Sample records for express service

  1. 78 FR 18376 - Promotional Rates for Global Express Guaranteed Service

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-26

    ... POSTAL SERVICE Promotional Rates for Global Express Guaranteed Service AGENCY: Postal Service\\TM\\. ACTION: Notice of Promotional Rates. SUMMARY: The Postal Service gives notice of promotional rates for Global Express Guaranteed[supreg] (GXG[supreg]) service consistent with Governors' Decision No. 12-02...

  2. Study on the construction of Intelligent Courier Station Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    zhao, Ce; lu, Jia xin; li, Zhuang zhuang; shao, Zi rong; pi, Kun yi

    2018-06-01

    Campus Express is an important window to observe the city consumption logistics service "last kilometer".The research on Campus Express service is not only conducive to campus environment improvement and service quality promotion, but also provides all types of community, agglomeration areas such as urban terminal "last kilometer" logistics with reference.This article first proposed the main problems of campus express service,analyzed the mode of smart express station and finally built a smart express station.

  3. 75 FR 72686 - Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-26

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and... ``DB'' prefix along with new Tag 257, Tag 267, or Label 257S, on all Express Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute containers. The Postal Service is also revising the service commitment for Express Mail Open and...

  4. Desert Express: An Analysis on Improved Customer Service

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-09-01

    Nt MARQ 3,199 Of. DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C Thaiheim, Majo-,r USAF AFTT/GLM/LSM,/91S-64 ?Z; W...Astq vt.: tyc a l AFIT/GLM/,LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C. Thalheim, Major, USAF AFIT/GLM/LSM...91S-64 Approved for public release; distribution unlimited AFIT/GLM/LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS

  5. A Methodology for the Development of RESTful Semantic Web Services for Gene Expression Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Guardia, Gabriela D. A.; Pires, Luís Ferreira; Vêncio, Ricardo Z. N.; Malmegrim, Kelen C. R.; de Farias, Cléver R. G.

    2015-01-01

    Gene expression studies are generally performed through multi-step analysis processes, which require the integrated use of a number of analysis tools. In order to facilitate tool/data integration, an increasing number of analysis tools have been developed as or adapted to semantic web services. In recent years, some approaches have been defined for the development and semantic annotation of web services created from legacy software tools, but these approaches still present many limitations. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no suitable approach has been defined for the functional genomics domain. Therefore, this paper aims at defining an integrated methodology for the implementation of RESTful semantic web services created from gene expression analysis tools and the semantic annotation of such services. We have applied our methodology to the development of a number of services to support the analysis of different types of gene expression data, including microarray and RNASeq. All developed services are publicly available in the Gene Expression Analysis Services (GEAS) Repository at http://dcm.ffclrp.usp.br/lssb/geas. Additionally, we have used a number of the developed services to create different integrated analysis scenarios to reproduce parts of two gene expression studies documented in the literature. The first study involves the analysis of one-color microarray data obtained from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy donors. The second study comprises the analysis of RNA-Seq data obtained from melanoma cells to investigate the role of the remodeller BRG1 in the proliferation and morphology of these cells. Our methodology provides concrete guidelines and technical details in order to facilitate the systematic development of semantic web services. Moreover, it encourages the development and reuse of these services for the creation of semantically integrated solutions for gene expression analysis. PMID:26207740

  6. A Methodology for the Development of RESTful Semantic Web Services for Gene Expression Analysis.

    PubMed

    Guardia, Gabriela D A; Pires, Luís Ferreira; Vêncio, Ricardo Z N; Malmegrim, Kelen C R; de Farias, Cléver R G

    2015-01-01

    Gene expression studies are generally performed through multi-step analysis processes, which require the integrated use of a number of analysis tools. In order to facilitate tool/data integration, an increasing number of analysis tools have been developed as or adapted to semantic web services. In recent years, some approaches have been defined for the development and semantic annotation of web services created from legacy software tools, but these approaches still present many limitations. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no suitable approach has been defined for the functional genomics domain. Therefore, this paper aims at defining an integrated methodology for the implementation of RESTful semantic web services created from gene expression analysis tools and the semantic annotation of such services. We have applied our methodology to the development of a number of services to support the analysis of different types of gene expression data, including microarray and RNASeq. All developed services are publicly available in the Gene Expression Analysis Services (GEAS) Repository at http://dcm.ffclrp.usp.br/lssb/geas. Additionally, we have used a number of the developed services to create different integrated analysis scenarios to reproduce parts of two gene expression studies documented in the literature. The first study involves the analysis of one-color microarray data obtained from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy donors. The second study comprises the analysis of RNA-Seq data obtained from melanoma cells to investigate the role of the remodeller BRG1 in the proliferation and morphology of these cells. Our methodology provides concrete guidelines and technical details in order to facilitate the systematic development of semantic web services. Moreover, it encourages the development and reuse of these services for the creation of semantically integrated solutions for gene expression analysis.

  7. 75 FR 56920 - Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-17

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and...] Open and Distribute containers. The Postal Service also proposes to revise the service commitment for Express Mail Open and Distribute as a guaranteed end of day product; and to add a five-pound minimum...

  8. Bus Service Planning for Orlando's Southwest Direct Express Demonstration

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1985-04-01

    This report describes a set of service planning activities undertaken in the

  9. Expressive Writing: Enhancing the Emotional Intelligence of Human Services Majors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castillo, Yuleinys; Fischer, Jerome M.

    2017-01-01

    The skills and tasks in the human services field are highly connected to emotional intelligence abilities. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of an expressive writing program involving human service students in an undergraduate rehabilitation services course. The program was developed to enhance their emotional intelligence.…

  10. 78 FR 8533 - Notice of Agreements Filed

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-06

    ...-5793 or [email protected] . Agreement No.: 011790-002. Title: Dole Ocean Cargo Express/King Ocean Services Limited Space Charter Agreement. Parties: Dole Ocean Cargo Express, Inc., and King Ocean Services...: Crowley/Dole Space Charter Agreement. Parties: Crowley Latin America Services, LLC and Dole Ocean Cargo...

  11. 77 FR 39273 - Express Mail Rates

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2012-39; Order No. 1382] Express Mail Rates AGENCY... Service request to implement prices for a new Express Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope. This notice... INFORMATION: On June 22, 2012, the Postal Service filed notice with the Commission of changes in rates of...

  12. Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey: Understanding the Needs of Canadians with SCI.

    PubMed

    Noreau, Luc; Noonan, Vanessa K; Cobb, John; Leblond, Jean; Dumont, Frédéric S

    2014-01-01

    There is a lack of literature regarding service needs of people with SCI living in the community. Better assessment of expressed and met and unmet needs would help in the development of effective service delivery. From a national SCI Community Survey in Canada, the aim was to identify the most critical service needs of people living in the community at least 1 year post discharge from rehabilitation and the support they received to meet their needs. Data were collected mainly through a secure Web site and encompassed demographics, personal and household income, an SCI severity measure, and an SCI community needs measure containing information on 13 SCI-related needs. A total of 1,549 persons with SCI (traumatic lesion, n = 1,137; nontraumatic lesion, n = 412) across Canada completed the survey. Most critical needs for community integration were expressed by a substantial proportion of survey participants, but significantly more expressed and met needs were reported by persons with a traumatic than a nontraumatic lesion. Personal and environmental characteristics influenced the probability of expressing and meeting needs (eg, severity of injury and household income). Help and support to meet expressed needs were received from government agencies, community organizations, and friends or family. Better assessment of expressed and met or unmet needs for services remains a challenge but will serve as a tool to optimize service delivery in the community. Environmental barriers to services, particularly the process of getting needs met and associated costs, remain an issue that requires a reconsideration of some aspects of access to services.

  13. Toddlers' Expressive Vocabulary Outcomes after One Year of Parent-Child Home Program Services

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manz, Patricia H.; Bracaliello, Catherine B.; Pressimone, Vanessa J.; Eisenberg, Rachel A.; Gernhart, Amanda C.; Fu, Qiong; Zuniga, Cesar

    2016-01-01

    This quasi-experimental study examined expressive vocabulary outcomes for Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) toddlers, after one year of home-visiting services. First, this study applied Rasch modelling to establish the construct validity and reliability of a widely used expressive vocabulary measure, as modified for a sample of ethnic and…

  14. 78 FR 55766 - Submission for Review: Civil Service Retirement System Survivor Annuitant Express Pay Application...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-11

    ... Annuitant Express Pay Application for Death Benefits, RI 25-51 AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management... Service Retirement System Survivor Annuitant Express Pay Application for Death Benefits, RI 25-51. As... widower, based on the report of death, when our records show the decedent elected to provide benefits for...

  15. Improvement of emotional healthcare system with stress detection from ECG signal.

    PubMed

    Tivatansakul, S; Ohkura, M

    2015-01-01

    Our emotional healthcare system is designed to cope with users' negative emotions in daily life. To make the system more intelligent, we integrated emotion recognition by facial expression to provide appropriate services based on user's current emotional state. Our emotion recognition by facial expression has confusion issue to recognize some positive, neutral and negative emotions that make the emotional healthcare system provide a relaxation service even though users don't have negative emotions. Therefore, to increase the effectiveness of the system to provide the relaxation service, we integrate stress detection from ECG signal. The stress detection might be able to address the confusion issue of emotion recognition by facial expression to provide the service. Indeed, our results show that integration of stress detection increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the emotional healthcare system to provide services.

  16. SemanticSCo: A platform to support the semantic composition of services for gene expression analysis.

    PubMed

    Guardia, Gabriela D A; Ferreira Pires, Luís; da Silva, Eduardo G; de Farias, Cléver R G

    2017-02-01

    Gene expression studies often require the combined use of a number of analysis tools. However, manual integration of analysis tools can be cumbersome and error prone. To support a higher level of automation in the integration process, efforts have been made in the biomedical domain towards the development of semantic web services and supporting composition environments. Yet, most environments consider only the execution of simple service behaviours and requires users to focus on technical details of the composition process. We propose a novel approach to the semantic composition of gene expression analysis services that addresses the shortcomings of the existing solutions. Our approach includes an architecture designed to support the service composition process for gene expression analysis, and a flexible strategy for the (semi) automatic composition of semantic web services. Finally, we implement a supporting platform called SemanticSCo to realize the proposed composition approach and demonstrate its functionality by successfully reproducing a microarray study documented in the literature. The SemanticSCo platform provides support for the composition of RESTful web services semantically annotated using SAWSDL. Our platform also supports the definition of constraints/conditions regarding the order in which service operations should be invoked, thus enabling the definition of complex service behaviours. Our proposed solution for semantic web service composition takes into account the requirements of different stakeholders and addresses all phases of the service composition process. It also provides support for the definition of analysis workflows at a high-level of abstraction, thus enabling users to focus on biological research issues rather than on the technical details of the composition process. The SemanticSCo source code is available at https://github.com/usplssb/SemanticSCo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Update on status of proposed TransDominion Express (TDX) passenger rail service.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-01-01

    The Virginia General Assembly's House Budget Bill for the 2006-2008 biennium directed the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) to update the status of a proposed passenger rail service, called the TransDominion Express (TDX), ...

  18. Mastery of mothering skills and satisfaction with associated health services: an ethnocultural comparison.

    PubMed

    Whitley, Rob

    2009-09-01

    In this paper, I examine the mastery of mothering skills and satisfaction with associated health services in women who had recently given birth in Montreal (n = 33). I compare experience between women of two distinct ethnocultural groups: Anglophone Euro-Canadian and Anglophone Afro-Caribbean. The overall aim is to discern differentials in the mastery of mothering skills and associated satisfaction with maternal and child health services. The study is framed by neo-Weberian social theory suggesting that modernization and bureaucratization increasingly eviscerate everyday skills and knowledge. These processes also lead to changes regarding what is considered credible 'authoritative knowledge.' I found that older Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed the greatest skill deficits. They attempted to redress these deficits through consultation of professionally authored books, medical Web sites and health professionals. Older Anglophone Euro-Canadians saw these resources as sources of 'authoritative knowledge.' They also expressed dissatisfaction with related health services. In contrast, Anglophone Afro-Caribbeans and younger lower-income Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed satisfaction with their skills. This derived from widespread previous experience with children and more extensive and readily available kith and kin networks. These were considered sources of 'authoritative knowledge' in this group. This group expressed less dissatisfaction with health services, as they did not need, or expect, these services to redress skill deficits.

  19. 75 FR 5853 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 13803

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-04

    ... 13803, Income Verification Express Service Application and Employee Delegation Form. DATES: Written... Application and Employee Delegation Form. OMB Number: 1545-2032. Form Number: Form 13803. Abstract: Form 13803, Income Verification Express Service Application and Employee Delegation Form, is used to submit the...

  20. 78 FR 66962 - Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-07

    ... Assistant Secretary of Labor request for nominations for membership on ACCSH. DATES: ACCSH meeting: ACCSH... Office at (202) 693- 1648. Regular mail, express mail, hand delivery, or messenger (courier) service...). OSHA's Docket Office accepts deliveries (hand deliveries, express mail, and messenger service) during...

  1. 78 FR 13713 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-28

    ... Product AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning the addition of Express Mail Contract 14 to the competitive product list... 14 to the competitive product list.\\1\\ The Postal Service asserts that Express Mail Contract 14 is a...

  2. Delay in polling systems in heavy traffic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Mei, Robert D.

    1998-10-01

    We study the delay in asymmetric cyclic polling systems with general mixtures of gated and exhaustive service, with generally distributed service times and switch-over times, in heavy traffic. We obtain closed-form expressions for all moments of the delay incurred at each of the queues. The expressions are strikingly simple and can even be expressed as finite products of known factors. The results provide new insights into the heavy-traffic behavior of polling systems.

  3. Valuing ecosystem services in terms of ecological risks and returns.

    PubMed

    Abson, David J; Termansen, Mette

    2011-04-01

    The economic valuation of ecosystem services is a key policy tool in stemming losses of biological diversity. It is proposed that the loss of ecosystem function and the biological resources within ecosystems is due in part to the failure of markets to recognize the benefits humans derive from ecosystems. Placing monetary values on ecosystem services is often suggested as a necessary step in correcting such market failures. We consider the effects of valuing different types of ecosystem services within an economic framework. We argue that provisioning and regulating ecosystem services are generally produced and consumed in ways that make them amenable to economic valuation. The values associated with cultural ecosystem services lie outside the domain of economic valuation, but their worth may be expressed through noneconomic, deliberative forms of valuation. We argue that supporting ecosystem services are not of direct value and that the losses of such services can be expressed in terms of the effects of their loss on the risk to the provision of the directly valued ecosystem services they support. We propose a heuristic framework that considers the relations between ecological risks and returns in the provision of ecosystem services. The proposed ecosystem-service valuation framework, which allows the expression of the value of all types of ecosystem services, calls for a shift from static, purely monetary valuation toward the consideration of trade-offs between the current flow of benefits from ecosystems and the ability of those ecosystems to provide future flows. ©2010 Society for Conservation Biology.

  4. 78 FR 47427 - AUC, LLC Reno Creek, In Situ

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-05

    ...-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office...) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One... the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with...

  5. 77 FR 31643 - Siltronic Corporation FAB1 Plant Including On-Site Leased Workers From Express Temporaries...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-29

    ... Secure Solutions USA, SBM Management Services, LP, ALSCO Portland Industrial, VWR International, Inc... G4S Secure Solutions USA, SBM Management Services, LP, Alsco Portland Industrial, VWR International... workers from Express Temporaries, Aerotek Commercial Staffing, G4S Secure Solutions USA, SBM Management...

  6. 78 FR 35066 - Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses Involving...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-11

    ... also distributes an email notice that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office of the...) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One... the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with...

  7. 75 FR 65675 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-26

    ... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. MC2010-37 and CP2010-126; Order No. 553] New Postal.... It is also noticing a contemporaneous Postal Service notice that new rates for inbound Express Mail... notice pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 3632(b)(3) and 39 CFR 3015.5 that new rates for inbound Express Mail Service...

  8. 76 FR 39136 - Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving Proposed No Significant...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-05

    ...) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One... the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with..., Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 20555-0001. The expedited delivery or courier mail address...

  9. 37 CFR 1.10 - Filing of correspondence by “Express Mail.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Office to Addressee” service of the United States Postal Service (USPS) will be considered filed with the...Express Mail.â 1.10 Section 1.10 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES General Provisions General...

  10. 77 FR 13604 - Notice of Agreements Filed

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-07

    ... Joint Services Agreement as party, and updates some of the service references in the agreement...: Crowley Latin America Services, LLC; Dole Ocean Cargo Express; King Ocean Services Limited; Seaboard... Latin American Services, LLC as a party to the Agreement. Agreement No.: 012067-006. Title: U.S...

  11. 78 FR 79027 - Product Change-Priority Mail Express Negotiated Service Agreement

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-27

    ...The Postal Service gives notice of filing a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to add a domestic shipping services contract to the list of Negotiated Service Agreements in the Mail Classification Schedule's Competitive Products List.

  12. 77 FR 40527 - New Express Mail Price Category-Express Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-10

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 New Express Mail Price Category--Express Mail Padded Flat Rate.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This final rule describes a new price category under Express Mail, Express Mail... new price category is available under Docket Number CP2012-39 on the Postal Regulatory Commission's...

  13. Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Emotional Intelligence and Anger Expression Styles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sahin Baltaci, Hulya; Demir, Kamile

    2012-01-01

    In this study in which the pre-service classroom teachers' emotional intelligence and the ways of their anger expression styles were examined, correlational survey model was used. In total 342 students, 189 of whom were females and 153 of whom were males, constituted the participants of the research. The students are the first year and the senior…

  14. 78 FR 123 - Diablo Canyon, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; License Amendment Request...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-02

    ... receipt of the document. The E-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access to the...: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office... mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service...

  15. 78 FR 119 - Consideration of Approval of Application Containing Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-02

    ... receipt of the document. The E-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access to the...: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office... mail as of the time of deposit in the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service...

  16. 78 FR 3454 - Prairie Island, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of Docketing of Amendment...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-16

    ...-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office... Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary... time of deposit in the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing...

  17. 77 FR 43867 - Negotiated Service Agreement Amendment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-26

    ..., information relevant to the customer's mailing profile, and cost coverage projections. Id. The Postal Service... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2009-43; Order No. 1410] Negotiated Service Agreement... recently-filed Postal Service request concerning a change in the termination date of Express Mail...

  18. Express bus-fringe parking planning methodology.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1975-01-01

    The conception, calibration, and evaluation of alternative disaggregate behavioral models of the express bus-fringe parking travel choice situation are described. Survey data collected for the Parham Express Service in Richmond, Virginia, are used to...

  19. Parent Depression and Anger in Peer-Delivered Parent Support Services

    PubMed Central

    Shen, Sa; Rodriguez, James; Radigan, Marleen; Burton, Geraldine; Hoagwood, Kimberly E.

    2017-01-01

    Knowledge about parents who seek peer-delivered parent support services in children’s mental health is limited. In this prospective study, characteristics of 124 parents who sought peer parent advocate services related to their children’s behavioral difficulties are described. This urban sample consisted primarily of low-income mothers of color, 80% of whom were caring for children with clinically significant behavioral problems. Of these parents, 64% endorsed clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms at baseline. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine associations between parent depression and anger expression with working alliances with peer advocates. No independent or combined effects of parent depression or anger expression on working alliance were found. However, adjusting for family demographic factors, caregiver strain and child symptoms, parent depression interacted with anger expression to influence working alliances, primarily around agreement and mutual engagement on goals. Among parents who endorsed clinically significant depressive symptoms, anger expression did not influence working alliance but among non-depressed parents, anger expression was negatively associated with working alliance. Implications for training peer parent advocates to more effectively engage low income parents are discussed. PMID:28775660

  20. Parent Depression and Anger in Peer-Delivered Parent Support Services.

    PubMed

    Olin, S Serene; Shen, Sa; Rodriguez, James; Radigan, Marleen; Burton, Geraldine; Hoagwood, Kimberly E

    2015-11-01

    Knowledge about parents who seek peer-delivered parent support services in children's mental health is limited. In this prospective study, characteristics of 124 parents who sought peer parent advocate services related to their children's behavioral difficulties are described. This urban sample consisted primarily of low-income mothers of color, 80% of whom were caring for children with clinically significant behavioral problems. Of these parents, 64% endorsed clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms at baseline. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine associations between parent depression and anger expression with working alliances with peer advocates. No independent or combined effects of parent depression or anger expression on working alliance were found. However, adjusting for family demographic factors, caregiver strain and child symptoms, parent depression interacted with anger expression to influence working alliances, primarily around agreement and mutual engagement on goals. Among parents who endorsed clinically significant depressive symptoms, anger expression did not influence working alliance but among non-depressed parents, anger expression was negatively associated with working alliance. Implications for training peer parent advocates to more effectively engage low income parents are discussed.

