interpreted. There is general acceptance that economic models are good, essential tools for decision-making, but the practice of oncology and its rapidly evolving technologies present unique challenges that make assessing and demonstrating value especially complex. There is wide latitude for improvement in oncology modeling methodologies and how model results are presented and interpreted. Complex technical and data availability issues with oncology economic modeling pose serious concerns that need to be addressed. It is our hope that this article will provide a framework to guide future discourse on this important topic.

SADCC: challenging the "South African connection.".

PubMed

Liebenow, J G

1982-01-01

The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) which unites 9 states with a combined population of 60 million, has as its objective the task of promoting economic development and realizing economic independence. In many respects the strain of neocolonialism that Southern Africa faces at this time is even more virulent than that facing West, Central, and East Africa. In the latter regions the surrender of political authority by colonial administrators frequently left the commercial, agricultural, and industrial interests of the European powers in continued control of the economies of the former colonies. The fate of economic development plans was determined by situations and decisions made in places distant from the African continent. In the case of Southern Africa, the withdrawal or expulsion of European colonialists has found whites in neighboring South Africa most eager to step into the economic breech. For most of the Southern African states this variant strain of the neocolonial virus creates a dual problem: the independent states acting separately have been no match for South Africa; and the acquiescence of independent African states in forging economic links with South Africa has impeded the liberation efforts of Africans in Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Discussion focus turns to the challenges that confront SADCC; transport as the most significant factor accounting for the dependency of SADCC states upon South Africa; the role of minerals in dependency; other aspects of dependency; South Africa's proposed Constellation of States; the origins and objectives of SADCC; and dollars and donors. SADCC planning for economic liberation has been conducted against the background of a counterproposal advanced by South Africa's government, which put the Republic at the center of an expanded network of economic linkages within the entire southern African region. While being formally rejected, the Constellation of States scheme does have direct implications for 3 SADCC states. A marked characteristic of SADCC is the determination of the leaders to avoid having regional cooperation turn into a series of administrative institutions. SADCC needs to be viewed as a process, leading both to coordination of effort and stimulation of economic growth within the region. A manifestation of the SADCC process is the farming out of special projects to the member states. A 2nd manifestation of SADCC as a process has been the escalation in the number of bilateral and multilateral agreements among the SADCC countries since 1979.

Economic Education in the Elementary Schools, Level 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL. Div. of Instructional Planning and Support.

This pamphlet is the fourth grade component of a series of elementary level economics and consumer education teaching resources. It contains objectives and key concepts for economic education which have been identified by the Florida State Department of Education. The first part of the document lists these objectives and concepts, as well as…

[A comparative presentation of the population policies of Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal].

PubMed

Dabo, K

1992-07-01

Population policies are currently at the center of debates about demography and development, and are a preoccupation of most governments, international organizations, and research institutions working in the areas of population, development, and human resources. Between 1988-93, 4 Sahel countries adopted populations policies. this article compares the policies of Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The 3 policy documents have similar structures, with preambles recalling the international agreements concerning population and development entered into by their governments. A chapter on population and development describes the demo-economic problem in each country at regional, sectorial, and global levels. After the analysis of demo-economic problems, each of the 3 has a chapter presenting the population policy. Each presentation covers the foundations and basic principles of the policy, its objectives, the strategies to be pursued, and the organizational structure. Development of each policy was technically supervised by the Planning Ministry in collaboration with the national population councils. In general terms, the 3 countries recognize in their basic principles that the population is the primary source of wealth of a nation. Each country states its desire to translate the recommendations of different African and world population conferences into concrete acts. The principles avow respect for fundamental human rights including the right to informed decision making by couples on number and spacing of children. The principles also recognize the need for an integrated approach to population and development. The ultimate objective of the population policies is improvement in the standard and quality of life. The number of general objectives outlined in the policies varied from 7 in Senegal to 13 in Burkina Faso. Senegal was the only country of the 3 to specify reduction of the fertility rate and the growth rate as an objective. Senegal and Burkina Faso included quantified mortality objectives. The strategies of the 3 countries include improving the health of the population and of mothers and children in particular, promoting family planning, providing IEC on health and population topics, integrating women into development by improving their socioeconomic status, developing human resources through employment and education, developing territorial management systems for control of spatial distribution and internal migration, satisfying the basic needs of the population, protecting the environment, and providing training and research in relevant disciplines such as demography, statistics, and economics. Specific contraceptive prevalence goals stated in the policies were 24.04% of fertile aged women in Senegal in 2011, 60% in Burkina Faso in 2005, and 60% in Mali in 2020. Each country specified different entities for decision making, consultation, and execution of different phases of the population policy.

Direct coal liquefaction baseline design and system analysis. Quarterly report, January--March 1991

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

Not Available

1991-04-01

The primary objective of the study is to develop a computer model for a base line direct coal liquefaction design based on two stage direct coupled catalytic reactors. This primary objective is to be accomplished by completing the following: a base line design based on previous DOE/PETC results from Wilsonville pilot plant and other engineering evaluations; a cost estimate and economic analysis; a computer model incorporating the above two steps over a wide range of capacities and selected process alternatives; a comprehensive training program for DOE/PETC Staff to understand and use the computer model; a thorough documentation of all underlyingmore » assumptions for baseline economics; and a user manual and training material which will facilitate updating of the model in the future.« less

Direct coal liquefaction baseline design and system analysis

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

Not Available

1991-04-01

The primary objective of the study is to develop a computer model for a base line direct coal liquefaction design based on two stage direct coupled catalytic reactors. This primary objective is to be accomplished by completing the following: a base line design based on previous DOE/PETC results from Wilsonville pilot plant and other engineering evaluations; a cost estimate and economic analysis; a computer model incorporating the above two steps over a wide range of capacities and selected process alternatives; a comprehensive training program for DOE/PETC Staff to understand and use the computer model; a thorough documentation of all underlyingmore » assumptions for baseline economics; and a user manual and training material which will facilitate updating of the model in the future.« less

76 FR 16427 - Memorandum of Agreement Between the Indian Health Service and the Department of Interior; Bureau...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... social and economic consequences (poor academic performance, substance use, multiple disorders, suicides... substances, impact the whole community. Probable consequences include depression, domestic violence, child... financial resources; and Developing a biennial program plan, including specific objectives, performance...

Community Colleges in the South: Strengthening Readiness and Pathways. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanco, Cheryl; Spence, Dave

2015-01-01

Community colleges are essential to achieving state goals--increasing the educational attainment of the population, increasing access and completion, eliminating achievement gaps, closing opportunity gaps, and addressing workforce and economic development objectives. These institutions are flexible, adaptable, affordable, community-based,…

16 CFR § 1000.25 - Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... has line authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences. The Office develops strategies for and implements the agency's... social impacts of projects are comprehensively and objectively presented to the Commission for decision. ...

On Marcuse and Caring in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shel, Tammy

2006-01-01

Can caring and standardized testing coincide? Marcuse criticized the misuse of science because it also legitimizes social and economic hierarchy. By the same token, scholars develop standardized testing, claiming these tests are scientific and can measure objectively individuals' learning and intelligence capabilities. However, if inclusive caring…

Perennial plan establishment and productivity can be influenced by previous annual crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Developing efficient, economical methods of perennial mixture establishment is needed for grazing and conservation purposes. Study objectives were to evaluate different perennial monocultures and mixtures planted into spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L. ...

Design of ultra high performance concrete as an overlay in pavements and bridge decks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-08-01

The main objective of this research was to develop ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as a reliable, economic, low carbon foot : print and durable concrete overlay material that can offer shorter traffic closures due to faster construction. The U...

Assessment of land suitability for olive mill wastewater disposal site selection by integrating fuzzy logic, AHP, and WLC in a GIS.

PubMed

Aydi, Abdelwaheb; Abichou, Tarek; Nasr, Imen Hamdi; Louati, Mourad; Zairi, Moncef

2016-01-01

This paper presents a geographic information system-based multi-criteria site selection tool of an olive mill wastewater (OMW) disposal site in Sidi Bouzid Region, Tunisia. The multi-criteria decision framework integrates ten constraints and six factors that relate to environmental and economic concerns, and builds a hierarchy model for OMW disposal site suitability. The methodology is used for preliminary assessment of the most suitable OMW disposal sites by combining fuzzy set theory and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The fuzzy set theory is used to standardize factors using different fuzzy membership functions while the AHP is used to establish the relative importance of the criteria. The AHP makes pairwise comparisons of relative importance between hierarchy elements grouped by both environmental and economic decision criteria. The OMW disposal site suitability is achieved by applying a weighted linear combination that uses a comparison matrix to aggregate different importance scenarios associated with environmental and economic objectives. Three different scenarios generated by different weights applied to the two objectives. The scenario (a) assigns a weight of 0.75 to the environmental and 0.25 to the economic objective, scenario (b) has equal weights, and scenario (c) features weights of 0.25 and 0.75 for environmental and economic objectives, respectively. The results from this study assign the least suitable OMW disposal site of 2.5 % when environmental and economic objectives are rated equally, while a more suitable OMW disposal site of 1.0 % is generated when the economic objective is rated higher.

Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an example.

Treesearch

J.F. Franklin; T.A. Spies; R.V. Pelt; A.B. Carey; D.A. Thornburgh; D.R. Berg; D.B. Lindenmayer; M.E. Harmon; W.S. Keeton; D.C. Shaw; K. Bible; J. Chen

2002-01-01

Forest managers need a comprehensive scientific understanding of natural stand development processes when designing silvicultural systems that integrate ecological and economic objectives, including a better appreciation of the nature of disturbance regimes and the biological legacies, such as live trees, snags, and logs, that they leave behind. Most conceptual forest...

Research on Employment in the Rural Nonfarm Sector in Africa. African Rural Employment Paper No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liedholm, Carl

Within the context of the role of rural employment in overall economic development, the objectives were to summarize existing knowledge of the rural African nonfarm sector and to develop an analytical framework for examing utilization of labor in this sector, using a descriptive profile, a theoretical model, and a research approach to rural…

First Parity Evaluation of Body Condition, Weight, and Blood Beta-Hydroxybutyrate During Lactation of Range Cows Developed in the Same Ecophysiological System but Receiving Different Harvested Feed Inputs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reduction of harvested feed inputs during heifer development could optimize range livestock production and improve economic feasibility for producers. The objective of this study was to measure body condition and weight as well as blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations for primiparous beef ...

First parity evaluation of body condition, weight, and blood beta-hydroxybutyrate during lactation of range cows developed in the same ecophysiological system but receiving different harvested feed inputs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reduction of harvested feed inputs during heifer development could optimize range livestock production and improve economic feasibility for producers. The objective of this study was to measure body condition and weight as well as blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations for primiparous beef ...

First parity evaluation of peak milk yield for range cows developed in the same ecophysiological system but receiving different concentrations of harvested feed inputs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reduction of harvested feed inputs during heifer development could optimize range livestock production and improve economic feasibility. The objective for this two year study was to measure milk production (kg/d) and milk constituent concentrations (g/d) for 16 primiparous beef cows each year that w...

Study for urbanization corresponding to socio-economic activities in Savannaket, Laos using satellite remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimijiama, S.; Nagai, M.

2014-06-01

In Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), economic liberalization and deregulation facilitated by GMS Regional Economic Corporation Program (GMS-ECP) has triggered urbanization in the region. However, the urbanization rate and its linkage to socio-economic activities are ambiguous. The objectives of this paper are to: (a) determine the changes in urban area from 1972 to 2013 using remote sensing data, and (b) analyse the relationships between urbanization with respect to socio-economic activities in central Laos. The study employed supervised classification and human visible interpretation to determine changes in urbanization rate. Regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the urbanization rate and socio-economic variables. The result shows that the urban area increased significantly from 1972 to 2013. The socio-economic variables such as school enrollment, labour force, mortality rate, water source and sanitation highly correlated with the rate of urbanization during the period. The study concluded that identifying the highly correlated socio-economic variables with urbanization rate could enable us to conduct a further urbanization simulation. The simulation helps in designing policies for sustainable development.

Evaluating the economic impact of casino liberalization in Macao.

PubMed

Zheng, Victor; Hung, Eva P W

2012-09-01

This paper aims to evaluate the economic impact after Macao decided to liberalize its gaming industry. By analysing both objective data of official statistics and subjective data of the perceptions of quality of life, we painted a picture of mixed blessings. Although objective indicators showed strong economic growth in terms of a rise in per capita GDP and public revenue as well as a decline in unemployment rate, subjective indicators revealed that local residents were less than optimistic about their own employment outlook and did not perceive any improvement in their overall economic situation. While casino liberalization brought forth tremendous economic gain, the general population did not subjectively feel the benefits. An integrative analysis of both objective and subjective indicators would therefore allow us to look closer how residents' lives in the micro-level could have been adversely affected by the prosperous economic outlook at the macro-level.

`Old-New' Mining Towns - Examples of the Renovation and Adaptation of Post-Industrial Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langer, Piotr

2016-06-01

Poland's economic transformation has proved to be a critical phase in the contemporary development of its industrial cities, initiating profound spatial and functional changes. In researching the basics of the development of `post-industrial' cities, it can be seen that the work undertaken is focused on reusing post-industrial buildings and objects. This results not only in functional changes in the appearance and condition of the transformed structures, but also preserves or destroys their authenticity and historical identity. This problem is linked with several phenomena, including `aware inactivity', `destructive adaptation', and `false revitalization'.

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) The search for another field site was abandoned after discussion with DOE. There is a clear absence of willing industry partners to participate in this project. The greatest obstacle is having the necessary data to perform the study, or the cost of collecting and organizing it. In its' place, the scope of the Mocane-Laverne field has been expanded to include all four major producing horizons, as opposed to just one. This approach will still meet the project objectives and requirements. (2) The type-curve matching of the production for all horizons in all wells was initiated.« less

Principles and methods for ensuring safe operation of high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korol, Oleg; Kustikova, Yuliya

2018-03-01

The purpose of monitoring the technical condition of high-rise buildings is to prevent possible negative situations leading to significant socio-economic losses by timely warning of the emergence of such situations. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following main tasks, such as: identifying the time and place of origin and development of negative processes that lead to the emergence of an emergency situation; analysis of the possible development of the situation in time; development of management decisions; formation and submission of warning signals; obtaining new knowledge about the operation of the object, the factors of influence on this object, the speed of development of destructive processes. When solving the above problems, an important role is played by constructing an adequate mathematical model of the object, the parameters of which should be calibrated according to the current monitoring results.

A critical literature review of health economic evaluations of rotavirus vaccination

PubMed Central

Aballéa, Samuel; Millier, Aurélie; Quilici, Sibilia; Caroll, Stuart; Petrou, Stavros; Toumi, Mondher

2013-01-01

Two licensed vaccines are available to prevent RVGE in infants. A worldwide critical review of economic evaluations of these vaccines was conducted. The objective was to describe differences in methodologies, assumptions and inputs and determine the key factors driving differences in conclusions. 68 economic evaluations were reviewed. RV vaccination was found to be cost-effective in developing countries, while conclusions varied between studies in developed countries. Many studies found that vaccination was likely to be cost-effective under some scenarios, such as lower prices scenarios, inclusion of herd protection, and/or adoption of a societal perspective. Other reasons for variability included uncertainty around healthcare visits incidence and lack of consensus on quality of life (QoL) valuation for infants and caregivers. New evidence on the vaccination effectiveness in real-world, new ways of modeling herd protection and assessments of QoL in children could help more precisely define the conditions under which RV vaccination would be cost-effective in developed countries. PMID:23571226

Development of vanadium-phosphate catalysts for methanol production by selective oxidation of methane

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

McCormick, R.L.

1995-12-31

The United States has vast natural gas reserves which could contribute significantly to our energy security if economical technologies for conversion to liquid fuels and chemicals were developed. Many of these reserves are small scale or in remote locations and of little value unless they can be transported to consumers. Transportation is economically performed via pipeline, but this route is usually unavailable in remote locations. Another option is to convert the methane in the gas to liquid hydrocarbons, such as methanol, which can easily and economically be transported by truck. Therefore, the conversion of methane to liquid hydrocarbons has themore » potential to decrease our dependence upon oil imports by opening new markets for natural gas and increasing its use in the transportation and chemical sectors of the economy. In this project, we are attempting to develop, and explore new catalysts capable of direct oxidation of methane to methanol. The specific objectives of this work are discussed.« less

Preliminary design of a solar central receiver for site-specific repowering application (Saguaro Power Plant). Volume II. Preliminary design. Final report, October 1982-September 1983

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

Weber, E.R.

1983-09-01

The solar central receiver technology, site, and specific unit for repowering were selected in prior analyses and studies. The objectives of this preliminary design study were to: develop a solar central receiver repowering design for Saguaro that (1) has potential to be economically competitive with fossil fueled plants in near and long term applications, (2) has the greatest chance for completion without further government funding, (3) will further define technical and economic feasibility of a 66 MWe gross size plant that is adequate to meet the requirements for utility and industrial process heat applications, (4) can potentially be constructed andmore » operated within the next five years, and (5) incorporates solar central receiver technology and represents state-of-the-art development. This volume on the preliminary design includes the following sections: executive summary; introduction; changes from advanced conceptual design; preliminary design; system characteristics; economic analysis; and development plan.« less

Center for the Built Environment: Research

Science.gov Websites

to design and development teams, leading to a situation in which many building industry professionals make economic and design decisions with insufficient feedback from experience, or input from objective building design, construction, and operations. Learn more about our sustainability and whole building

Educational Planning: A Reappraisal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This reappraisal of educational planning, implementing a decision of the Education Committee for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has two main objectives: to review the evolution of concepts, approaches, and practices of educational planning in member countries during the past 20 years; and to identify new features…

Socio-Economic Status (SES) Affects Infants' Selective Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tacke, Nicholas F.; Bailey, Lillian S.; Clearfield, Melissa W.

2015-01-01

Infants change their behaviours in accordance with the objects they are exploring. They also tailor their exploratory actions to the physical context. This selectivity of exploratory actions represents a foundational cognitive skill that underlies higher-level cognitive processes. The present study compared the development of selective exploratory…

Wind energy developments in the 20th century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vargo, D. J.

1974-01-01

Wind turbine systems of the past are reviewed and wind energy is reexamined as a future source of power. Various phases and objectives of the Wind Energy Program are discussed. Conclusions indicate that wind generated energy must be considered economically competitive with other power production methods.

Better utilization of low-grade woods

Treesearch

Peter Koch

1957-01-01

The objective of this paper is threefold: to outline briefly some of the avenues of approach so far employed in utilizing low-grade wood, to comment on the economic aspects of the problem, and finally, to speculate about what developments the future might bring to the field of utilization.

Microfiltration of thin stillage: Process simulation and economic analyses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In plant scale operations, multistage membrane systems have been adopted for cost minimization. We considered design optimization and operation of a continuous microfiltration (MF) system for the corn dry grind process. The objectives were to develop a model to simulate a multistage MF system, optim...

Economic considerations of breeding for polled dairy cows versus dehorning in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dairy producers today face labor, equipment, and medical costs associated with dehorning heifers. Further, complications requiring veterinary intervention occur with some probability. The objective of this work is to develop preliminary cost estimates of selecting for polled dairy heifers. Stochasti...

PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing (NJ1), 2010

2010-01-01

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) focuses on young people's ability to use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. This orientation reflects a change in the goals and objectives of curricula themselves, which are increasingly concerned with what…

The State of the Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This report reviews the progress achieved in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in attaining environmental objectives over the past two decades--the lifetime of most environmental policies and institutions. The report is organized in three parts. Part I examines the agenda for the 1990s: global atmospheric…

An object-oriented watershed management tool (QnD-VFS) to engage stakeholders in targeted implementation of filter strips in an arid surface irrigation area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campo, M. A.; Perez-Ovilla, O.; Munoz-Carpena, R.; Kiker, G.; Ullman, J. L.

2012-12-01

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution cause the majority of the 1,224 different waterbodies failing to meet designated water use criteria in Washington. Although various best management practices (BMPs) are effective in mitigating agricultural pollutants, BMP placement is often haphazard and fails to address specific high-risk locations. Limited financial resources necessitate optimization of conservation efforts to meet water quality goals. Thus, there is a critical need to develop decision-making tools that target BMP implementation in order to maximize water quality protection. In addition to field parameters, it is essential to incorporate economic and social determinants in the decision-making process to encourage producer involvement. Decision-making tools that identify strategic pollution sources and integrate socio-economic factors will lead to more cost-effective water quality improvement, as well as encourage producer participation by incorporating real-world limitations. Therefore, this study examines vegetative filter strip use under different scenarios as a BMP to mitigate sediment and nutrients in the highly irrigated Yakima River Basin of central Washington. We developed QnD-VFS to integrate and visualize alternative, spatially-explicit, water management strategies and its economic impact. The QnDTM system was created as a decision education tool that incorporates management, economic, and socio- political issues in a user-friendly scenario framework. QnDTM, which incorporates elements of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and risk assessment, is written in object-oriented Java and can be deployed as a stand-alone program or a web-accessed tool. The model performs Euler numerical integration of various rate transformation and mass-balance transfer equations. The novelty of this object-oriented approach is that these differential equations are detailed in modular XML format for instantiation within the Java code. This design allows many levels of complexity to be quickly designed and rendered in QnDTM without time-consuming additions of new Java code. Thus, temporal and spatial scales used in the equations become part of model development and iteration. A salient aspect is that QnDTM links spatial components within GIS (ArcInfo Shape) files to the abiotic (e.g., climate), biotic and chemical/contaminant interactions. QnD-VFS integrates environmental, management and socio-economic/cultural factors identified through stakeholder input. Several scenarios have been studied. Thus one of the main results show that changing water management, improved irrigation, is equivalent to changing length of vegetative filter strips, with a low economic impacts for farmers. Concurrently, these interactive tools allow resource managers to identify economic and social determinants that may impede conservation efforts.

Do Doctrinal Buzzwords Obscure the Meaning of Operational Art

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-21

doctrine defines military strategy as "the art and science of employing the armed forres of a nation or alliance to secure policy objectives by the...objectives during peace, crisis, or war. 𔄂 Joint Chiefs of Staff Publication I (JCS Pub 1) defines 7, strategy as "the art and science of developing...definitions. One definition is "the science and art of employing the pnlitical, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of

The association between objective walkability, neighborhood socio-economic status, and physical activity in Belgian children.

PubMed

D'Haese, Sara; Van Dyck, Delfien; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte; Cardon, Greet

2014-08-23

Objective walkability is an important correlate of adults' physical activity. Studies investigating the relation between walkability and children's physical activity are scarce. However, in order to develop effective environmental interventions, a profound investigation of this relation is needed in all age groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between objective walkability and different domains of children's physical activity, and to investigate the moderating effect of neighborhood socio-economic status in this relation. Data were collected between December 2011 and May 2013 as part of the Belgian Environmental Physical Activity Study in children. Children (9-12 years old; n = 606) were recruited from 18 elementary schools in Ghent (Belgium). Children together with one of their parents completed the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Children's neighborhood walkability was calculated using geographical information systems. Multilevel cross-classified modeling was used to determine the relationship between children's PA and objectively measured walkability and the moderating effect of neighborhood SES in this relation. In low SES neighborhoods walkability was positively related to walking for transportation during leisure time (β = 0.381 ± 0.124; 95% CI = 0.138, 0.624) and was negatively related to sports during leisure time (β = -0.245 ± 0.121; 95% CI = -0.482, -0.008). In high socio-economic status neighborhoods, walkability was unrelated to children's physical activity. No relations of neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socio-economic status with cycling during leisure time, active commuting to school and objectively measured moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity were found. No univocal relation between neighborhood walkability and physical activity was found in 9-12 year old children. Results from international adult studies cannot be generalized to children. There is a need in future research to determine the key environmental correlates of children's physical activity.

Ideology and 'A' Level Economics Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Angela

1978-01-01

Reviews economics textbooks frequently used in college level economics courses in England to determine the extent of bias. Topics analyzed include economics as science and ethics, profits, advertising, economic objectives, perfect competition, and nationalized industries. (Author/DB)

Turning for Ulcer Reduction (TURN) Study: An Economic Analysis

PubMed Central

Paulden, Mike; Bergstrom, Nancy; Horn, Susan D.; Rapp, Mary; Stern, Anita; Barrett, Ryan; Watkiss, Michael; Krahn, Murray

2014-01-01

Background The Turning for Ulcer Reduction (TURN) study was a multisite, randomized controlled trial that aimed to determine the optimal frequency of turning nursing facility residents with mobility limitations who are at moderate and high risk for pressure ulcer (PrU) development. Here we present data from the economic analysis. Objectives This economic analysis aims to estimate the economic consequences for Ontario of switching from a repositioning schedule of 2-hour intervals to a schedule of 3-hour or 4-hour intervals. Data Sources Costs considered in the analysis included those associated with nursing staff time spent repositioning residents and with incontinent care supplies, which included briefs, barrier cream, and washcloths. Results The total economic benefit of switching to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning is estimated to be $11.05 or $16.74 per day, respectively, for every resident at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs. For a typical facility with 123 residents, 41 (33%) of whom are at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs, the total economic benefit is estimated to be $453 daily for 3-hour or $686 daily for 4-hour repositioning. For Ontario as a whole, assuming that there are 77,933 residents at 634 LTC facilities, 25,927 (33%) of whom are at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs, the total economic benefits of switching to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning are estimated to be $286,420 or $433,913 daily, respectively, equivalent to $104.5 million or $158.4 million per year. Limitations We did not consider the savings the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care might incur should less frequent repositioning reduce the incidence of work-related injury among nursing staff, so our findings are potentially conservative. Conclusions A switch to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning appears likely to yield substantial economic benefits to Ontario without placing residents at greater risk of developing PrUs. PMID:26330894

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

NONE

Nuclear power has safely, reliably, and economically contributed almost 20% of electrical generation in the United States over the past two decades. It remains the single largest contributor (more than 60%) of non-greenhouse-gas-emitting electric power generation in the United States. Domestic demand for electrical energy is expected to grow by about 24% from 2013 to 2040 . At the same time, most of the currently operating nuclear power plants will begin reaching the end of their initial 20-year extension to their original 40-year operating license, for a total of 60 years of operation (the oldest commercial plants in the Unitedmore » States reached their 40th anniversary in 2009). Figure E-1 shows projected nuclear energy contribution to the domestic generating capacity for 40- and 60-year license periods. If current operating nuclear power plants do not operate beyond 60 years (and new nuclear plants are not built quickly enough to replace them), the total fraction of generated electrical energy from nuclear power will rapidly decline. That decline will be accelerated if plants are shut down before 60 years of operation. Decisions on extended operation ultimately rely on economic factors; however, economics can often be improved through technical advancements. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's 2010 Research and Development Roadmap (2010 Nuclear Energy Roadmap) organizes its activities around four objectives that ensure nuclear energy remains a compelling and viable energy option for the United States. The four objectives are as follows: 1. Develop technologies and other solutions that can improve the reliability, sustain the safety, and extend the life of the current reactors; 2. Develop improvements in the affordability of new reactors to enable nuclear energy to help meet the Administration's energy security and climate change goals; 3. Develop sustainable nuclear fuel cycles; and 4. Understand and minimize the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program is the primary programmatic activity that addresses Objective 1. This document summarizes the LWRS Program's plans. For the LWRS Program, sustainability is defined as the ability to maintain safe and economic operation of the existing fleet of nuclear power plants for a longer-than-initially-licensed lifetime. It has two facets with respect to long-term operations: (1) manage the aging of plant systems, structures, and components so that nuclear power plant lifetimes can be extended and the plants can continue to operate safely, efficiently, and economically; and (2) provide science-based solutions to the industry to implement technology to exceed the performance of the current labor-intensive business model.« less

Research on JD e-commerce's delivery model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Zhiguo; Ma, Mengkun; Feng, Chaoying

2017-03-01

E-commerce enterprises represented by JD have made a great contribution to the economic growth and economic development of our country. Delivery, as an important part of logistics, has self-evident importance. By establishing efficient and perfect self-built logistics systems and building good cooperation models with third-party logistics enterprises, e-commerce enterprises have created their own logistics advantages. Characterized by multi-batch and small-batch, e-commerce is much more complicated than traditional transaction. It's not easy to decide which delivery model e-commerce enterprises should adopt. Having e-commerce's logistics delivery as the main research object, this essay aims to find a more suitable logistics delivery model for JD's development.

A pulse-width modulated, high reliability charge controller for small photovoltaic systems

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

Gerken, K.; Welsh, D.

1997-02-01

This report presents the results of a development effort to design, test and begin production of a new class of small photovoltaic (PV) charge controllers. Sandia National Laboratories provided technical support, test data and financial support through a Balance-of-System Development contract. One of the objectives of the development was to increase user confidence in small PV systems by improving the reliability and operating life of the system controllers. Another equally important objective was to improve the economics of small PV systems by extending the battery lifetimes. Using new technology and advanced manufacturing techniques, these objectives were accomplished. Because small stand-alonemore » PV systems account for over one third of all PV modules shipped, the positive impact of improving the reliability and economics of PV systems in this market segment will be felt throughout the industry. The results of verification testing of the new product are also included in this report. The initial design goals and specifications were very aggressive, but the extensive testing demonstrates that all the goals were achieved. Production of the product started in May at a rate of 2,000 units per month. Over 40 Morningstar distributors (5 US and 35 overseas) have taken delivery in the first 2 months of shipments. Initial customer reactions to the new controller have been very favorable.« less

Recent progress in terrestrial photovoltaic collector technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferber, R. R.

1982-01-01

The U.S. Photovoltaic Research and Development Program has the objective to develop the technology necessary to foster widespread grid-competitive electric power generation by the late 1980s. The flat-plate and the concentrator collector activities form the nucleus of the program. The project is concerned with the refining of silicon, silicon sheet production, solar cell processing and fabrication, encapsulation materials development, and collector design and production. The Large-Area Silicon Sheet Task has the objective to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of several methods for producing large area silicon sheet material suitable for fabricating low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells. It is expected that a variety of economic flat-plate and concentrator collectors will become commercially available for grid-connected applications.

Financial arrangement selection for energy management projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodroof, Eric Aubrey

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to develop a model (E-FUND) to help facility managers select financial arrangements for energy management projects (EMPs). The model was developed with the help of a panel of expert financiers. The panel also helped develop a list of key objectives critical to the decision process. The E-FUND model was tested by a population of facility managers in four case studies. Findings and conclusions. The results may indicate that having a high economic benefit (from an EMP) is not overwhelmingly important, when compared to other qualitative objectives. The results may also indicate that the true lease and performance contract may be the most applicable financial arrangements for EMPs.

Program on ground test of modified quiet, clean, JT3D and JT8D turbofan engines in their respective nacelles. [modification of Boeing 707, 727, and 737 aircraft for aircraft noise reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

A program to reduce the community noise levels of commercial jet aircraft is summarized. The program objective is the development of three acoustically treated nacelle configurations for the 707, 727, and 737 series aircraft to provide maximum noise reduction with minimum performance loss, modification requirements, and economic impact. The preliminary design, model testing, data analyses, and economic studies of proposed nacelle configurations are discussed.

Decree No. 18729-J of 25 October 1988.

PubMed

1988-01-01

This Decree authorizes the association "Credimujer" to be inscribed in the Register of Associations of Costa Rica. Among the objectives of the "Credimujer" are the integration of women into the social and economic development of Costa Rica, improvement of the social and economic position of women, support of businesses run by women and business activities carried out by women, creation of opportunities for women to obtain credit, promotion of women in managerial positions, just remuneration for women, and contributions to the growth of businesses of which women are the beneficiaries. full text

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

Fred D. Brent; Lalit Shah; Earl Berry

The overall objective of this project is the three phase development of an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) which uses petroleum coke to produce at least one product from at least two of the following three categories: (1) electric power (or heat), (2) fuels, and (3) chemicals using ChevronTexaco's proprietary gasification technology. The objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility and define the concept for the EECP located at a specific site; develop a Research, Development, and Testing (RD&T) Plan to mitigate technical risks and barriers; and prepare a Preliminary Project Financing Plan. The objective of Phase IImore » is to implement the work as outlined in the Phase I RD&T Plan to enhance the development and commercial acceptance of coproduction technology. The objective of Phase III is to develop an engineering design package and a financing and testing plan for an EECP located at a specific site. The project's intended result is to provide the necessary technical, economic, and environmental information needed by industry to move the EECP forward to detailed design, construction, and operation. The partners in this project are Texaco Energy Systems LLC or TES (a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco), General Electric (GE), Praxair, and Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) in addition to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). TES is providing gasification technology and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) technology developed by Rentech, GE is providing combustion turbine technology, Praxair is providing air separation technology, and KBR is providing engineering. Each of the EECP subsystems was assessed for technical risks and barriers. A plan was developed to mitigate the identified risks (Phase II RD&T Plan, October 2000). The potential technical and economic risks to the EECP from Task 2.5 can be mitigated by demonstrating that the end-use products derived from the upgrading of the F-T synthesis total liquid product can meet or exceed current specifications for the manufacture of ethylene and propylene chemicals from F-T naphtha, for the generation of hydrogen from F-T naphtha to power fuel cells, for direct blending of F-T diesels into transportation fuels, for the conversion of F-T heavy product wax to transportation fuels, and the conversion of F-T Heavy product wax to a valuable high melting point food-grade specialty wax product. Product evaluations conducted under Task 2.5 of Phase II successfully mitigated the above technical and economic risks to the EECP with the development of product yields and product qualities for the production of chemicals, transportation fuels, and specialty food-grade waxes from the F-T synthesis products.« less

Learning Objectives and Testing: An Analysis of Six Principles of Economics Textbooks, Using Bloom's Taxonomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karns, James M. L.; And Others

1983-01-01

Significant differences were found between the stated objectives of most college level economics textbooks and the instruments included in the instructor's manuals to measure student achievement. (Author/RM)

Economic support to patients in HIV and TB grants in rounds 7 and 10 from the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

PubMed

Richter, Linda M; Lönnroth, Knut; Desmond, Chris; Jackson, Robin; Jaramillo, Ernesto; Weil, Diana

2014-01-01

People with TB and/or HIV frequently experience severe economic barriers to health care, including out-of-pocket expenses related to diagnosis and treatment, as well as indirect costs due to loss of income. These barriers can both aggravate economic hardship and prevent or delay diagnosis, treatment and successful outcome, leading to increased transmission, morbidity and mortality. WHO, UNAIDS and the ILO argue that economic support of various kinds is essential to enable vulnerable people to protect themselves from infection, avoid delayed diagnosis and treatment, overcome barriers to adherence, and avert destitution. This paper analyses successful country proposals to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that include economic support in Rounds 7 and 10; 36 and 20 HIV and TB grants in Round 7 and 32 and 26, respectively, in Round 10. Of these, up to 84 percent included direct or indirect economic support for beneficiaries, although the amount constituted a very small proportion of the total grant. In TB grants, the objectives of economic support were generally clearly stated, and focused on mechanisms to improve treatment uptake and adherence, and the case was most clearly made for MDR-TB patients. In HIV grants, the objectives were much broader in scope, including mitigation of adverse economic and social effects of HIV and its treatment on both patients and families. The analysis shows that economic support is on the radar for countries developing Global Fund proposals, and a wide range of economic support activities are in place. In order to move forward in this area, the wealth of country experience that exists needs to be collated, assessed and disseminated. In addition to trials, operational research and programme evaluations, more precise guidance to countries is needed to inform evidence-based decision about activities that are cost-effective, affordable and feasible.

Economic Support to Patients in HIV and TB Grants in Rounds 7 and 10 from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

PubMed Central

Richter, Linda M.; Lönnroth, Knut; Desmond, Chris; Jackson, Robin; Jaramillo, Ernesto; Weil, Diana

2014-01-01

People with TB and/or HIV frequently experience severe economic barriers to health care, including out-of-pocket expenses related to diagnosis and treatment, as well as indirect costs due to loss of income. These barriers can both aggravate economic hardship and prevent or delay diagnosis, treatment and successful outcome, leading to increased transmission, morbidity and mortality. WHO, UNAIDS and the ILO argue that economic support of various kinds is essential to enable vulnerable people to protect themselves from infection, avoid delayed diagnosis and treatment, overcome barriers to adherence, and avert destitution. This paper analyses successful country proposals to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that include economic support in Rounds 7 and 10; 36 and 20 HIV and TB grants in Round 7 and 32 and 26, respectively, in Round 10. Of these, up to 84 percent included direct or indirect economic support for beneficiaries, although the amount constituted a very small proportion of the total grant. In TB grants, the objectives of economic support were generally clearly stated, and focused on mechanisms to improve treatment uptake and adherence, and the case was most clearly made for MDR-TB patients. In HIV grants, the objectives were much broader in scope, including mitigation of adverse economic and social effects of HIV and its treatment on both patients and families. The analysis shows that economic support is on the radar for countries developing Global Fund proposals, and a wide range of economic support activities are in place. In order to move forward in this area, the wealth of country experience that exists needs to be collated, assessed and disseminated. In addition to trials, operational research and programme evaluations, more precise guidance to countries is needed to inform evidence-based decision about activities that are cost-effective, affordable and feasible. PMID:24489702

Investigating impacts of economic growth on the environment using remote sensing tools: A case study of gross domestic product and net primary production in China from 2001 to 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Naizhuo

Pursuing sustainable co-development of economy and environment has been established as a basic national policy by the present Chinese government. However, studies regarding actual outcomes of the co-development policy at the whole Chinese scale are still limited. Detecting China's economic growth and changes of environmental quality will not only contribute to evaluation of outcomes of the co-development policy but more importantly is an opportunity to examine the suitability of the IPAT model and improve our understanding of human-environment interactions. The core of the IPAT theory is an equation where I=PxAxT that models human impact on the environment as a function of changes to population (P), affluence ( A), and technology (T). The IPAT theory emphasizes that economic growth will inevitably produce negative impacts on the environment. Thus, if China's environmental quality declined while economic growth occurred, then the IPAT theory will be substantiated. Otherwise, the suitability of the IPAT theory will be called into question and its tenets must be reconsidered. In this dissertation research I selected gross domestic product (GDP) and net primary production (NPP) as indicators to evaluate production of social and ecological systems respectively. The main study objectives are (1) to develop a methodology to facilitate integration of the two indicators derived from demographic data sources and satellite imagery at different geographic scales, (2) to jointly explore changing patterns of China's economic and ecological production (i.e., spatially and temporally coincident patterns of change in GDP and NPP) across different spatial scales, (3) to analyze whether economic growth has produced negative impacts on ecosystem production and whether the impacts correlate to the economic growth, and finally (4) to discuss whether the IPAT theory is suitable for explaining the joint changes of GDP and NPP in China or if it is in need of modification. To fulfill the study objectives, nighttime light images and LandScan gridded population data were used to disaggregate demographic GDP data reported at the province level to the pixel level. The disaggregated GDP data were integrated with MODIS annual NPP data to map joint changes of GDP and NPP from 2001 to 2007. Economic development and environmental change can lead to land cover change, and the land cover change can, in turn, determine the changes of NPP. Thus, a change detection matrix with basic land cover elements was produced from MODIS land cover type products to augment the analyses of changing patterns of GDP and NPP in China. To safely discern that the changes of NPP are mainly affected by anthropogenic factors and not natural forces, the extents of undeveloped, established developed (existing before 2001), and newly developed (emerging after 2001) areas were delimited from the nighttime light images. Results show that most Chinese developed areas experienced coupled increases in GDP and NPP between 2001 and 2007 across different geographic scales, but no significant correlations exist between the total changes (or percentage changes) in GDP and NPP at the province, the city, or the pixel level. Despite large increases in GDP, the decreases in vegetated land expected according to IPAT theory did not occur in developed areas. Instead, barren land markedly decreased and built-up land slightly decreased in extent. These changing patterns suggest that China's economic growth produced some positive impacts on its ecosystem production as measured using NPP. In light of these findings a reexamination of the IPAT theory is necessary. I propose a revision to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) concept to fully illustrate the relationship between economic growth and ecosystem production as an indicator of environmental quality. According to the EKC, at relatively low levels of economic output, economic growth produces negative impacts on environmental quality. The negative impacts tend to reach a maximum at high levels of economic output and then decline at sustained levels of high economic output. My findings indicate that at sustained levels of high economic output some negative impacts may be reduced, but that some positive impacts may simultaneously emerge.

The implementation of interest-based entrepreneurship curriculum in the Theory of Economics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surjanti, J.; Nugrohoseno, D.; Budiono; Musfidah, H.

2018-01-01

College and university are educational institutions and they should be able to design entrepreneurship program in order to strengthen creativity and innovation. Potential grown-up citizens potential is the main problem of national development solved through the role of universities by reconstructing the curriculum based on 2016 Indonesian National Curriculum Framework. The interest of building entrepreneurship becomes the work of all elements which one of them is a university. Reconstructing interest-based entrepreneurship curriculum is the first step to construct characterized economic. Economics lecturers have a responsibility to develop the curriculum. This study aimed to explore the interest in entrepreneurship used to develop the contextual learning using problem-based learning (PBL) method that refers to Universitas Negeri Surabaya’s motto “Growing with character” and integrated into 2016 Indonesian National Curriculum Framework. This study was qualitative explorative. The subjects of the study are 86 students in their first semester. The objective of the study was curriculum development interest-based entrepreneurship in the theory of economics course. The results of the study showed that the interest-based entrepreneurship curriculum was able to reach the targeted learning outcome as well as to create a product in the culinary and services project in Wonorejo mangrove forest according to students’ interests.

Southern Connections: Connecting with Each Other, Connecting with the Future. The Final Report of the 1998 Commission on the Future of the South.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Ed

Supported by the state governments of the South, the Southern Growth Policies Board creates strategies for regional economic development. Every 6 years, the Board's chairman (a state governor) appoints a blue-ribbon commission to analyze the condition of the South, develop regional objectives, and recommend approaches to regional problems. This…

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) Finished preparing the final project report, less the field implementation component. Sent to DOE for review. (2) Continued coordinating the final selection of candidates and field implementation with Oneok. Oneok postponed field implementation until after the first of the year due to budget constraints.« less

DNA polymorphisms at bermudagrass microsatellite loci and their use in genotype fingerprinting

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The economically important, turf-type bermudagrasses include diploid Cynodon transvaalensis, tetraploid C. dactylon, and sterile triploid hybrids produced by crosses of these species. The objective of this study was to develop a set of microsatellite markers that could be used to distinguish among c...

E-Learning and Lifelong Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mouzakitis, George S.; Tuncay, Nazime

2011-01-01

It is supported that the object of education is to provide results. Hence, it is of crucial importance to economic development globally. In our era, globalization is a highly disputable event with strong persuasive arguments and equally solid disagreements. The impact of globalization in our everyday activities has been increased. In parallel,…

Toward 2000. Trends Report II: Elementary-Secondary Projections.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Press, Harold L.

Comprehensive, systematic planning provides the overall direction for education through the development of policies and objectives. An understanding of demographic, social, and economic trends is necessary for educators to make decisions for the future. The 1986 demographic forecasts for the province of Newfoundland are updated in this report,…

Evaluation of the Occupational Training Information System (OTIS). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macro Systems, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.

The Occupational Training Information System (OTIS), which is in operation in Oklahoma and in a developmental stage in Kentucky, was evaluated. The principle objective of OTIS is to provide the information necessary to formulate educational, manpower, and economic development plans and policies. OTIS consists primarily of a manpower demand…

Supervisors' Role and the Use of Failure in Guatemala's Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Patrick D.