  1. A new service-oriented grid-based method for AIoT application and implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zou, Yiqin; Quan, Li

    2017-07-01

    The traditional three-layer Internet of things (IoT) model, which includes physical perception layer, information transferring layer and service application layer, cannot express complexity and diversity in agricultural engineering area completely. It is hard to categorize, organize and manage the agricultural things with these three layers. Based on the above requirements, we propose a new service-oriented grid-based method to set up and build the agricultural IoT. Considering the heterogeneous, limitation, transparency and leveling attributes of agricultural things, we propose an abstract model for all agricultural resources. This model is service-oriented and expressed with Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA). Information and data of agricultural things were described and encapsulated by using XML in this model. Every agricultural engineering application will provide service by enabling one application node in this service-oriented grid. Description of Web Service Resource Framework (WSRF)-based Agricultural Internet of Things (AIoT) and the encapsulation method were also discussed in this paper for resource management in this model.

  2. 78 FR 32533 - Proposed Collection of Information: Direct Deposit, Go Direct, and Direct Express Sign-Up Forms

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-30

    ... Deposit, Go Direct, and Direct Express Sign-Up Forms AGENCY: Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Fiscal Service... ``Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form'', Form 1200 ``Go Direct Sign-Up Form for Direct Deposit of Federal Benefit... information described below: Title: Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form, and Go Direct Sign-Up Form, and Direct...

  3. 76 FR 11291 - NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC; Seabrook Station Unit No. 1; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-01

    ... Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary... time of deposit in the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing... expedited delivery or courier mail address for both offices is: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555...

  4. DARPA Orbital Express program: effecting a revolution in space-based systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whelan, David A.; Adler, E. A.; Wilson, Samuel B., III; Roesler, Gordon M., Jr.

    2000-11-01

    A primary goal of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is to develop innovative, high-risk technologies with the potential of a revolutionary impact on missions of the Department of Defense. DARPA is developing a space experiment to prove the feasibility of autonomous on- orbit servicing of spacecraft. The Orbital Express program will demonstrate autonomous on-orbit refueling, as well as autonomous delivery of a small payload representing an avionics upgrade package. The maneuverability provided to spacecraft from a ready refueling infrastructure will enable radical new capabilities for the military, civil and commercial spacecraft. Module replacement has the potential to extend bus lifetimes, and to upgrade the performance of key subsystems (e.g. processors) at the pace of technology development. The Orbital Express technology development effort will include the necessary autonomy for a viable servicing infrastructure; a universal interface for docking, refueling and module transfers; and a spacecraft bus design compatible with this servicing concept. The servicer spacecraft of the future may be able to act as a host platform for microsatellites, extending their capabilities while reducing risk. An infrastructure based on Orbital Express also benefits from, and stimulates the development of, lower-cost launch strategies.

  5. 75 FR 20386 - Trane a Subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand Including On-Site Leased Workers From Aerotek, Express...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-19

    ... Ingersoll Rand Including On-Site Leased Workers From Aerotek, Express Personnel Services, Select Staffing... Ingersoll Rand, including on-site leased workers from Aerotek, Express Personnel Staffing, and Select... from Aerotek, Express Personnel Staffing, Select Staffing, and Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Pueblo...

  6. 39 CFR 959.30 - Public information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Public information. 959.30 Section 959.30 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.30 Public information. The Librarian of the Postal Service maintains for public...

  7. 39 CFR 959.30 - Public information.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Public information. 959.30 Section 959.30 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.30 Public information. The Librarian of the Postal Service maintains for public...

  8. Family needs of parents of children and youth with cerebral palsy.

    PubMed

    Palisano, R J; Almarsi, N; Chiarello, L A; Orlin, M N; Bagley, A; Maggs, J

    2010-01-01

    Understanding the needs of families of children and youth with cerebral palsy (CP) is important for family-centred services. The aims of this study were to identify: (1) differences in the number and types of family needs expressed by parents based on the age and gross motor function level of their children with CP; (2) the most frequent family needs; and (3) needs that differ on gross motor function level. A total of 501 parents (77.6% mothers) of children and youth with CP completed a modified version of a Family Needs Survey and a demographic questionnaire. Children's gross motor function level was classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Total number of family needs differed based on gross motor function level (P < 0.001) but not age. Parents of children/youth who use wheeled mobility expressed the highest number of family needs, while parents of children/youth who walk without restrictions expressed the fewest needs. Family needs for Information (P= 0.001), Support (P= 0.001), Community Services (P < 0.001) and Finances (P < 0.001) differed based on children's gross motor function level. Over 50% of parents expressed family needs for information on current and future services, planning for the future, help in locating community activities and more personal time. Parents of children and youth who use wheeled mobility were more likely to express the need for help in paying for home modifications, equipment, services and locating sitters, respite care providers and community activities. The gross motor function of children/youth with CP has implications for collaboration with families to identify needs and co-ordinate services. Health professionals have a role to assist families with information needs and locating community services and leisure activities. Family needs for future planning suggest that health professionals should assist families to prepare for key periods in the lives of their children with CP.

  9. Directed module detection in a large-scale expression compendium.

    PubMed

    Fu, Qiang; Lemmens, Karen; Sanchez-Rodriguez, Aminael; Thijs, Inge M; Meysman, Pieter; Sun, Hong; Fierro, Ana Carolina; Engelen, Kristof; Marchal, Kathleen

    2012-01-01

    Public online microarray databases contain tremendous amounts of expression data. Mining these data sources can provide a wealth of information on the underlying transcriptional networks. In this chapter, we illustrate how the web services COLOMBOS and DISTILLER can be used to identify condition-dependent coexpression modules by exploring compendia of public expression data. COLOMBOS is designed for user-specified query-driven analysis, whereas DISTILLER generates a global regulatory network overview. The user is guided through both web services by means of a case study in which condition-dependent coexpression modules comprising a gene of interest (i.e., "directed") are identified.

  10. 42 CFR 460.120 - Grievance process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... written or oral, expressing dissatisfaction with service delivery or the quality of care furnished. (a... proceedings. This information must be used in the PACE organization's internal quality assessment and... Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED...

  11. Georgia’s Brightest Future Includes Russia

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-01

    partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Senior Service College Fellowship. The views expressed in this student academic research paper are...ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 01-03-2012 2. REPORT TYPE Civilian Research Paper 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 01 AUG 2011 – 1 MAR...Service College Fellowship Program. The views expressed in this student academic research paper are those of the author and do not reflect the

  12. Stakeholder perspectives on decision-analytic modeling frameworks to assess genetic services policy.

    PubMed

    Guzauskas, Gregory F; Garrison, Louis P; Stock, Jacquie; Au, Sylvia; Doyle, Debra Lochner; Veenstra, David L

    2013-01-01

    Genetic services policymakers and insurers often make coverage decisions in the absence of complete evidence of clinical utility and under budget constraints. We evaluated genetic services stakeholder opinions on the potential usefulness of decision-analytic modeling to inform coverage decisions, and asked them to identify genetic tests for decision-analytic modeling studies. We presented an overview of decision-analytic modeling to members of the Western States Genetic Services Collaborative Reimbursement Work Group and state Medicaid representatives and conducted directed content analysis and an anonymous survey to gauge their attitudes toward decision-analytic modeling. Participants also identified and prioritized genetic services for prospective decision-analytic evaluation. Participants expressed dissatisfaction with current processes for evaluating insurance coverage of genetic services. Some participants expressed uncertainty about their comprehension of decision-analytic modeling techniques. All stakeholders reported openness to using decision-analytic modeling for genetic services assessments. Participants were most interested in application of decision-analytic concepts to multiple-disorder testing platforms, such as next-generation sequencing and chromosomal microarray. Decision-analytic modeling approaches may provide a useful decision tool to genetic services stakeholders and Medicaid decision-makers.

  13. Transition from manual to automatic rutting measurements : effect on pavement serviceability index values.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-06-01

    The Pavement Serviceability Index (pSn is used by New Mexico Department of Transportation : (NMDOT) to express the serviceability level of a pavement section at the network level. The PSI : is calculated with distress ratings (including rutting) and ...

  14. 78 FR 33865 - Negotiated Service Agreement

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-05

    ... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2011-50; Order No. 1735] Negotiated Service Agreement AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning an amendment to Express Mail Contract 11. This notice informs the public of the...

  15. The Moderating Role of Dysfunctional Parent-Child Relationships on the Association Between Outward Anger Expression and Physical Health in Youth From Low-Income Families.

    PubMed

    Guenther, Kassie D; Van Dyk, Tori R; Kidwell, Katherine M; Nelson, Timothy D

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the role of outward anger expression on physical health outcomes (number of illnesses in the past year, 2-year medical service utilization, and health-related quality of life) while also expanding on previous research by assessing the moderating effect of parent-child dysfunction. An ethnically diverse sample of 125 children, ages 8 to 11 years, was recruited from a family medicine practice serving a low-income population. High levels of outward anger expression were related to a greater number of illnesses, greater medical service utilization, and lower health-related quality of life. Additionally, worse parent-child dysfunction exacerbated this relationship for a number of illnesses and medical service utilization. Results suggest that health care providers should consider the influence of environmental and familial factors on the physical health of children with anger. Recommendations for identifying at-risk youth and improving anger expression as well as parent-child relationships are provided. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The Market for Community Services for Older People.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hereford, Russell W.

    The Supportive Services Program for Older Persons is designed to demonstrate that a private market for home and community-based health related services can be developed in response to the demand expressed by older people and their families. The objective of the program is to expand the service options available to older people by letting market…

  17. Examining the association between suicidal behaviors and referral for mental health services among children involved in the child welfare system in Ontario, Canada.

    PubMed

    Baiden, Philip; Fallon, Barbara

    2018-05-01

    Although various studies have investigated factors associated with mental health service utilization, few studies have examined factors associated with referral for mental health services among maltreated children. The objective of this study was to examine the association between suicidal thoughts and self-harming behavior and referral for mental health services among children involved in the Child Welfare System in Ontario, Canada. Data for this study were obtained from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2013. An estimate 57,798 child maltreatment investigations was analyzed using binary logistic regression with referral for mental health service as the outcome variable. Of the 57,798 cases, 4709 (8.1%), were referred for mental health services. More than seven out of ten maltreated children who engaged in self-harming behavior and two out of three maltreated children who expressed suicidal thoughts were not referred for mental health services. In the multivariate logistic regression model, children who expressed suicidal thoughts had 2.39 times higher odds of being referred for mental health services compared to children with no suicidal thoughts (AOR = 2.39, 99% C.I. 2.05-2.77) and children who engaged in self-harming behavior had 1.44 times higher odds of being referred for mental health services compared to children who did not engage in self-harming behavior (AOR = 1.44, 99% C.I. 1.24-1.67), both after controlling for child demographic characteristics, maltreatment characteristics, and child functioning concerns. Given that referral is the initial step towards mental health service utilization, it is important that child welfare workers receive the necessary training so as to carefully assess and refer children in care who expressed suicidal thoughts or engaged in self-harming behavior for appropriate mental health services. The paper discusses the results and their implications for child welfare policy and practice. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. 21 CFR 862.1163 - Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1163 Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system. (a...

  19. 21 CFR 862.1163 - Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1163 Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system. (a...

  20. 21 CFR 862.1163 - Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1163 Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system. (a...

  1. 21 CFR 862.1163 - Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1163 Cardiac allograft gene expression profiling test system. (a...

  2. SPICE for ESA Planetary Missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costa, M.

    2017-09-01

    SPICE is an information system that provides the geometry needed to plan scientific observations and to analyze the obtained. The ESA SPICE Service generates the SPICE Kernel datasets for missions in all the active ESA Missions. This contribution describes the current status of the datasets, the extended services and the SPICE support provided to the ESA Planetary Missions (Mars-Express, ExoMars2016, BepiColombo, JUICE, Rosetta, Venus-Express and SMART-1) for the benefit of the science community.

  3. 75 FR 39051 - Allstate Insurance Company, Altoona Express Market Claim Office, Including On-Site Leased Workers...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-07

    ... former workers of Allstate Insurance Company, Altoona Express Market Claim Office, including on- site... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-73,536] Allstate Insurance Company, Altoona Express Market Claim Office, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Kelly Services...

  4. 76 FR 31962 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License; Applicants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-02

    .... International First Service USA, Inc. dba Global Wine Logistics, Inc. (NVO & OFF), 197 Route 18 South, Suite..., President, Application Type: Add NVO Service. Nano Express Corp. (NVO,) 5765 N. Lincoln Avenue, Suite 17... Zai Ocean Services dba Zai Container Line (NVO & OFF), 6324 NW 97th Avenue, Doral, FL 33178, Officer...

  5. 77 FR 30530 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License; Applicants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-23

    ... Individual), Application Type: New NVO License. Global Wine Logistics, Inc. (NVO & OFF), 197 Route 19 South... Hextall, President/CEO, Application Type: Add NVO Service/Trade Name Change. M & D Global Logistics, Inc... Service. Metro Freight Services, Inc. dba Maritime Express Lines (M.E.L.) (NVO & OFF), 1225 W. St. George...

  6. 39 CFR 959.13 - Hearings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Hearings. 959.13 Section 959.13 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.13 Hearings. Hearings are held at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201-3078...

  7. 39 CFR 959.13 - Hearings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Hearings. 959.13 Section 959.13 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.13 Hearings. Hearings are held at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201-3078...

  8. 39 CFR 959.13 - Hearings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Hearings. 959.13 Section 959.13 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.13 Hearings. Hearings are held at 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201-3078...

  9. Student Support Services for Post-Secondary Students with Visual Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moh, Chiou

    2012-01-01

    Increasingly, students with visual disabilities are pursuing higher education. The students need to face the challenges and difficulties of disorganized services and technology to be independent learners. Institutions should provide the support services to meet the requirements of the students. Such students in the United States expressed their…

  10. 5 CFR 842.402 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... required by the administrative workweek for his or her grade or class (normally 40 hours). Part-time... time under 5 U.S.C 8411(d), that follows a period of part-time service without any intervening period of actual service other than part-time service. Proration factor means a fraction expressed as a...

  11. Dumbing Down the Net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jamison, Mark A.; Hauge, Janice A.

    It is commonplace for sellers of goods and services to enhance the value of their products by paying extra for premium delivery service. For example, package delivery services such as Federal Express and the US Postal Service offer shippers a variety of delivery speeds and insurance programs. Web content providers such as Yahoo! and MSN Live Earth can purchase web-enhancing services from companies such as Akamai to speed the delivery of their web content to customers.1

  12. Experiences of Trans Women and Two-Spirit Persons Accessing Women-Specific Health and Housing Services in a Downtown Neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada.

    PubMed

    Lyons, Tara; Krüsi, Andrea; Pierre, Leslie; Smith, Adrienne; Small, Will; Shannon, Kate

    2016-10-01

    Little is known about trans womens' experiences accessing gender-segregated health and housing services, particularly services for marginalized individuals living in poverty. As such, we conducted a qualitative investigation into experiences of accessing women-specific health and housing services among trans women and two-spirit persons in a downtown neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. Between June 2012 and May 2013 interviews were conducted with 32 trans women and two-spirit individuals who had accessed women-specific health and/or housing services. Participants were recruited from four open prospective cohorts of sex workers and individuals who use drugs. Interview data were analyzed using a participatory analysis approach with two participants who were hired as research assistants. Participants were generally able to access women-specific services in the neighborhood. However, there were reports of discrimination related to gender identity, discrimination based on gender expression (e.g., requirement of a feminine gender expression), and lack of staff intervention in harassment from other service users. Trans women and two-spirit persons in our study relied upon services for their health and safety and, therefore, exclusion from women-specific services had potentially severe adverse consequences such as homelessness and sexual violence. Recommendations to improve accessibility, including policy development and procedural recommendations, are put forth.

  13. 76 FR 62000 - Express Mail Domestic Postage Refund Policy and Waiver of Signature

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-06

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Domestic Postage Refund Policy and Waiver of Signature... days to 30 days after the date of mailing, and to change the Express Mail ``waiver of signature'' standard for domestic items by obtaining an addressee's signature only when the mailer selects the...

  14. 76 FR 75461 - Express Mail Domestic Postage Refund Policy and Waiver of Signature

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-02

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Domestic Postage Refund Policy and Waiver of Signature... to 30 days after the date of mailing, and to change the Express Mail ``waiver of signature'' standard for domestic items by obtaining an addressee's signature only when the mailer selects the ``signature...

  15. 37 CFR 2.198 - Filing of correspondence by “Express Mail.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...Express Mail.â 2.198 Section 2.198 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE RULES OF PRACTICE IN TRADEMARK CASES General Information and... that was delivered by the “Express Mail Post Office to Addressee” service of the United States Postal...

  16. 12 CFR 390.41 - Construction of time limits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... time prescribed by this subpart, the date of the act or event that commences the designated period of... follows: (1) If service is made by first class, registered, or certified mail, add three calendar days to the prescribed period; (2) If service is made by express mail or overnight delivery service, add one...

  17. 12 CFR 390.41 - Construction of time limits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... time prescribed by this subpart, the date of the act or event that commences the designated period of... follows: (1) If service is made by first class, registered, or certified mail, add three calendar days to the prescribed period; (2) If service is made by express mail or overnight delivery service, add one...

  18. 12 CFR 1081.114 - Construction of time limits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... statute, the date of the act or event that commences the designated period of time is not included. The... follows: (1) If service is made by first class, registered, or certified mail, add three calendar days to the prescribed period; (2) If service is made by express mail or overnight delivery service, add one...

  19. 12 CFR 109.12 - Construction of time limits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... or event that commences the designated period of time is not included. The last day so computed is... certified mail, add three calendar days to the prescribed period; (2) If service is made by express mail or overnight delivery service, add one calendar day to the prescribed period; or (3) If service is made by...

  20. From a Distance: Robust Reference Service via Instant Messaging

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meulemans, Yvonne Nalani; Carr, Allison; Ly, Pearl

    2010-01-01

    Reference service via instant messaging (IM) has significant potential to benefit distance learners. There has been wide experimentation with IM to expand reference services in libraries across the US, with mixed results. Concern has been expressed that IM cannot provide the same reference experience as face-to-face interactions. One academic…

  1. 39 CFR 959.3 - Office, business hours.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Office, business hours. 959.3 Section 959.3 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.3 Office, business hours. The offices of the officials mentioned in these rules are...

  2. 39 CFR 959.3 - Office, business hours.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Office, business hours. 959.3 Section 959.3 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.3 Office, business hours. The offices of the officials mentioned in these rules are...

  3. 39 CFR 959.3 - Office, business hours.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Office, business hours. 959.3 Section 959.3 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE PROCEDURES RULES OF PRACTICE IN PROCEEDINGS RELATIVE TO THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 959.3 Office, business hours. The offices of the officials mentioned in these rules are...

  4. 49 CFR 1540.301 - Withdrawal of approval of a security program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... express courier on a specific date. (2) Date of service. The date of service is— (i) The date of personal... by the holder of the security program, or 15 calendar days after service, whichever occurs first. (4...) Assistant Secretary's review. The designated official transmits the Petition together with all pertinent...

  5. 49 CFR 1540.301 - Withdrawal of approval of a security program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... express courier on a specific date. (2) Date of service. The date of service is— (i) The date of personal... by the holder of the security program, or 15 calendar days after service, whichever occurs first. (4...) Assistant Secretary's review. The designated official transmits the Petition together with all pertinent...

  6. 49 CFR 1540.301 - Withdrawal of approval of a security program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... express courier on a specific date. (2) Date of service. The date of service is— (i) The date of personal... by the holder of the security program, or 15 calendar days after service, whichever occurs first. (4...) Assistant Secretary's review. The designated official transmits the Petition together with all pertinent...

  7. 49 CFR 1540.301 - Withdrawal of approval of a security program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... express courier on a specific date. (2) Date of service. The date of service is— (i) The date of personal... by the holder of the security program, or 15 calendar days after service, whichever occurs first. (4...) Assistant Secretary's review. The designated official transmits the Petition together with all pertinent...

  8. 49 CFR 1540.301 - Withdrawal of approval of a security program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... express courier on a specific date. (2) Date of service. The date of service is— (i) The date of personal... by the holder of the security program, or 15 calendar days after service, whichever occurs first. (4...) Assistant Secretary's review. The designated official transmits the Petition together with all pertinent...