National development, a worldwide rationale of mass schooling systems, is both economic and social-integrative and supports the human capital paradigm. The social-integrative objective fosters membership in modern systems of state and money exchange that pull people away from traditional ethnic, cultural, regional, or religious allegiances. This…

A Value Conscious Approach to Energy Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Bonnie; Wilson, Elaine

The paper presents background information, rationale, description, and evaluation of an energy education program used with preschool and kindergarten children and their families. The objective is to describe the use of combined concepts of education, economics, and early childhood in developing a value conscious approach to energy education. The…

Final report for the National Center for Intermodal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness : mission intermodal excellence.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

The main objective of this project is to continue educating K-12 students about intermodal transportation. In 2012, NCITEC funded our K-12 project which aimed to develop tools, such as, lesson plans and hands-on activities that would introduce K-12 s...

The Future of Migration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

This book comprises papers delivered at a conference of National Experts on Migration. The principle objective of the conference was twofold: to examine significant trends that will affect the future of migration in countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED), and to identify the relevant issues that will have to…

Irrigated cotton grown on sierozem soils in South Kazakhstan

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Gloldnaya steppe has large areas of fertile sierozem soils that are important for crop production and its accompanying economic development. The soils are fertile loams but because of the steppe’s dry environment, they need to be irrigated. Our objective was to study irrigation management of cot...

Assessment of economic and water quality impacts of land use change using a simple bioeconomic model.

PubMed

Bhattarai, Gandhi; Srivastava, Puneet; Marzen, Luke; Hite, Diane; Hatch, Upton

2008-07-01

The objective of this study is to assess the economic and water quality impact of land use change in a small watershed in the Wiregrass region of Alabama. The study compares changes in water quality and revenue from agricultural and timber production due to changes in land use between years 1992 and 2001. The study was completed in two stages. In the first stage, a biophysical model was used to estimate the effect of land use change on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff and sediment deposition in the main channel; in the second stage, farm enterprise budgeting tools were used to estimate the economic returns for the changes in land use condition. Both biophysical and economic results are discussed, and a case for complex optimization to develop a decision support system is presented.

Economic Metrics for Commercial Reusable Space Transportation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Eric J.; Hamaker, Joseph (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The success of any effort depends upon the effective initial definition of its purpose, in terms of the needs to be satisfied and the goals to be fulfilled. If the desired product is "A System" that is well-characterized, these high-level need and goal statements can be transformed into system requirements by traditional systems engineering techniques. The satisfaction of well-designed requirements can be tracked by fairly straightforward cost, schedule, and technical performance metrics. Unfortunately, some types of efforts, including those that NASA terms "Programs," tend to resist application of traditional systems engineering practices. In the NASA hierarchy of efforts, a "Program" is often an ongoing effort with broad, high-level goals and objectives. A NASA "project" is a finite effort, in terms of budget and schedule, that usually produces or involves one System. Programs usually contain more than one project and thus more than one System. Special care must be taken in the formulation of NASA Programs and their projects, to ensure that lower-level project requirements are traceable to top-level Program goals, feasible with the given cost and schedule constraints, and measurable against top-level goals. NASA Programs and projects are tasked to identify the advancement of technology as an explicit goal, which introduces more complicating factors. The justification for funding of technology development may be based on the technology's applicability to more than one System, Systems outside that Program or even external to NASA. Application of systems engineering to broad-based technology development, leading to effective measurement of the benefits, can be valid, but it requires that potential beneficiary Systems be organized into a hierarchical structure, creating a "system of Systems." In addition, these Systems evolve with the successful application of the technology, which creates the necessity for evolution of the benefit metrics to reflect the changing baseline. Still, economic metrics for technology development in these Programs and projects remain fairly straightforward, being based on reductions in acquisition and operating costs of the Systems. One of the most challenging requirements that NASA levies on its Programs is to plan for the commercialization of the developed technology. Some NASA Programs are created for the express purpose of developing technology for a particular industrial sector, such as aviation or space transportation, in financial partnership with that sector. With industrial investment, another set of goals, constraints and expectations are levied on the technology program. Economic benefit metrics then expand beyond cost and cost savings to include the marketability, profit, and investment return requirements of the private sector. Commercial investment criteria include low risk, potential for high return, and strategic alignment with existing product lines. These corporate criteria derive from top-level strategic plans and investment goals, which rank high among the most proprietary types of information in any business. As a result, top-level economic goals and objectives that industry partners bring to cooperative programs cannot usually be brought into technical processes, such as systems engineering, that are worked collaboratively between Industry and Government. In spite of these handicaps, the top-level economic goals and objectives of a joint technology program can be crafted in such a way that they accurately reflect the fiscal benefits from both Industry and Government perspectives. Valid economic metrics can then be designed that can track progress toward these goals and objectives, while maintaining the confidentiality necessary for the competitive process.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME IN SURGICALLY TREATED DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURE

PubMed Central

ORTIZ-ROMERO, JOEL; BERMUDEZ-SOTO, IGNACIO; TORRES-GONZÁLEZ, RUBÉN; ESPINOZA-CHOQUE, FERNANDO; ZAZUETA-HERNANDEZ, JESÚS ABRAHAM; PEREZ-ATANASIO, JOSÉ MANUEL

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with developing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after surgical treatment for distal radius fracture (DRF). Methods: This case-control study analyzed patients seen from January 2014 to January 2016. Results: In our sample of 249 patients, 4% developed CRPS. Associated factors were economic compensation via work disability (odds ratio [OR] 14.3), age (OR 9.38), associated fracture (OR 12.94), and level of impact (OR 6.46), as well as psychiatric history (OR 7.21). Conclusions: Economically-productive aged patients with a history of high-impact trauma and patients with a history of psychiatric disorders have greater risk of developing CRPS after DRF. Level of Evidence III, Case-Control Study. PMID:29081703

Estimate for interstage water injection in air compressor incorporated into gas-turbine cycles and combined power plants cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kler, A. M.; Zakharov, Yu. B.; Potanina, Yu. M.

2017-05-01

The objects of study are the gas turbine (GT) plant and combined cycle power plant (CCPP) with opportunity for injection between the stages of air compressor. The objective of this paper is technical and economy optimization calculations for these classes of plants with water interstage injection. The integrated development environment "System of machine building program" was a tool for creating the mathematic models for these classes of power plants. Optimization calculations with the criterion of minimum for specific capital investment as a function of the unit efficiency have been carried out. For a gas-turbine plant, the economic gain from water injection exists for entire range of power efficiency. For the combined cycle plant, the economic benefit was observed only for a certain range of plant's power efficiency.

Metal-air battery research and development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behrin, E.; Cooper, J. F.

1982-05-01

This report summarizes the activities of the Metal-air Battery Program during the calendar year 1981. The principal objective is to develop a refuelable battery as an automotive energy source for general-purpose electric vehicles and to conduct engineering demonstrations of its ability to provide vehicles with the range, acceleration, and rapid refueling capability of current internal-combustion-engine automobiles. The second objective is to develop an electrically-rechargeable battery for specific-mission electric vehicles, such as commuter vehicles, that can provide low-cost transportation. The development progression is to: (1) develop a mechanically rechargeable aluminum-air power cell using model electrodes, (2) develop cost-effective anode and cathode materials and structures as required to achieve reliability and efficiency goals, and to establish the economic competitiveness of this technology, and (3) develop and integrated propulsion system utilizing the power cell.

Coastal freshwater resources management in the frame of climate change: application to three basins (Italy, Morocco, Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson, E.; Antonellini, M.; Dentinho, T.; Khattabi, A.

2009-04-01

Climate change becomes an increasing constraint in IWRM and many effects are expected in coastal watersheds like sea level rise and its consequences (i.e. beach erosion, salt water intrusion, soil salinization, groundwater and surface water pollution…) or water budget changes (i.e. seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations) and an increase of extreme events (i.e. floods, rainfalls and droughts). Beside this physical changes one can also observed the increase of water demand in coastal areas due to population growth and development of tourism activities. Both effects (e.g. physical and socio-economical) must be included into any coastal freshwater management option for a mid-term / long-term approach to set water mass/basin management plans as expected in European countries by the WDF or elsewhere in an IWRM objective. The Waterknow project funded by EraNet-Circle-Med program aims to develop a tool to help decisions makers in the implementation of IWRM plans in coastal areas that will have to cope with climate change effects and socio-economical pressures. This interdisciplinary project is applied to three basins (e.g. Fiumi Uniti Bevano, Italy; Terceira Island, Portugal and Taheddart, Morocco) and seeks to integrate and to develop research achievements in coastal hydrogeology, economical and land use modeling in each basin. In the Fiumi Uniti Bevano basin, a detailed hydrogeological survey was performed during the summer 2008. Twenty auger holes with an average spacing of 350 m where drilled with the objective of determining the top groundwater quality in the coastal aquifer. At the same time, we collected the chemical and physical parameters of the surface waters. The data collected in the field show that a fresh groundwater lens is still present in the aquifer of the backshore area below the coastal dunes and that the surface water is all brackish to salty. In the northern part of the study area, the fresh groundwater lens in the backshore zone is missing, as dunes were eroded and a series of saltwater ponds are present right behind the active dunes. The central part of the study area is characterised by the presence an active dune system and of a large pond in the innermost side of the backshore. In this case, there is a narrow freshwater lens in the aquifer of the active dunes area, whereas inland the aquifer is completely salty up to the agricultural fields. The southern area has the best preserved and tallest dunes and do not contain any pond. Here, the freshwater lens in the aquifer is wider than everywhere else and the aquifer becomes salty only where the drainage ditches are causing upcoming of deeper salty groundwater. This study has recognized the importance of coastal dunes in counteracting saltwater intrusion in the phreatic aquifer. Therefore, it is important to consider measures and interventions in order to preserve the integrity of the dunes not only for the purposes of avoiding shoreline erosion and coastal ecosystem destruction but also for freshwater resources protection. On the other hand, in low level coastal areas, drainage and the construction of ponds may enhance seawater upcoming. In this Italian case, a socio-economical modelling has to be developed to help decision making in both water and economical management to step toward an integrated water resource management. In the Terceira Island, a spatial interaction model has been developed including land and water uses combined with economical sectors related to Corine-Land-Cover (i.e. CLC) classification applied to urban areas and its surroundings. The spatial competition between different economical sectors and population pressures for land use and water use is resulting from the calibration of bid-rents. This economical model requires a dataset based on the spatial distribution of population, land uses and the calculation of distances between each economical sector including socio-economical indicators (i.e. employment, labor productivity, human consumption, land aptitude and water availability). Model results have been integrated to a GIS which has also been used for the dataset development. Climate change scenario, water uses and planning options are also included in this economical modeling tool that can already simulate future water demand for the Terceira Island. In this Portuguese case study a coastal hydrogeological analysis will be implemented within the Waterknow project to help decision making to integrate the coastal freshwater vulnerability and its seasonal fluctuations into the economical, urban and water management plans. In the Taheddart basin, both economical and hydrogeological analysis are lacking and the Waterknow project objective is to integrate and to apply the previous achievements (i.e. hydrogeological and economical spatially distributed models) to simulate water demand evolution and coastal freshwater vulnerability in the frame of climate change and sea level rise. In the Moroccan case a land use analysis is undertaken using SPOT5 images and an object oriented classification methodology. This remote sensing approach has to provide spatial data to be included in to a GIS to feed the economical model adapted from the Portuguese case study. This methodology will also be applied to both Terceira Island and Fiumi Uniti Bevano basin to update and enhance existing CLC data. In the three cases water management issues are strongly felt among the number of stakeholders and the lack of integration of both hydrological and economical knowledge. The Waterknow project tries to step forward this challenge to adapt and enhance IWRM practices to climate change issues in an interdisciplinary approach.

Background and programmatic approach for the development of orbital fluid resupply tankers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, J. W.

1986-01-01

Onorbit resupply of fluids will be essential to the evolving generation of large and long-life orbital stations and satellites. These types of services are also needed to improve the economics of space operations, and not only optimize the expenditures for government funded programs, but also pave the way for commercial development of space resources. To meet these requirements, a family of tankers must be developed to resupply a variety of fluids. Economics of flight hardware development will require that each tanker within this family be capable of satisfying a variety of functions, including not only fluid resupply from the Space Shuttle Orbiter, but also resupply from Space Station and the orbital maneuvering vehicle (OMV). This paper discusses the justification, the programmatic objectives, and the advanced planning within NASA for the development of this fleet of multifunction orbital fluid resupply tankers.

Kickstarting a New Era of Lunar Industrialization via Campaign of Lunar COTS Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuniga, Allison F.; Turner, Mark; Rasky, Daniel; Pittman, Robert B.; Zapata, Edgar

2016-01-01

To support the goals of expanding our human presence and current economic sphere beyond LEO, a new plan was constructed for NASA to enter into partnerships with industry to foster and incentivize a new era of lunar industrialization. For NASA to finally be successful in achieving sustainable human exploration missions beyond LEO, lessons learned from our space history have shown that it is essential for current program planning to include affordable and economic development goals as well as address top national priorities to obtain much needed public support. In the last 58 years of NASA's existence, only Apollo's human exploration missions beyond LEO were successful since it was proclaimed to be a top national priority during the 1960's. However, the missions were not sustainable and ended abruptly in 1972 due to lack of funding and insufficient economic gain. Ever since Apollo, there have not been any human missions beyond LEO because none of the proposed program plans were economical or proclaimed a top national priority. The proposed plan outlines a new campaign of low-cost, commercial-enabled lunar COTS (Commercial Orbital Transfer Services) missions which is an update to the Lunar COTS plan previously described. The objectives of this new campaign of missions are to prospect for resources, determine the economic viability of extracting those resources and assess the value proposition of using these resources in future exploration architectures such as Mars. These missions would be accomplished in partnership with commercial industry using the wellproven COTS Program acquisition model. This model proved to be very beneficial to both NASA and its industry partners as NASA saved significantly in development and operational costs, as much as tenfold, while industry partners successfully expanded their market share and demonstrated substantial economic gain. Similar to COTS, the goals for this new initiative are 1) to develop and demonstrate cost-effective, cis-lunar commercial services, such as lunar transportation, lunar mining and lunar ISRU operations; 2) enable development of an affordable and economical exploration architecture for future missions to Mars and beyond; and 3) to incentivize the creation of new lunar markets through use of lunar resources for economic benefit to NASA, commercial industry and the international community. These cost-effective services would not only enable NASA to economically and sustainably achieve its human exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond but it would also kickstart a new era of lunar industrialization. This paper will describe the goals, objectives and approach for implementing this new campaign of missions. It will also describe the potential benefits and progress that can be accomplished with these low-cost, Lunar COTS missions. Lastly, a preliminary economic analysis approach is proposed for understanding the cost and potential return on investment in the use of lunar resources to reach the goal of lunar industrialization and an expanded and sustainable human presence into cis-lunar space and beyond.

Pressure ulcer prevention: a randomized controlled trial of 2 risk-directed strategies for patient surface assignment.

PubMed

Inman, K J; Dymock, K; Fysh, N; Robbins, B; Rutledge, F S; Sibbald, W J

1999-03-01

To compare the clinical utility, in terms of incidence of pressure ulcer (PU) development, and economic impact of 2 programs of patient surface assignment for PU prevention. Randomized controlled clinical trial with economic evaluation. 30-bed multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU), serving as the regional trauma center. 144 consecutive eligible patients at risk for the development of PUs. PU risk was assessed on admission using the Skin Ulcer Risk Evaluation (SURE) Score, and patients were randomized to either the experimental (purchase) or control group (purchase/rent). Based on their SURE Score, patients were assigned a specialty surface if needed. Patients received head-to-toe skin assessments twice weekly, new PUs were documented, a new SURE Score was calculated, and specialty surfaces were upgraded or downgraded as necessary. The incidence of PUs by site and severity, and cost. Multivariate logistic regression and decision modeling. No significant differences were detected between groups with respect to baseline population characteristics, nor in the development of PUs. Predictors of PU development were ICU length of stay and SURE Score. The experimental (purchase) group was the less costly strategy. Under baseline assumptions, surface costs per at-risk patient were $76 CDN and $171 CDN in the experimental and control groups, respectively. The savings of $95 CDN per at-risk patient translates into conservative annual savings of $47,500 CDN. Using an objective, risk-based method of patient surface assignment, the authors compared the clinical and economic outcomes of 2 programs of PU prevention. In a direct comparison of alternatives, the strategy that emphasized purchased rather than rented products proved to be the more economical. Finally, this approach illustrates how by prospectively capturing data on both the costs and consequences of competing alternatives, a more objective and informed decision-making process can result.

Enhanced Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane with Facilitated Transport Membranes for Low Cost Production of Ethylene

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

Nemser, Stuart; Shangguan, Ning; Pennisi, Kenneth

This SBIR program has been extremely successful. We have met or exceeded all of the key objectives. We have successfully demonstrated the product and process feasibility. Compact Membrane Systems proposed a membrane separation technology which can efficiently separate ethylene from ethane in the presence of H 2O and CO 2. The CMS ethylene/ethane separation will significantly improve the economics of the Oxidative Dehydrogenation (ODH) process. We have developed membranes with high ethylene flux and high ethylene/ethane selectivity. These membranes have also shown good resistance to high concentration CO 2 and CO. Economic analysis shows at least **% cost savings comparedmore » with conventional distillation used for ethylene/ethane separation. Given our success to date, we have been able to establish key direct partnerships with other collaborators. The primary objective of the Phase I program was to develop a stable membrane that is capable of providing very efficient and cost effective production of ethylene from ethane. The CMS fluorinated membrane developed during this program was found to be able to provide very good C 2H 4/C 2H 6 selectivity and outstanding C 2H 4 permeance. With the development of the fast and highly selective ethylene CMS membrane, we have achieved all our Phase I program objectives. This is especially true of the estimated cost of ethylene production that is projected to be over **% less than the conventional method (distillation) at scale applications (** Nm3/h). The final result is better than the Phase I goal of 30% less. In summary, during the Phase I, we developed a CMS membrane with a high C 2H 4 permeance good C 2H 4/C 2H 6 selectivity. The stability and anti-fouling ability of the CMS membrane was demonstrated by exposing the membrane to a C 2H 4/C 2H 6 mixture gas for 7 weeks. A membrane based ODH production and separation system was designed and the economic and engineering evaluation using the VMGSim models predicted a cost of $***. As previously stated this is at least a 35% cost reduction from the conventional methods and higher than the Phase I goal (25% cost reduction). The successful Phase I research attracted the interest from several major industrial players who are willing to provide partnership and support of further research. Successful development of the fluoropolymer membranes for C 2H 4/C 2H 6 separation in the process of ODH will provide significant benefits to the public: 1. Development of a highly economically profitable use of shale gas resource; 2. More economic growth and job creations based on the rich shale gas resource in US; 3. Huge energy savings compared with the conventional production of ethylene.« less

Load allocation of power plant using multi echelon economic dispatch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuda, Santosa, Budi; Rusdiansyah, Ahmad

2017-11-01

In this paper, the allocation of power plant load which is usually done with a single echelon as in the load flow calculation, is expanded into a multi echelon. A plant load allocation model based on the integration of economic dispatch and multi-echelon problem is proposed. The resulting model is called as Single Objective Multi Echelon Economic Dispatch (SOME ED). This model allows the distribution of electrical power in more detail in the transmission and distribution substations along the existing network. Considering the interconnection system where the distance between the plant and the load center is usually far away, therefore the loss in this model is seen as a function of distance. The advantages of this model is its capability of allocating electrical loads properly, as well as economic dispatch information with the flexibility of electric power system as a result of using multi-echelon. In this model, the flexibility can be viewed from two sides, namely the supply and demand sides, so that the security of the power system is maintained. The model was tested on a small artificial data. The results demonstrated a good performance. It is still very open to further develop the model considering the integration with renewable energy, multi-objective with environmental issues and applied to the case with a larger scale.

Optimizing Barrier Removal to Restore Connectivity in Utah's Weber Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraft, M.; Null, S. E.

2016-12-01

Instream barriers, such as dams, culverts and diversions are economically important for water supply, but negatively affect river ecosystems and disrupt hydrologic processes. Removal of uneconomical and aging in-stream barriers to improve habitat connectivity is increasingly used to restore river connectivity. Most past barrier removal projects focused on individual barriers using a score-and-rank technique, ignoring cumulative change from multiple, spatially-connected barrier removals. Similarly, most water supply models optimize either human water use or aquatic connectivity, failing to holistically represent human and environmental benefits. In this study, a dual objective optimization model identified in-stream barriers that impede aquatic habitat connectivity for trout, using streamflow, temperature, and channel gradient as indicators of aquatic habitat suitability. Water scarcity costs are minimized using agricultural and urban economic penalty functions to incorporate water supply benefits and a budget monetizes costs of removing small barriers like culverts and road crossings. The optimization model developed is applied to a case study in Utah's Weber basin to prioritize removal of the most environmentally harmful barriers, while maintaining human water uses. The dual objective solution basis was developed to quantify and graphically visualize tradeoffs between connected quality-weighted habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout and economic water uses. Modeled results include a spectrum of barrier removal alternatives based on budget and quality-weighted reconnected habitat that can be communicated with local stakeholders. This research will help prioritize barrier removals and future restoration decisions. The modeling approach expands current barrier removal optimization methods by explicitly including economic and environmental water uses.

17 CFR 200.23a - Office of Economic Analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Office of Economic Analysis... Organization § 200.23a Office of Economic Analysis. The Office of Economic Analysis is responsible for providing an objective economic perspective to understand and evaluate the economic dimension of the...

17 CFR 200.23a - Office of Economic Analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Office of Economic Analysis... Organization § 200.23a Office of Economic Analysis. The Office of Economic Analysis is responsible for providing an objective economic perspective to understand and evaluate the economic dimension of the...

17 CFR 200.23a - Office of Economic Analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Office of Economic Analysis... Organization § 200.23a Office of Economic Analysis. The Office of Economic Analysis is responsible for providing an objective economic perspective to understand and evaluate the economic dimension of the...

17 CFR 200.23a - Office of Economic Analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Office of Economic Analysis... Organization § 200.23a Office of Economic Analysis. The Office of Economic Analysis is responsible for providing an objective economic perspective to understand and evaluate the economic dimension of the...

17 CFR 200.23a - Office of Economic Analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Office of Economic Analysis... Organization § 200.23a Office of Economic Analysis. The Office of Economic Analysis is responsible for providing an objective economic perspective to understand and evaluate the economic dimension of the...

Electrochemical Membrane for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Power Generation

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

Ghezel-Ayagh, Hossein

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE), in collaboration with AECOM Corporation (formerly URS Corporation) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been developing a novel Combined Electric Power and Carbon-dioxide Separation (CEPACS) system. The CEPACS system is based on electrochemical membrane (ECM) technology derived from FCE’s carbonate fuel cell products featuring internal (methane steam) reforming and carrying the trade name of Direct FuelCell®. The unique chemistry of carbonate fuel cells offers an innovative approach for separation of CO 2 from existing fossil-fuel power plant exhaust streams (flue gases). The ECM-based CEPACS system has the potential to become a transformational CO 2-separation technology bymore » working as two devices in one: it separates the CO 2 from the exhaust of other plants such as an existing coal-fired plant and simultaneously produces clean electric power at high efficiency using a supplementary fuel. The development effort was carried out under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) cooperative agreement DE-FE0007634. The overall objective of this project was to successfully demonstrate the ability of FCE’s ECM-based CEPACS system technology to separate ≥90% of the CO 2 from a simulated Pulverized Coal (PC) power plant flue gas stream and to compress the captured CO2 to a state that can be easily transported for sequestration or beneficial use. In addition, a key objective was to show, through the technical and economic feasibility study and bench scale testing, that the ECM-based CEPACS system is an economical alternative for CO 2 capture in PC power plants, and that it meets DOE’s objective related to the incremental cost of electricity (COE) for post-combustion CO 2 capture (no more than 35% increase in COE). The project was performed in three budget periods (BP). The specific objective for BP1 was to complete the Preliminary Technical and Economic Feasibility Study. The T&EF study was based on the carbon capture system size suitable for a reference 550 MW PC power plant. The specific objectives for BP2 were to perform (flue gas) contaminant effect evaluation tests, small area membrane tests using clean simulated flue gas, design a flue gas pretreatment system for processing of the gas feed to ECM, update the Technical & Economic Feasibility Study (T&EFS) incorporating results of contaminant effect tests and small area membrane tests, and to prepare a test facility for bench scale testing. The specific objectives for BP3 were to perform bench scale testing (parametric and long-duration testing) of a 11.7 m 2 ECM-based CO 2 capture, purification and compression system, and update (as final) the Technical and Economic Feasibility Study. In addition, an Environmental Health and Safety evaluation (assessment) of the ECM technology was included. This final technical report presents the progress made under the project.« less

Performance assessment and optimization of an irreversible nano-scale Stirling engine cycle operating with Maxwell-Boltzmann gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadi, Mohammad H.; Ahmadi, Mohammad-Ali; Pourfayaz, Fathollah

2015-09-01

Developing new technologies like nano-technology improves the performance of the energy industries. Consequently, emerging new groups of thermal cycles in nano-scale can revolutionize the energy systems' future. This paper presents a thermo-dynamical study of a nano-scale irreversible Stirling engine cycle with the aim of optimizing the performance of the Stirling engine cycle. In the Stirling engine cycle the working fluid is an Ideal Maxwell-Boltzmann gas. Moreover, two different strategies are proposed for a multi-objective optimization issue, and the outcomes of each strategy are evaluated separately. The first strategy is proposed to maximize the ecological coefficient of performance (ECOP), the dimensionless ecological function (ecf) and the dimensionless thermo-economic objective function ( F . Furthermore, the second strategy is suggested to maximize the thermal efficiency ( η), the dimensionless ecological function (ecf) and the dimensionless thermo-economic objective function ( F). All the strategies in the present work are executed via a multi-objective evolutionary algorithms based on NSGA∥ method. Finally, to achieve the final answer in each strategy, three well-known decision makers are executed. Lastly, deviations of the outcomes gained in each strategy and each decision maker are evaluated separately.

Instructional Objectives for Junior College Courses in Economics: Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Fred A.

These sets of behavioral objectives for junior college economics courses were written to serve as a guide to instruction, a student guide to learning, and a basis for evaluation. The objectives are offered as samples that may be used where they correspond to the skills, abilities, and attitudes other instructors want their students to acquire.…

Advancing Development and Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Vietnam's Wind Sector

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

Bilello, D.; Katz, J.; Esterly, S.

2014-09-01

Clean energy development is a key component of Vietnam's Green Growth Strategy, which establishes a target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from domestic energy activities by 20-30 percent by 2030 relative to a business-as-usual scenario. Vietnam has significant wind energy resources, which, if developed, could help the country reach this target while providing ancillary economic, social, and environmental benefits. Given Vietnam's ambitious clean energy goals and the relatively nascent state of wind energy development in the country, this paper seeks to fulfill two primary objectives: to distill timely and useful information to provincial-level planners, analysts, and project developers asmore » they evaluate opportunities to develop local wind resources; and, to provide insights to policymakers on how coordinated efforts may help advance large-scale wind development, deliver near-term GHG emission reductions, and promote national objectives in the context of a low emission development framework.« less

Improving Students' Participation in Active Learning Methods: Group Discussions, Presentations and Demonstrations: A Case of Madda Walabu University Second Year Tourism Management Students of 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tesfaye, Sewnet; Berhanu, Kassegn

2015-01-01

Education is a means by which people develop and acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. It paves the way for development and plays a vital role (serves as a catalyst) in bringing socio-cultural, economical, technological, political and environmental advancements. The general objective of this study was to improve Second Year Tourism…

[Who is suited as operation room manager? Evaluation process for hospitals and candidates].

PubMed

Schüpfer, G; Bauer, M

2011-03-01

Operation room (OR) management is not an end in itself. The challenge is more to organize the complex, inhomogeneous and interference-prone machinery of intraoperative service provision according to business objectives. Although business objectives may differ in some details the ultimate consequence is always to assure the quality of medical care along with adhering to the general economic conditions. The narrower the economic framework the smaller the company's tolerance to unprofessional OR management. Consequently, it can be noticed that OR management has become of age. An internal socialization as frontline leader is no longer sufficient for taking over a job profile which, regarding the risks of revenues and costs belongs to the top management of a company. Prior to looking for a future OR manager it is mandatory to develop a profile of qualifications tailored to the company. In the following selection process the important thing is to identify the candidate who fits best to the developed profile. This paper sees itself as an assistance in the development of such a company-specific qualification profile for an OR manager. On the basis of knowledge, skills and characteristics, different manager typologies are developed, facilitating the successful evaluation in a selection process for both the company and the candidate.

THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF NONCERVICAL HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES

PubMed Central

Hu, Delphine; Goldie, Sue J.

2008-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was: (1) to estimate the direct medical costs of 7 major noncervical human papillomavirus (HPV)-related conditions, including genital cancers, mouth and oropharyngeal cancers, anogenital warts, and juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis; and (2) to approximate the economic burden of noncervical HPV disease. Study Design For each condition, we synthesized the best available secondary data to produce lifetime cost per case estimates, expressed in present value. Using an incidence-based approach, we then applied these costs to develop an aggregrate measure of economic burden. Results The economic burden associated with noncervical HPV 6,11,16, and 18-related conditions occurring in Americans in the year 2003 approximates $418 million (range, $160 million-$1.6 billion). Conclusion The economic burden of noncervical HPV disease is substantial. Analyses that assess the value of investments in HPV prevention and control programs, should take into account the costs, morbidity, and mortality associated with these conditions. PMID:18455524

Compatibility of switchgrass as an energy crop in farming systems of the southeastern USA

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

Bransby, D.I.; Rodriguez-Kabana, R.; Sladden, S.E.

1993-12-31

The objective of this paper is to examine the compatibility of switchgrass as an energy crop in farming systems in the southeastern USA, relative to other regions. In particular, the issues addressed are (1) competition between switchgrass as an energy crop and existing farm enterprises, based primarily on economic returns, (2) complementarity between switchgrass and existing farm enterprises, and (3) environmental benefits. Because projected economic returns for switchgrass as an energy crop are highest in the Southeast, and returns from forestry and beef pastures (the major existing enterprises) are low, there is a very strong economic incentive in this region.more » In contrast, based on current information, economic viability of switchgrass as an energy crop in other regions appears doubtful. In addition, switchgrass in the southeastern USA would complement forage-livestock production, row crop production and wildlife and would provide several additional environmental benefits. It is concluded that the southeastern USA offers the greatest opportunity for developing switchgrass as an economically viable energy crop.« less

Development of water allocation Model Based on ET-Control and Its Application in Haihe River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Jinjun; Gan, Hong; Gan, Zhiguo; Wang, Lin

2010-05-01

Traditionally, water allocation is to distribute water to different regions and sectors, without enough consideration on amount of water consumed after water distribution. Water allocation based on ET (evaporation and Transpiration) control changes this idea and emphasizes the absolute amount of evaporation and transpiration in specific area. With this ideology, the amount of ET involved the water allocation includes not only water consumed from the sectors, but the natural ET. Therefore, the water allocation consist of two steps, the first step is to estimate reasonable ET quantum in regions, then allocate water to more detailed regions and various sectors with the ET quantum according with the operational rules. To make qualified ET distribution and water allocation in various regions, a framework is put forward in this paper, in which two models are applied to analyze the different scenarios with predefined economic growth and ecological objective. The first model figures out rational ET objective with multi-objective analysis for compromised solution in economic growth and ecological maintenance. Food security and environmental protection are also taken as constraints in the optimization in the first model. The second one provides hydraulic simulation and water balance to allocate the ET objective to corresponding regions under operational rules. These two models are combined into an integrated ET-Control water allocation. Scenario analysis through the ET-Control Model could discover the relations between economy and ecology, farther to give suggestion on measures to control water use with condition of changing socio-economic growth and ecological objectives. To confirm the methodology, Haihe River is taken as a case to study. Rational water allocation is important branch of decision making on water planning and management in Haihe River Basin since water scarcity and deteriorating environment fights for water in this basin dramatically and reasonable water allocation between economy and ecology is a focus. Considering condition of water scarcity in Haihe River Basin, ET quota is taken as objective for water allocation in provinces to realize the requirement of water inflow into the Bohai Sea. Scenario analysis provides the results of water evaporation from natural water cycle and artificial use. A trade-off curve based on fulfilment of ecological and economic objectives in different scenarios discovers the competitive relation between human activities and nature.

Trunk decays

Treesearch

Alex L. Shigo

1989-01-01

Trunk decays are major causes of low quality wood-wood with little or no economic value. As a forest practitioner you should be able to recognize trees at high risk for decay and remove them if timber production is your primary objective. Remember, however, that decayed trees often develop into den trees or nesting sites and provide essential habitat for wildlife....

Spatial modeling of potential woody biomass flow

Treesearch

Woodam Chung; Nathaniel Anderson

2012-01-01

The flow of woody biomass to end users is determined by economic factors, especially the amount available across a landscape and delivery costs of bioenergy facilities. The objective of this study develop methodology to quantify landscape-level stocks and potential biomass flows using the currently available spatial database road network analysis tool. We applied this...

Rural Depopulation in the Northeast.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stockwell, Edward G.

Regional Research Project NE-47 is producing a series of studies dealing with the determinants and consequences of various population trends and changes in Connecticut and the Northeast. One of the overall objectives of this project was specified as the development, at the regional level, of a set of economic, social, and demographic data to…

Attitudes and Opinions of Classroom Teacher Candidates Regarding Multiculturalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akar, Cuneyt; Ulu, Mustafa

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is twofold. The first objective is to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for measuring the attitudes and opinions of classroom teachers regarding multiculturalism. The second one is to study the classroom teachers' attitudes and opinions towards multiculturalism in terms of gender, socio-economic and devoutness…

Education and Sustainability: Reinvigorating Adult Education's Role in Transformation, Justice and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Catherine; Asamoah, Lily

2016-01-01

Distinctively economic objectives for lifelong education, especially adult learning and education, feature prominently in policy-making agendas and educators' practice in much of the world. Critics contend that humanistic and holistic visions of lifelong learning for all have been marginalised and neglected. The current turn of political attention…

The Market System: Does It Work? Teacher's Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, James B.

This document is the teacher's guide for SO 008 864. Developed for secondary students, the materials aid students in the understanding of the United States economic system. Along with the narrative found in the student materials, the guide presents objectives, concepts, procedures, and evaluation for completing the unit. The materials are arranged…

A Preliminary Report on the PLATO V Terminal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stifle, J. E.

This report is a preliminary description of a prototype of a second generation version of the PLATO IV (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) student terminal. Development of a new terminal has been pursued with two objectives: to generate a more economic version of the PLATO IV terminal, and to expand capacities and performance of…

A Market Strategy Plan For Wayne County Community College. Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nussbaum, Harvey; And Others

In response to a changing environment characterized by economic uncertainty, a declining population, heavy competition, and rising costs, Wayne County Community College (WCCC) developed a market strategy plan to more effectively position and publicize the college. The three main objectives of the plan were to identify WCCC's market segment,…

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

Hawkins, D.

The geopolitical, economic, and cultural aspects of the United States of Mexico are presented. Mexico's energy profile includes the following: energy policy objectives, government energy structure, organizations for implementation, indigeneous energy sources, imported energy sources, solar energy research and development, solar energy organizations and solar energy related legislation and administrative policies. International agreements, contacts, manufacturers, and projects are listed. (MRH)

Development and Adult Education in the Arab States: An Analysis of Some Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saber, Mohi El-Dine

Contemporary cultural and educational changes in the Arab States are reviewed with respect to the effort to liberate Arab countries from illiteracy. The stated objective is to establish common intellectual ground between Arab adult educators (policy-makers, planners, or executive officers) through understanding the social, political, economic, and…

The Reconstruction of Community College Vocational Education: A Vision for Renewing American Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harbour, Clifford P.; Wolgemuth, Jennifer R.

2015-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this article is to explain how central points developed in Dewey's 1916 "Democracy and Education" provide the rationale needed to adopt institutional and policy recommendations made by Grubb and Lazerson in their 2004 book, "The Education Gospel: The Economic Power of Schooling". Method: The central…

Learning in a World of Change: Methods and Approaches in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Robin

1979-01-01

Recommends that teachers use a curriculum development project (the World Studies Project) to help students increase their understanding of global affairs such as human rights, economic order, disarmament, the world environment, and the law of the sea. Activities and objectives of the project are presented and ordering information for additional…

Natura 2000 as a platform balancing socio-economic and environmental objectives - theory and practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wołoszyn, Witold; Kałamucka, Wioletta; Kozieł, Marcin; Stanicka, Małgorzata; Ziółek, Marta; Czubla, Paweł

2012-01-01

This paper concerns problems of possible use of Natura 2000 areas in Poland for economic purposes. In this context creation and functioning of the Natura 2000 network are characterised as well as public participation in the process of development and management of Natura 2000 areas is presented. A special attention is paid to the possibility of forestry and tourism development on Natura 2000 areas taking into consideration formal requirements in this context. In conclusions matters of proper recognition of Natura 2000 areas are underlined and an importance of correlation of the Natura 2000 network with local land use plans is indicated. It is acknowledged that essential role in realisation of the Natura 2000 programme plays public involvement.

Co-Production of Electricity and Hydrogen Using a Novel Iron-based Catalyst

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

Hilaly, Ahmad; Georgas, Adam; Leboreiro, Jose

2011-09-30

The primary objective of this project was to develop a hydrogen production technology for gasification applications based on a circulating fluid-bed reactor and an attrition resistant iron catalyst. The work towards achieving this objective consisted of three key activities: Development of an iron-based catalyst suitable for a circulating fluid-bed reactor; Design, construction, and operation of a bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor system for hydrogen production; Techno-economic analysis of the steam-iron and the pressure swing adsorption hydrogen production processes. This report describes the work completed in each of these activities during this project. The catalyst development and testing program prepared and iron-basedmore » catalysts using different support and promoters to identify catalysts that had sufficient activity for cyclic reduction with syngas and steam oxidation and attrition resistance to enable use in a circulating fluid-bed reactor system. The best performing catalyst from this catalyst development program was produced by a commercial catalyst toll manufacturer to support the bench-scale testing activities. The reactor testing systems used during material development evaluated catalysts in a single fluid-bed reactor by cycling between reduction with syngas and oxidation with steam. The prototype SIP reactor system (PSRS) consisted of two circulating fluid-bed reactors with the iron catalyst being transferred between the two reactors. This design enabled demonstration of the technical feasibility of the combination of the circulating fluid-bed reactor system and the iron-based catalyst for commercial hydrogen production. The specific activities associated with this bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor systems that were completed in this project included design, construction, commissioning, and operation. The experimental portion of this project focused on technical demonstration of the performance of an iron-based catalyst and a circulating fluid-bed reactor system for hydrogen production. Although a technology can be technically feasible, successful commercial deployment also requires that a technology offer an economic advantage over existing commercial technologies. To effective estimate the economics of this steam-iron process, a techno-economic analysis of this steam iron process and a commercial pressure swing adsorption process were completed. The results from this analysis described in this report show the economic potential of the steam iron process for integration with a gasification plant for coproduction of hydrogen and electricity.« less

Metro Nature, Environmental Health, and Economic Value

PubMed Central

Robbins, Alicia S.T.

2015-01-01

Background Nearly 40 years of research provides an extensive body of evidence about human health, well-being, and improved function benefits associated with experiences of nearby nature in cities. Objectives We demonstrate the numerous opportunities for future research efforts that link metro nature, human health and well-being outcomes, and economic values. Methods We reviewed the literature on urban nature-based health and well-being benefits. In this review, we provide a classification schematic and propose potential economic values associated with metro nature services. Discussion Economic valuation of benefits derived from urban green systems has largely been undertaken in the fields of environmental and natural resource economics, but studies have not typically addressed health outcomes. Urban trees, parks, gardens, open spaces, and other nearby nature elements—collectively termed metro nature—generate many positive externalities that have been largely overlooked in urban economics and policy. Here, we present a range of health benefits, including benefit context and beneficiaries. Although the understanding of these benefits is not yet consistently expressed, and although it is likely that attempts to link urban ecosystem services and economic values will not include all expressions of cultural or social value, the development of new interdisciplinary approaches that integrate environmental health and economic disciplines are greatly needed. Conclusions Metro nature provides diverse and substantial benefits to human populations in cities. In this review, we begin to address the need for development of valuation methodologies and new approaches to understanding the potential economic outcomes of these benefits. Citation Wolf KL, Robbins AS. 2015. Metro nature, environmental health, and economic value. Environ Health Perspect 123:390–398; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408216 PMID:25626137

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1973-01-01

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

Health economics in radiation oncology: introducing the ESTRO HERO project.

PubMed

Lievens, Yolande; Grau, Cai

2012-04-01

New evidence based regimens and novel high precision technology have reinforced the important role of radiotherapy in the management of cancer. Current data estimate that more than 50% of all cancer patients would benefit from radiotherapy during the course of their disease. Within recent years, the radiotherapy community has become more than conscious of the ever-increasing necessity to come up with objective data to endorse the crucial role and position of radiation therapy within the rapidly changing global oncology landscape. In an era of ever expanding health care costs, proven safety and effectiveness is not sufficient anymore to obtain funding, objective data about cost and cost-effectiveness are nowadays additionally requested. It is in this context that ESTRO is launching the HERO-project (Health Economics in Radiation Oncology), with the overall aim to develop a knowledge base and a model for health economic evaluation of radiation treatments at the European level. To accomplish these objectives, the HERO project will address needs, accessibility, cost and cost-effectiveness of radiotherapy. The results will raise the profile of radiotherapy in the European cancer management context and help countries prioritizing radiotherapy as a highly cost-effective treatment strategy. This article describes the different steps and aims within the HERO-project, starting from evidence on the role of radiotherapy within the global oncology landscape and highlighting weaknesses that may undermine this position. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Societal assessment overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomquist, C. E.

1980-01-01

The decision to proceed with SPS depends on a political determination that commitment of the economic, institutional, and social energies required for its implementation is a worthwhile investment. This determination is national (and international) in scope and is based on knowledge of the environmental and societal impacts of the SPS, its projected economics and technological risks, expressed through the influence of contending segments of society. To assist the decision makers, an assessment of societal issues associated with the SPS was undertaken as part of the Concept Development and Evaluation Program. Results of the assessment are reported. The primary societal assessment objectives are to determine if the societal ramifications of an SPS might significantly impede its development, and to establish an information base regarding these issues. Estimates regarding SPS impacts commensurate with its stage of development and the needs of the decision makers are provided.

Airport emissions quantification: Impacts of electrification. Final report

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

Geba, V.

1998-07-01

Four airports were assessed to demonstrate that electrification of economically viable air- and land-side vehicles and equipment can significantly reduce total airport emissions. Assessments were made using the FAA`s Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System and EPRI Airport Electrification Project data. Development and implementation of cost-effective airport emissions reduction strategies can be complex, requiring successful collaboration of local, state, and federal regulatory agencies with airport authorities. The methodology developed in this study helps to simplify this task. The objectives of this study were: to develop a methodology to quantify annual emissions at US airports from all sources--aircraft, vehicles, and infrastructure; andmore » to demonstrate that electrification of economically viable air- and land-side vehicles and equipment can significantly reduce total airport emissions on-site, even when allowing for emissions from the generation of electricity.« less

Reservoir management strategy for East Randolph Field, Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio

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

Safley, L.E.; Salamy, S.P.; Young, M.A.