  9. 77 FR 26232 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-03

    ... implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13495, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts, dated..., 2011, with an effective date to be established later. The E.O. revoked E.O. 13204 of February 17, 2001... Government, as expressed in E.O. 13495, to require service contractors and their subcontractors under...

  10. The Effect Structured Participation Experiences Have on Pre-Service Teachers' Preparedness to Teach Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brannon, Diana; Fiene, Judy

    2013-01-01

    Many pre-service teachers express a lack of confidence and preparedness to face the challenges of teaching reading in today's classrooms. The current study looks at whether Structured Participation Experiences (SPE) in reading increase pre-service teachers' preparedness to teach reading compared to more traditional unstructured field experiences.…

  11. The theory of social services in disaccumulationist capitalism.

    PubMed

    Hirschhorn, L

    1979-01-01

    The theory of social services today must be based on a more general theory of the "disaccumulation" of capitalist society. Capitalist society disaccumulates as new productive forces emerge within the framework of the capitalist labor market. These forces are expressed abstractly in new sources of productivity based on information and organization and concretely in a new organization of work. This new organization of work breaks down the old capitalist division between labor and non-labor time and poses instead a more fluid interaction and integration of work and non-work. Capitalist society, however, disaccumulates through social crisis. The reorganization of work is simultaneously expressed as the decay of the labor market. This decay delegitimates social services and creates the present social service crisis. Social services can find their new sources of legitimacy only if social classes can move past the crisis of disaccumulation and find the appropriate new forms of social life based on the emerging non-capitalist organization of work.

  12. Protein expression and genetic variability of canine Can f 1 in golden and Labrador retriever service dogs.

    PubMed

    Breitenbuecher, Christina; Belanger, Janelle M; Levy, Kerinne; Mundell, Paul; Fates, Valerie; Gershony, Liza; Famula, Thomas R; Oberbauer, Anita M

    2016-01-01

    Valued for trainability in diverse tasks, dogs are the primary service animal used to assist individuals with disabilities. Despite their utility, many people in need of service dogs are sensitive to the primary dog allergen, Can f 1, encoded by the Lipocalin 1 gene (LCN1). Several organizations specifically breed service dogs to meet special needs and would like to reduce allergenic potential if possible. In this study, we evaluated the expression of Can f 1 protein and the inherent variability of LCN1 in two breeds used extensively as service dogs. Saliva samples from equal numbers of male and female Labrador retrievers (n = 12), golden retrievers (n = 12), and Labrador-golden crosses (n = 12) were collected 1 h after the morning meal. Can f 1 protein concentrations in the saliva were measured by ELISA, and the LCN1 5' and 3' UTRs and exons sequenced. There was no sex effect (p > 0.2) nor time-of-day effect; however, Can f 1 protein levels varied by breed with Labrador retrievers being lower than golden retrievers (3.18 ± 0.51 and 5.35 ± 0.52 μg/ml, respectively, p < 0.0075), and the Labrador-golden crosses having intermediate levels (3.77 ± 0.48 μg/ml). Although several novel SNPs were identified in LCN1, there were no significant breed-specific sequence differences in the gene and no association of LCN1 genotypes with Can f 1 expression. As service dogs, Labrador retrievers likely have lower allergenic potential and, though there were no DNA sequence differences identified, classical genetic selection on the estimated breeding values associated with salivary Can f 1 expression may further reduce that potential.

  13. Expressions of dissatisfaction and complaint by people with learning disabilities: a discourse analytic study.

    PubMed

    Jingree, Treena; Finlay, W M L

    2013-06-01

    This paper uses critical discursive psychology to examine expressions of dissatisfaction and complaint by people with learning disabilities. UK government policies stress that people with learning disabilities should have more control over their lives. Expressing dissatisfaction about services is an important aspect of this process. However, given that such individuals are often treated as incompetent, and given the delicate nature of complaining about services one might rely on for day-to-day support, this can be difficult to do. In building complaints, speakers drew on repertoires about competence and incompetence, the right to free choice as a principle, and tempered dissatisfaction to make contrasts between good and bad supporters and practice. While the complaints show many of the general features of complaints identified in previous work in the general population, they were crafted to the particular institutional context of social care, and attended both explicitly and implicitly to the particular issues of competence, power, and authority found in those services. Speakers positioned themselves as competent, and service workers as more or less competent in their roles. Issues of power in social care services were observed explicitly in the accounts, whereby people described staff as controlling and it being difficult to voice dissatisfaction. They were also implicit in the way speakers drew on the others with institutional authority for corroboration and comparison. © 2011 The British Psychological Society.

  14. A procedural method for express bus-fringe parking transit planning.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1976-01-01

    The report illustrates a procedural method for planning express bus-fringe parking transit services - a method built upon the findings from previous research, including disaggregate travel choice models and planning guidelines. The methodology addres...

  15. 49 CFR 1104.12 - Service of pleadings and papers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... express mail. If a document is filed with the Board through the e-filing process, a copy of the e-filed... BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RULES OF PRACTICE FILING WITH THE BOARD-COPIES-VERIFICATION-SERVICE...

  16. Resident complaints about the nursing home food service: relationship to cognitive status.

    PubMed

    Simmons, Sandra F; Cleeton, Patrick; Porchak, Tracy

    2009-05-01

    Most nursing home (NH) residents are not interviewed about their satisfaction with the food service due to cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of NH residents able to complete a structured interview to assess food complaints when no cognitive status criteria were used to exclude residents from interview. Eighty-nine percent of 163 residents were able and willing to complete the interview, and 65% expressed complaints about the NH food service. Residents who expressed complaints ate less of their meals, had less cognitive impairment, and had more depressive symptoms than those who did not. This study shows that the majority of NH residents are able to reliably answer questions about their satisfaction with the food service, regardless of cognitive status, and the presence of complaints is related to poor meal intake and depressive symptoms.

  17. Resident Complaints About the Nursing Home Food Service: Relationship to Cognitive Status

    PubMed Central

    Cleeton, Patrick; Porchak, Tracy

    2009-01-01

    Most nursing home (NH) residents are not interviewed about their satisfaction with the food service due to cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of NH residents able to complete a structured interview to assess food complaints when no cognitive status criteria were used to exclude residents from interview. Eighty-nine percent of 163 residents were able and willing to complete the interview, and 65% expressed complaints about the NH food service. Residents who expressed complaints ate less of their meals, had less cognitive impairment, and had more depressive symptoms than those who did not. This study shows that the majority of NH residents are able to reliably answer questions about their satisfaction with the food service, regardless of cognitive status, and the presence of complaints is related to poor meal intake and depressive symptoms. PMID:19251880

  18. Model-driven Service Engineering with SoaML

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elvesæter, Brian; Carrez, Cyril; Mohagheghi, Parastoo; Berre, Arne-Jørgen; Johnsen, Svein G.; Solberg, Arnor

    This chapter presents a model-driven service engineering (MDSE) methodology that uses OMG MDA specifications such as BMM, BPMN and SoaML to identify and specify services within a service-oriented architecture. The methodology takes advantage of business modelling practices and provides a guide to service modelling with SoaML. The presentation is case-driven and illuminated using the telecommunication example. The chapter focuses in particular on the use of the SoaML modelling language as a means for expressing service specifications that are aligned with business models and can be realized in different platform technologies.

  19. 75 FR 4741 - Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute Changes and Updates

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-29

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and... proposes to revise its standards to reflect changes and updates for Express Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute and Priority Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute to improve efficiencies in processing and to control...

  20. 75 FR 14076 - Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute Changes and Updates

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-24

    ... POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR Part 111 Express Mail Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and... to reflect changes and updates for Express Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute and Priority Mail[supreg] Open and Distribute to improve efficiencies in processing and to control costs. DATES: Effective Date...

  1. 9 CFR 319.10 - Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim and a standardized term. 319.10 Section 319.10 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim...

  2. 9 CFR 319.10 - Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim and a standardized term. 319.10 Section 319.10 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim...

  3. 9 CFR 319.10 - Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim and a standardized term. 319.10 Section 319.10 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim...

  4. 9 CFR 319.10 - Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim and a standardized term. 319.10 Section 319.10 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim...

  5. 9 CFR 319.10 - Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim and a standardized term. 319.10 Section 319.10 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... Requirements for substitute standardized meat food products named by use of an expressed nutrient content claim...

  6. Orbital Express Mission Operations Planning and Resource Management using ASPEN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chouinard, Caroline; Knight, Russell; Jones, Grailing; Tran, Danny

    2008-01-01

    The Orbital Express satellite servicing demonstrator program is a DARPA program aimed at developing "a safe and cost-effective approach to autonomously service satellites in orbit". The system consists of: a) the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) vehicle, under development by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and b) a prototype modular next-generation serviceable satellite, NEXTSat, being developed by Ball Aerospace. Flexibility of ASPEN: a) Accommodate changes to procedures; b) Accommodate changes to daily losses and gains; c) Responsive re-planning; and d) Critical to success of mission planning Auto-Generation of activity models: a) Created plans quickly; b) Repetition/Re-use of models each day; and c) Guarantees the AML syntax. One SRP per day vs. Tactical team

  7. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its 6-day mail delivery service.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6

    2011-03-02

    House - 03/18/2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  8. 39 CFR 320.7 - Suspension for advertisements accompanying parcels or periodicals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Suspension for advertisements accompanying parcels or periodicals. 320.7 Section 320.7 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE CARRIAGE OF LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.7 Suspension for advertisements accompanying parcels or periodicals. (a) Th...

  9. A Needs-Assessment of Agencies Serving Individuals with Deaf-Blindness: A National Profile of Transitional Services.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seiler, Lauren H.; And Others

    A national needs assessment of 719 educational and adult service agencies providing or proposing to provide transitional services to individuals with deaf-blindness was conducted to determine national and regional technical assistance needs. On average, each agency expressed a need for technical assistance in 20 separate areas. In the area of…

  10. Preparatory report for workshop on maternity and neonatal services policy for the PWV.

    PubMed

    Fonn, S; Philpott, H

    1995-06-01

    This article discusses a review undertaken to assess quality of care within maternity and neonatal services in Pretoria, Witwatersrand, and Vereeniging, South Africa. One researcher met with nurses and doctors from 17 hospitals and clinics with public and private services. Another researcher met with 13 groups of 146 women. Findings indicate that services were too far away and transportation was a problem. Ambulances and taxis were costly. Services should be close by, available 24 hours/day, and offer quality health care. Women expressed a willingness to travel distances for quality care. Women appreciated good relations and services capable of handling complications. Women preferred services where discrimination by race or social status was not practiced. The most frequently cited problem was negative interpersonal client-staff relations. Women reported a strong desire to have partners present at delivery and with paternity leave. The most common desires were for sonograms, food at prenatal clinics, education at the prenatal clinic, and other information on a variety of topics. Women desired knowledge about the symptoms of labor, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, and parenting skills. Other topics were risk factors, hygiene, breast feeding, postnatal depression, the physiology of pregnancy, sources of help, nutrition, and vaccinations. Women desired a comprehensive examination, a choice of appointment times, and attentive nursing. Women expressed their views on good postnatal services, services in general, better patient-staff communication, mortality, and stillbirths. 11 recommendations were made.

  11. Experiences of Trans Women and Two-Spirit Persons Accessing Women-Specific Health and Housing Services in a Downtown Neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada

    PubMed Central

    Krüsi, Andrea; Pierre, Leslie; Smith, Adrienne; Small, Will; Shannon, Kate

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Purpose: Little is known about trans womens' experiences accessing gender-segregated health and housing services, particularly services for marginalized individuals living in poverty. As such, we conducted a qualitative investigation into experiences of accessing women-specific health and housing services among trans women and two-spirit persons in a downtown neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. Methods: Between June 2012 and May 2013 interviews were conducted with 32 trans women and two-spirit individuals who had accessed women-specific health and/or housing services. Participants were recruited from four open prospective cohorts of sex workers and individuals who use drugs. Interview data were analyzed using a participatory analysis approach with two participants who were hired as research assistants. Results: Participants were generally able to access women-specific services in the neighborhood. However, there were reports of discrimination related to gender identity, discrimination based on gender expression (e.g., requirement of a feminine gender expression), and lack of staff intervention in harassment from other service users. Conclusion: Trans women and two-spirit persons in our study relied upon services for their health and safety and, therefore, exclusion from women-specific services had potentially severe adverse consequences such as homelessness and sexual violence. Recommendations to improve accessibility, including policy development and procedural recommendations, are put forth. PMID:27575593

  12. Expressive Communication and Human Development in the New Broadband Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carey, John

    2004-01-01

    An understanding of the structure and functions of expressive communication in face-to-face communication and audiovisual media can inform the development of new educational services for human development across cultures in the emerging broadband environment.

  13. Meeting the needs of women who use drugs and alcohol in North-east India – a challenge for HIV prevention services

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The North-east Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland consistently report relatively high HIV prevalence. The targeted HIV prevention interventions in these two states are mostly delivered by non-government organizations (NGOs), and prevention of HIV transmission by injecting drug use is their main focus. Most injecting drug users (IDUs) are male, and the services are primarily tailored to meet their needs, which are not necessarily the same as those for women. This qualitative study describes the health service needs of women who use drugs and alcohol in Manipur and Nagaland, with the goal of identifying strategies and activities that can be implemented by NGOs wanting to improve their reach among vulnerable women. Methods In 2009-10, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 key informants and nine focus group discussions (FGDs) with women who use drugs and alcohol, and two FGDs with male IDUs. The thematic areas covered included: the context of female drug and alcohol use; drug and alcohol use patterns; HIV risk behaviours; barriers and facilitators of service use; perceived health needs; and expressed health service needs. The data were recorded, transcribed, translated and thematically analysed. Results The most problematic substance for women from Nagaland was alcohol, and for women from Manipur it was heroin. The most commonly identified health problems were primarily related to the women’s drug and alcohol use, reproductive health and mental health. Other problems of major concern included social exclusion, violence, children’s welfare, and financial difficulties. The expressed service needs of these women were women-only integrated health services, women-only detoxification and rehabilitation services, mental health services, desensitization of mainstream health workers, free access to medicines, assistance to meet basic needs, and a safe place for engaging in sex work. Conclusion The expressed health and other service needs of women who use drugs and alcohol in Manipur and Nagaland do not match the services currently provided by HIV prevention NGOs, and this may, in part, account for the relatively poor uptake of these services by women. Strategies and activities that can be implemented by NGOs to strengthen their reach to vulnerable women are identified. However, many of these women’s needs are beyond the scope of services typically offered by HIV prevention NGOs, and require a coordinated multi-sectoral response. PMID:23013114

  14. Outreach and public service

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, Harold J.

    1990-01-01

    The Alabama Space Grant Consortium plan for outreach and public service is presented as a model for study and discussion. It is consistent with the objectives of the Space Grant Program and expresses a strong commitment to cooperation between academia, industry, and government.

  15. FORENSIC INVESTIGATION OF A GENERATION OLD CIPP LINER

    EPA Science Inventory

    There is limited information regarding the in-situ performance of rehabilitation methods used for prolonging the service life of buried municipal pipeline systems. With some CIPP liners nearly 30 years in service, municipalities are expressing a strong interest in the collection ...

  16. Spanish Faculty Preferences and Usage of Library Services in the Field of Science and Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinto, Maria; Fernandez-Ramos, Andres

    2010-01-01

    The authors compare Spanish faculty use of library services and the interest they express in value-added services and improvement actions. The results are based on data from a survey of 546 faculty in the field of science and technology. The study differentiates between the areas of pure science, engineering and architecture, and life sciences.…

  17. 77 FR 9969 - Affinity Express, Inc., a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of LiveIT Investment, Ltd, a Member of the...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-21

    ...' firm supplies print and advertising services. The revised notice was published in the Federal Register... from a foreign country the supply of services that is like or directly competitive to the printing and advertising services supplied by the workers of the subject firm. The amended notice applicable to TA-W-80,286...

  18. Acquisition Review Quarterly (ARQ) Vol. 6, No.4

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-01-01

    collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services , Directorate for Information Operations...acquisition pro- services throughout the acquisition com- fessionals from the Department of Defense, munity. The views expressed were those federal...sums of money services than any other organization in the coupled with the declining budget high- world, with 8.7 million contracts worth light the

  19. Health care experiences of U.S. Retirees living in Mexico and Panama: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Retirement migration from northern countries to southern countries is increasing in both Europe and North America, and retiree experiences will impact future migration and health services utilization. We therefore sought to describe the healthcare experiences and perceptions of retired U.S. citizens currently living in Mexico and Panama. Methods 46 retired U.S. citizens (23 per country) who had been hospitalized (61%) or had a chronic health condition (78%) in two regions per country with large communities of retired U.S. citizens were identified. Detailed semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore experiences with, attitudes toward, and costs of healthcare. Interviews were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Respondents averaged 68–70 years old, were well educated, had few physical dependencies, and had moderate incomes. They praised physician services as more personalized than in the U.S. and home care as inexpensive and widely available, expressed favorable opinions regarding outpatient and dental care, gave mixed ratings on hospital services, and expressed concerns about emergency services. Numerous concerns about health insurance were expressed, including the unavailability of Medicare and reductions in Tricare. Payment concerns and lack of data on local health providers made deciding where to obtain services challenging. Conclusions Retirees living abroad report dilemmas regarding healthcare choices, insurance availability, and quality of care. As this population segment grows, pressure will increase for policy and business solutions to existing medical care challenges. PMID:24119332

  20. The state of sexual health services at U.S. Colleges and Universities.

    PubMed

    Habel, Melissa A; Coor, Alexandra; Beltran, Oscar; Becasen, Jeffrey; Pearson, William S; Dittus, Patricia

    2018-01-01

    To describe the array of sexual health care services provided at US colleges and universities. During 2014-2015, 885 colleges were surveyed about their provision of sexual health services. 55% of colleges responded. Data were weighted and stratified by minority-serving institutions (MSIs), 2-year and 4-year institutions. 70.6% of colleges reported having a health center (HC), of which 73.0% offered STI diagnosis/treatment (4 years vs. 2 years; 77.9% vs. 53.1%) and contraceptive services (70.1% vs. 46.4%), all p < .001. HCs less frequently offered LARC (19.7%), express STI testing (24.4%) and self-collection (31.4%). Condoms were available on 66.8% of campuses. HPV vaccination was available at more 4-year colleges (73.7% vs. 48.5%, p < .003) and non-MSIs (74.4% vs. 58.5, p = .019). Regarding MSM-targeted services, 54.6% offered pharyngeal and 51.8% rectal STI testing. 2-year colleges may require additional support with providing sexual health care. Improvements could entail increasing express testing, extra-genital STI testing, and LARC.

  1. Community helping services: dynamic of formation and expressiveness of the cultural care.

    PubMed

    Landim, Fátima Luna Pinheiro

    2006-01-01

    Community helping services is an expression used by the social movements to designate families that live in shacks installed in a public area intended for building of own house at a community helping system. Studies in ethnonursing that aimed: in order to detail dynamic configuration in a community helping service. It took place in an community helping area located in the outskirts of Fortaleza, Ceará. The community members acting as general informants from the local culture, while eight (8) women heads-of-families, working as key informers. The data collect used the Observation-Participation-Reflection Model. The analyses were processing by the time that the dates were collected, considering the categories: inserting in the community helping culture to obtain their history; community helping is not a slum -describing the formation dynamic. Established that the formation dynamic of the community helping go on the own house representation as a symbol of " a better life". To assimilate such expression introducing in own cultural universe is a challenge for the nursing to assist a care culture congruent.

  2. An evaluation of the Shirley Highway Express-Bus-on-Freeway Demonstration Project.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1973-01-01

    The Shirley Highway Express-Bus-on-Freeway Demonstration Project was initiated to test the hypothesis that the provision of rapid and convenient bus service over an exclusive lane would attract significant numbers of automobile passengers. Such a div...

  3. 7 CFR 27.99 - Values; expression.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Values; expression. 27.99 Section 27.99 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... CLASSIFICATION UNDER COTTON FUTURES LEGISLATION Regulations Price Quotations and Differences § 27.99 Values...

  4. Are Today's Economics Crunching Counselor Services?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shay, Mel J.

    1981-01-01

    In the current economy, available resources for staffing of counselor positions are unlikely to expand in real dollars. Educators and their clients who feel that counseling services should be expanded need to express their opinions in the public forum where allocations are decided. (Author/WD)

  5. A Simplified Decision Support Approach for Evaluating Wetlands Ecosystem Services

    EPA Science Inventory

    State-level managers and restoration advocates have expressed a desire for approaches that address wetlands services and benefits for two purposes: to demonstrate the benefits of money budgeted for restoration, and to compare proposals when awarding restoration funds for specific...

  6. Early onset ageing and service preparation in people with intellectual disabilities: institutional managers' perspective.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jin-Ding; Wu, Chia-Ling; Lin, Pei-Ying; Lin, Lan-Ping; Chu, Cordia M

    2011-01-01

    Although longevity among older adults with intellectual disabilities is increasing, there is limited information on their premature aging related health characteristics and how it may change with increasing age. The present paper provides information of the institutional manager's perception on early onset aging and service preparation for this population. We used purposive sampling to recruit 54 institutional managers who care for people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. The present study employed a cross-sectional design using a self-administrative structured questionnaire that was completed by the respondents in November 2009. The results showed that more than 90% of the respondents agreed with earlier onset aging characteristics of people with ID. However, nearly all of the respondents expressed that the government policies were inadequate and the institution is not capable of caring for aging people with ID, and more than half of them did not satisfy to their provisional care for this group of people. With regard to the service priority of government aging policy for people with ID, the respondent expressed that medical care, financial support, daily living care were the main areas in the future policy development for them. The factors of institutional type, expressed adequacy of government's service, respondent's job position, age, and working years in disability service were variables that can significantly predict the positive perceptions toward future governmental aging services for people with ID (adjusted R(2) = 0.563). We suggest that the future study strategy should underpin the aging characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities and its differences with general population to provide the useful information for the institutional caregivers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Access to healthcare for disabled persons. How are blind people reached by HIV services?

    PubMed

    Saulo, Bryson; Walakira, Eddy; Darj, Elisabeth

    2012-03-01

    Disabled people are overlooked and marginalised globally. There is a lack of information on blind people and HIV-related services and it is unclear how HIV-services target blind people in a sub-Saharan urban setting. To explore how blind people are reached by HIV-services in Kampala, Uganda. A purposeful sample of blind people and seeing healthcare workers were interviewed, and data on their opinions and experiences were collected. The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis, with a focus on manifest content. Three categories emerged from the study, reaching for HIV information and knowledge, lack of services, and experiences of discrimination. General knowledge on HIV prevention/transmission methods was good; however, there was scepticism about condom use. Blind people mainly relied on others for accessing HIV information, and a lack of special services for blind people to be able to test for HIV was expressed. The health service for blind people was considered inadequate, unequal and discriminatory, and harassment by healthcare staff was expressed, but not sexual abuse. Concerns about disclosure of personal medical information were revealed. Access to HIV services and other healthcare related services for blind people is limited and the objectives of the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS 2007-2012 have not been achieved. There is a need for alternative methods for sensitisation and voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for blind people. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Obtaining P3P privacy policies for composite services.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yi; Huang, Zhiqiu; Ke, Changbo

    2014-01-01

    With the development of web services technology, web services have changed from single to composite services. Privacy protection in composite services is becoming an important issue. P3P (platform for privacy preferences) is a privacy policy language which was designed for single web services. It enables service providers to express how they will deal with the privacy information of service consumers. In order to solve the problem that P3P cannot be applied to composite services directly, we propose a method to obtain P3P privacy policies for composite services. In this method, we present the definitions of Purpose, Recipient, and Retention elements as well as Optional and Required attributes for P3P policies of composite services. We also provide an instantiation to illustrate the feasibility of the method.

  9. Exploring Spanish Pre-Service Teachers' Talk in Relation to ICT: Balancing Different Expectations between the University and Practicum School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGarr, Oliver; Gavaldon, Guillermina

    2018-01-01

    Information and communications technology (ICT) now plays a prominent role in pre-service teacher education programmes across the globe. Despite this emphasis, research indicates that pre-service teachers' use of ICT is often less than expected, even though they express positive opinions of its benefits. This study aimed to explore pre-service…

  10. Postmodern Chapel Services for Generation X and Millennial Generation Soldiers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-13

    expressed in Beyond Good and Evil. The first essay continues the discussion of master morality versus servant morality, and maintains that the...revenge, resentment, hatred, impotence, and cowardice. The third essay also contains one of Nietzsche’s clearest expressions of “perspectivism

  11. A survey of assistive technology service providers in the USA.

    PubMed

    Arthanat, Sajay; Elsaesser, Linda-Jeanne; Bauer, Stephen

    2017-11-01

    This study investigates perspectives of assistive technology service (ATS) providers regarding their education and training, interdisciplinary standards of practice, use of a common language framework, funding policies, utilization of evidence and outcomes measurement. A survey underpinned by AT legislations and established guidelines for practice was completed by 318 certified AT providers. More than 30% of the providers reported their education and training as inadequate to fulfil four of the seven primary roles of ATS. Nearly 90% of providers expressed awareness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domains for interdisciplinary communication. However, only 45% felt that they could effectively utilize the ICF in their documentation. About 75% of the providers acknowledged the lack of a recognized standard for the provision of services. Prevailing inadequacies in funding were negatively impacting the quality of ATS, as expressed by 88% of respondents. Translation of evidence to practice was identified as a major challenge by 41% of service providers. Providers were predominantly documenting outcomes through informal interviews (54%) or non-standard instruments (26%). Findings support the need for strengthening professional curriculum, pre-service and in-service training and an established standard to support effective, interdisciplinary AT services and data collection to support public policy decisions. Implications for Rehabilitation This study validates the need to strengthen education and training of AT service providers by enhancing professional curriculum as well as their engagement in pre-service and in-service training activities. This study draws attention to health care funding policies and practices that critically impact the quality of AT services. This study signifies the need for an established interdisciplinary standard among AT professionals to support effective communication, service coordination and outcomes measurement.

  12. 34 CFR 74.44 - Procurement procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (C) Use its facilities to provide services without... in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (6) A religious... private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (2) The...

  13. 34 CFR 74.44 - Procurement procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (C) Use its facilities to provide services without... in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (6) A religious... private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (2) The...

  14. 34 CFR 74.44 - Procurement procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (C) Use its facilities to provide services without... in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (6) A religious... private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (2) The...

  15. Four Perspectives on Service Learning and Citizenship Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barber, Benjamin R.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Presents four brief essays expressing the importance of combining service learning and citizenship education. Authors Benjamin Barber, Joan Schine, Harry C. Boyte, and James C. Kielsmeier stress the advantages of learning democratic concepts and principles, as well as understanding civic government, through student participation. (MJP)

  16. 76 FR 80985 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-27

    ... calendar year 2011. Id. at 3. Both notices expressed the Postal Service's view that the contingency pricing....gov/prc-pages/filing-online/login.aspx . Commenters who cannot submit their views electronically..., pursuant to 39 CFR 3015.5, of contingency prices under an outstanding International Business Reply Service...

  17. Perceptions of the concept of health among nurses working in mental health services: a phenomenographic study.

    PubMed

    Jormfeldt, Henrika; Svedberg, Petra; Fridlund, Bengt; Arvidsson, Barbro

    2007-02-01

    A new understanding of the concept of health is needed to meet the goal of mental health nursing, which besides reducing disease is to strengthen the patient's health. The aim of the present study was to describe perceptions of the concept of health among nurses working in mental health services. Twelve Swedish nurses working in mental health services were interviewed and data were analysed with a phenomenographic approach. The nurses expressed 10 perceptions, which constituted three description categories: autonomy, process, and participation. The result showed that health was more than absence of disease. Simultaneously, perceptions were expressed indicating that health was viewed as absence of disease, which implies that the concept is not sufficiently defined. The result emphasizes the need to clarify the concept of health if it is to be used as a goal in mental health nursing and to integrate a clarified definition of health at all hierarchical levels in mental health care services.

  18. Have they done what they should? Moral reasoning in the context of translating older persons' everyday problems into eligible needs for home modification services.

    PubMed

    Johansson, Karin

    2013-09-01

    This study explores how moral reasoning is expressed in matching health care with the problems older persons experience in their everyday life. Narrative data were collected from older persons who had applied for home modification services and from professionals involved in these services in Sweden. A theoretical framework, based on theories on the anthropology of morals, was applied to explore how the participants made conclusions about "what should be done." Moral reasoning was found to be guided by ideologies related to the historical and cultural context of the Swedish welfare state. Different interpretations of how these values should be expressed in specific situations led to different conclusions about what should be done. The study highlights the importance of understanding how values are enacted rather than what values different social agents have in order to understand how health care services can be designed and provided to support older persons' everyday life. © 2013 by the American Anthropological Association.

  19. Personalization of Rule-based Web Services.

    PubMed

    Choi, Okkyung; Han, Sang Yong

    2008-04-04

    Nowadays Web users have clearly expressed their wishes to receive personalized services directly. Personalization is the way to tailor services directly to the immediate requirements of the user. However, the current Web Services System does not provide any features supporting this such as consideration of personalization of services and intelligent matchmaking. In this research a flexible, personalized Rule-based Web Services System to address these problems and to enable efficient search, discovery and construction across general Web documents and Semantic Web documents in a Web Services System is proposed. This system utilizes matchmaking among service requesters', service providers' and users' preferences using a Rule-based Search Method, and subsequently ranks search results. A prototype of efficient Web Services search and construction for the suggested system is developed based on the current work.

  20. “Gaining or losing”: The importance of the perspective in primary care health services valuation

    PubMed Central

    Ariza-Cardiel, Gloria; Peña-Longobardo, Luz Mª; Polentinos-Castro, Elena; Oliva-Moreno, Juan; Gil-Lacruz, Ana Isabel; Medina-Palomino, Héctor; del Cura-González, Isabel

    2017-01-01

    Rationale and objectives Economic theory classifies an intervention as socially beneficial if the total Willingness to Pay (WTP) of those who gain exceeds the total Willingness to accept (WTA) of those who are harmed. This paper examines the differences in health system users’ valuation of a health care service in primary care setting based on the WTP and WTA perspectives, discussing the impact of personal and service variables, including risk attitudes, on these disparities. Method Six hundred and sixty two subjects who asked for care in health centres in the Region of Madrid (Spain) were interviewed, using the contingent valuation method to estimate WTP and WTA. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, health needs, satisfaction with the service and risk attitude and behaviour under risk (measured by self-reported scales and lottery games respectively) were collected. Generalised Linear Models were used to estimate the association between the explanatory variables and the WTA/WTP ratio. Results We obtained the WTA/WTP ratio for 570 subjects (mean 1.66 CI 95%: 1.53–1.79; median 1, interquartile range 1–2). People with higher education or in high social groups expressed WTA values closest to WTP. The opposite occurred in patients with the greatest health needs or who were born abroad. Self-reported expression of risk aversion appeared also related to increases in the WTA/WTP ratio. Satisfaction with the service evaluated was the most influential factor in the WTA/WTP ratio. Conclusion Health need, difficulty in obtaining substitutes and satisfaction with the service could serve for profiling people averse to loss for health care services in primary care setting. Self-reported expression of risk aversion could also be related to increases in the WTA/WTP ratio. This would mean that these characteristics should be taken into account both in the design and implementation of new healthcare interventions, as in the making decision for disinvestment. PMID:29206847

  1. "Gaining or losing": The importance of the perspective in primary care health services valuation.

    PubMed

    Martín-Fernández, Jesús; Ariza-Cardiel, Gloria; Peña-Longobardo, Luz Mª; Polentinos-Castro, Elena; Oliva-Moreno, Juan; Gil-Lacruz, Ana Isabel; Medina-Palomino, Héctor; Del Cura-González, Isabel

    2017-01-01

    Economic theory classifies an intervention as socially beneficial if the total Willingness to Pay (WTP) of those who gain exceeds the total Willingness to accept (WTA) of those who are harmed. This paper examines the differences in health system users' valuation of a health care service in primary care setting based on the WTP and WTA perspectives, discussing the impact of personal and service variables, including risk attitudes, on these disparities. Six hundred and sixty two subjects who asked for care in health centres in the Region of Madrid (Spain) were interviewed, using the contingent valuation method to estimate WTP and WTA. Patient sociodemographic characteristics, health needs, satisfaction with the service and risk attitude and behaviour under risk (measured by self-reported scales and lottery games respectively) were collected. Generalised Linear Models were used to estimate the association between the explanatory variables and the WTA/WTP ratio. We obtained the WTA/WTP ratio for 570 subjects (mean 1.66 CI 95%: 1.53-1.79; median 1, interquartile range 1-2). People with higher education or in high social groups expressed WTA values closest to WTP. The opposite occurred in patients with the greatest health needs or who were born abroad. Self-reported expression of risk aversion appeared also related to increases in the WTA/WTP ratio. Satisfaction with the service evaluated was the most influential factor in the WTA/WTP ratio. Health need, difficulty in obtaining substitutes and satisfaction with the service could serve for profiling people averse to loss for health care services in primary care setting. Self-reported expression of risk aversion could also be related to increases in the WTA/WTP ratio. This would mean that these characteristics should be taken into account both in the design and implementation of new healthcare interventions, as in the making decision for disinvestment.

  2. AXIS: Adult Education eXpress Intercommunication Support. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiff, Tana

    This package includes the final report and selected products of the Adult education eXpress Intercommunication Support (AXIS) project, which was conducted to facilitate communication related to professional development services administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) and…

  3. 78 FR 76863 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-19

    ... filing concerning a contract with Australia Post for the delivery of inbound Air CP and Express Mail... inbound Air CP \\2\\ and Express Mail Services (EMS) in the United States, included within the Inbound...), December 11, 2013 (Notice). \\2\\ ``CP'' is an abbreviation used to identify or reference international...

  4. 28 CFR 540.22 - Special postal services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 540.22 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT... of Prisons (see part 543, subpart C of this chapter). (c) Certified mail is sent first class at the inmate's expense. (d) An inmate may not be provided such services as express mail, COD, private carriers...

  5. 28 CFR 540.22 - Special postal services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 540.22 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT... of Prisons (see part 543, subpart C of this chapter). (c) Certified mail is sent first class at the inmate's expense. (d) An inmate may not be provided such services as express mail, COD, private carriers...

  6. 28 CFR 540.22 - Special postal services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 540.22 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT... of Prisons (see part 543, subpart C of this chapter). (c) Certified mail is sent first class at the inmate's expense. (d) An inmate may not be provided such services as express mail, COD, private carriers...

  7. 28 CFR 540.22 - Special postal services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 540.22 Judicial Administration BUREAU OF PRISONS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT... of Prisons (see part 543, subpart C of this chapter). (c) Certified mail is sent first class at the inmate's expense. (d) An inmate may not be provided such services as express mail, COD, private carriers...

  8. 78 FR 26486 - Recordkeeping for Approved Livestock Facilities and Slaughtering and Rendering Establishments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-07

    ... association. Two of the commenters expressed concerns about farm animal welfare and general dissatisfaction... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 9 CFR Part 71 [Docket No... Rendering Establishments AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule...

  9. Information services and information processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Attempts made to design and extend space system capabilities are reported. Special attention was given to establishing user needs for information or services which might be provided by space systems. Data given do not attempt to detail scientific, technical, or economic bases for the needs expressed by the users.

  10. 47 CFR 80.1125 - Search and rescue coordinating communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS... communications. (a) The distress signal consists of the word MAYDAY, pronounced in radiotelephony as the French... will be used: (1) In radiotelephony, the signal SEELONCE MAYDAY, pronounced as the French expression...

  11. 47 CFR 80.1125 - Search and rescue coordinating communications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS... communications. (a) The distress signal consists of the word MAYDAY, pronounced in radiotelephony as the French... will be used: (1) In radiotelephony, the signal SEELONCE MAYDAY, pronounced as the French expression...

  12. Rehabilitation Needs of Stroke Survivors After Discharge From Hospital in India.

    PubMed

    Kamalakannan, Sureshkumar; Gudlavalleti Venkata, Murthy; Prost, Audrey; Natarajan, Subbulakshmy; Pant, Hira; Chitalurri, Naveen; Goenka, Shifalika; Kuper, Hannah

    2016-09-01

    To assess the rehabilitation needs of stroke survivors in Chennai, India, after discharge from the hospital. Mixed-methods research design. Home-based. Stroke survivors (n=50; mean age ± SD, 58.9±10.5y) and primary caregivers of these stroke survivors (n=50; mean age ± SD, 43.1±11.8y) took part in the quantitative survey. A subsample of stroke survivors (n=12), primary caregivers (n=10), and health care professionals (n=8) took part in the qualitative in-depth interviews. Not applicable. Rehabilitation needs after hospital discharge. About 82% of the needs expressed by stroke survivors and 92% of the needs expressed by caregivers indicated that they had a substantial need for information. The proportion of financial needs reported by the stroke survivors and the caregivers was 70% and 75%, respectively. The qualitative data revealed major gaps in access to stroke rehabilitation services. Service providers identified availability and affordability of services as key problems. Stroke survivors and their caregivers identified lack of information about stroke as major barriers to accessibility of stroke rehabilitation services. Caregivers expressed a tremendous need for support to manage family dynamics. The study highlights a considerable unmet need for poststroke rehabilitation services. Given the lack of rehabilitation resources in India, developing an accessible, innovative, patient-centered, culturally sensitive rehabilitation intervention is of public health importance. It is crucial for low- and middle-income countries like India to develop technology-driven stroke rehabilitation strategies to meet the growing rehabilitation needs of stroke survivors. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Collaboratively Conceived, Designed and Implemented: Matching Visualization Tools with Geoscience Data Collections and Geoscience Data Collections with Visualization Tools via the ToolMatch Service.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoebelheinrich, N. J.; Lynnes, C.; West, P.; Ferritto, M.

    2014-12-01

    Two problems common to many geoscience domains are the difficulties in finding tools to work with a given dataset collection, and conversely, the difficulties in finding data for a known tool. A collaborative team from the Earth Science Information Partnership (ESIP) has gotten together to design and create a web service, called ToolMatch, to address these problems. The team began their efforts by defining an initial, relatively simple conceptual model that addressed the two uses cases briefly described above. The conceptual model is expressed as an ontology using OWL (Web Ontology Language) and DCterms (Dublin Core Terms), and utilizing standard ontologies such as DOAP (Description of a Project), FOAF (Friend of a Friend), SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) and DCAT (Data Catalog Vocabulary). The ToolMatch service will be taking advantage of various Semantic Web and Web standards, such as OpenSearch, RESTful web services, SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) and SPARQL (Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language). The first version of the ToolMatch service was deployed in early fall 2014. While more complete testing is required, a number of communities besides ESIP member organizations have expressed interest in collaborating to create, test and use the service and incorporate it into their own web pages, tools and / or services including the USGS Data Catalog service, DataONE, the Deep Carbon Observatory, Virtual Solar Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. In this session, presenters will discuss the inception and development of the ToolMatch service, the collaborative process used to design, refine, and test the service, and future plans for the service.

  14. Obtaining P3P Privacy Policies for Composite Services

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Yi; Huang, Zhiqiu; Ke, Changbo

    2014-01-01

    With the development of web services technology, web services have changed from single to composite services. Privacy protection in composite services is becoming an important issue. P3P (platform for privacy preferences) is a privacy policy language which was designed for single web services. It enables service providers to express how they will deal with the privacy information of service consumers. In order to solve the problem that P3P cannot be applied to composite services directly, we propose a method to obtain P3P privacy policies for composite services. In this method, we present the definitions of Purpose, Recipient, and Retention elements as well as Optional and Required attributes for P3P policies of composite services. We also provide an instantiation to illustrate the feasibility of the method. PMID:25126609

  15. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CONSULTATION ON SERVICES TO CHILDREN IN THE EAST COAST MIGRANT STREAM, (LAKE BYRD CONFERENCE CENTER, AVON PARK, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 1-3, 1965).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    STOCKBURGER, CASSANDRA

    ONE HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTING FOURTEEN EAST COAST STATES WERE INVITED TO A CONFERENCE ON SERVICES TO CHILDREN IN THE EAST COAST MIGRANT STREAM. THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER EXPRESSED CONCERN FOR THE SOUTHERN WORKERS WHO MIGRATE TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD, AND SUGGESTED A COORDINATION OF SERVICES TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, HEALTH, SECURITY, JOBS, SOCIAL…

  16. FARO server: Meta-analysis of gene expression by matching gene expression signatures to a compendium of public gene expression data.