1998-07-01

The primary objective of the Reservoir Management Field Demonstration Program is to demonstrate that multidisciplinary reservoir management teams using appropriate software and methodologies with efforts scaled to the size of the resource are a cost-effective method for: Increasing current profitability of field operations; Forestalling abandonment of the reservoir; and Improving long-term economic recovery for the company. The primary objective of the Reservoir Management Demonstration Project with Belden and Blake Corporation is to develop a comprehensive reservoir management strategy to improve the operational economics and optimize oil production from East Randolph field, Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio. This strategy identifies themore » viable improved recovery process options and defines related operational and facility requirements. In addition, strategies are addressed for field operation problems, such as paraffin buildup, hydraulic fracture stimulation, pumping system optimization, and production treatment requirements, with the goal of reducing operating costs and improving oil recovery.« less

National Use of Asbestos in Relation to Economic Development

PubMed Central

Le, Giang Vinh; Takahashi, Ken; Karjalainen, Antti; Delgermaa, Vanya; Hoshuyama, Tsutomu; Miyamura, Yoshitaka; Furuya, Sugio; Higashi, Toshiaki; Pan, Guowei; Wagner, Gregory

2010-01-01

Background National disparities in asbestos use will likely lead to an unequal burden of asbestos diseases. Objectives As economic status may be linked to asbestos use, we assessed, globally, the relationship between indicators of national economic development and asbestos use. Methods For the 135 countries that have ever used asbestos, per capita asbestos use (kilograms per capita per year) was compared with per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990 Geary–Khamis dollars (GKD) for the period 1920–2003. Countries were grouped into three income levels (high, middle, and low) that were adapted from the 2003 World Bank categories. Results The historical pattern of asbestos use followed the environmental Kuznets curve in which use by high-income countries peaked when incomes attained 10,000–15,000 GKD and essentially ceased at income levels over 20,000 GKD. Currently, middle- and low-income countries are increasing their use of asbestos, closely following the paths once traced by higher income countries. Conclusions Developing countries have the opportunity to eliminate asbestos use sooner than high-income countries and thus reduce the future burden of asbestos diseases. PMID:20056590

Genomic Sequencing: Assessing The Health Care System, Policy, And Big-Data Implications

PubMed Central

Phillips, Kathryn A.; Trosman, Julia; Kelley, Robin K.; Pletcher, Mark J.; Douglas, Michael P.; Weldon, Christine B.

2014-01-01

New genomic sequencing technologies enable the high-speed analysis of multiple genes simultaneously, including all of those in a person's genome. Sequencing is a prominent example of a “big data” technology because of the massive amount of information it produces and its complexity, diversity, and timeliness. Our objective in this article is to provide a policy primer on sequencing and illustrate how it can affect health care system and policy issues. Toward this end, we developed an easily applied classification of sequencing based on inputs, methods, and outputs. We used it to examine the implications of sequencing for three health care system and policy issues: making care more patient-centered, developing coverage and reimbursement policies, and assessing economic value. We conclude that sequencing has great promise but that policy challenges include how to optimize patient engagement as well as privacy, develop coverage policies that distinguish research from clinical uses and account for bioinformatics costs, and determine the economic value of sequencing through complex economic models that take into account multiple findings and downstream costs. PMID:25006153

Genomic sequencing: assessing the health care system, policy, and big-data implications.

PubMed

Phillips, Kathryn A; Trosman, Julia R; Kelley, Robin K; Pletcher, Mark J; Douglas, Michael P; Weldon, Christine B

2014-07-01

New genomic sequencing technologies enable the high-speed analysis of multiple genes simultaneously, including all of those in a person's genome. Sequencing is a prominent example of a "big data" technology because of the massive amount of information it produces and its complexity, diversity, and timeliness. Our objective in this article is to provide a policy primer on sequencing and illustrate how it can affect health care system and policy issues. Toward this end, we developed an easily applied classification of sequencing based on inputs, methods, and outputs. We used it to examine the implications of sequencing for three health care system and policy issues: making care more patient-centered, developing coverage and reimbursement policies, and assessing economic value. We conclude that sequencing has great promise but that policy challenges include how to optimize patient engagement as well as privacy, develop coverage policies that distinguish research from clinical uses and account for bioinformatics costs, and determine the economic value of sequencing through complex economic models that take into account multiple findings and downstream costs. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Is the objective food environment associated with perceptions of the food environment?

PubMed

Williams, Lauren K; Thornton, Lukar; Ball, Kylie; Crawford, David

2012-02-01

The present study examined whether objective measures of the food environment are associated with perceptions of the food environment and whether this relationship varies by socio-economic disadvantage. The study is a cross-sectional analysis of self-report surveys and objective environment data. Women reported their perceptions on the nutrition environment. Participants' homes and food stores were geocoded to measure the objective community nutrition environment. Data on the average price and variety of fruit and vegetables were used to measure the objective consumer nutrition environment. The study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003-2004. Data presented are from a sample of 1393 women aged 18-65 years. Overall the match between the perceived and objective environment was poor, underscoring the limitations in using perceptions of the environment as a proxy for the objective environment. Socio-economic disadvantage had limited impact on the relationship between perceived and objective nutrition environment. Further research is needed to understand the determinants of perceptions of the nutrition environment to enhance our understanding of the role of perceptions in nutrition choices and drivers of socio-economic inequalities in nutrition.

The Potential of Solar as Alternative Energy Source for Socio-Economic Wellbeing in Rural Areas, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Rashidah Zainal; Siwar, Chamhuri; Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad

Malaysia's energy sector is highly dependent on fossil fuels as a primary energy source. Economic growth and socio-economic wellbeing also rely on the utilization of energy in daily life routine. Nevertheless, the increasing cost for electricity and declining fossil fuels resources causes various negative impacts to the people and environment especially in rural areas. This prompted Malaysia to shift towards alternative energy sources such as solar energy to ensure social, economic and environmental benefits. The solar energy is one of the potential renewable energy sources in tropical countries particularly in Malaysia. The paper attempts to analyze the benefits and advantages related to energy efficiency of solar for sustainable energy use and socio economic wellbeing in rural areas, Malaysia. The paper uses secondary sources of data such as policies, regulations and research reports from relevant ministries and agencies to attain the objectives. As a signatory country to the UN Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, Malaysia has taken initiatives for decreasing energy dependence on oil to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for sustainable development. The paper shows solar energy becomes one of the promising alternative energy sources to alleviate energy poverty in Malaysia for rural areas. Finally, solar energy has increased socio-economic wellbeing and develops green potential and toward achieving energy efficiency in energy sector of Malaysia by preserving environment as well as reducing carbon emission.

Mixed-Method Quasi-Experimental Study of Outcomes of a Large-Scale Multilevel Economic and Food Security Intervention on HIV Vulnerability in Rural Malawi.

PubMed

Weinhardt, Lance S; Galvao, Loren W; Yan, Alice F; Stevens, Patricia; Mwenyekonde, Thokozani Ng'ombe; Ngui, Emmanuel; Emer, Lindsay; Grande, Katarina M; Mkandawire-Valhmu, Lucy; Watkins, Susan C

2017-03-01

The objective of the Savings, Agriculture, Governance, and Empowerment for Health (SAGE4Health) study was to evaluate the impact of a large-scale multi-level economic and food security intervention on health outcomes and HIV vulnerability in rural Malawi. The study employed a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design to compare intervention participants (n = 598) with people participating in unrelated programs in distinct but similar geographical areas (control, n = 301). We conducted participant interviews at baseline, 18-, and 36-months on HIV vulnerability and related health outcomes, food security, and economic vulnerability. Randomly selected households (n = 1002) were interviewed in the intervention and control areas at baseline and 36 months. Compared to the control group, the intervention led to increased HIV testing (OR 1.90; 95 % CI 1.29-2.78) and HIV case finding (OR = 2.13; 95 % CI 1.07-4.22); decreased food insecurity (OR = 0.74; 95 % CI 0.63-0.87), increased nutritional diversity, and improved economic resilience to shocks. Most effects were sustained over a 3-year period. Further, no significant differences in change were found over the 3-year study period on surveys of randomly selected households in the intervention and control areas. Although there were general trends toward improvement in the study area, only intervention participants' outcomes were significantly better. Results indicate the intervention can improve economic and food security and HIV vulnerability through increased testing and case finding. Leveraging the resources of economic development NGOs to deliver locally-developed programs with scientific funding to conduct controlled evaluations has the potential to accelerate the scientific evidence base for the effects of economic development programs on health.

Status on the Development of a Modeling and Simulation Framework for the Economic Assessment of Nuclear Hybrid Energy

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

Epiney, Aaron Simon; Chen, Jun; Rabiti, Cristian

Continued effort to design and build a modeling and simulation framework to assess the economic viability of Nuclear Hybrid Energy Systems (NHES) was undertaken in fiscal year (FY) 2016. The purpose of this report is to document the various tasks associated with the development of such a framework and to provide a status of their progress. Several tasks have been accomplished. First, a synthetic time history generator has been developed in RAVEN, which consists of Fourier series and autoregressive moving average model. The former is used to capture the seasonal trend in historical data, while the latter is to characterizemore » the autocorrelation in residue time series (e.g., measurements with seasonal trends subtracted). As demonstration, both synthetic wind speed and grid demand are generated, showing matching statistics with database. In order to build a design and operations optimizer in RAVEN, a new type of sampler has been developed with highly object-oriented design. In particular, simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation algorithm is implemented. The optimizer is capable to drive the model to optimize a scalar objective function without constraint in the input space, while the constraints handling is a work in progress and will be implemented to improve the optimization capability. Furthermore, a simplified cash flow model of the performance of an NHES in the electric market has been developed in Python and used as external model in RAVEN to confirm expectations on the analysis capability of RAVEN to provide insight into system economics and to test the capability of RAVEN to identify limit surfaces. Finally, an example calculation is performed that shows the integration and proper data passing in RAVEN of the synthetic time history generator, the cash flow model and the optimizer. It has been shown that the developed Python models external to RAVEN are able to communicate with RAVEN and each other through the newly developed RAVEN capability called “EnsembleModel”.« less

A systematic approach for watershed ecological restoration strategy making: An application in the Taizi River Basin in northern China.

PubMed

Li, Mengdi; Fan, Juntao; Zhang, Yuan; Guo, Fen; Liu, Lusan; Xia, Rui; Xu, Zongxue; Wu, Fengchang

2018-05-15

Aiming to protect freshwater ecosystems, river ecological restoration has been brought into the research spotlight. However, it is challenging for decision makers to set appropriate objectives and select a combination of rehabilitation acts from numerous possible solutions to meet ecological, economic, and social demands. In this study, we developed a systematic approach to help make an optimal strategy for watershed restoration, which incorporated ecological security assessment and multi-objectives optimization (MOO) into the planning process to enhance restoration efficiency and effectiveness. The river ecological security status was evaluated by using a pressure-state-function-response (PSFR) assessment framework, and MOO was achieved by searching for the Pareto optimal solutions via Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) to balance tradeoffs between different objectives. Further, we clustered the searched solutions into three types in terms of different optimized objective function values in order to provide insightful information for decision makers. The proposed method was applied in an example rehabilitation project in the Taizi River Basin in northern China. The MOO result in the Taizi River presented a set of Pareto optimal solutions that were classified into three types: I - high ecological improvement, high cost and high benefits solution; II - medial ecological improvement, medial cost and medial economic benefits solution; III - low ecological improvement, low cost and low economic benefits solution. The proposed systematic approach in our study can enhance the effectiveness of riverine ecological restoration project and could provide valuable reference for other ecological restoration planning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SOME CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ECONOMIC AND MILITARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN UNDERDEVELOPED AREAS,

DTIC Science & Technology

of U. S. objectives in undertaking aid programs in underdeveloped countries. The second is concerned with the role of nonmilitary objectives and...both economic and military aid programs . The first and second are closely related points; the third, clearly, is quite independent.

Development of a conceptual model evaluating the humanistic and economic burden of Crohn's disease: implications for patient-reported outcomes measurement and economic evaluation.

PubMed

Gater, Adam; Kitchen, Helen; Heron, Louise; Pollard, Catherine; Håkan-Bloch, Jonas; Højbjerre, Lise; Hansen, Brian Bekker; Strandberg-Larsen, Martin

2015-01-01

The primary objective of this review is to develop a conceptual model for Crohn's disease (CD) outlining the disease burden for patients, healthcare systems and wider society, as reported in the scientific literature. A search was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EconLit, Health Economic Evaluation Database and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures widely used in CD were reviewed according to the US FDA PRO Guidance for Industry. The resulting conceptual model highlights the characterization of CD by gastrointestinal disturbances, extra-intestinal and systemic symptoms. These symptoms impact physical functioning, ability to complete daily activities, emotional wellbeing, social functioning, sexual functioning and ability to work. Gaps in conceptual coverage and evidence of reliability and validity for some PRO measures were noted. Review findings also highlight the substantial direct and indirect costs associated with CD. Evidence from the literature confirms the substantial burden of CD to patients and wider society; however, future research is still needed to further understand burden from the perspective of patients and to accurately understand the economic burden of disease. Challenges with existing PRO measures also suggest the need for future research to refine or develop new measures.

Update On The Development, Testing, And Manufacture Of High Density LEU-Foil Targets For The Production Of Mo-99

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

Creasy, John T

2015-05-12

This project has the objective to reduce and/or eliminate the use of HEU in commerce. Steps in the process include developing a target testing methodology that is bounding for all Mo-99 target irradiators, establishing a maximum target LEU-foil mass, developing a LEU-foil target qualification document, developing a bounding target failure analysis methodology (failure in reactor containment), optimizing safety vs. economics (goal is to manufacture a safe, but relatively inexpensive target to offset the inherent economic disadvantage of using LEU in place of HEU), and developing target material specifications and manufacturing QC test criteria. The slide presentation is organized under themore » following topics: Objective, Process Overview, Background, Team Structure, Key Achievements, Experiment and Activity Descriptions, and Conclusions. The High Density Target project has demonstrated: approx. 50 targets irradiated through domestic and international partners; proof of concept for two front end processing methods; fabrication of uranium foils for target manufacture; quality control procedures and steps for manufacture; multiple target assembly techniques; multiple target disassembly devices; welding of targets; thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical modeling; robust target assembly parametric studies; and target qualification analysis for insertion into very high flux environment. The High Density Target project has tested and proven several technologies that will benefit current and future Mo-99 producers.« less

Rapidly Deployable Security System Final Report CRADA No. TC-2030-01

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

Kohlhepp, V.; Whiteman, B.; McKibben, M. T.

The ultimate objective of the LEADER and LLNL strategic partnership was to develop and commercialize_a security-based system product and platform for the use in protecting the substantial physical and economic assets of the government and commerce of the United States. The primary goal of this project was to integrate video surveillance hardware developed by LLNL with a security software backbone developed by LEADER. Upon completion of the project, a prototype hardware/software security system that is highly scalable was to be demonstrated.

Economic Expansion Is a Major Determinant of Physician Supply and Utilization

PubMed Central

Cooper, Richard A; Getzen, Thomas E; Laud, Prakash

2003-01-01

Objective To assess the relationship between levels of economic development and the supply and utilization of physicians. Data Sources Data were obtained from the American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bureau of Health Professions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Census Bureau, Health Care Financing Administration, and historical sources. Study Design Economic development, expressed as real per capita gross domestic product (GDP) or personal income, was correlated with per capita health care labor and physician supply within countries and states over periods of time spanning 25–70 years and across countries, states, and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) at multiple points in time over periods of up to 30 years. Longitudinal data were analyzed in four complementary ways: (1) simple univariate regressions; (2) regressions in which temporal trends were partialled out; (3) time series comparing percentage differences across segments of time; and (4) a bivariate Granger causality test. Cross-sectional data were assessed at multiple time points by means of univariate regression analyses. Principal Findings Under each analytic scenario, physician supply correlated with differences in GDP or personal income. Longitudinal correlations were associated with temporal lags of approximately 5 years for health employment and 10 years for changes in physician supply. The magnitude of changes in per capita physician supply in the United States was equivalent to differences of approximately 0.75 percent for each 1.0 percent difference in GDP. The greatest effects of economic expansion were on the medical specialties, whereas the surgical and hospital-based specialties were affected to a lesser degree, and levels of economic expansion had little influence on family/general practice. Conclusions Economic expansion has a strong, lagged relationship with changes in physician supply. This suggests that economic projections could serve as a gauge for projecting the future utilization of physician services. PMID:12785567

Trends in international health development.

PubMed

Lien, Lars

2002-01-01

"... Good population health is a crucial input into poverty reduction, economic growth and long-term economic development... This point is widely recognised by analysts and policy makers, but is greatly underestimated in its qualitative and quantitative significance, and in the investment allocations of many developing country and donor governments."--Commission on Macroeconomics and Health The international health development scene has changed rapidly during the past 5 years. From being a merely bilateral effort together with a few multilateral organisations and many NGOs new global partnerships have entered the scene and become major funding agencies. The provision of aid has also changed from small-scale project basis to financial support of large programmes. The purpose of this article is to describe some of the major transformations taken place in the organising, delivery and objective of international health development. But before presenting the new international health development agenda, a short introduction to the challenges inducing the need for renewed thinking about international aid is shortly presented.

Evaluating the impact of farm scale innovation at catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Breda, Phelia; De Clercq, Willem; Vlok, Pieter; Querner, Erik

2014-05-01

Hydrological modelling lends itself to other disciplines very well, normally as a process based system that acts as a catalogue of events taking place. These hydrological models are spatial-temporal in their design and are generally well suited for what-if situations in other disciplines. Scaling should therefore be a function of the purpose of the modelling. Process is always linked with scale or support but the temporal resolution can affect the results if the spatial scale is not suitable. The use of hydrological response units tends to lump area around physical features but disregards farm boundaries. Farm boundaries are often the more crucial uppermost resolution needed to gain more value from hydrological modelling. In the Letaba Catchment of South Africa, we find a generous portion of landuses, different models of ownership, different farming systems ranging from large commercial farms to small subsistence farming. All of these have the same basic right to water but water distribution in the catchment is somewhat of a problem. Since water quantity is also a problem, the water supply systems need to take into account that valuable production areas not be left without water. Clearly hydrological modelling should therefore be sensitive to specific landuse. As a measure of productivity, a system of small farmer production evaluation was designed. This activity presents a dynamic system outside hydrological modelling that is generally not being considered inside hydrological modelling but depends on hydrological modelling. For sustainable development, a number of important concepts needed to be aligned with activities in this region, and the regulatory actions also need to be adhered to. This study aimed at aligning the activities in a region to the vision and objectives of the regulatory authorities. South Africa's system of socio-economic development planning is complex and mostly ineffective. There are many regulatory authorities involved, often with unclear responsibilities and inadequate procedures of implementing objectives. Planning for development in South Africa needs to take various factors into account. Economic and green economic growth is pursued, while social imbalances are addressed and the environment is protected against unreasonable exploitation. The term Sustainable Development is a neutral concept in the vision of many of the regulating authorities; however, the implementation of sustainability is difficult. This study considers an approach which aligns activities in a specified region to the vision and objectives of the applicable regulatory authorities, as an alternative to achieving objectives strictly through enforcing regulations. It was determined whether objectives of development planning were realistic in terms of water availability. It was established that the position of a farm in the landscape is a determining factor of the impact it has on the catchment area's water supply. For this purpose, hydrological modelling (SWAT and SIMGRO) was done for the Letaba catchment of the Limpopo Province, on two scales to also accommodate small-scale farming communities more accurately. Parallel to the modelling, the National Development Plan (NDP), the National Framework for Sustainable Development (NFSD), the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy (ISRDS) and the principles of Water Allocation Reform (WAR) were regarded. For regional categorisation, the relevant municipal Integrated Development Plan (IDP), Spatial Development Framework (SDF), Local Economic Development (LED) plan and the applicable Catchment Management Strategy (CMS) were considered. The developed Integrated Evaluation Model combined all the visions and objectives of the mentioned strategic documents to specifically assess the contribution a small-scale farm makes. The evaluation results provided insight into the alignment of activities to the ideals of a region and can be useful when formulating actions to reach a common vision. Small-scale farms are well-aligned to the objectives of WAR, the CMS and ISRDS. The farms have a limited contribution to the ideals of the NDP and NFSD and results against the IDP, the SDF and the LED differ considerably for each farm. Furthermore, the results of the farms' alignment with regional objectives do not correspond to the hydrologically ideal locations. Therefore, the development of small-scale farming should take hydrological information into consideration. The Integrated Evaluation Model proves to be valuable, understandable and applicable to evaluate the alignment of small-scale farms to the visions of regulatory authorities. It is also foreseen that the Evaluation model be linked to the hydrological model. The work was also kindly supported and executed in the framework of the EU project EAU4Food.