    PubMed

    Manijak, Mieszko P; Nielsen, Henrik B

    2011-06-11

    Although, systematic analysis of gene annotation is a powerful tool for interpreting gene expression data, it sometimes is blurred by incomplete gene annotation, missing expression response of key genes and secondary gene expression responses. These shortcomings may be partially circumvented by instead matching gene expression signatures to signatures of other experiments. To facilitate this we present the Functional Association Response by Overlap (FARO) server, that match input signatures to a compendium of 242 gene expression signatures, extracted from more than 1700 Arabidopsis microarray experiments. Hereby we present a publicly available tool for robust characterization of Arabidopsis gene expression experiments which can point to similar experimental factors in other experiments. The server is available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/faro/.

  17. Can psychiatric liaison reduce neuroleptic use and reduce health service utilization for dementia patients residing in care facilities.

    PubMed

    Ballard, Clive; Powell, Ian; James, Ian; Reichelt, Katharina; Myint, Pat; Potkins, Dawn; Bannister, Carol; Lana, Marisa; Howard, Robert; O'Brien, John; Swann, Alan; Robinson, Damian; Shrimanker, Jay; Barber, Robert

    2002-02-01

    The quality of care and overuse of neuroleptic medication in care environments are major issues in the care of elderly people with dementia. The quality of care (Dementia Care Mapping), the severity of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms (BPSD--Neuropsychiatric Inventory), expressive language skills (Sheffield Acquired Language Disorder scale), service utilization and use of neuroleptic drugs was compared over 9 months between six care facilities receiving a psychiatric liaison service and three facilities receiving the usual clinical support, using a single blind design. There was a significant reduction in neuroleptic usage in the facilities receiving the liaison service (McNemar test p<0.0001), but not amongst those receiving standard clinical support (McNemar test p=0.07). There were also significantly less GP contacts (t=3.9 p=0.0001) for residents in the facilities receiving the liaison service, and a three fold reduction in psychiatric in-patient bed usage (Bed days per person 0.6 vs. 1.5). Residents in care facilities receiving the liaison service experienced significantly less deterioration in expressive language skills (t=2.2 p=0.03), but there were no significant differences in BPSD or wellbeing. A resource efficient psychiatric liaison service can reduce neuroleptic drug use and reduce some aspects of health service utilization; but a more extensive intervention is probably required to improve the overall quality of care. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Teaching for Humanity in a Neoliberal World: Visions of Education in Serbia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dull, Laura J.

    2012-01-01

    In Serbia, teachers and policy makers express different and sometimes competing visions of education. Teachers express their desire to "awaken" students by using progressive pedagogies, while European Union and World Bank reformers appropriate progressive education in the service of neoliberal goals. The research findings presented here…

  19. 78 FR 50370 - Travelers' Information Stations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-19

    ... Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743... inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445... Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service...

  20. 34 CFR 75.52 - Eligibility of faith-based organizations for a grant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (iii) Use its facilities to provide services without... prospective beneficiary in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (f... against a private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (b...

  1. 34 CFR 75.52 - Eligibility of faith-based organizations for a grant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (iii) Use its facilities to provide services without... prospective beneficiary in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (f... against a private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (b...

  2. 34 CFR 75.52 - Eligibility of faith-based organizations for a grant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (iii) Use its facilities to provide services without... prospective beneficiary in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (f... against a private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (b...

  3. 34 CFR 75.52 - Eligibility of faith-based organizations for a grant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (iii) Use its facilities to provide services without... prospective beneficiary in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (f... against a private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (b...

  4. 34 CFR 75.52 - Eligibility of faith-based organizations for a grant.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., practice, and expression of its religious beliefs; (iii) Use its facilities to provide services without... prospective beneficiary in the provision of program services on the basis of religion or religious belief. (f... against a private organization on the basis of the organization's religious character or affiliation. (b...

  5. 76 FR 53981 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-30

    ... Parcel Post (Air CP), Surface Parcel Post (Surface CP) and Express Mail Service (EMS) in the United States is functionally equivalent to the agreement to deliver inbound Air CP, Surface CP and EMS in the... competitive services in the China Post 2011 Agreement include rates for Air CP, Surface CP, and EMS, requires...

  6. 33 CFR 20.304 - Service of documents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... other filed document (i) Mail.(ii) Personal delivery. (iii) Express-courier service. (iv) Fax. (v) Other... representative. Is not represented The last known address of the residence or principal place of business of the...) Delivered to the person's office during business hours. (iii) Delivered to the person's residence and...

  7. 12 CFR 747.12 - Construction of time limits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... of overnight commercial delivery service, U.S. Express Mail delivery, or first class, registered, or... transmission by electronic media, as specified by the authority receiving the filing, in the case of filing... service is made by first class, registered, or certified mail, add three calendar days to the prescribed...

  8. 77 FR 13352 - Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-06

    .... Services Group, Inc., Corporate/Finance/ Controllers. 81,213 American Express Travel Phoenix, AZ February.... Corporate Resources, Aerotek, Dysis and Tek. 81,254 BT North America, Network Atlanta, GA February 13, 2010... February 7, 2011. Services Group, Inc., Corporate/EIT/Consumer. The following certifications have been...

  9. A Preliminary Approach to Adding Indicators of Ecosystem Service Benefits to a Wetlands Functional Assessment Tool

    EPA Science Inventory

    State-level managers and restoration advocates have expressed a desire for approaches that address wetlands services and benefits for two purposes: to demonstrate the benefits of money budgeted for restoration, and to compare proposals when awarding restoration funds for specific...

  10. 75 FR 53353 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-31

    ... Agreement governs rates for Inbound Air Parcel Post (Air CP), Surface Parcel Post (Surface CP) and Express... CP and EMS, as well as ancillary services. Id. at 3. The Postal Service asserts that this product.... 43 that Surface CP at Non-UPU Rates, EMS and Air CP be considered competitive products. Id. The...

  11. 75 FR 49529 - Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-13

    ... Workers from Express Services and Staffmark. 74,081 General Motors Vehicle Shreveport, LA....... August 28, 2010. Manufacturing, General Motors Corp., Leased Workers Aerotek and Kelly Services. The following... Imaging El Paso, TX January 12, 2009. 73,376 Wacker Neuson Corporation, Menomonee Falls, WI.. January 27...

  12. 76 FR 14395 - Notice of Agreements Filed

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-16

    ...: Crowley Latin America Services, LLC; Dole Ocean Cargo Express; King Ocean Services de Venezuela/King Ocean.... Agreement No.: 012108-002. Title: The World Liner Data Agreement. Parties: ANL Container Line Pty Ltd.; A.P... Americana de Vapores S.A. ; Hamburg-Sud; Hapag-Lloyd AG; Independent Container Line Ltd.; Mediterranean...

  13. 77 FR 39276 - Product List Change

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. MC2012-29 and CP2012-38; Order No. 1381] Product List... product list. The Postal Service has also filed a related contract. This notice addresses procedural steps... Express Mail and Priority Mail Contract 9 to the competitive product list.\\1\\ The Postal Service asserts...

  14. A resolution expressing appreciation for Foreign Service and Civil Service professionals who represent the United States around the globe.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI

    2012-03-21

    Senate - 09/13/2012 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  15. The 30/20 GHZ net market assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, J. C.; Reiner, P.

    1980-01-01

    By creating a number of market scenarios variations dealing with network types, network sizes, and service price levels were analyzed for their impact on market demand. Each market scenario represents a market demand forecast with results for voice, data, and video service traffic expressed in peak load megabits per second.

  16. Information-seeking behavior of basic science researchers: implications for library services.

    PubMed

    Haines, Laura L; Light, Jeanene; O'Malley, Donna; Delwiche, Frances A

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the information-seeking behaviors of basic science researchers to inform the development of customized library services. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted on a sample of basic science researchers employed at a university medical school. The basic science researchers used a variety of information resources ranging from popular Internet search engines to highly technical databases. They generally relied on basic keyword searching, using the simplest interface of a database or search engine. They were highly collegial, interacting primarily with coworkers in their laboratories and colleagues employed at other institutions. They made little use of traditional library services and instead performed many traditional library functions internally. Although the basic science researchers expressed a positive attitude toward the library, they did not view its resources or services as integral to their work. To maximize their use by researchers, library resources must be accessible via departmental websites. Use of library services may be increased by cultivating relationships with key departmental administrative personnel. Despite their self-sufficiency, subjects expressed a desire for centralized information about ongoing research on campus and shared resources, suggesting a role for the library in creating and managing an institutional repository.

  17. Information-seeking behavior of basic science researchers: implications for library services

    PubMed Central

    Haines, Laura L.; Light, Jeanene; O'Malley, Donna; Delwiche, Frances A.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives: This study examined the information-seeking behaviors of basic science researchers to inform the development of customized library services. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted on a sample of basic science researchers employed at a university medical school. Results: The basic science researchers used a variety of information resources ranging from popular Internet search engines to highly technical databases. They generally relied on basic keyword searching, using the simplest interface of a database or search engine. They were highly collegial, interacting primarily with coworkers in their laboratories and colleagues employed at other institutions. They made little use of traditional library services and instead performed many traditional library functions internally. Conclusions: Although the basic science researchers expressed a positive attitude toward the library, they did not view its resources or services as integral to their work. To maximize their use by researchers, library resources must be accessible via departmental websites. Use of library services may be increased by cultivating relationships with key departmental administrative personnel. Despite their self-sufficiency, subjects expressed a desire for centralized information about ongoing research on campus and shared resources, suggesting a role for the library in creating and managing an institutional repository. PMID:20098658

  18. ASON: An OWL-S based ontology for astrophysical services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Louge, T.; Karray, M. H.; Archimède, B.; Knödlseder, J.

    2018-07-01

    Modern astrophysics heavily relies on Web services to expose most of the data coming from many different instruments and researches worldwide. The virtual observatory (VO) has been designed to allow scientists to locate, retrieve and analyze useful information among those heterogeneous data. The use of ontologies has been studied in the VO context for astrophysical concerns like object types or astrophysical services subjects. On the operative point of view, ontological description of astrophysical services for interoperability and querying still has to be considered. In this paper, we design a global ontology (Astrophysical Services ONtology, ASON) based on web Ontology Language for Services (OWL-S) to enhance existing astrophysical services description. By expressing together VO specific and non-VO specific services design, it will improve the automation of services queries and allow automatic composition of heterogeneous astrophysical services.

  19. Who Receives Speech/Language Services by 5 Years of Age in the United States?

    PubMed Central

    Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Farkas, George; Hillemeier, Marianne M.; Maczuga, Steve; Cook, Michael; Morano, Stephanie

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We sought to identify factors predictive of or associated with receipt of speech/language services during early childhood. We did so by analyzing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; Andreassen & Fletcher, 2005), a nationally representative data set maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. We addressed two research questions of particular importance to speech-language pathology practice and policy. First, do early vocabulary delays increase children's likelihood of receiving speech/language services? Second, are minority children systematically less likely to receive these services than otherwise similar White children? Method Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for a population-based sample of 9,600 children and families participating in the ECLS-B. Results Expressive vocabulary delays by 24 months of age were strongly associated with and predictive of children's receipt of speech/language services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 4.32–16.60). Black children were less likely to receive speech/language services than otherwise similar White children at 24, 48, and 60 months of age (adjusted odds ratio range = 0.42–0.55). Lower socioeconomic status children and those whose parental primary language was other than English were also less likely to receive services. Being born with very low birth weight also significantly increased children's receipt of services at 24, 48, and 60 months of age. Conclusion Expressive vocabulary delays at 24 months of age increase children’s risk for later speech/language services. Increased use of culturally and linguistically sensitive practices may help racial/ethnic minority children access needed services. PMID:26579989

  20. Research on the construction of three level customer service knowledge graph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Shi; Shen, Jiajie; Shi, Quan; Cheng, Xianyi

    2017-09-01

    With the explosion of knowledge and information of the enterprise and the growing demand for intelligent knowledge management and application and improve business performance the knowledge expression and processing of the enterprise has become a hot topic. Aim at the problems of the electric marketing customer service knowledge map (customer service knowledge map) in building theory and method, electric marketing knowledge map of three levels of customer service was discussed, and realizing knowledge reasoning based on Neo4j, achieve good results in practical application.

  1. Listening to parents to improve health visiting practice.

    PubMed

    Morton, Alison; Hargreaves, Sharon; Taylor, Liz

    2015-05-01

    Listening to the "voice" of the service user is now widely accepted as central to the delivery of high quality healthcare. This paper presents an overview of the importance of service user engagement and personalised care in health visiting with a brief review of recent policy and research. A personalised approach to health visiting practice is recommended to improve service user experience and uptake of the health visiting service offer and this is considered most significant when engaging "hard to reach" groups. A project report on a service user experience strategy within the 0-19 service of a NHS Trust in England is presented which describes initiatives to develop a health visiting and school nursing service that listens to service users. A cyclical service user engagement model which incorporates continuous reviews and service reconfiguration is described with examples of service changes in response to expressed local needs.

  2. Emotion-Bracelet: A Web Service for Expressing Emotions through an Electronic Interface.

    PubMed

    Martinez, Alicia; Estrada, Hugo; Molina, Alejandra; Mejia, Manuel; Perez, Joaquin

    2016-11-24

    The mechanisms to communicate emotions have dramatically changed in the last 10 years with social networks, where users massively communicate their emotional states by using the Internet. However, people with socialization problems have difficulty expressing their emotions verbally or interpreting the environment and providing an appropriate emotional response. In this paper, a novel solution called the Emotion-Bracelet is presented that combines a hardware device and a software system. The proposed approach identifies the polarity and emotional intensity of texts published on a social network site by performing real-time processing using a web service. It also shows emotions with a LED matrix using five emoticons that represent positive, very positive, negative, very negative, and neutral states. The Emotion-Bracelet is designed to help people express their emotions in a non-intrusive way, thereby expanding the social aspect of human emotions.

  3. Emotion-Bracelet: A Web Service for Expressing Emotions through an Electronic Interface

    PubMed Central

    Martinez, Alicia; Estrada, Hugo; Molina, Alejandra; Mejia, Manuel; Perez, Joaquin

    2016-01-01

    The mechanisms to communicate emotions have dramatically changed in the last 10 years with social networks, where users massively communicate their emotional states by using the Internet. However, people with socialization problems have difficulty expressing their emotions verbally or interpreting the environment and providing an appropriate emotional response. In this paper, a novel solution called the Emotion-Bracelet is presented that combines a hardware device and a software system. The proposed approach identifies the polarity and emotional intensity of texts published on a social network site by performing real-time processing using a web service. It also shows emotions with a LED matrix using five emoticons that represent positive, very positive, negative, very negative, and neutral states. The Emotion-Bracelet is designed to help people express their emotions in a non-intrusive way, thereby expanding the social aspect of human emotions. PMID:27886130

  4. Evaluation of the Implementation of a New Nurse-Led Express "Test-And-Go" Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Service for Men Who Have Sex With Men at a Sexual Health Center in Melbourne, Australia.

    PubMed

    Chow, Eric P F; Fortune, Ria; Dobinson, Sheranne; Wakefield, Trish; Read, Tim R H; Chen, Marcus Y; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Fehler, Glenda; Fairley, Christopher K

    2018-06-01

    In August 2015, a nurse-led express human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing service "Test-And-Go" (TAG) for asymptomatic men who have sex with men (MSM) was implemented in a large public sexual health center in Melbourne, Australia. We aimed to compare the clients' characteristics between the TAG and routine walk-in service among asymptomatic MSM. This study was conducted at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Australia, between August 5, 2015, and June 1, 2016. General estimating equation logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between the use of TAG service and clients' demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and HIV/STI positivity. Clients' consultation and waiting times for both services were calculated. Of the 3520 consultations, 784 (22.3%) were TAG services and 2736 (77.7%) were routine walk-in services for asymptomatic MSM. Asymptomatic MSM were more likely to use the TAG service if they were born in Australia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.56), and had more than 6 male partners in the last 12 months (adjusted odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.58). Age, HIV status, condomless anal sex and HIV/STI positivity did not differ between the two services. The TAG service had a shorter median waiting time (8.4 minutes vs 52.9 minutes; p < 0.001) and consultation time (8.9 minutes vs 17.6 minutes; p < 0.001) than the routine walk-in service. Although country of birth and sexual behaviors differed between clients attending the 2 services, there were no differences in HIV and STI positivity. Importantly, the TAG service required less waiting and consultation time and hence created additional clinic capacity at the general clinic to see clients who are at higher risk.

  5. Opportunities, challenges and systems requirements for developing post-abortion family planning services: Perceptions of service stakeholders in China

    PubMed Central

    Richards, Esther; Zhang, Weihong; Hu, Lina; Wu, Shangchun; Tolhurst, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    Post-abortion family planning (PAFP) has been proposed as a key strategy to decrease unintended pregnancy and repeat induced abortions. However, the accessibility and quality of PAFP services remain a challenge in many countries including China where more than 10 million unintended pregnancies occur each year. Most of these unwanted pregnancies end in repeated induced abortions. This paper aims to explore service providers’ perceptions of the current situation regarding family planning and abortion service needs, provision, utilization, and the feasibility and acceptability of high quality PAFP in the future. Qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, were used with family planning policy makers, health managers, and service providers. Three provinces—Zhejiang, Hubei and Yunnan—were purposively selected, representing high, medium and relatively undeveloped areas of China. A total of fifty-three in-depth interviews and ten focus-group discussions were conducted and analysed thematically. Increased numbers of abortions among young, unmarried women were perceived as a major reason for high numbers of abortions. Participants attributed this to increasing socio-cultural acceptability of premarital sex, and simultaneously, lack of understanding or awareness of contraception among young people. The majority of service stakeholders acknowledged that free family planning services were neither targeted at, nor accessible to unmarried people. The extent of PAFP provision is variable and limited. However, service providers expressed willingness and enthusiasm towards providing PAFP services in the future. Three main considerations were expressed regarding the feasibility of developing and implementing PAFP services: policy support, human resources, and financial resources. The study indicated that key service stakeholders show demand for and perceive considerable opportunities to develop PAFP in China. However, changes are needed to enable the systematic development of high quality PAFP, including actively targeting young and unmarried people in service provision, obtaining policy support and increasing the investment of human and financial resources. PMID:29045434

  6. Opportunities, challenges and systems requirements for developing post-abortion family planning services: Perceptions of service stakeholders in China.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Hong; Xu, Jieshuang; Richards, Esther; Qian, Xu; Zhang, Weihong; Hu, Lina; Wu, Shangchun; Tolhurst, Rachel

    2017-01-01

    Post-abortion family planning (PAFP) has been proposed as a key strategy to decrease unintended pregnancy and repeat induced abortions. However, the accessibility and quality of PAFP services remain a challenge in many countries including China where more than 10 million unintended pregnancies occur each year. Most of these unwanted pregnancies end in repeated induced abortions. This paper aims to explore service providers' perceptions of the current situation regarding family planning and abortion service needs, provision, utilization, and the feasibility and acceptability of high quality PAFP in the future. Qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, were used with family planning policy makers, health managers, and service providers. Three provinces-Zhejiang, Hubei and Yunnan-were purposively selected, representing high, medium and relatively undeveloped areas of China. A total of fifty-three in-depth interviews and ten focus-group discussions were conducted and analysed thematically. Increased numbers of abortions among young, unmarried women were perceived as a major reason for high numbers of abortions. Participants attributed this to increasing socio-cultural acceptability of premarital sex, and simultaneously, lack of understanding or awareness of contraception among young people. The majority of service stakeholders acknowledged that free family planning services were neither targeted at, nor accessible to unmarried people. The extent of PAFP provision is variable and limited. However, service providers expressed willingness and enthusiasm towards providing PAFP services in the future. Three main considerations were expressed regarding the feasibility of developing and implementing PAFP services: policy support, human resources, and financial resources. The study indicated that key service stakeholders show demand for and perceive considerable opportunities to develop PAFP in China. However, changes are needed to enable the systematic development of high quality PAFP, including actively targeting young and unmarried people in service provision, obtaining policy support and increasing the investment of human and financial resources.

  7. Expressing Intervals in Automated Service Negotiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Kassidy P.; Warnier, Martijn; van Splunter, Sander; Brazier, Frances M. T.

    During automated negotiation of services between autonomous agents, utility functions are used to evaluate the terms of negotiation. These terms often include intervals of values which are prone to misinterpretation. It is often unclear if an interval embodies a continuum of real numbers or a subset of natural numbers. Furthermore, it is often unclear if an agent is expected to choose only one value, multiple values, a sub-interval or even multiple sub-intervals. Additional semantics are needed to clarify these issues. Normally, these semantics are stored in a domain ontology. However, ontologies are typically domain specific and static in nature. For dynamic environments, in which autonomous agents negotiate resources whose attributes and relationships change rapidly, semantics should be made explicit in the service negotiation. This paper identifies issues that are prone to misinterpretation and proposes a notation for expressing intervals. This notation is illustrated using an example in WS-Agreement.