Economic analysis and assessment of syngas production using a modeling approach

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

Kim, Hakkwan; Parajuli, Prem B.; Yu, Fei

Economic analysis and modeling are essential and important issues for the development of current feedstock and process technology for bio-gasification. The objective of this study was to develop an economic model and apply to predict the unit cost of syngas production from a micro-scale bio-gasification facility. An economic model was programmed in C++ computer programming language and developed using a parametric cost approach, which included processes to calculate the total capital costs and the total operating costs. The model used measured economic data from the bio-gasification facility at Mississippi State University. The modeling results showed that the unit cost ofmore » syngas production was $1.217 for a 60 Nm-3 h-1 capacity bio-gasifier. The operating cost was the major part of the total production cost. The equipment purchase cost and the labor cost were the largest part of the total capital cost and the total operating cost, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicated that labor costs rank the top as followed by equipment cost, loan life, feedstock cost, interest rate, utility cost, and waste treatment cost. The unit cost of syngas production increased with the increase of all parameters with exception of loan life. The annual cost regarding equipment, labor, feedstock, waste treatment, and utility cost showed a linear relationship with percent changes, while loan life and annual interest rate showed a non-linear relationship. This study provides the useful information for economic analysis and assessment of the syngas production using a modeling approach.« less

Comprehensive Study on Small and Low Cost Satellite Technology for Earth Observation with Case Study for Indonesia: Projection for 2002-2022

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djojodihardjo, Harijono

and economic progress, while facing global competitiveness locally as opportunities and challenges. Of particular importance is the utilization and development of earth observation capabilities for environmental natural resources imperatives to this end is quite significant. On one hand there may appear challenges to achieve unique and high quality requirements on many of the elements of social and economic progress, i.e. natural resources, human resources, market opportunities and geographical advantage; on the other hand one may face constraints in the financial system, cultural inertia and paradigm, and the need to carry forward large momentum that may pull back technological and economic progress that may be characterized by a "roller coaster" dynamics. Satellite Technology for Earth Observation, its Utilization and Development is carried out with Indonesian Development Interest in mind. Space System Services and Players are identified. Mission objectives associated with Urban and Rural Areas as well as Satellite-Based Multimedia Technology Applications For Promoting Rural Development will be identified. System design analysis and synthesis will be elaborated and some alternatives will be presented following a unified system outlook. Ground Segment and Space Segment Architecture will be elaborated by carrying out Architecture Optimization.

Quantifying an Integral Ecology Framework: A Case Study of the Riverina, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheeler, Sarah A.; Haensch, Juliane; Edwards, Jane; Schirmer, Jackie; Zuo, Alec

2018-02-01

Communities in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin face the challenge of trying to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability; but experience entrenched conflict about the best way to achieve a sustainable future, especially for small rural communities. Integral ecology is a philosophical concept that seeks to address community, economic, social, and environmental sustainability simultaneously. Its inclusive processes are designed to reduce stakeholder conflict. However, to date the application of the integral ecology concept has been largely qualitative in nature. This study developed a quantitative integral ecology framework, and applied this framework to a case study of the Riverina, in the Murray-Darling Basin. Seventy-seven community-focused initiatives were assessed, ranked, and quantified. The majority of the community-focused ranked initiatives did not exhibit all aspects of integral ecology. Initiatives typically prioritized either (1) economic and community development or (2) environmental health; rarely both together. The integral ecology framework developed here enables recommendations on future community initiatives and may provide a pathway for community leaders and other policy-makers to more readily apply integral ecology objectives. Further research refining the framework's operationalization, application and implementation to a wider-scale may enhance communities' capacity to develop and grow sustainably.

Clinical research with economically disadvantaged populations

PubMed Central

Denny, Colleen C; Grady, Christine

2007-01-01

Concerns about exploiting the poor or economically disadvantaged in clinical research are widespread in the bioethics community. For some, any research that involves economically disadvantaged individuals is de facto ethically problematic. The economically disadvantaged are thought of as “venerable” to exploitation, impaired decision making, or both, thus requiring either special protections or complete exclusion from research. A closer examination of the worries about vulnerabilities among the economically disadvantaged reveals that some of these worries are empirically or logically untenable, while others can be better resolved by improved study designs than by blanket exclusion of poorer individuals from research participation. The scientific objective to generate generalisable results and the ethical objective to fairly distribute both the risks and benefits of research oblige researchers not to unnecessarily bar economically disadvantaged subjects from clinical research participation. PMID:17601862

Thermal-economic optimisation of a CHP gas turbine system by applying a fit-problem genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Ana C. M.; Teixeira, Senhorinha F. C. F.; Silva, Rui G.; Silva, Ângela M.

2018-04-01

Cogeneration allows the optimal use of the primary energy sources and significant reductions in carbon emissions. Its use has great potential for applications in the residential sector. This study aims to develop a methodology for thermal-economic optimisation of small-scale micro-gas turbine for cogeneration purposes, able to fulfil domestic energy needs with a thermal power out of 125 kW. A constrained non-linear optimisation model was built. The objective function is the maximisation of the annual worth from the combined heat and power, representing the balance between the annual incomes and the expenditures subject to physical and economic constraints. A genetic algorithm coded in the java programming language was developed. An optimal micro-gas turbine able to produce 103.5 kW of electrical power with a positive annual profit (i.e. 11,925 €/year) was disclosed. The investment can be recovered in 4 years and 9 months, which is less than half of system lifetime expectancy.

From fatalism to resilience: reducing disaster impacts through systematic investments.

PubMed

Hill, Harvey; Wiener, John; Warner, Koko

2012-04-01

This paper describes a method for reducing the economic risks associated with predictable natural hazards by enhancing the resilience of national infrastructure systems. The three-step generalised framework is described along with examples. Step one establishes economic baseline growth without the disaster impact. Step two characterises economic growth constrained by a disaster. Step three assesses the economy's resilience to the disaster event when it is buffered by alternative resiliency investments. The successful outcome of step three is a disaster-resistant core of infrastructure systems and social capacity more able to maintain the national economy and development post disaster. In addition, the paper considers ways to achieve this goal in data-limited environments. The method provides a methodology to address this challenge via the integration of physical and social data of different spatial scales into macroeconomic models. This supports the disaster risk reduction objectives of governments, donor agencies, and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. © 2012 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2012.

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

Not Available

The objective of the contract is to consolidate the advances made during the previous contract in the conversion of syngas to motor fuels using Molecular Sieve-containing catalysts and to demonstrate the practical utility and economic value of the new catalyst/process systems with appropriate laboratory runs. Work on the program is divided into the following six tasks: (1) preparation of a detailed work plan covering the entire performance of the contract; (2) techno-economic studies that will supplement those that are presently being carried out by MITRE; (3) optimization of the most promising catalysts developed under prior contract; (4) optimization of themore » UCC catalyst system in a manner that will give it the longest possible service life; (5) optimization of a UCC process/catalyst system based upon a tubular reactor with a recycle loop containing the most promising catalyst developed under Tasks 3 and 4 studies; and (6) economic evaluation of the optimal performance found under Task 5 for the UCC process/catalyst system. Progress reports are presented for Tasks 1, 3, 4, and 5.« less

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

Not Available

The objective of the contract is to consolidate the advances made during the previous contract in the conversion of syngas to motor fuels using Molecular Sieve-containing catalysts and to demonstrate the practical utility and economic value of the new catalyst/process systems with appropriate laboratory runs. Work on the program is divided into the following six tasks: (1) preparation of a detailed work plan covering the entire performance of the contract; (2) preliminary techno-economic assessment of the UCC catalyst/process system; (3) optimization of the most promising catalyst developed under prior contract; (4) optimization of the UCC catalyst system in a mannermore » that will give it the longest possible service life; (5) optimization of a UCC process/catalyst system based upon a tubular reactor with a recycle loop containing the most promising catalyst developed under Tasks 3 and 4 studies; and (6) economic evaluation of the optimal performance found under Task 5 for the UCC process/catalyst system. Progress reports are presented for tasks 2 through 5. 232 figs., 19 tabs.« less

Early working memory as a racially and ethnically neutral measure of outcome in extremely preterm children at 18-22 months

PubMed Central

Lowe, Jean R.; Duncan, Andrea Freeman; Bann, Carla M.; Fuller, Janell; Hintz, Susan R.; Das, Abhik; Higgins, Rosemary D.; Watterberg, Kristi L.

2013-01-01

Background Difficulties with executive function has been found in preterm children, resulting in difficulties with learning and school performance. Aim This study evaluated the relationship of early working memory as measured by object permanence items to the cognitive and language scores on the Bayley Scales-III in a cohort of children born extremely preterm. Study Design Logistic regression models were conducted to compare object permanence scores derived from the Bayley Scales-III by race/ethnicity and maternal education, controlling for medical covariates. Subjects Extremely preterm toddlers (526), who were part of a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network's multi-center study, were evaluated at 18-22 months corrected age. Outcome Measures Object permanence scores derived from the Bayley Developmental Scales were compared by race/ethnicity and maternal education, controlling for medical covariates. Results There were no significant differences in object permanence mastery and scores among the treatment groups after controlling for medical and social variables, including maternal education and race/ethnicity. Males and children with intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were less likely to demonstrate object permanence mastery and had lower object permanence scores. Children who attained object permanence mastery had significantly higher Bayley Scales-III cognitive and language scores after controlling for medical and socio-economic factors. Conclusions Our measure of object permanence is free of influence from race, ethnic and socio-economic factors. Adding this simple task to current clinical practice could help detect early executive function difficulties in young children. PMID:23993309

Early working memory as a racially and ethnically neutral measure of outcome in extremely preterm children at 18-22 months.

PubMed

Lowe, Jean R; Duncan, Andrea Freeman; Bann, Carla M; Fuller, Janell; Hintz, Susan R; Das, Abhik; Higgins, Rosemary D; Watterberg, Kristi L

2013-12-01

Difficulties with executive function have been found in preterm children, resulting in difficulties with learning and school performance. This study evaluated the relationship of early working memory as measured by object permanence items to the cognitive and language scores on the Bayley Scales-III in a cohort of children born extremely preterm. Logistic regression models were conducted to compare object permanence scores derived from the Bayley Scales-III by race/ethnicity and maternal education, controlling for medical covariates. Extremely preterm toddlers (526), who were part of a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network's multi-center study, were evaluated at 18-22 months corrected age. Object permanence scores derived from the Bayley Developmental Scales were compared by race/ethnicity and maternal education, controlling for medical covariates. There were no significant differences in object permanence mastery and scores among the treatment groups after controlling for medical and social variables, including maternal education and race/ethnicity. Males and children with intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were less likely to demonstrate object permanence mastery and had lower object permanence scores. Children who attained object permanence mastery had significantly higher Bayley Scales-III cognitive and language scores after controlling for medical and socio-economic factors. Our measure of object permanence is free of influence from race, ethnic and socio-economic factors. Adding this simple task to current clinical practice could help detect early executive function difficulties in young children. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program: Integrated Program Plan

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

None, None

Nuclear power has safely, reliably, and economically contributed almost 20% of electrical generation in the United States over the past two decades. It remains the single largest contributor (more than 60%) of non-greenhouse-gas-emitting electric power generation in the United States. Domestic demand for electrical energy is expected to grow by about 24% from 2013 to 2040 . At the same time, most of the currently operating nuclear power plants will begin reaching the end of their initial 20-year extension to their original 40-year operating license, for a total of 60 years of operation (the oldest commercial plants in the Unitedmore » States reached their 40th anniversary in 2009). Figure E-1 shows projected nuclear energy contribution to the domestic generating capacity for 40- and 60-year license periods. If current operating nuclear power plants do not operate beyond 60 years (and new nuclear plants are not built quickly enough to replace them), the total fraction of generated electrical energy from nuclear power will rapidly decline. That decline will be accelerated if plants are shut down before 60 years of operation. Decisions on extended operation ultimately rely on economic factors; however, economics can often be improved through technical advancements. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s 2010 Research and Development Roadmap (2010 Nuclear Energy Roadmap) organizes its activities around four objectives that ensure nuclear energy remains a compelling and viable energy option for the United States. The four objectives are as follows: 1. Develop technologies and other solutions that can improve the reliability, sustain the safety, and extend the life of the current reactors; 2. Develop improvements in the affordability of new reactors to enable nuclear energy to help meet the Administration’s energy security and climate change goals; 3. Develop sustainable nuclear fuel cycles; and 4. Understand and minimize the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program is the primary programmatic activity that addresses Objective 1. This document summarizes the LWRS Program’s plans. For the LWRS Program, sustainability is defined as the ability to maintain safe and economic operation of the existing fleet of nuclear power plants for a longer-than-initially-licensed lifetime. It has two facets with respect to long-term operations: (1) manage the aging of plant systems, structures, and components so that nuclear power plant lifetimes can be extended and the plants can continue to operate safely, efficiently, and economically; and (2) provide science-based solutions to the industry to implement technology to exceed the performance of the current labor-intensive business model.« less

Development of stitching reinforcement for transport wing panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, Raymond J.; Dow, Marvin B.; Smith, Donald L.

1991-01-01

The NASA Advanced Composites Technology (ACT) program has the objective of providing the technology required to obtain the full benefit of weight savings and performance improvements offered by composite primary aircraft structures. Achieving the objective is dependent upon developing composite materials and structures which are damage tolerant and economical to manufacture. Researchers are investigating stitching reinforcement combined with resin transfer molding to produce materials meeting the ACT program objective. Research is aimed at materials, processes, and structural concepts for application in both transport wings and fuselages, but the emphasis to date has been on wing panels. Empirical guidelines are being established for stitching reinforcement in structures designed for heavy loads. Results are presented from evaluation tests investigating stitching types, threads, and density (penetrations per square inch). Tension strength, compression strength, and compression after impact data are reported.

Economic optimization software applied to JFK airport heating and cooling plant

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

Gay, R.R.; McCoy, L.

This paper describes the on-line economic optimization routine developed by Enter Software, Inc. for application at the heating and cooling plant for the JFK International Airport near New York City. The objective of the economic optimization is to find the optimum plant configuration (which gas turbines to run, power levels of each gas turbine, duct firing levels, which auxiliary water heaters to run, which electric chillers to run, and which absorption chillers to run) which produces maximum net income at the plant as plant loads and the prices vary. The routines also include a planner which runs a series ofmore » optimizations over multiple plant configurations to simulate the varying plant operating conditions for the purpose of predicting the overall plant results over a period of time.« less

Autism research funding allocation: can economics tell us if we have got it right?

PubMed

Zwicker, Jennifer D; Emery, J C Herbert

2014-12-01

There is a concern that the allocation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research funding may be misallocating resources, overemphasizing basic science at the expense of translational and clinical research. Anthony Bailey has proposed that an economic evaluation of autism research funding allocations could be beneficial for funding agencies by identifying under- or overfunded areas of research. In response to Bailey, we illustrate why economics cannot provide an objective, technical solution for identifying the "best" allocation of research resources. Economic evaluation has its greatest power as a late-stage research tool for interventions with identified objectives, outcomes, and data. This is not the case for evaluating whether research areas are over- or underfunded. Without an understanding of how research funding influences the likelihood and value of a discovery, or without a statement of the societal objectives for ASD research and level of risk aversion, economic analysis cannot provide a useful normative evaluation of ASD research. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Application research on temporal GIS in the transportation information management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Qin, Qianqing; Wang, Chao

2006-10-01

The application, development and key matters of applying spatio-temporal GIS to traffic information management system are discussed in this paper by introducing the development of spatio-temporal database, current models of spatio-temporal data, traits of traffic information management system. This paper proposes a method of organizing spatio-temporal data taking road object changes into consideration, and describes its data structure in 3 aspects, including structure of spatio-temporal object, organizing method spatio-temporal data and storage means of spatio-temporal data. Trying to manage types of spatio-temporal data involved in traffic system, such as road information, river information, railway information, social and economical data, and etc, uniformly, efficiently and with low redundancy.

Empiricism, ethics and orthodox economic theory: what is the appropriate basis for decision-making in the health sector?

PubMed

Richardson, Jeff; McKie, John

2005-01-01

Economics is commonly defined in terms of the relationship between people's unlimited wants and society's scarce resources. The definition implies a central role for an understanding of what people want, i.e. their objectives. This, in turn, suggests an important role for both empirical research into people's objectives and debate about the acceptability of the objectives. In contrast with this expectation, economics has avoided these issues by the adoption of an orthodoxy that imposes objectives. However evidence suggests, at least in the health sector, that people do not have the simple objectives assumed by economic theory. Amartya Sen has advocated a shift from a focus on "utility" to a focus on "capabilities" and "functionings" as a way of overcoming the shortcomings of welfarism. However, the practicality of Sen's account is threatened by the range of possible "functionings", by the lack of guidance about how they should be weighted, and by suspicions that they do not capture the full range of objectives people appear to value. We argue that "empirical ethics", an emerging approach in the health sector, provides important lessons on overcoming these problems. Moreover, it is an ethically defensible methodology, and yields practical results that can assist policy makers in the allocation of resources.

A Comparative Study of Spatial Aggregation Methodologies under the BioEarth Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasekharan, B.; Rajagopalan, K.; Malek, K.; Stockle, C. O.; Adam, J. C.; Brady, M.

2014-12-01

The increasing probability of water resource scarcity due to climate change has highlighted the need for adopting an economic focus in modelling water resource uses. Hydro-economic models, developed by integrating economic optimization with biophysical crop models, are driven by the economic value of water, revealing it's most efficient uses and helping policymakers evaluate different water management strategies. One of the challenges in integrating biophysical models with economic models is the difference in the spatial scales in which they operate. Biophysical models that provide crop production functions typically run at smaller scale than economic models, and substantial spatial aggregation is required. However, any aggregation introduces a bias, i.e., a discrepancy between the functional value at the higher spatial scale and the value at the spatial scale of the aggregated units. The objective of this work is to study the sensitivity of net economic benefits in the Yakima River basin (YRB) to different spatial aggregation methods for crop production functions. The spatial aggregation methodologies that we compare involve agro-ecological zones (AEZs) and aggregation levels that reflect water management regimes (e.g. irrigation districts). Aggregation bias can distort the underlying data and result in extreme solutions. In order to avoid this we use an economic optimization model that incorporates the synthetic and historical crop mixes approach (Onal & Chen, 2012). This restricts the solutions between the weighted averages of historical and simulated feasible planting decisions, with the weights associated with crop mixes being treated as endogenous variables. This study is focused on 5 major irrigation districts of the YRB in the Pacific Northwest US. The biophysical modeling framework we use, BioEarth, includes the coupled hydrology and crop growth model, VIC-Cropsyst and an economic optimization model. Preliminary findings indicate that the standard approach of developing AEZs does not perform well when overlaid with irrigation districts. Moreover, net economic benefits were significantly different between the two aggregation methodologies. Therefore, while developing hydro-economic models, significant consideration should be placed on the aggregation methodology.

Alternative utilization of wheat starch, Grafton, North Dakota

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

Not Available

1981-02-01

In 1978, North Dakota State University (NDSU), in cooperation with the Economic Development Administration, completed a study of the feasibility of a vital wheat gluten starch processing plant in North Dakota. The overall objective of this study is to determine the most feasible alternatives for utilizing the by-product starch slurry from a vital wheat gluten processing plant.

The Guide to Simulation Games for Education and Training. Appendix: A Basic Reference Shelf on Simulation and Gaming by Paul A. Twelker.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuckerman, David W.; Horn, Robert E.

Simulation games are classed in this guide by subject area: business, domestic politics, economics, ecology, education, geography, history, international relations, psychology, skill development, sociology, social studies, and urban affairs. A summary description (of roles, objectives, decisions, and purposes), cost producer, playing data (age…

Is a Posthumanist "Bildung" Possible? Reclaiming the Promise of "Bildung" for Contemporary Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Carol A.

2017-01-01

My central argument in this article is that the notion of "Bildung" may offer conceptual sustenance to those who wish to develop educative practices to supplement or contest the prevalence and privileging of market and economic imperatives in higher education, which configure teaching and learning as an object available to measurement. I…

Employing Human Capital To Achieve Priority Economic Development Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Alliance of Business, Inc., Washington, DC.

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transition that may rival the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The general directions are clear: an ever smaller share of the nation's work force is employed in the manufacturing sector; service sector industries are the source of most new jobs; and some "high tech" industries have had explosive…

The next century of wood products utilization : a call for reflection and innovation

Treesearch

John A. Youngquist; Thomas E. Hamilton

1999-01-01

Sustainable development has become the umbrella objective for forest management in many countries of the world, and managers are increasingly faced with the challenges of balancing environmental and economic health in their forest management and resource utilization decisions. It can no longer be assumed that abundant raw materials are available simply for the taking....

Excellence for All: A Nietzschean-Inspired Approach in Professional Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joosten, Henriëtta

2015-01-01

Europe's objectives of economic growth and job creation require large numbers of professionals who are willing and able to innovate and rise above themselves. In this article, a concept of excellence is developed that can be broadly applied in professional higher education. This concept of excellence derives from three concepts which the German…

Likelihood Methods for Adaptive Filtering and Smoothing. Technical Report #455.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Ronald W.

The dynamic linear model or Kalman filtering model provides a useful methodology for predicting the past, present, and future states of a dynamic system, such as an object in motion or an economic or social indicator that is changing systematically with time. Recursive likelihood methods for adaptive Kalman filtering and smoothing are developed.…

United States History in the Secondary Schools. Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Point Pleasant Beach Board of Education, NJ.

This is one unit of the series described in SO 000 378. One of the most important developments in the recent interpretations of American economic history has been the emphasis placed on business. The specific objectives of this unit are enumerated: 1) to realize that all resources are limited and the utilization of these resources is determined by…

An economic analysis of harvest behavior: integrating forest and ownership characteristics

Treesearch

Donald F. Dennis

1989-01-01

This study provides insight into the determinants of timber supply from private forests through development of both theoretical and empirical models of harvest behavior. A microeconomic model encompasses the multiple objective nature of private ownership by examining the harvest decision for landowners who derive utility from forest amenities and from income used for...

Reporting Multiple-Group Mean and Covariance Structure across Occasions with Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okech, David

2012-01-01

Objectives: Using baseline and second wave data, the study evaluated the measurement and structural properties of parenting stress, personal mastery, and economic strain with N = 381 lower income parents who decided to join and those who did not join in a child development savings account program. Methods: Structural equation modeling mean and…

Assessment of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of lignin from corn stover residue pretreated with low-moisture anhydrous ammonia and enzymatic hydrolysis process

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To improve the economic viability of biofuel production from biomass resources, it is increasingly important to develop value-added lignin co-products from this process. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the lignin extracts obtained b...

"Leading Institutions of Higher Learning" or "Research Universities"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dezhina, I.

2005-01-01

The necessity of integrating science and education was proclaimed a strategic objective of scientific and technical development as far back as the late 1980s, when it had become clear that the economic mechanism was not effective and that a number of fundamental changes were needed. The support of the strongest institutions of higher education was…

Genetic variance and covariance and breed differences for feed intake and average daily gain to improve feed efficiency in growing cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feed costs are a major economic expense in finishing and developing cattle; however, collection of feed intake data is costly. Examining relationships among measures of growth and intake, including breed differences, could facilitate selection for efficient cattle. Objectives of this study were to e...

Communication Skills of a Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students' Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Alamgir; Khan, Salahuddin; Zia-Ul-Islam, Syed; Khan, Manzoor

2017-01-01

Basically the current study sought to assess the perception of students regarding the role of teacher communication skills in their academics success. Comprehensive questionnaire carrying information including social economic and demographic aspects of the study was designed by the researcher to achieve the set objectives. All those universities…

On the Philosophy of Higher Education. Revised Edition. The Jossey-Bass Series in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brubacher, John S.

Basic academic issues such as institutional objectives, educational ethics, and methods of academic decision-making are examined in light of significant new social, economic, legal, and educational developments in this revision of the 1977 edition of "On the Philosophy of Higher Education." Focus is on the tension between pure research and social…

SRA Economics Materials in Grades One and Two. Evaluation Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaver, James P.; Larkins, A. Guy

A class of first graders and a class of second graders in four Salt Lake City schools comprised the experimental sample in a study whose objectives were (1) to develop a test for assessing learning with "Our Working World" materials, published by Science Research Associate (SRA), and (2) to determine if students using the materials made…

Canadian Post-Secondary Education: A Positive Record--An Uncertain Future. Report on Learning in Canada 2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Council on Learning, 2006

2006-01-01

This report aims to inform Canadians on the extent to which Canada's post-secondary education sector is contributing to Canadians' social and economic objectives, its ability to respond to a fast-changing global environment, and how Canada's approach to higher education compares with other leading developed countries. Analysis of currently…

Planning Economic Activities to Support Counterinsurgency Objectives. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

57 James Warden, “Agricultural Development Team Working to Boost Afghanistan’s Crop Yield .” Re- printed in Afghanistan...Province 109 Make Move Store Spend Agriculture (46%) How: Labor intensive, dirt farming via drip irrigation systems(e.g., wheat, maize , alfalfa...DTO altered its operations and resolved the gap in leadership. 157 Baram Chah is an Afghanistan

Turning to Technology. A Strategic Plan for the Nineties. A Report of the Southern Technology Council.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Growth Policies Board, Research Triangle Park, NC.

This report presents a strategic plan for the South to extend its recent success in economic development to incorporate research, manufacturing technology, and new employment opportunities demanding highly skilled workers. The report first lists a set of goals and related objectives, and these are followed by two sections discussing (1) technology…

Virginia's Private Career Schools. An Overlooked Resource for Job Training and Economic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Richard W.

A study gathered objective data to inform policymakers and the public about the role of the private career school in providing postsecondary vocational training. The universe of the study was made up of state-approved for-profit business, trade, and technical schools and nationally accredited cosmetology schools. A mailed questionnaire gathered…

Nation Building and the University in Developing Countries: The Case of Malaysia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmat, Sharom

1980-01-01

The part the university plays in the building of a nation in the post-independence period is described and illustrated by means of a detailed study of Malaysia. The impact of economic, socio-cultural, and political factors are analyzed and the objectives of higher education in contemporary Malaysia are articulated. (Author/MLW)

Changing State-University Relations: The Experiences of Japan and Lessons for Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sirat, Morshidi; Kaur, Sarjit

2010-01-01

This article investigates the changing state-university relations in Japan and Malaysia. Its main objective is to identify and examine possible lessons for Malaysia, based on the Japanese experience. Notably, since the late 1970s, Malaysia has been looking towards Japan as a model for socio-economic development (the "look-east" Policy)…

Food First Resource Guide: Documentation on the Roots of World Hunger and Rural Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute for Food and Development Policy, San Francisco, CA.

This guide reviews resources used to develop the analysis of world hunger in "Food First: Beyond the Myth of Scarcity," Houghton Mifflin, 1977. The objectives are to help people understand the economic and political factors that contribute to food deprivation, document this analysis with credible sources, and inform high school, college, and…

Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media, U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at LEADS Head Start Building in Buckeye Lake, OH - Final Performance Evaluation Report

EPA Science Inventory

This report documents the activities performed and the results obtained for the arsenic removal treatment technology demonstration project at Licking Economic Action Development Study (LEADS) Head Start School in Buckeye Lake, Ohio. The objectives of the project were to evaluate...

Evaluating the Effects of Child Savings Accounts Program Participation on Parental Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okech, David

2012-01-01

Objectives: Using baseline and second wave data, the study evaluated the impact of child savings accounts participation on parenting stress, personal mastery, and economic strain with N = 381 lower income parents who decided to join and those who did not join in a child development savings account program. Methods: Structural equation modeling for…

Introducing Economics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, MA.

The booklet outlines and presents examples of basic economics concepts. Objectives are to help elementary and secondary teachers introduce economic concepts in the classroom and to help teachers grasp some of the fundamentals of economics. The document is divided into seven sections. Each section presents concepts, offers three supporting…

Distributive Education. Economics of Marketing. Instructor's Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, John; Bruns, Joe

Twelve lesson plans on economics of marketing are presented in this performance-based curriculum unit for distributive education. This unit is self-contained and consists of the following components: introduction (provides overview of unit content and describes why mastery of the objectives is important); performance objectives; and unit outline…

Using the Music Industry To Teach Economic Principles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stamm, K. Brad

The key purpose of this paper is to provide economics and business professors, particularly those teaching principles courses, with concrete examples of economic theory applied to the music industry. A second objective is to further the interest in economic theory among business majors and expose non-majors to economic principles via real world…

Modeling urban growth by the use of a multiobjective optimization approach: environmental and economic issues for the Yangtze watershed, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenting; Wang, Haijun; Han, Fengxiang; Gao, Juan; Nguyen, Thuminh; Chen, Yarong; Huang, Bo; Zhan, F Benjamin; Zhou, Lequn; Hong, Song

2014-11-01

Urban growth is an unavoidable process caused by economic development and population growth. Traditional urban growth models represent the future urban growth pattern by repeating the historical urban growth regulations, which can lead to a lot of environmental problems. The Yangtze watershed is the largest and the most prosperous economic area in China, and it has been suffering from rapid urban growth from the 1970s. With the built-up area increasing from 23,238 to 31,054 km(2) during the period from 1980 to 2005, the watershed has suffered from serious nonpoint source (NPS) pollution problems, which have been mainly caused by the rapid urban growth. To protect the environment and at the same time maintain the economic development, a multiobjective optimization (MOP) is proposed to tradeoff the multiple objectives during the urban growth process of the Yangtze watershed. In particular, the four objectives of minimization of NPS pollution, maximization of GDP value, minimization of the spatial incompatibility between the land uses, and minimization of the cost of land-use change are considered by the MOP approach. Conventionally, a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to search the Pareto solution set. In our MOP approach, a two-dimensional GA, rather than the traditional one-dimensional GA, is employed to assist with the search for the spatial optimization solution, where the land-use cells in the two-dimensional space act as genes in the GA. Furthermore, to confirm the superiority of the MOP approach over the traditional prediction approaches, a widely used urban growth prediction model, cellular automata (CA), is also carried out to allow a comparison with the Pareto solution of MOP. The results indicate that the MOP approach can make a tradeoff between the multiple objectives and can achieve an optimal urban growth pattern for Yangtze watershed, while the CA prediction model just represents the historical urban growth pattern as the future growth pattern. Moreover, according to the spatial clustering index, the urban growth pattern predicted through MOP is more reasonable. In summary, the proposed model provides a set of Pareto urban growth solutions, which compromise environmental and economic issues for the Yangtze watershed.

Mississippi Sound Remote Sensing Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, B. H.

1973-01-01

The Mississippi Sound Remote Sensing Study was initiated as part of the research program of the NASA Earth Resources Laboratory. The objective of this study is development of remote sensing techniques to study near-shore marine waters. Included within this general objective are the following: (1) evaluate existing techniques and instruments used for remote measurement of parameters of interest within these waters; (2) develop methods for interpretation of state-of-the-art remote sensing data which are most meaningful to an understanding of processes taking place within near-shore waters; (3) define hardware development requirements and/or system specifications; (4) develop a system combining data from remote and surface measurements which will most efficiently assess conditions in near-shore waters; (5) conduct projects in coordination with appropriate operating agencies to demonstrate applicability of this research to environmental and economic problems.

How has the economic downturn affected communities and implementation of science-based prevention in the randomized trial of communities that care?

PubMed

Kuklinski, Margaret R; Hawkins, J David; Plotnick, Robert D; Abbott, Robert D; Reid, Carolina K

2013-06-01

This study examined implications of the economic downturn that began in December 2007 for the Community Youth Development Study (CYDS), a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system. The downturn had the potential to affect the internal validity of the CYDS research design and implementation of science-based prevention in study communities. We used archival economic indicators and community key leader reports of economic conditions to assess the extent of the economic downturn in CYDS communities and potential internal validity threats. We also examined whether stronger economic downturn effects were associated with a decline in science-based prevention implementation. Economic indicators suggested the downturn affected CYDS communities to different degrees. We found no evidence of systematic differences in downturn effects in CTC compared to control communities that would threaten internal validity of the randomized trial. The Community Economic Problems scale was a reliable measure of community economic conditions, and it showed criterion validity in relation to several objective economic indicators. CTC coalitions continued to implement science-based prevention to a significantly greater degree than control coalitions 2 years after the downturn began. However, CTC implementation levels declined to some extent as unemployment, the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch, and community economic problems worsened. Control coalition implementation levels were not related to economic conditions before or after the downturn, but mean implementation levels of science-based prevention were also relatively low in both periods.

How Has the Economic Downturn Affected Communities and Implementation of Science-Based Prevention in the Randomized Trial of Communities That Care?

PubMed Central

Kuklinski, Margaret R.; Hawkins, J. David; Plotnick, Robert D.; Abbott, Robert D.; Reid, Carolina K.

2013-01-01

This study examined implications of the economic downturn that began in December 2007 for the Community Youth Development Study (CYDS), a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system. The downturn had the potential to affect the internal validity of the CYDS research design and implementation of science-based prevention in study communities. We used archival economic indicators and community key leader reports of economic conditions to assess the extent of the economic downturn in CYDS communities and potential internal validity threats. We also examined whether stronger economic downturn effects were associated with a decline in science-based prevention implementation. Economic indicators suggested the downturn affected CYDS communities to different degrees. We found no evidence of systematic differences in downturn effects in CTC compared to control communities that would threaten internal validity of the randomized trial. The Community Economic Problems scale was a reliable measure of community economic conditions, and it showed criterion validity in relation to several objective economic indicators. CTC coalitions continued to implement science-based prevention to a significantly greater degree than control coalitions 2 years after the downturn began. However, CTC implementation levels declined to some extent as unemployment, the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch, and community economic problems worsened. Control coalition implementation levels were not related to economic conditions before or after the downturn, but mean implementation levels of science-based prevention were also relatively low in both periods. PMID:23054169

Evaluation and economic value of winter weather forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, Derrick W.

State and local highway agencies spend millions of dollars each year to deploy winter operation teams to plow snow and de-ice roadways. Accurate and timely weather forecast information is critical for effective decision making. Students from Purdue University partnered with the Indiana Department of Transportation to create an experimental winter weather forecast service for the 2012-2013 winter season in Indiana to assist in achieving these goals. One forecast product, an hourly timeline of winter weather hazards produced daily, was evaluated for quality and economic value. Verification of the forecasts was performed with data from the Rapid Refresh numerical weather model. Two objective verification criteria were developed to evaluate the performance of the timeline forecasts. Using both criteria, the timeline forecasts had issues with reliability and discrimination, systematically over-forecasting the amount of winter weather that was observed while also missing significant winter weather events. Despite these quality issues, the forecasts still showed significant, but varied, economic value compared to climatology. Economic value of the forecasts was estimated to be 29.5 million or 4.1 million, depending on the verification criteria used. Limitations of this valuation system are discussed and a framework is developed for more thorough studies in the future.

Nutrition economics - food as an ally of public health.

PubMed

Lenoir-Wijnkoop, I; Jones, P J; Uauy, R; Segal, L; Milner, J

2013-03-14

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are a major and increasing contributor to morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries. Much of the chronic disease burden is preventable through modification of lifestyle behaviours, and increased attention is being focused on identifying and implementing effective preventative health strategies. Nutrition has been identified as a major modifiable determinant of NCD. The recent merging of health economics and nutritional sciences to form the nascent discipline of nutrition economics aims to assess the impact of diet on health and disease prevention, and to evaluate options for changing dietary choices, while incorporating an understanding of the immediate impacts and downstream consequences. In short, nutrition economics allows for generation of policy-relevant evidence, and as such the discipline is a crucial partner in achieving better population nutritional status and improvements in public health and wellness. The objective of the present paper is to summarise presentations made at a satellite symposium held during the 11th European Nutrition Conference, 28 October 2011, where the role of nutrition and its potential to reduce the public health burden through alleviating undernutrition and nutrition deficiencies, promoting better-quality diets and incorporating a role for functional foods were discussed.

Synthesis of national reports for Rio+20

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

NONE

2013-01-15

In the lead up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in Brazil in June 2012, there were numerous efforts in countries around the world to help governments, civil society organizations and individuals prepare for the event. One of the more significant efforts led by UNDP in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) was a support programme to 72 countries across all regions to build a consensus on national views around the themes and objectives of the Rio+20 Conference. This report highlights significant advances in sustainable development frommore » almost 60 country reports and underscores the challenges and bottlenecks to moving beyond the economic-led growth strategies of the past 20 years.« less

Assessment of Biomass Resources in Liberia

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

Milbrandt, A.

2009-04-01

Biomass resources meet about 99.5% of the Liberian population?s energy needs so they are vital to basic welfare and economic activity. Already, traditional biomass products like firewood and charcoal are the primary energy source used for domestic cooking and heating. However, other more efficient biomass technologies are available that could open opportunities for agriculture and rural development, and provide other socio-economic and environmental benefits.The main objective of this study is to estimate the biomass resources currently and potentially available in the country and evaluate their contribution for power generation and the production of transportation fuels. It intends to inform policymore » makers and industry developers of the biomass resource availability in Liberia, identify areas with high potential, and serve as a base for further, more detailed site-specific assessments.« less

A rudimentary database for three-dimensional objects using structural representation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sowers, James P.

1987-01-01

A database which enables users to store and share the description of three-dimensional objects in a research environment is presented. The main objective of the design is to make it a compact structure that holds sufficient information to reconstruct the object. The database design is based on an object representation scheme which is information preserving, reasonably efficient, and yet economical in terms of the storage requirement. The determination of the needed data for the reconstruction process is guided by the belief that it is faster to do simple computations to generate needed data/information for construction than to retrieve everything from memory. Some recent techniques of three-dimensional representation that influenced the design of the database are discussed. The schema for the database and the structural definition used to define an object are given. The user manual for the software developed to create and maintain the contents of the database is included.

SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF STRIPPER GAS WELLS FOR PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT IN THE MID-CONTINENT

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

Scott Reeves

2003-03-01

Stripper gas wells are an important source of domestic energy supply and under constant threat of permanent loss (shut-in) due to marginal economics. In 1998, 192 thousand stripper gas wells produced over a Tcf of gas, at an average rate of less than 16 Mcfd. This represents about 57% of all producing gas wells in the onshore lower-48 states, yet only 8% of production. Reserves of stripper gas wells are estimated to be only 1.6 Tcf, or slightly over 1% of the onshore lower-48 total (end of year 1996 data). Obviously, stripper gas wells are at the very margin ofmore » economic sustenance. As the demand for natural gas in the U.S. grows to the forecasted estimate of over 30 Tcf annually by the year 2010, supply from current conventional sources is expected to decline. Therefore, an important need exists to fully exploit known domestic resources of natural gas, including those represented by stripper gas wells. The overall objectives of this project are to develop an efficient and low-cost methodology to broadly categorize the well performance characteristics for a stripper gas field, identify the high-potential candidate wells for remediation, and diagnose the specific causes for well underperformance. With this capability, stripper gas well operators can more efficiently and economically produce these resources and maximize these gas reserves. A further objective is to identify/develop, evaluate and test ''new and novel,'' economically viable remediation options. Finally, it is the objective of this project that all the methods and technologies developed in this project, while being tested in the Mid-Continent, be widely applicable to stripper gas wells of all types across the country. The project activities during the reporting period were: (1) Type curve matching continued during the reporting period. (2) A second data collection trip to Tulsa was performed to gather information on the additional reservoirs to be included in the analysis. Created updated database. Delivered information for both type-curve and artificial neural network analysis to analytic team. (3) Made presentations on the project at the Stripper Well Consortium Meetings in Oklahoma City (October 24) and Dallas (October 25). (4) Made presentations on the project at the PTTC Marginal Well workshop in Jackson (October 30) and Wichita (November 29).« less

A queuing-theory-based interval-fuzzy robust two-stage programming model for environmental management under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Y.; Li, Y. P.; Huang, G. H.

2012-06-01

In this study, a queuing-theory-based interval-fuzzy robust two-stage programming (QB-IRTP) model is developed through introducing queuing theory into an interval-fuzzy robust two-stage (IRTP) optimization framework. The developed QB-IRTP model can not only address highly uncertain information for the lower and upper bounds of interval parameters but also be used for analysing a variety of policy scenarios that are associated with different levels of economic penalties when the promised targets are violated. Moreover, it can reflect uncertainties in queuing theory problems. The developed method has been applied to a case of long-term municipal solid waste (MSW) management planning. Interval solutions associated with different waste-generation rates, different waiting costs and different arriving rates have been obtained. They can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus help managers to identify desired MSW management policies under various economic objectives and system reliability constraints.

Environmental control technology (ECT) for geothermal processes

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

Katz, G.

1982-01-01

The objectives of the environmental control technology (ECT) program are to develop research priorities, research new and alternative technologies and to improve economics and performance of ECT systems. The Interagency Geothermal Coordinating Council, Environmental Control Panel developed priorities and obtained industry input during 1980. H/sub 2/S controls, injection monitoring, solid waste characterization and control and subsidence were reviewed as high priority while noise controls were considered low priority. Since geothermal technology is still developing there is a need to continue researching new and alternative ECT. Often ECT systems must be designed for site specific applications and need modification for usemore » of other sites. Most of the US geothermal experience is found at the Geysers, California where H/sub 2/S abatement is required. Various systems have been tested with mixed results. The bottom line is that the economics and performance of H/sub 2/S abatement systems are less than desirable.« less

Energy options: changing views from India. [Comments on Energy options for the Third World, A. K. N. Reddy

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

Rudolph, L.I.; Lenth, C.S.

1978-06-01

In A.K.N. Reddy's article in the bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, April 1978, Energy Options for the Third World, he advocated the application of science and technology to the tasks of Third World development, particularly to the provision of new forms of energy technologies for economic development. Rudolph and Lenth comment on ideas about India's energy strategies as viewed by Reddy in the article. Rudolph and Lenth say the energy situation in India is not as desperate as Reddy indicates, and the solutions he proposes are not as new or unique as he presents them to be. The analytical frameworkmore » presented by Reddy does not take account of the complex motives and objectives or the ambiguous consequences that accompany attempts to achieve social and economic development, the authors say. (MCW)« less

Evaluating the ecological association of casino industry economic development on community health status: a natural experiment in the Mississippi delta region.

PubMed

Honoré, Peggy A; Simoes, Eduardo J; Moonesinghe, Ramal; Wang, Xueyuan; Brown, Lovetta

2007-01-01

Objectives of this study were to examine for associations of casino industry economic development on improving community health status and funding for public health services in two counties in the Mississippi Delta Region of the United States. An ecological approach was used to evaluate whether two counties with casino gaming had improved health status and public health funding in comparison with two noncasino counties in the same region with similar social, racial, and ethic backgrounds. Variables readily available from state health department records were used to develop a logic model for guiding analytical work. A linear regression model was built using a stepwise approach and hierarchical regression principles with many dependent variables and a set of fixed and nonfixed independent variables. County-level data for 23 variables over an 11-year period were used. Overall, this study found a lack of association between the presence of a casino and desirable health outcomes or funding for public health services. Changes in the environment were made to promote health by utilizing gaming revenues to build state-of-the-art community health and wellness centers and sports facilities. However, significant increases in funding for local public health services were not found in either of the counties with casinos. These findings are relevant for policy makers when debating economic development strategies. Analysis similar to this should be combined with other routine public health assessments after implementation of development strategies to increase knowledge of health outcome trends and shifts in socioeconomic position that may be expected to accrue from economic development projects.

Research on the development for emerging industries in Nantong under the national strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhongnian; Qin, Yan; Zhang, Lijuan; Li, Tianying; Wang, Qing

2017-08-01

In this paper, according to the relevant national strategic emerging industry planning and policy, conducted in-depth research on the development of emerging industries in Nantong, and believes that current economic social development in Nantong has been entered into a new normal period, in the new period to “innovation” as the core characteristics, strategic emerging industry opportunities and challenges facing the industry. Therefore, Nantong should persist in innovation driven, focus on the cultivation and development of new industries, to provide new impetus to Nantong’s economic vitality and development. According to the development and upgrading of traditional industries, and expand the advantages of industry, cultivate new industries, for each kind of industry to come up with specific development strategies and suggestions: Nantong municipal government will be the seven emerging industries four in the industry (i.e., new material industry, new energy industry, new information technology industry, high-end equipment manufacturing industry) as the development object, further “bigger and stronger”, and strive to enhance the industrial scale and the formation of local characteristics as soon as possible.