  8. An u-Service Model Based on a Smart Phone for Urban Computing Environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, Yongyun; Yoe, Hyun

    In urban computing environments, all of services should be based on the interaction between humans and environments around them, which frequently and ordinarily in home and office. This paper propose an u-service model based on a smart phone for urban computing environments. The suggested service model includes a context-aware and personalized service scenario development environment that can instantly describe user's u-service demand or situation information with smart devices. To do this, the architecture of the suggested service model consists of a graphical service editing environment for smart devices, an u-service platform, and an infrastructure with sensors and WSN/USN. The graphic editor expresses contexts as execution conditions of a new service through a context model based on ontology. The service platform deals with the service scenario according to contexts. With the suggested service model, an user in urban computing environments can quickly and easily make u-service or new service using smart devices.

  9. 75 FR 49526 - Halliburton Company, Duncan Mfg., Including On-Site Leased Workers from Express Personnel...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-70,232; TA-W-70,232A] Halliburton Company, Duncan Mfg., Including On-Site Leased Workers from Express Personnel, Clayton Personnel Service, and Manpower Planning, Duncan, OK; Halliburton Company, Technology and Engineering Division, Finance and Administration Division, Duncan, OK;...

  10. The Economic Value of Career Counseling Services for College Students in South Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Choi, Bo Young; Lee, Ji Hee; Kim, Areum; Kim, Boram; Cho, Daeyeon; Lee, Sang Min

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated college students' perception of the monetary value of career counseling services by using the contingent valuation method. The results of a multivariate survival analysis based on interviews with a convenience sample of 291 undergraduate students in South Korea indicate that, on average, participants' expressed willingness…

  11. 10 CFR 2.305 - Service of documents; methods; proof.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... service, or by first-class, express, certified or registered mail. As to each participant that cannot... evidence, may be made by first-class mail in all cases, unless the presiding officer directs otherwise or... by the same or equivalent method, such as by electronic transmission or first-class mail, that they...

  12. Quality and Utility of the Multi-Tiered Instruction Self-Efficacy Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnes, Susan K.; Burchard, Melinda S.

    2011-01-01

    Response to Intervention (RTI) is an educational approach that integrates ongoing assessment of individual student progress with targeted instruction. Administrators and teachers in P-12 schools expressed a need for colleagues in higher education to provide training to general education pre-service and in-service teachers in selecting appropriate…

  13. Competition and Competence: Employment Trends for the 1990's.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norwood, Janet L.

    Foreign trade has become an increasingly important factor affecting employment in the United States, and competent workers must be educated to promote the U.S. position in the international economy. Concern is expressed about recent growth in the service industries, because it is believed that service industries have lower levels of productivity…

  14. Belgian and Turkish Pre-Service Primary School Teachers' Metaphoric Expressions about Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiliç, Çigdem; Yanpar Yelken, Tugba

    2013-01-01

    Problem Statement: Recent studies in education have focused on how to handle metaphors as research and evaluation tools. Metaphors have many advantages for researchers, educators and learners with the most important being that they can help educators understand pre-service teachers' thinking and belief systems of mathematics. A study of previous…

  15. Service Learning and Building Community with the World Wide Web

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longan, Michael W.

    2007-01-01

    The geography education literature touts the World Wide Web (Web) as a revolutionary educational tool, yet most accounts ignore its uses for public communication and creative expression. This article argues that students can be producers of content that is of service to local audiences. Drawing inspiration from the community networking movement,…

  16. Interest in Long-Term Care among Health Services Administration Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Temple, April; Thompson, Jon M.

    2011-01-01

    The aging of the population has created increased opportunities for health administrators in long-term care. This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of 68 undergraduate health services administration students to explore factors related to interest in a career in long-term care administration. One third expressed interest working in the…

  17. 41 CFR 51-3.3 - Assignment of commodity or service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Assignment of commodity or service. 51-3.3 Section 51-3.3 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating... shall initially assign a commodity to National Industries for the Blind when NISH has expressed an...

  18. 78 FR 37537 - CHS Inc., Federal Express Corporation, GROWMARK, Inc., HWRT Oil Company LLC, MFA Oil Company...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-21

    ... will no longer accept nominations for the transportation of jet fuel or distillates, violates the...., United Airlines, Inc., UPS Fuel Services, Inc. v. Enterprise TE Products Pipeline Company, LLC; Notice of... LLC; MFA Oil Company; Southwest Airline Co.; United Airlines, Inc.; and UPS Fuel Services, Inc...

  19. 39 CFR 320.4 - Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... university organizations. 320.4 Section 320.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE CARRIAGE OF LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.4 Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations. The operation of 39 U.S.C. 601(a) (1) through (6) and...

  20. 39 CFR 320.4 - Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... university organizations. 320.4 Section 320.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE CARRIAGE OF LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.4 Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations. The operation of 39 U.S.C. 601(a) (1) through (6) and...

  1. 39 CFR 320.4 - Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... university organizations. 320.4 Section 320.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE CARRIAGE OF LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.4 Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations. The operation of 39 U.S.C. 601(a) (1) through (6) and...

  2. 39 CFR 320.4 - Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... university organizations. 320.4 Section 320.4 Postal Service UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE CARRIAGE OF LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.4 Suspension for certain letters of college and university organizations. The operation of 39 U.S.C. 601(a) (1) through (6) and...

  3. Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Library Association, Chicago, IL. Office of Intellectual Freedom.

    The American Library Association (ALA) expresses the basic principles of librarianship in its "Code of Ethics" and in the "Library Bill of Rights" and its interpretations. All library system and network policies, procedures or regulations relating to electronic resources and services should be scrutinized for potential…

  4. Evaluation of a library outreach program to research labs.

    PubMed

    Brandenburg, Marci D; Doss, Alan; Frederick, Tracie E

    2010-07-01

    The goal of this study was to conduct an outcomes-based evaluation of the National Cancer Institute-Frederick (NCI-F) Scientific Library's Laptop Librarian service, where librarians took a laptop and spent time in research buildings. The authors used statistics from the Laptop Librarian sessions, a NCI-F community-wide online survey, and in-person interviews to evaluate the service. The Laptop Librarian service increased the accessibility of librarians and saved patrons' time. Users gained useful information and expressed overall satisfaction with the service. The Laptop Librarian service proves to be a useful means for increasing access to librarians and providing users with necessary information at this government research facility.

  5. A Theory of Relational Ageism: A Discourse Analysis of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging.

    PubMed

    Gendron, Tracey L; Inker, Jennifer; Welleford, Elizabeth Ayn

    2018-03-19

    The widespread use of ageist language is generally accepted as commonplace and routine in most cultures and settings. In order to disrupt ageism, we must examine the use of ageist language and sentiments among those on the front line of providing advocacy, services, and policy for older adults; the professional culture of the aging services network. The recorded video segments from the sixth White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) provided a unique opportunity to examine discourse used by professionals and appointed representatives in the field of aging within a professional sociocultural context. A qualitative discourse analysis of video recordings was used to analyze the 15 video fragments that comprised the recorded sessions of the 2015 WHCOA. About 26 instances were identified that captured statements expressing personal age, aging or an age-related characteristic negatively in regard to self or other (microageism), and/or statements expressing global negative opinions or beliefs about aging and older adults based on group membership (macroageism). A theoretical pathway was established that represents the dynamic process by which ageist statements were expressed and reinforced (relational ageism). Numerous instances of ageism were readily identified as part of a live streamed and publically accessible professional conference attended and presented by representatives of the aging services network. To make meaningful gains in the movement to disrupt ageism and promote optimal aging for all individuals, we must raise awareness of the relational nature, expression, and perpetuation of ageism.

  6. A framework for monitoring social process and outcomes in environmental programs.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Sarah

    2014-12-01

    When environmental programs frame their activities as being in the service of human wellbeing, social variables need to be integrated into monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks. This article draws upon ecosystem services theory to develop a framework to guide the M&E of collaborative environmental programs with anticipated social benefits. The framework has six components: program need, program activities, pathway process variables, moderating process variables, outcomes, and program value. Needs are defined in terms of ecosystem services, as well as other human needs that must be addressed to achieve outcomes. The pathway variable relates to the development of natural resource governance capacity in the target community. Moderating processes can be externalities such as the inherent capacity of the natural system to service ecosystem needs, local demand for natural resources, policy or socio-economic drivers. Internal program-specific processes relate to program service delivery, targeting and participant responsiveness. Ecological outcomes are expressed in terms of changes in landscape structure and function, which in turn influence ecosystem service provision. Social benefits derived from the program are expressed in terms of the value of the eco-social service to user-specified goals. The article provides suggestions from the literature for identifying indicators and measures for components and component variables, and concludes with an example of how the framework was used to inform the M&E of an adaptive co-management program in western Kenya. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Cultural sensitivity and supportive expressive psychotherapy: an integrative approach to treatment.

    PubMed

    White, Tracela M; Gibbons, Mary Beth Connolly; Schamberger, Megan

    2006-01-01

    Cultural sensitivity is a concept that has become increasingly important in psychotherapy research and practice. In response to the growing ethnic minority population and the increased demand for psychological services among minority clients, many therapists and researchers have attempted to identify competencies and guidelines for providing culturally sensitive approaches to treatment. However, many cultural sensitivity concepts are theoretical and have rarely been integrated into an established psychotherapeutic framework. The purpose of this manuscript is to operationalize the concepts of cultural sensitivity into specific therapeutic techniques using a manual-guided Supportive Expressive Psychotherapy approach. Developing these strategies may serve to further assist therapists with the delivery of mental health services to ethnic minority clients.

  8. Cancer patients' expressions of emotional cues and concerns and oncology nurses' responses, in an online patient-nurse communication service.

    PubMed

    Grimsbø, Gro Hjelmeland; Ruland, Cornelia M; Finset, Arnstein

    2012-07-01

    To (1) investigate emotional cues and concerns (C&C) of cancer patients expressed in e-mail communication with oncology nurses in an online patient-nurse communication service (OPNC), and (2) explore how nurses responded to patients' C&C. 283 e-messages sent from 38 breast and 22 prostate cancer patients and 286 e-responses from five oncology nurses were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences. We identified 102 cues and 33 concerns expressed in patients' messages. Cues indicating expression of uncertainty or hope, occurred most frequently (in 38.5% of messages), followed by concerns (in 24.4% of messages). Nurses responded to 85.2% of patients' C&Cs; more than half of patients' C&Cs were met with a mixture of information giving and empathic responses. Patients with breast and prostate cancer express many C&C in e-mail communications with oncology nurses, who demonstrated satisfactory sensitivity to patients' emotions in their responses to patients. Offering e-communication with oncology nurses to cancer patients is a promising and feasible supplement to usual care to address and relieve patients' concerns and emotional distress during illness and recovery. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. "I Am Ready and Willing to Provide the Service … Though My Religion Frowns on Abortion"-Ghanaian Midwives' Mixed Attitudes to Abortion Services: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Oppong-Darko, Prince; Amponsa-Achiano, Kwame; Darj, Elisabeth

    2017-12-04

    Unsafe abortion is a major preventable public health problem and contributes to high mortality among women. Ghana has ratified international conventions to prevent unwanted pregnancies and provide safe abortion services, legally authorizing midwives to provide induced abortion services in certain circumstances. The aim of the study was to understand midwives' readiness to be involved in legal induced abortions, should the law become less restricted in Ghana. A qualitative study design, with a topic guide for individual in-depth interviews of selected midwives, was adopted. The interviews were tape-recorded and analyzed using content analysis. Participants emphasized their willingness to reduce maternal mortalities, their experiences of maternal deaths, and their passion for the health of pregnant women. Knowledge of Ghana's abortion law was generally low. Different views were expressed regarding readiness to engage in abortion services. Some expressed it as being sinful and against their religion to assist in abortion care, whilst others felt it was good to save the lives of women. The midwives made it clear that unsafe abortions are common, stigmatizing and contributing to maternal mortality, issues that must be addressed. They made various suggestions to reduce this preventable tragedy.

  10. Financial Health and Mental Health Among Clients of a Community Mental Health Center: Making the Connections.

    PubMed

    Harper, Annie; Clayton, Ashley; Bailey, Margaret; Foss-Kelly, Louisa; Sernyak, Michael J; Rowe, Michael

    2015-12-01

    This study evaluated financial challenges, satisfaction with financial-management supports, and interest in additional or alternative supports among clients of a mental health center. Six focus groups were held with 39 clients of an urban community mental health center who reported having difficulty with their finances. Five focus groups were held with direct-care staff who provided services to the clients. Investigators used an inductive analytical approach to distill themes from notes taken during the focus groups. Clients emphasized the challenges of living in poverty and described using complex strategies to sustain themselves, including negotiating benefits systems, carefully planning purchases, and developing and relying on social relationships. They spoke of having uneven access to tools and services for managing their money, such as advice from direct-care staff, representative payees, and bank accounts, and had varying opinions about their value. Noting concerns similar to those of clients, direct-care staff expressed frustration at the lack of support services for helping clients manage their finances. Both clients and staff expressed the need for more services to help clients with their finances. Findings suggest a need for more services to support people with mental illness to manage their finances, particularly a more flexible and broader range of options than are provided by current representative-payee mechanisms.

  11. “I Am Ready and Willing to Provide the Service … Though My Religion Frowns on Abortion”—Ghanaian Midwives’ Mixed Attitudes to Abortion Services: A Qualitative Study

    PubMed Central

    Oppong-Darko, Prince; Amponsa-Achiano, Kwame

    2017-01-01

    Background: Unsafe abortion is a major preventable public health problem and contributes to high mortality among women. Ghana has ratified international conventions to prevent unwanted pregnancies and provide safe abortion services, legally authorizing midwives to provide induced abortion services in certain circumstances. Objective: The aim of the study was to understand midwives’ readiness to be involved in legal induced abortions, should the law become less restricted in Ghana. Methods: A qualitative study design, with a topic guide for individual in-depth interviews of selected midwives, was adopted. The interviews were tape-recorded and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Participants emphasized their willingness to reduce maternal mortalities, their experiences of maternal deaths, and their passion for the health of pregnant women. Knowledge of Ghana’s abortion law was generally low. Different views were expressed regarding readiness to engage in abortion services. Some expressed it as being sinful and against their religion to assist in abortion care, whilst others felt it was good to save the lives of women. Conclusion: The midwives made it clear that unsafe abortions are common, stigmatizing and contributing to maternal mortality, issues that must be addressed. They made various suggestions to reduce this preventable tragedy. PMID:29207521

  12. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the United States during Public Service Recognition week.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI

    2012-04-17

    Senate - 04/26/2012 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  13. 77 FR 33782 - License Amendment To Construct and Operate New In Situ Leach Uranium Recovery Facility; Uranium...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-07

    ...-Filing system also distributes an email notice that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office... mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint... courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with the provider of the...

  14. Sexuality and Personal Relationships for People with an Intellectual Disability. Part I: Service-User Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Healy, E.; McGuire, B. E.; Evans, D. S.; Carley, S. N.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Despite a recent ideological shift towards the recognition of sexual autonomy for people with an intellectual disability (ID), there are continuing social and cultural barriers to sexual expression. Part I of the current two-part study assessed the sexual knowledge, experiences and aspirations of service users through focus groups and…

  15. 77 FR 60429 - Natural Currents Energy Services, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-03

    ... Services, LLC filed an application, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the Fisher's Island Tidal Energy Project, which would be located on the Long Island...' express permission. The proposed project would consist of: (1) Installation of 50 NC Sea Dragon tidal...

  16. The Treatment of Psychological Problems Experienced by the Children of Police Officers in Northern Ireland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Alastair

    2004-01-01

    This paper will discuss the recent establishment of the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust's Child and Adolescent Therapy Service. This service was set up in response to an expressed need within the police family to provide evidenced-based psychological therapies for child and adolescent psychopathology caused either directly by…

  17. Creating a New Military Service: Historical Precedents

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    CREATING A NEW MILITARY SERVICE: HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS BY MATTHEW HYLAND A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF...that this thesis meets master’s-level standards of research, argumentation, and expression. ____________________________________ THOMAS D...acknowledge the help and support of several individuals, without which I would not have been able to complete this thesis . My advisor, Colonel Thomas

  18. 13 CFR 125.25 - How does one file a service disabled veteran-owned status protest?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... deliver their protests in person, by facsimile, by express delivery service, or by U.S. mail (postmarked..., unless it is from SBA or the CO. (4) Any protest received prior to bid opening or notification of... Status Protest. The CO's referral letter must include information pertaining to the solicitation that may...

  19. 13 CFR 125.25 - How does one file a service disabled veteran-owned status protest?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... deliver their protests in person, by facsimile, by express delivery service, or by U.S. mail (postmarked..., unless it is from SBA or the CO. (4) Any protest received prior to bid opening or notification of... Status Protest. The CO's referral letter must include information pertaining to the solicitation that may...

  20. 76 FR 17448 - Subpart A (“General Provisions”) and Subpart B (“Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-29

    ..., messenger, or courier service: When using this method, you must submit your comments and attachments to the... for submitting comments. Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer than 10... Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are...

  1. 77 FR 18973 - Reinforced Concrete in Construction, and Preventing Backover Injuries and Fatalities

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-29

    ... mail, express delivery, hand (courier) delivery, or messenger service. Submit a copy of comments and... delivery, or messenger service. The hours of operation for the OSHA Docket Office are 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m.... General Reinforcing Safety F. Impalement G. Training H. Injuries I. Economic Issues J. References I...

  2. Teaching and Learning Operant Principles in Animal Shelters: Perspectives from Faculty, Students, and Shelter Staff

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonald, Theodore W.; Caso, Rafaelito; Fugit, Dee

    2005-01-01

    Many instructors have expressed a recent interest in incorporating service-learning activities into their courses. Several authors have maintained that service-learning opportunities help students to better understand class concepts and also lead to desirable outcomes in students, such as enhanced self esteem and an increased interest in social…

  3. Professional Profile of National Health Service Physicians in Greece and Their Self-Expressed Training Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kyriopoulos, John; Gregory, Susan; Georgoussi, Eugenia; Dolgeras, Apostolos

    2003-01-01

    Introduction: Continuing medical education is not yet mandatory in Greece, but an increasing number of training courses is becoming available. In recent years, 32 training centers have been accredited. Method: A postal survey of a national sample of 500 National Health Service doctors, weighted toward hospitals with accredited training centers,…

  4. Teachers Teaching Students from a Multicultural Background: The Case of Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rajendran, Nagappan

    2005-01-01

    Teacher educators like talking about the pre-service--in-service continuum as a way of expressing their views, that inevitably, they are expected to play a multifaceted role in and outside of the classroom. In this respect, what is of greater concern is that many teachers are inadequately prepared to teach ethnically diverse students. Malaysia is…

  5. Reference Services for the Adult Learner: Challenging Issues for the Traditional and Technological Era.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarkodie-Mensah, Kwasi, Ed.

    This book offers approaches for teaching adult patrons how and where to find information in libraries and through information services. It includes 34 papers, organized in seven sections, expressing the views of faculty, adult students, and administrators as well as librarians on theories of educational psychology that explain how adults learn.…

  6. A View through the Long Lens: Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of Multi-Campus Course Delivery

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker-Gibbs, Bernadette; Paatsch, Louise; Moles, Janet; Yim, Bonnie; Redpath, Terri

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores the results of a survey that was conducted with 277 pre-service teachers studying at two regional university campuses in Victoria, Australia in 2014. Data showed that participants expressed high level of satisfaction with the quality of their undergraduate courses in education including the flexible teaching and learning…

  7. Treatment of Social Competence in Military Veterans, Service Members, and Civilians with Traumatic Brain Injury

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-08-01

    ne ar ly a lw ay s / a lw ay s 48 is ambiguous or vague      49 uses lucid , clear, or succinct expression      50 is obscure...clear and concise when expressing ideas. 49 uses lucid , clear, or succinct expression . . . the subject presents ideas clearly (perspicuously) and...1. Repeated, disturbing memories, thoughts, or images of a stressful experience from the past? 2. Repeated, disturbing dreams of a stressful

  8. The Impact of Expressiveness on the Effectiveness of Privacy Mechanisms for Location Sharing

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-12-01

    of the ex- pected billions of dollars in marketing revenue from location - based services [13]. Despite the number of location-sharing applications that...privacy concerns [2, 25]. Many research groups have have developed location - based services : PARC’s Active Badges [37], ActiveCampus [3], MyCampus [29...location within social groups. In CHI ’08, pages 497–506, April 2008. [3] L. Barkhuus and A. Dey. Location - based services for mobile telephony: a study

  9. Patient satisfaction at the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Muhondwa, E P Y; Leshabari, M T; Mwangu, M; Mbembati, N; Ezekiel, M J

    2008-08-01

    Patients are the primary beneficiaries of the services and care that hospitals provide. The Patient Satisfaction study examined the extent to which patients at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) were satisfied with the services and care they received at MNH. This was part of a baseline study that sought to determine the level of performance of the hospital before massive restructuring, reform, and renovations were undertaken. Exit interviews were the main research method used to determine patient satisfaction. Patients were interviewed as they were leaving the OPD clinics, laboratory, X-ray, pharmacy and inpatient wards. The study found that most patients were satisfied with the services and care they received. This high level of satisfaction must be viewed within the context of a hierarchical public health care delivery system, with MNH at the apex. The services and care MNH provides can only be excellent compared to that provided by lower level health facilities. Indeed, patients covered by this study perceived the services provided by MNH as superior, and this was reflected in the high level of satisfaction they reported. Some patients expressed dissatisfaction with specific aspects of the services that they received. They were particularly dissatisfied with long waiting times before receiving services, the high costs of treatment and investigations charged at MNH, poor levels of hygiene in the wards, and negative attitudes of staff towards patients. Although only a small proportion of patients expressed dissatisfaction with these aspects of the services provided, they are significant in that they constitute a call for action by the MNH management to encourage the health personnel to embrace a new staff-patient relationship ethos, in which the patient is a viewed as a customer.

  10. Organisational strategies and midwives' readiness to provide care for out of hospital births: an analysis from the birthplace organisational case studies.

    PubMed

    McCourt, Christine; Rayment, Juliet; Rance, Susanna; Sandall, Jane

    2012-10-01

    the objective of the Birthplace in England Case Studies was to explore the organisational and professional issues that may impact on the quality and safety of labour and birth care in different birth settings: Home, Freestanding Midwifery Unit, Alongside Midwifery Unit or Obstetric Unit. This analysis examines the factors affecting the readiness of community midwives to provide women with choice of out of hospital birth, using the findings from the Birthplace in England Case Studies. organisational ethnographic case studies, including interviews with professionals, key stakeholders, women and partners, observations of service processes and document review. a maximum variation sample of four maternity services in terms of configuration, region and population characteristics. All were selected from the Birthplace cohort study sample as services scoring 'best' or 'better' performing in the Health Care Commission survey of maternity services (HCC 2008). professionals and stakeholders (n=86), women (64), partners (6), plus 50 observations and 200 service documents. each service experienced challenges in providing an integrated service to support choice of place of birth. Deployment of community midwives was a particular concern. Community midwives and managers expressed lack of confidence in availability to cover home birth care in particular, with the exception of caseload midwifery and a 'hub and spoke' model of care. Community midwives and women's interviews indicated that many lacked home birth experience and confidence. Those in midwifery units expressed higher levels of support and confidence. maternity services need to consider and develop models for provision of a more integrated model of staffing across hospital and community boundaries. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. 49 CFR 1220.0 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... companies Electric railway companies Express companies Persons furnishing cars to railroads Ratemaking... associations, demurrage and car service bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, and other joint activities...

  12. 49 CFR 1220.0 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... companies Electric railway companies Express companies Persons furnishing cars to railroads Ratemaking... associations, demurrage and car service bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, and other joint activities...

  13. 49 CFR 1220.0 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... companies Electric railway companies Express companies Persons furnishing cars to railroads Ratemaking... associations, demurrage and car service bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, and other joint activities...

  14. 49 CFR 1220.0 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... companies Electric railway companies Express companies Persons furnishing cars to railroads Ratemaking... associations, demurrage and car service bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, and other joint activities...

  15. 49 CFR 1220.0 - Applicability.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... companies Electric railway companies Express companies Persons furnishing cars to railroads Ratemaking... associations, demurrage and car service bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, and other joint activities...

  16. Telemental health technology in deaf and general mental-health services: access and use.

    PubMed

    Austen, Sally; McGrath, Melissa

    2006-01-01

    Long-distance travel to provide mental health services for deaf people has implications for efficiency, safety, and equality of service. However, uptake of Telemental Health (TMH) has been slow in both deaf and general mental health services. A quantitative study was used to investigate access to TMH and whether staff confidence, experience, or demographics affect TMH use. It was concluded that staff in neither deaf mental health services nor general mental health services had adequate knowledge of or access to TMH. Staff expressed concerns over TMH's appropriateness in their work. Previous use of videoconferencing was assosciated significantly with confidence, but previous use of videophones was not. Neither staff in deaf services nor deaf staff were more experienced with or more confident about videoconferencing, whereas, within deaf services, deaf staff were significantly more confident about videophone use. Training implications are discussed.

  17. Grid workflow job execution service 'Pilot'

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shamardin, Lev; Kryukov, Alexander; Demichev, Andrey; Ilyin, Vyacheslav

    2011-12-01

    'Pilot' is a grid job execution service for workflow jobs. The main goal for the service is to automate computations with multiple stages since they can be expressed as simple workflows. Each job is a directed acyclic graph of tasks and each task is an execution of something on a grid resource (or 'computing element'). Tasks may be submitted to any WS-GRAM (Globus Toolkit 4) service. The target resources for the tasks execution are selected by the Pilot service from the set of available resources which match the specific requirements from the task and/or job definition. Some simple conditional execution logic is also provided. The 'Pilot' service is built on the REST concepts and provides a simple API through authenticated HTTPS. This service is deployed and used in production in a Russian national grid project GridNNN.

  18. Community, autonomy and bespoke services: Independent community pharmacy practice in hyperdiverse, London communities.

    PubMed

    Duckett, Kathryn

    2015-01-01

    The landscape of pharmacy continues to evolve including in Great Britain, where, by 2012, almost 50% of pharmacy contracts were held by just 9 national chains. To further explicate the concept of 'independence' as it was positioned by independent pharmacists, particularly examining personal interpretations of their role in contemporary pharmacy and health care delivery. Research was situated in East and South-east London between 2008 and 2009. The study took an ethnographic approach; combining participant observation within 7 pharmacies and 36 active interviews with pharmacists. Recruitment criteria demanded that pharmacists self-identified as independent and were either owners or managers in sole-owned or independent chain pharmacies. Independence was expressed through a framework of three overarching themes: autonomy, engagement and bespoke practice. Autonomy formed the basis of professional expression ultimately enabling pharmacists to exercise control over customer relationships. This facilitated engagement with communities and individuals and ultimately made possible an offering of a bespoke 'personal' service. The diverse urban environment was a space where independence was seen to be of particular value. The complexity of this setting was used symbolically to support the need for independent thinking. These themes are examined through stories of 'acceptance' and developing pharmacy 'communities' alongside the practise of maintaining personal relationships to provide a distinct service offer. This study highlights distinct 'independent' expression of professional identity and suggests the need to assess the value of independent community pharmacy as being different from but complementary to the service provided by multiples/large chains. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. How pre-service elementary teachers express emotions about climate change and related disciplinary ideas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hufnagel, Elizabeth J.

    As we face the challenges of serious environmental issues, science education has made a commitment to improving environmental literacy, in particular climate literacy (NRC, 2012; 2013). With an increased focus on climate change education in the United States, more research on the teaching and learning of this problem in science classrooms is occurring (e.g. Arslan, Cigdemoglu, & Moseley, 2012; Svihla & Linn, 2012). However, even though people experience a range of emotions about global problems like climate change (Hicks & Holden, 2007; Ojala, 2012; Rickinson, 2001), little attention is given to their emotions about the problem in science classrooms. Because emotions are evaluative (Boler, 1999; Keltner & Gross, 1999), they provided a lens for understanding how students engage personally with climate change. In this study, I drew from sociolinguistics, social psychology, and the sociology of emotions to examine a) the social interactions that allowed for emotional expressions to be constructed and b) the ways in which pre-service elementary teachers constructed emotional expressions about climate change in a science course. Three overall findings emerged: 1) emotions provided a means of understanding how students' conceptualized climate to be relevant to their lives, 2) emotional expressions and the aboutness of these expressions indicated that the students conceptualized climate change as distanced, both temporally and spatially, and 3) although most emotional constructions were distanced, there were multiple instances of emotional expressions in which students took climate change personally. Following a discussion of the findings, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are also described.

  20. Winter Counts as Transformative Inquiry: The Role of Creative Imagery as an Expression of Adaptive Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanger, Nicholas R. G.; Tanaka, Michele T. D.; Tse, Vanessa V.; Starr, Lisa J.

    2013-01-01

    Pre-service teachers face a complex educational context and Transformative Inquiry is a useful approach for negotiating this terrain. We interpret the movement of students via the adaptive cycle put forth in panarchy theory as they engage in the inquiry process through "winter counts", a Plains First Nation tradition, as expressions of…

  1. Clinical, information and business process modeling to promote development of safe and flexible software.

    PubMed

    Liaw, Siaw-Teng; Deveny, Elizabeth; Morrison, Iain; Lewis, Bryn

    2006-09-01

    Using a factorial vignette survey and modeling methodology, we developed clinical and information models - incorporating evidence base, key concepts, relevant terms, decision-making and workflow needed to practice safely and effectively - to guide the development of an integrated rule-based knowledge module to support prescribing decisions in asthma. We identified workflows, decision-making factors, factor use, and clinician information requirements. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) and public domain software and knowledge engineering tools (e.g. Protégé) were used, with the Australian GP Data Model as the starting point for expressing information needs. A Web Services service-oriented architecture approach was adopted within which to express functional needs, and clinical processes and workflows were expressed in the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). This formal analysis and modeling methodology to define and capture the process and logic of prescribing best practice in a reference implementation is fundamental to tackling deficiencies in prescribing decision support software.

  2. MicroRNA Expression Profiling of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch Cohort for Identification of "Enviro-miRs" Associated With Deployment-Based Environmental Exposure.

    PubMed

    Dalgard, Clifton L; Polston, Keith F; Sukumar, Gauthaman; Mallon, Col Timothy M; Wilkerson, Matthew D; Pollard, Harvey B

    2016-08-01

    The aim of this study was to identify serum microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers that indicate deployment-associated exposures in service members at military installations with open burn pits. Another objective was to determine detection rates of miRNAs in Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) samples with a high-throughput methodology. Low-volume serum samples (n = 800) were profiled by miRNA-capture isolation, pre-amplification, and measurement by a quantitative PCR-based OpenArray platform. Normalized quantitative cycle values were used for differential expression analysis between groups. Assay specificity, dynamic range, reproducibility, and detection rates by OpenArray passed target desired specifications. Serum abundant miRNAs were consistently measured in study specimens. Four miRNAs were differentially expressed in the case deployment group subjects. miRNAs are suitable RNA species for biomarker discovery in the DoDSR serum specimens. Serum miRNAs are candidate biomarkers for deployment and environmental exposure in military service members.

  3. A macroepigenetic approach to identify factors responsible for the autism epidemic in the United States

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The number of children ages 6 to 21 in the United States receiving special education services under the autism disability category increased 91% between 2005 to 2010 while the number of children receiving special education services overall declined by 5%. The demand for special education services continues to rise in disability categories associated with pervasive developmental disorders. Neurodevelopment can be adversely impacted when gene expression is altered by dietary transcription factors, such as zinc insufficiency or deficiency, or by exposure to toxic substances found in our environment, such as mercury or organophosphate pesticides. Gene expression patterns differ geographically between populations and within populations. Gene variants of paraoxonase-1 are associated with autism in North America, but not in Italy, indicating regional specificity in gene-environment interactions. In the current review, we utilize a novel macroepigenetic approach to compare variations in diet and toxic substance exposure between these two geographical populations to determine the likely factors responsible for the autism epidemic in the United States. PMID:22490277

  4. Lessons for the DoD from the Nonprofit Sector

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-12-01

    performing four core functions: promoting of political and civil engagement, delivering critical services, providing a vehicle for social entrepreneurship , or...well as social entrepreneurship (that is, building new types of relationships)” (Perry,1996, p 539). As a result of long-term federal deficits and...deliver critical services, vehicle for social entrepreneurship , outlet for expression of faith & values Interest articulation, interest aggregation

  5. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 1 through 7, 2011.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI

    2011-04-04

    Senate - 04/14/2011 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  6. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the United States during Public Service Recognition Week.

    THOMAS, 113th Congress

    Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT

    2013-04-16

    Senate - 04/16/2013 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  7. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the United States during Public Service Recognition Week.

    THOMAS, 113th Congress

    Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT

    2014-03-25

    Senate - 03/25/2014 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  8. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 3 through 9, 2010.

    THOMAS, 111th Congress

    Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI

    2010-04-14

    Senate - 04/29/2010 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  9. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 4 through 10, 2009.

    THOMAS, 111th Congress

    Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI

    2009-03-26

    Senate - 04/21/2009 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  10. Methods of Reflection about Service Learning: Guided vs. Free, Dialogic vs. Expressive, and Public vs. Private

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sturgill, Amanda; Motley, Phillip

    2014-01-01

    Reflection is a key component of service learning, but research shows that in order to maximize learning, the reflection must be of high quality. This paper compares the affordances of three different models of written reflection in engendering students' higher-order thought processes. Student reflections were compared across axes of guided versus…

  11. 29 CFR 1926.15 - Relationship to the Service Contract Act; Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...., 41 CFR 1-1.208. Section 2(e) of the Service Contract Act of 1965 requires as a condition of every... part 50-204, and express the Secretary of Labor's interpretation and application of section 1(e) of the..., such activities remain subject to the general statutory duty prescribed by section 1(e). Section 103(b...

  12. 29 CFR 1926.15 - Relationship to the Service Contract Act; Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...., 41 CFR 1-1.208. Section 2(e) of the Service Contract Act of 1965 requires as a condition of every... part 50-204, and express the Secretary of Labor's interpretation and application of section 1(e) of the..., such activities remain subject to the general statutory duty prescribed by section 1(e). Section 103(b...

  13. Interpersonal and Relational Orientation among Pre-Service Educators: Differential Effects on Attitudes toward Inclusion of Students with Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McWhirter, Paula T.; Brandes, Joyce A.; Williams-Diehm, Kendra L.; Hackett, Shannon

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which pre-service educators' interpersonal characteristics affected their attitudes toward teaching students with disabilities (inclusion), as measured by the FIRO-B and ATIES pre- and post-course. The FIRO-B was administered to assess expressed and wanted aspects of three…

  14. Creating Project CREATE: Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Developing Web-Based Resources for Public Health Practitioners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGladrey, Margaret; Noar, Seth; Crosby, Richard; Young, April; Webb, Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    Background: This paper discusses the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention's effort to develop a web-based service called Project CREATE that responds to a need for targeted health promotion materials expressed by directors of HIV/STD prevention services in predominately rural states. Purpose: Project CREATE allows users to select customized…

  15. Women's stress in compulsory army service in Israel: A gendered perspective.

    PubMed

    Huss, Ephrat; Cwikel, Julie

    2015-01-01

    A growing number of women are serving in the military in a variety of roles, yet information on their experience of stressors not associated with either combat or sexual harassment is not commonly reported. To present phenomenological data on stressors experienced in military service, together with the use of coping strategies as a way to focus on women's mental needs following deployment from service. Twenty women who had recently completed their compulsory army service in Israel drew a picture expressing stressors they experienced in the army. They analyzed their own pictures on three levels: the content, context, and the composition as expressing stress and the resources they used in coping with stress. Six themes were raised: proximity to war situations, coping with accidents in training soldiers under their command, a conflict between political values and military orders, witnessing the injury of another female soldier, responsibility for accidental injury of a civilian, and distress over the army placement. Coping resources were relational, primarily family and friend support, rather than from the army framework. This reliance on relational sources of support was both a resource and a source of vulnerability and is viewed as distinct from men's style of coping.

  16. Rural and remote speech-language pathology service inequities: An Australian human rights dilemma.

    PubMed

    Jones, Debra M; McAllister, Lindy; Lyle, David M

    2018-02-01

    Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right for all Australians. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights acknowledges the right to freedom of opinion and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas. Capacities for self-expression and effective communication underpin the realisation of these fundamental human rights. For rural and remote Australian children this realisation is compromised by complex disadvantages and inequities that contribute to communication delays, inequity of access to essential speech-language pathology services and poorer later life outcomes. Localised solutions to the provision of civically engaged, accessible, acceptable and sustainable speech-language pathology services within rural and remote Australian contexts are required if we are to make substantive human rights gains. However, civically engaged and sustained healthcare can significantly challenge traditional professionalised perspectives on how best to design and implement speech-language pathology services that seek to address rural and remote communication needs and access inequities. A failure to engage these communities in the identification of childhood communication delays and solutions to address these delays, ultimately denies children, families and communities of their human rights for healthcare access, self-expression, self-dignity and meaningful inclusion within Australian society.

  17. Mental disorders and work integration: a retrospective study in a northern italian town.

    PubMed

    Buizza, Chiara; Pioli, Rosaria; Lecchi, Sara; Bonetto, Chiara; Bartoli, Anna; Taglietti, Renzo; Ghilardi, Alberto; Riva, Eugenio

    2013-01-01

    THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN A VOCATIONAL INTEGRATION SERVICE OF A NORTHERN ITALIAN TOWN WITH TWO MAJOR AIMS: to assess vocational integration programs undertaken from 1(st) January 2004 to 1(st) January 2007; and to identify job tenure-associated predictors. This is a retrospective study; we collected data such as gender, age, duration, type and outcome of the vocational integration program, and number of interventions performed by the vocational integration service. Self-report questionnaires were also used to assess the satisfaction of users, caregivers, practitioners, and of the company contacts involved in the study. The service has enrolled 84 users during the observation period. Out of these users, 64.3% of them still had their jobs after three years. Users, caregivers and company contacts expressed high levels of satisfaction for the support received by the vocational integration service. The company expressed less satisfaction for the collaboration received by the Departments of Mental Health (DMHs) that coached the users. The only variable associated to the outcome was the number of interventions that the users received before their placement on the job. Despite all the limits of this study, its results show that the chance of taking advantage of a supported job placement service has likely proven itself effective in helping people with mental disorders to obtain and maintain a competitive employment. Our results, however, also point to the necessity of implementing newer strategies meant to develop a greater integration among all services dealing with mentally ill people.

  18. Managing imperfect competition by pay for performance and reference pricing.

    PubMed

    Mak, Henry Y

    2018-01-01

    I study a managed health service market where differentiated providers compete for consumers by choosing multiple service qualities, and where copayments that consumers pay and payments that providers receive for services are set by a payer. The optimal regulation scheme is two-sided. On the demand side, it justifies and clarifies value-based reference pricing. On the supply side, it prescribes pay for performance when consumers misperceive service benefits or providers have intrinsic quality incentives. The optimal bonuses are expressed in terms of demand elasticities, service technology, and provider characteristics. However, pay for performance may not outperform prospective payment when consumers are rational and providers are profit maximizing, or when one of the service qualities is not contractible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Mental health crisis and respite services: service user and carer aspirations.

    PubMed

    Lyons, C; Hopley, P; Burton, C R; Horrocks, J

    2009-06-01

    There is emerging evidence that crisis resolution services can provide alternatives to hospital admission, reducing demand on inpatient beds. Following a public consultation exercise in Lancashire (England), a team of nurses undertook a study, using interactive research methodology, to gain an understanding of how users and carers define a crisis and what range of crisis services, resources and interventions service users and carers thought would help avoid unnecessary hospital admission. Data collection comprised postal questionnaires and 24 group meetings with service users and carers, which were held during 2006. Data were analysed, and seven themes were identified: (1) definitions of a crisis; (2) access to services; (3) interventions; (4) range of services required (before, during and after crisis); (5) place of treatment; (6) recovery and rehabilitation; and (7) community support. We conclude that expressed preferences of service users and carers for pre-emptive services that are delivered flexibly will present a challenge for service commissioners and providers, particularly where stringent access criteria are used. Home-based pre-emptive services that reduce the need for unnecessary hospital treatment may avoid progression to social exclusion of service users.