Female Engagement Teams: Making the Case for Institutionalization Based on U.S. Security Objectives in Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

politically when men and women are afforded equitable access to health, education, economic, and political resources.8 However, a review of countries...theory; there would need to be an equal improvement in how the local community understood what the school and education more broadly represented for the...in its World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development: 18LTG Michael T. Flynn, Capt Matt Pottinger, and Paul D. Batchelor, Fixing

Conestoga 2: A low cost commercial space transport system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasmussen, R. O.

1984-01-01

Conestoga 2 is currently under development. It is capable of inserting 500 Kg satellites into 800 Km circular polar orbits. Conestoga 2 makes maximum use of existing (developed) technology and hardware. Its commercial objective is to fill a need for low cost low Earth orbital transport not efficiently served by Shuttle or larger space transport systems. Low Earth orbit markets, foreign participation, and launch site considerations are discussed along with technical and economic trade-offs.

Technology assessment of portable energy RDT and P, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spraul, J. R. (Compiler)

1975-01-01

A technological assessment of portable energy research, development, technology, and production was undertaken to assess the technical, economic, environmental, and sociopolitical issues associated with portable energy options. Those courses of action are discussed which would impact aviation and air transportation research and technology. Technology assessment workshops were held to develop problem statements. The eighteen portable energy problem statements are discussed in detail along with each program's objective, approach, task description, and estimates of time and costs.

Setting Physicians' Prices in FFS Medicare: An Economic Perspective

PubMed Central

Dowd, Bryan; Feldman, Roger; Nyman, John; Town, Bob

2006-01-01

Recent policy discussions by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) regarding physician prices in the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare Program reflect movement toward a market pricing model. Earlier objectives such as sustainable levels of spending have given way to concerns over the relationship between fees and actual costs, access to care, and the importance of demand and supply in local markets. An important objective in other policy settings is economically efficient distribution of services. We explain the meaning of economic efficiency for Medicare physician prices and explore difficulties one might encounter in pursuing economic efficiency, as well as the cost of not pursuing it. PMID:17427848

Investment Avenues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Priyanka

2012-11-01

Investors are a heterogeneous group, they may be large or small, rich or poor, expert or lay man and not all investors need equal degree of protection (Mayya, 1996). An investor has three objectives while investing his money, namely safety of invested money, liquidity position of invested money and return on investment. The return on investment may further be divided into capital gain and the rate of return on investment as interest or dividend. Among all investment options available, securities are considered the most challenging as well as rewarding. Securities include shares, debentures, derivatives, units of mutual funds, Government securities etc. An investor may be an individual or corporate legal entity investing funds with a view to derive maximum economic advantage from investment such as rate of return, capital appreciation, marketability, tax advantage and convenience of investment.The Capital market facilitates mobilization of savings of individuals and pools them into reservoir of capital which can be used for the economic development of a country. An efficient capital market is essential for raising capital by the corporate sector of the economy and for the protection of the interest of investors in corporate securities. There arises a need to strike a balance between raising of capital for economic development on one side and protection of investors on the other. Unless the interests of investors are protected, raising of capital, by corporates is not possible. Like, the primary objective of a senior citizenís asset allocation is the generation of regular income.

Equitable fund allocation, an economical approach for sustainable waste load allocation.

PubMed

Ashtiani, Elham Feizi; Niksokhan, Mohammad Hossein; Jamshidi, Shervin

2015-08-01

This research aims to study a novel approach for waste load allocation (WLA) to meet environmental, economical, and equity objectives, simultaneously. For this purpose, based on a simulation-optimization model developed for Haraz River in north of Iran, the waste loads are allocated according to discharge permit market. The non-dominated solutions are initially achieved through multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO). Here, the violation of environmental standards based on dissolved oxygen (DO) versus biochemical oxidation demand (BOD) removal costs is minimized to find economical total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). This can save 41% in total abatement costs in comparison with the conventional command and control policy. The BOD discharge permit market then increases the revenues to 45%. This framework ensures that the environmental limits are fulfilled but the inequity index is rather high (about 4.65). For instance, the discharge permit buyer may not be satisfied about the equity of WLA. Consequently, it is recommended that a third party or institution should be in charge of reallocating the funds. It means that the polluters which gain benefits by unfair discharges should pay taxes (or funds) to compensate the losses of other polluters. This intends to reduce the costs below the required values of the lowest inequity index condition. These compensations of equitable fund allocation (EFA) may help to reduce the dissatisfactions and develop WLA policies. It is concluded that EFA in integration with water quality trading (WQT) is a promising approach to meet the objectives.

Training by Objectives: An Economic Approach to Management Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odiorne, George S.

In keeping with the current trend in business education, this book adopts a "systems" approach to training. Objectives are first defined, and then training theories and techniques are used to reach them. Economic and behavioral aspects of training are discussed and many new techniques such as sensitivity, motivational, and human relations training…

Technical and economic assessment of design efficiency of information and measuring systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurov, V. M.; Eremin, E. N.; Baisagov, Ya Zh; Arkhipov, V. V.

2018-01-01

A thermodynamic approach to the analysis of information-measuring systems (IMS) is developed in the work. Expressions for efficiency of IMS are obtained. The connection between the amount of processor memory and the amount of incoming information and the accuracy of the IMS is obtained. It is shown that the probability of information loss in IMS decreases with the increase in the amount of information from the object. Using the analogy method, economic aspects of IMS design are considered. The innate ability of IMS and Moore’s law are considered. The proposed approach and the resulting formulas will be useful in the design of new IMS.

Autonomous, Decentralized Grid Architecture: Prosumer-Based Distributed Autonomous Cyber-Physical Architecture for Ultra-Reliable Green Electricity Networks

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

None

2012-01-11

GENI Project: Georgia Tech is developing a decentralized, autonomous, internet-like control architecture and control software system for the electric power grid. Georgia Tech’s new architecture is based on the emerging concept of electricity prosumers—economically motivated actors that can produce, consume, or store electricity. Under Georgia Tech’s architecture, all of the actors in an energy system are empowered to offer associated energy services based on their capabilities. The actors achieve their sustainability, efficiency, reliability, and economic objectives, while contributing to system-wide reliability and efficiency goals. This is in marked contrast to the current one-way, centralized control paradigm.

Safe communities in China as a strategy for injury prevention and safety promotion programmes in the era of rapid economic growth.

PubMed

Wang, Shu-Mei; Dalal, Koustuv

2013-02-01

Due to its rapid economic development, China is facing a huge health, social, and economic burden resulting from injuries. The study's objective was to examine Safe Communities in China as a strategy for injury prevention and safety promotion programmes in the era of rapid economic growth. Literature searches in English and Chinese, which included grey literature, were performed on the Chinese Journal Full-text Search System and Medline, using the words "Safe Community", "injury", "economics", and "prevention". The results showed that the existing 35 recognized members of the International Safe Community Network have not placed due emphasis on suicide prevention, which is one of the leading problems in both rural and urban China. A few groups, such as children, the elderly, cyclists, and pedestrians, have received due emphasis, while other vulnerable groups, such as migrant workers, motorcyclists, students, players, and farmers have not received the necessary attention from the Safe Community perspective. As the evidence describes, Safe Communities in China can be a very effective strategy for injury prevention, but four aspects need to be strengthened in the future: (1) establish and strengthen the policy and regulations in terms of injury prevention at the national level; (2) create a system to involve professional organizations and personnel in projects; (3) consider the economic development status of different parts of China; and (4) intentional injury prevention should receive greater attention.

The Future of the Space Age or how to Evaluate Innovative Ideas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollerthun, A.; Fricke, E.

2002-05-01

Based on an initiative of the German Aerospace Industry Association to foster a more transparent and structured funding of German commercial-oriented space projects a three-phased approach is suggested in this paper, to stepwise improve and evaluate proposed concepts for space-related innovations. The objective of this concept was to develop a transparent, structured, and reproducible process to select the right innovative project in terms of political, economical, and technical objectives for funding by e.g. a governmental agency. A stepwise process and related methods, that cover technical as well as economical aspects (and related sensitivities) are proposed. Based on the special needs and requirements of space industry the proposals are compared to a set of predefined top level objectives/requirements. Using an initial trades analysis with the criteria company, technology, product, and market, an initial business case is analyzed. The alternative innovative concepts are in the third process step subject to a very detailed analysis. The full economical and technical scale of the projects is evaluated and metrics for e.g. the 'Return on Investment' or 'Break Even Point' are determined, to compare the various innovations. Risks related to time, cost, and quality are considered, when performing sensitivity analysis by varying the most important factors of the project. Before discussing critical aspects of the proposed process, space-related examples will be presented to show how the process could be applied, and how different concepts should be evaluated.

Is the Non-rivalrousness of Intellectual Objects a Problem for the Moral Justification of Economic Rights to Intellectual Property?

PubMed

Varelius, Jukka

2015-08-01

It is often argued that the fact that intellectual objects-objects like ideas, inventions, concepts, and melodies-can be used by several people simultaneously makes intellectual property rights impossible or particularly difficult to morally justify. In this article, I assess the line of criticism of intellectual ownership in connection with a central category of intellectual property rights, economic rights to intellectual property. I maintain that it is unconvincing.

Understanding Our American Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Glen T.; Nelson, Ray D.

This handbook of economics reviews current economic activities in the United States, encouraging thinking and further study for the reader, rather than providing answers. The book provides a basic framework of knowledge in economics for a better informed citizenry to think clearly and objectively about economic issues in an attempt to combat…

Comparison of environmental and socio-economic domains of vulnerability to flood hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leidel, M.; Kienberger, S.; Lang, S.; Zeil, P.

2009-04-01

Socio-economic and environmental based vulnerability models have been developed within the research context of the FP6 project BRAHMATWINN. The conceptualisation of vulnerability has been defined in the project and is characterised as a function of sensitivity and adaptive capacity, where sensitivity is used to refer to systems that are susceptible to the impacts of environmental stress. Adaptive capacity is used to refer to systems or resources available to communities that could help them adapt or cope with the adverse consequences of environmental stresses in the recovery phase. In a wider context the approach reflects the wider objective and conceptualizations of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) framework, where vulnerability is characterized as a component of overall risk. A methodology has been developed which delineates spatial units of vulnerability (VULNUS). These units share a specific common characteristic and allow the independent spatial modelling of a complex phenomena independent from administrative units and raster based approaches. An increasing detail of spatial data and complex decision problems require flexible means for scaled spatial representations, for mapping the dynamics and constant changes, and delivering the crucial information. Automated techniques of object-based image analysis (OBIA, Lang & Blaschke, 2006), capable of integrating a virtually unlimited set of spatial data sets, try to match the information extraction with our world view. To account for that, a flexible concept of manageable units is required. The term geon was proposed by Lang (2008) to describe generic spatial objects that are homogenous in terms of a varying spatial phenomena under the influence of, and partly controlled by, policy actions. The geon concept acts as a framework for the regionalization of continuous spatial information according to defined parameters of homogeneity. It is flexible in terms of a certain perception of a problem (specific policy realm, specific hazard domain, etc.). In this study, vulnerability units have been derived as a specific instance of a geon set within an area exposed to flood risk. Using geons, we are capable of transforming singular domains of information on specific systemic components to policy-relevant, conditioned information (Kienberger et al., 2008; Tiede & Lang, 2007). According to the work programme socio-economic vulnerabilities have been modelled for the Salzach catchment. A specific set of indicators has been developed with a strong stakeholder orientation. Next to that, and to allow an easier integration within the aimed development of Water Resource Response Units (WRRUs) the environmental domain of vulnerability has additionally been modelled. We present the results of the socio-economic and environmental based approach to model vulnerability. The research methodology utilises census as well as land use/land cover data to derive and assess vulnerability. As a result, spatial units have been identified which represent common characteristics of socio-economic environmental vulnerability. The results show the spatially explicit vulnerability and its underlying components sensitivity and adaptive capacity for socio-economic and environmental domains and discuss differences. Within the test area, the Salzach River catchment in Austria, primarily urban areas adjacent to water courses are highly vulnerable. It can be stated that the delineation of vulnerability units that integrates all dimensions of sustainability are a prerequisite for a holistic and thus adaptive integrated water management approach. Indeed, such units constitute the basis for future dynamic vulnerability assessments, and thus for the assessment of uncertainties due to climate change. Kienberger, S., S. Lang & D. Tiede (2008): Socio-economic vulnerability units - modelling meaningful spatial units. In: Proceedings of the GIS Research UK 16th Annual conference GISRUK 2008, Manchester. Lang, S. (2008): Object-based image analysis for remote sensing applications: modeling reality - dealing with complexity. In: Blaschke, T., S. Lang & G. Hay (eds.): Object-Based Image Analysis - Spatial concepts for knowledge-driven remote sensing applications. New York: Springer, 3-28. Lang, S. & T. Blaschke (2006) Bridging remote sensing and GIS - what are the most supportive pillars? In: S: Lang & T. Blaschke (eds.): International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences vol. XXXVI-4/C42. CD-ROM and online at www.isprs.org. Tiede D. & S .Lang (2007): Analytical 3D views and virtual globes - putting analytical results into spatial context. ISPRS, ICA, DGfK - Joint Workshop: Visualization and Exploration of Geospatial Data, Stuttgart

Spain's greatest and most recent mine disaster.

PubMed

Guerrero, Flor Ma; Lozano, Macarena; Rueda-Cantuche, José M

2008-03-01

On 25 April 1998, the mineral waste retaining wall at the Swedish-owned pyrite mine at Aznalcóllar (Seville, Spain) burst, causing the most harmful environmental and socio-economic disaster in the history of the River Guadiamar basin. The damage was so great that the regional government decided in May 1998 to finance a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research initiative with the objective of eradicating or at least minimising all of the negative social, economic and environmental impacts. This paper utilises a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify eight strategic measures aimed at providing policymakers with key guidelines on implementing a sustainable development model, in a broad sense. Empirical evidence, though, reveals that, to date, major efforts to tackle the negative impacts have centred on environmental concerns and that the socio-economic consequences have not been completely mitigated.

Evaluation of phosphorus and nitrogen balances as an indicator for the impact of agriculture on environment a comparison of case studies from Poland and the Mississippi US

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of the research was to quantify the changes of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balances in Poland and Mississippi (MS). Nutrient balances were calculated as difference between input and output in the agricultural system according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development...

Development of a method using multispectral imagery and spatial pattern metrics to quantify stress to wheat fields caused by Diuraphis noxia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia, is an important pest of winter wheat, Triticum aestivum, and barley, Hordeum vulgare that has caused an annual economic loss estimated at over 1 billion dollars since it first appeared in the United States. The objective of this study was to determine the p...

Recreational fishing in the Southeast United States: a demand project analysis

Treesearch

Neelam C. Poudyal; J.M. Bowker

2008-01-01

The objective of this paper is to first develop an economic model of demand for recreational fishing in the Southeastern United States, and then project the demand for fishing in the region during the next few decades. The findings from this study will be useful to understand the factors behind declining people's participation and also to forecast the license...

Telestroke network business model strategies.

PubMed

Fanale, Christopher V; Demaerschalk, Bart M

2012-10-01

Our objective is to summarize the evidence that supports the reliability of telemedicine for diagnosis and efficacy in acute stroke treatment, identify strategies for funding the development of a telestroke network, and to present issues with respect to economic sustainability, cost effectiveness, and the status of reimbursement for telestroke. Copyright © 2012 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; economic uses fact sheet 08: prescribed fire costs

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Although the use of prescribed fire as a management tool is widespread, there is great variability and uncertainty in the treatment costs. Given specific site variables and management objectives, how much will it cost to use prescribed fire? This paper describes the FASTRACS database, a tool that has been developed to aid managers in addressing this question.

JPRS Report, East Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-09

literature, and music to be missing. "Memory is our culture, our conscience, and our truth. Obscurantists should not appropriate to themselves that word...exemplary manner the objectives of economic and social development of the country. On the occasion of the times of special festivity occa- sioned...transportation, posts and telecommunications, trade, cooperative activity, tourism , and municipal administrative activity, and institutions of learning, cul

The Economic Burden of Child Maltreatment in the United States and Implications for Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fang, Xiangming; Brown, Derek S.; Florence, Curtis S.; Mercy, James A.

2012-01-01

Objectives: To present new estimates of the average lifetime costs per child maltreatment victim and aggregate lifetime costs for all new child maltreatment cases incurred in 2008 using an incidence-based approach. Methods: This study used the best available secondary data to develop cost per case estimates. For each cost category, the paper used…

A comparison of motivations between island tourists visiting Penghu, Taiwan, and Phuket, Thailand

Treesearch

Chi-Ming Hsieh; Sung Hee Park

2009-01-01

The island tourism market is a major growth segment in international tourism. The islands of Penghu, Taiwan, and Phuket, Thailand have become major tourism destinations for Taiwanese tourists, who have had an economic impact on the local communities of these islands. The objectives of this study were to develop a profile of Taiwanese tourists visiting Penghu and Phuket...

Towards Quality Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Programmes in Nigeria: Challenges and Improvement Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayonmike, Chinyere Shirley; Okwelle, P. Chijioke; Okeke, Benjamin Chukwumaijem

2015-01-01

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is widely recognized as a vital driving force for the socio-economic growth and technological development of nations. In achieving the goals and objectives of TVET in Nigeria, the quality of the programme needs to be improved and sustained. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the challenges…

Agriculture, food, and nutrition interventions that facilitate sustainable food production and impact health: an overview of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Haby, Michelle M; Chapman, Evelina; Clark, Rachel; Galvão, Luiz A C

2016-08-01

Objectives To identify the agriculture, food, and nutrition security interventions that facilitate sustainable food production and have a positive impact on health. Methods Systematic review methods were used to synthesize evidence from multiple systematic reviews and economic evaluations through a comprehensive search of 17 databases and 10 websites. The search employed a pre-defined protocol with clear inclusion criteria. Both grey and peer-reviewed literature published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese between 1 January 1997 and November 2013 were included. To classify as "sustainable," interventions needed to aim to positively impact at least two dimensions of the integrated framework for sustainable development and include measures of health impact. Results Fifteen systematic reviews and seven economic evaluations met the inclusion criteria. All interventions had some impact on health or on risk factors for health outcomes, except those related to genetically modified foods. Impact on health inequalities was rarely measured. All interventions with economic evaluations were very cost-effective, had cost savings, or net benefits. In addition to impacting health (inclusive social development), all interventions had the potential to impact on inclusive economic development, and some, on environmental sustainability, though these effects were rarely assessed. Conclusions What is needed now is careful implementation of interventions with expected positive health impacts but with concurrent, rigorous evaluation. Possible impact on health inequalities needs to be considered and measured by future primary studies and systematic reviews, as does impact of interventions on all dimensions of sustainable development.

HOOPER BAY HOUSING ANALYSIS AND ENERGY FEASIBILITY REPORT

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

SEA LION CORPORATION; COLD CLIMATE HOUSING RESEARCH CENTER; SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHY BREATHING

2012-12-30

Sea Lion applied for and received a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) towards this end titled Energy Efficiency Development and Deployment in Indian Country. The initial objectives of the Hooper Bay Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study were to demonstrate a 30% reduction in residential/commercial energy usage and identify the economic benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures to the Tribe through: (1) partnering with Whitney Construction and Solutions for Healthy Breathing in the training and hire of 2 local energy assessors to conduct energy audits of 9 representative housing models and 2 commercial units in the community. These homes aremore » representative of 52 homes constructed across different eras. (2) partnering with Cold Climate Housing Research Center to document current electrical and heating energy consumption and analyze data for a final feasibility report (3) assessing the economics of electricity & heating fuel usage; (4) projecting energy savings or fossil fuel reduction by modeling of improvement scenarios and cost feasibility The following two objectives will be completed after the publication of this report: (5) the development of materials lists for energy efficiency improvements (6) identifying financing options for the follow-up energy efficiency implementation phase.« less

Demand reduction analysis for Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen, Maryland. Final report

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

NONE

1996-06-01

The objectives of the project are to research, identify, evaluate, and define energy saving projects that meet the Army`s criteria and lead to energy savings at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen campus, with respect to electrical demand reduction. Details of the authorization and objectives of this report, which delineates our contractual arrangement with the government, may be found in Section 8.11. Synopsis of Findings Entech Engineering, Inc. metered the Post at the substation level to provide some definition to the $7,000,000 annual electric cost consumed by the 19,500 people who occupy over 1,700 buildings and 13 million square feet onmore » Post Overall, Entech considered means of reducing the demand portion of the electrical cost estimated at over $2,900,000 per year. A total of fourteen (14) Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) were developed and evaluated. ECOs describe the means to reduce energy consumption and operating cost. Of the fourteen (14) ECOs, six (6) have been developed as economically feasible. The remaining eight (8) investigated did not prove to be economically attractive. Table 1.2.1 on the following page displays a summary of all ECOs investigated, prioritized by SIR.« less

Geological Sequestration Training and Research Program in Capture and Transport: Development of the Most Economical Separation Method for CO2 Capture

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

Vahdat, Nader

2013-09-30

The project provided hands-on training and networking opportunities to undergraduate students in the area of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and transport, through fundamental research study focused on advanced separation methods that can be applied to the capture of CO2 resulting from the combustion of fossil-fuels for power generation . The project team’s approach to achieve its objectives was to leverage existing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) course materials and teaching methods to create and implement an annual CCS short course for the Tuskegee University community; conduct a survey of CO2 separation and capture methods; utilize data to verify and developmore » computer models for CO2 capture and build CCS networks and hands-on training experiences. The objectives accomplished as a result of this project were: (1) A comprehensive survey of CO2 capture methods was conducted and mathematical models were developed to compare the potential economics of the different methods based on the total cost per year per unit of CO2 avoidance; and (2) Training was provided to introduce the latest CO2 capture technologies and deployment issues to the university community.« less