  20. OpenFlyData: an exemplar data web integrating gene expression data on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Miles, Alistair; Zhao, Jun; Klyne, Graham; White-Cooper, Helen; Shotton, David

    2010-10-01

    Integrating heterogeneous data across distributed sources is a major requirement for in silico bioinformatics supporting translational research. For example, genome-scale data on patterns of gene expression in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster are widely used in functional genomic studies in many organisms to inform candidate gene selection and validate experimental results. However, current data integration solutions tend to be heavy weight, and require significant initial and ongoing investment of effort. Development of a common Web-based data integration infrastructure (a.k.a. data web), using Semantic Web standards, promises to alleviate these difficulties, but little is known about the feasibility, costs, risks or practical means of migrating to such an infrastructure. We describe the development of OpenFlyData, a proof-of-concept system integrating gene expression data on D. melanogaster, combining Semantic Web standards with light-weight approaches to Web programming based on Web 2.0 design patterns. To support researchers designing and validating functional genomic studies, OpenFlyData includes user-facing search applications providing intuitive access to and comparison of gene expression data from FlyAtlas, the BDGP in situ database, and FlyTED, using data from FlyBase to expand and disambiguate gene names. OpenFlyData's services are also openly accessible, and are available for reuse by other bioinformaticians and application developers. Semi-automated methods and tools were developed to support labour- and knowledge-intensive tasks involved in deploying SPARQL services. These include methods for generating ontologies and relational-to-RDF mappings for relational databases, which we illustrate using the FlyBase Chado database schema; and methods for mapping gene identifiers between databases. The advantages of using Semantic Web standards for biomedical data integration are discussed, as are open issues. In particular, although the performance of open source SPARQL implementations is sufficient to query gene expression data directly from user-facing applications such as Web-based data fusions (a.k.a. mashups), we found open SPARQL endpoints to be vulnerable to denial-of-service-type problems, which must be mitigated to ensure reliability of services based on this standard. These results are relevant to data integration activities in translational bioinformatics. The gene expression search applications and SPARQL endpoints developed for OpenFlyData are deployed at http://openflydata.org. FlyUI, a library of JavaScript widgets providing re-usable user-interface components for Drosophila gene expression data, is available at http://flyui.googlecode.com. Software and ontologies to support transformation of data from FlyBase, FlyAtlas, BDGP and FlyTED to RDF are available at http://openflydata.googlecode.com. SPARQLite, an implementation of the SPARQL protocol, is available at http://sparqlite.googlecode.com. All software is provided under the GPL version 3 open source license.

  1. Towards Formal Implementation of PUS Standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ilić, D.

    2009-05-01

    As an effort to promote the reuse of on-board and ground systems ESA developed a standard for packet telemetry and telecommand - PUS. It defines a set of standard service models with the corresponding structures of the associated telemetry and telecommand packets. Various missions then can choose to implement those standard PUS services that best conform to their specific requirements. In this paper we propose a formal development (based on the Event-B method) of reusable service patterns, which can be instantiated for concrete application. Our formal models allow us to formally express and verify specific service properties including various telecommand and telemetry packet structure validation.

  2. Connected care in a fragmented world: lessons from rural health care

    PubMed Central

    Farmer, Jane

    2007-01-01

    This paper uses the phenomenon of very high satisfaction with remote rural health services in Scotland as a trigger for exploring what consumers want and like in health service utilisation — and why. It draws on the business literature in customer services marketing and economic sociology to illuminate why long-term associations between consumers and providers in health care are important and beneficial. In doing so, it highlights wider lessons about the experience of good health care to be learned from the satisfaction expressed by rural residents and suggests, as health services become increasingly fragmented, the relevance of maintaining a connected experience for patients. PMID:17359611

  3. Positioning the arts for intervention design research in the human services.

    PubMed

    Moxley, David P; Calligan, Holly Feen

    2015-12-01

    The arts have been integral to the human experience fostering innovation in social arrangements, strengthening group cohesion, and merging esthetics with the utilitarian properties of technology. For intervention design research in the human services the arts can harness innovation and creativity in meeting human needs and addressing social issues. Given their capacities to stimulate expression of first person experience through interpretative strategies, the arts can equip people and groups, including researchers, with opportunities to express primary experiential knowledge through creative means, portray useful ways of meeting human needs, educate others about the social issues people experience, and formulate intervention strategies or even models to address the causes and consequences of those issues. In this paper, the authors discuss how the arts can inform and deepen human service intervention design and development and, as a result, advance innovation in the human services. They offer a rationale supporting the inclusion of the arts in the design of human service interventions, examine the contributions of the arts to the formulation of intervention concept and developmental research to further improve interventions, and consider how the arts can advance the reflexivity of intervention designers. The authors draw implications for how researchers can position the arts in the nine steps of intervention design and development the authors offer in this paper. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. [Validation of the Spanish version of the Frankfurt Emotion Work Scales].

    PubMed

    Ortiz Bonnín, Silvia; Navarro Guzmán, Capilla; García Buades, Esther; Ramis Palmer, Carmen; Manassero Mas, M Antonia

    2012-05-01

    This study presents the validity and reliability analysis of a questionnaire that assesses emotion work in the service sector. Emotion work is a term introduced by Hochschild (1983) and it refers to the expression of organizationally desirable emotions to influence the interactions with clients at work. The results show a 6-factor structure: Requirement to display Positive, Negative and Neutral Emotions, Sensitivity Requirements, Interaction Control and Emotional Dissonance. The analysis of the sub-scale scores reveals that the most frequently expressed emotions are positive, whereas negative emotions are expressed less frequently.

  5. The three keys to quality customer service: opening the doors to exceptional performance.

    PubMed

    Myers, Pennie; Nance, Don W

    2002-01-01

    Excellence in customer service requires three things. The first is a commitment to a set of principles. These principles reflect beliefs and assumptions that people are valuable and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This commitment is expressed to customers by an adherence to six customer-friendly processes and by personnel who possess a high level of skill in the behaviors that make up customer service. When these three requirements are met, laboratorians not only maintain a competitive edge but also fulfill their mission as health-care professionals.

  6. Pre-service teachers' metaphorical perceptions of "physics" as a concept

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aykutlu, Isil; Bayrak, Celal; Bezen, Sevim

    2018-02-01

    In this study, the aim is to reveal pre-service biology, chemistry and mathematics teachers' metaphorical perceptions for physics. This study was patterned by employing phenomenology, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Sampling of the study consists of 90 pre-service teachers enrolled at the departments of biology, chemistry, and mathematics education at the faculty of education of a state university in Ankara. A metaphor form was prepared to determine pre-service teachers' mental metaphors for the physics concept. Then, it was determined that a total of 80 pre-service teachers generated 34 different metaphors for physics concept. As a result of the study, 34 metaphors generated by pre-service teachers for "physics" concept were gathered under seven different categories. Also, it was determined that pre-service teachers express most frequently "life" (26,25%) and "a difficult to solve problem"(21,25%) which take place in conceptual categories.

  7. Employee assistance program services for intimate partner violence and client satisfaction with these services.

    PubMed

    Pollack, Keshia M; McKay, Tasseli; Cumminskey, Chris; Clinton-Sherrod, A Monique; Lindquist, Christine H; Lasater, Beth M; Walters, Jennifer L Hardison; Krotki, Karol; Grisso, Jeane Ann

    2010-08-01

    To describe intimate partner violence (IPV) services available through employee assistance programs (EAPs) and determine women's satisfaction with these services. A mixed-methods study consisting of semistructured telephone interviews with 28 EAPs about IPV-related services and a national web-based survey of 1765 women regarding their interactions with EAPs when seeking IPV-related assistance. Data were collected in the fall of 2008. EAPs provide fairly extensive services to individuals experiencing IPV. Satisfaction with EAP services for IPV was significantly associated with annual income and the type of help received from the EAP, but not with type of IPV experienced. EAP representatives described challenges with accurately identifying IPV victims and women expressed concerns with confidentiality. Future efforts to enhance the ability of EAPs to respond effectively to IPV should address confidentially and strengthen how IPV-related assistance is delivered.

  8. Public Willingness to Pay to Improve Services for Individuals With Serious Mental Illness.

    PubMed

    Stone, Elizabeth M; McGinty, Emma E

    2018-05-08

    This study measured Americans' willingness to pay an additional $50 in taxes to improve health care and social services for individuals with serious mental illness. A nationally representative online survey was conducted with 1,010 respondents. Analysis examined how respondents' demographic characteristics and attitudes toward individuals with serious mental illness correlated with their willingness to pay additional taxes to improve health care and social services for this vulnerable population. A majority of respondents expressed willingness to pay $50 in additional taxes to improve health care services (60%) and social services (58%) for individuals with serious mental illness. Those with more negative attitudes toward individuals with serious mental illness were less willing to pay additional taxes to improve either service type. Many Americans are willing to pay additional taxes to improve health care and social services for individuals with serious mental illness.

  9. Lumber Grade Yields for Graded Aspen Logs and Trees

    Treesearch

    Leland F. Hanks; Robert L. Brisbin

    1978-01-01

    Green lumber grade yields for aspen were determined for use with the U.S. Forest Service hardwood log and tree grades. The yields for logs are expressed in percent of total lumber tally volume, and those for trees are expressed in board feet. Overruns for the International 1/4-inch and Scribner log rules along with lumber recovery factors are shown by log grade.

  10. 77 FR 66190 - Submission for Review: It's Time To Sign Up for Direct Deposit or Direct Express, RI 38-128

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-02

    ... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Submission for Review: It's Time To Sign Up for Direct Deposit or... request (ICR) 3206-0226, It's Time To Sign up for Direct Deposit or Direct Express. As required by the..., Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management. Title: It's Time To Sign Up for Direct Deposit or Direct...

  11. Short Message Service (SMS) Texting Symbols: A Functional Analysis of 10,000 Cellular Phone Text Messages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beasley, Robert E.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of symbolic expressions (e.g., "BTW," "LOL," "UR") in an SMS text messaging corpus consisting of over 10,000 text messages. More specifically, the purpose was to determine, not only how frequently these symbolic expressions are used, but how they are utilized in terms of the language functions…

  12. The Social Significance and Value Dimension of Current Mexican American Dialectal Spanish. A Glossary for the Human Service Professions. Part II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gomez, Ernesto; Cerda, Gilberto

    Results of a study documenting the Mexican American's unique Spanish dialectal expressions used in the barrios of San Antonio, Texas, and its surrounding areas are presented. The expressions included are those which were not recorded in the "Diccionario de la Real Academia Espanola" (19th Edition) or which were recorded therein but with…

  13. An Innovative Method for Evaluating Strategic Goals in a Public Agency: Conservation Leadership in the U.S. Forest Service

    Treesearch

    David N. Bengston; David P. Fan

    1999-01-01

    This article presents an innovative methodology for evaluating strategic planning goals in a public agency. Computer-coded content analysis was used to evaluate attitudes expressed in about 28,000 on-line news media stories about the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and its strategic goal of conservation leadership. Three dimensions of conservation...

  14. "It Helps People Make Their Decisions": Dating Games, Public Service Broadcasting and the Negotiation of Identity in Middle-Childhood.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Maire Messenger; Machin, David

    2000-01-01

    Analyzed the discourse about television programs of 1,300 5- to 13-year-olds from England and Wales. Found that discourse expressed socially responsible and public service values in evaluating programs. Explained finding in terms of children's adaptation to task requirements and ability to access different kinds of adult discourse available in the…

  15. JPRS Report, China

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-07

    a number of rehabilitated comrades went all-out to get an invitation card to attend the memorial service. Many old people went to Yaobang’s...residence to express their mourning for the deceased. At the memorial service, they wept bitterly before the remains of comrade Yaobang. Facing the...cul- ture is to cope with the development of commodity economy, to strengthen ideological and political work, to enchance the level of commercial

  16. China in International Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities for Singapore

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-12-16

    Thornton points out that the Chinese civil service is facing increasing competition from the private sector in attracting top graduates. 78 In...demographics and education system, Thornton highlights that China’s civil service faces challenges from the private sector in recruiting and retaining the... private and unofficial” 25 visit to Taiwan, China “expressed strong dissatisfaction with and protest against the visit” and threatened that

  17. 75 FR 3383 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-21

    ...] New Postal Product AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Commission.... Introduction The Postal Service seeks to add a new product identified as Express Mail [[Page 3384

  18. 78 FR 44519 - Forest Resource Coordinating Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-24

    ... the addresses below: Nominations sent via express mail or overnight courier service: Maya Solomon...; 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-1123. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maya Solomon...

  19. Unmet Needs of Patients Feeling Severely Affected by Multiple Sclerosis in Germany: A Qualitative Study

    PubMed Central

    Golla, Heidrun; Strupp, Julia; Karbach, Ute; Kaiser, Claudia; Ernstmann, Nicole; Pfaff, Holger; Ostgathe, Christoph; Voltz, Raymond

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Background: The needs of patients feeling severely affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) have rarely been investigated. However this is essential information to know before care can be improved, including adding palliative care (PC) services where helpful. Since it remains unclear at what point specialized palliative care should begin for this patient group, this study focuses on needs in general. Objective: The objective was to explore the subjectively unmet needs of patients feeling severely affected by MS. Methods: The study used a qualitative cross-sectional approach for needs assessment. Fifteen patients self-reporting feeling severely affected by MS were recruited and interviewed using a combination of purposive and convenience sampling (five were accompanied by a caregiver relative). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, followed by qualitative content analysis. Results: Unmet needs were identified in the main categories “support of family and friends,” “health care services,” “managing everyday life,” and “maintaining biographical continuity.” Patients expressed the desire for more support from their families and to be viewed as distinct individuals. They see a substantial deficit in the physician-patient relationship and in the coordination of services. A decrease in expressed unmet needs was found for patients more severely affected and less socially integrated. Conclusions: To address the unmet needs of severely affected MS patients, health care services need to be improved and linked with existing PC services. Special attention is required to form supporting professional-patient relationships. Multiprofessional services should be accessible for patients, while integrating relatives. All services should have an individual approach to provide needs-tailored support. PMID:24527993

  20. Individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics associated with support of in-pharmacy vaccination among ESAP-registered pharmacies: pharmacists' role in reducing racial/ethnic disparities in influenza vaccinations in New York City.

    PubMed

    Crawford, Natalie D; Blaney, Shannon; Amesty, Silvia; Rivera, Alexis V; Turner, Alezandria K; Ompad, Danielle C; Fuller, Crystal M

    2011-02-01

    New York State (NYS) passed legislation authorizing pharmacists to administer immunizations in 2008. Racial/socioeconomic disparities persist in vaccination rates and vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza. Many NYS pharmacies participate in the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP), which allows provision of non-prescription syringes to help prevent transmission of HIV, and are uniquely positioned to offer vaccination services to low-income communities. To understand individual and neighborhood characteristics of pharmacy staff support for in-pharmacy vaccination, we combined census tract data with baseline pharmacy data from the Pharmacies as Resources Making Links to Community Services (PHARM-Link) study among ESAP-registered pharmacies. The sample consists of 437 pharmacists, non-pharmacist owners, and technicians enrolled from 103 eligible New York City pharmacies. Using multilevel analysis, pharmacy staff who expressed support of in-pharmacy vaccination services were 69% more likely to support in-pharmacy HIV testing services (OR, 1.69; 95% CI 1.39-2.04). While pharmacy staff who worked in neighborhoods with a high percent of minority residents were less likely to express support of in-pharmacy vaccination, those in neighborhoods with a high percent of foreign-born residents were marginally more likely to express support of in-pharmacy vaccination. While educational campaigns around the importance of vaccination access may be needed among some pharmacy staff and minority community residents, we have provided evidence supporting scale-up of vaccination efforts in pharmacies located in foreign-born/immigrant communities which has potential to reduce disparities in vaccination rates and preventable influenza-related mortality.

  1. Mental Disorders and Work Integration: A Retrospective Study in a Northern Italian Town

    PubMed Central

    Buizza, Chiara; Pioli, Rosaria; Lecchi, Sara; Bonetto, Chiara; Bartoli, Anna; Taglietti, Renzo; Ghilardi, Alberto; Riva, Eugenio

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: The present study was conducted in a vocational integration service of a northern Italian town with two major aims: to assess vocational integration programs undertaken from 1st January 2004 to 1st January 2007; and to identify job tenure-associated predictors. Methods: This is a retrospective study; we collected data such as gender, age, duration, type and outcome of the vocational integration program, and number of interventions performed by the vocational integration service. Self-report questionnaires were also used to assess the satisfaction of users, caregivers, practitioners, and of the company contacts involved in the study. Results: The service has enrolled 84 users during the observation period. Out of these users, 64.3% of them still had their jobs after three years. Users, caregivers and company contacts expressed high levels of satisfaction for the support received by the vocational integration service. The company expressed less satisfaction for the collaboration received by the Departments of Mental Health (DMHs) that coached the users. The only variable associated to the outcome was the number of interventions that the users received before their placement on the job. Conclusions: Despite all the limits of this study, its results show that the chance of taking advantage of a supported job placement service has likely proven itself effective in helping people with mental disorders to obtain and maintain a competitive employment. Our results, however, also point to the necessity of implementing newer strategies meant to develop a greater integration among all services dealing with mentally ill people. PMID:24600480

  2. The culture of care within psychiatric services: tackling inequalities and improving clinical and organisational capabilities

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Introduction Cultural Consultation is a clinical process that emerged from anthropological critiques of mental healthcare. It includes attention to therapeutic communication, research observations and research methods that capture cultural practices and narratives in mental healthcare. This essay describes the work of a Cultural Consultation Service (ToCCS) that improves service user outcomes by offering cultural consultation to mental health practitioners. The setting is a psychiatric service with complex and challenging work located in an ethnically diverse inner city urban area. Following a period of 18 months of cultural consultation, we gather the dominant narratives that emerged during our evaluation of our service. Results These narratives highlight how culture is conceptualized and acted upon in the day-to-day practices of individual health and social care professionals, specialist psychiatric teams and in care systems. The findings reveal common narratives and themes about culture, ethnicity, race and their perceived place and meaningfulness in clinical care. These narratives express underlying assumptions and covert rules for managing, and sometimes negating, dilemmas and difficulties when considering “culture” in the presentation and expression of mental distress. The narratives reveal an overall “culture of understanding cultural issues” and specific “cultures of care”. These emerged as necessary foci of intervention to improve service user outcomes. Conclusion Understanding the cultures of care showed that clinical and managerial over-structuring of care prioritises organisational proficiency, but it leads to inflexibility. Consequently, the care provided is less personalised and less accommodating of cultural issues, therefore, professionals are unable to see or consider cultural influences in recovery. PMID:23020856

  3. The culture of care within psychiatric services: tackling inequalities and improving clinical and organisational capabilities.

    PubMed

    Ascoli, Micol; Palinski, Andrea; Owiti, John Arianda; De Jongh, Bertine; Bhui, Kamaldeep S

    2012-09-28

    Cultural Consultation is a clinical process that emerged from anthropological critiques of mental healthcare. It includes attention to therapeutic communication, research observations and research methods that capture cultural practices and narratives in mental healthcare. This essay describes the work of a Cultural Consultation Service (ToCCS) that improves service user outcomes by offering cultural consultation to mental health practitioners. The setting is a psychiatric service with complex and challenging work located in an ethnically diverse inner city urban area. Following a period of 18 months of cultural consultation, we gather the dominant narratives that emerged during our evaluation of our service. These narratives highlight how culture is conceptualized and acted upon in the day-to-day practices of individual health and social care professionals, specialist psychiatric teams and in care systems. The findings reveal common narratives and themes about culture, ethnicity, race and their perceived place and meaningfulness in clinical care. These narratives express underlying assumptions and covert rules for managing, and sometimes negating, dilemmas and difficulties when considering "culture" in the presentation and expression of mental distress. The narratives reveal an overall "culture of understanding cultural issues" and specific "cultures of care". These emerged as necessary foci of intervention to improve service user outcomes. Understanding the cultures of care showed that clinical and managerial over-structuring of care prioritises organisational proficiency, but it leads to inflexibility. Consequently, the care provided is less personalised and less accommodating of cultural issues, therefore, professionals are unable to see or consider cultural influences in recovery.

  4. 75 FR 22408 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Applicants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-28

    ... Individual). Freddy Acevedo, Secretary. Application Type: Add OFF Service. Midas International Investments LLC dba Midas Express Shipping And Freight (OFF & NVO), 14300 Cherry Lane Ct., Suite 103, Laurel, MD...

  5. Benefits and risks of shared services in healthcare.

    PubMed

    Kennewell, Suzanne; Baker, Laura

    2016-05-16

    Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of staff in a large, public health service involved in transitioning support services to a shared services model. It aims to understand their perceptions of the benefits and risks arising from this change. Design/methodology/approach - Thematic analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with both service provider and customer agency staff was used to identify, analyze and report patterns of benefits and risks within data. Findings - Staff expressed the need for relevant subject-matter-experts to work within customer agencies to facilitate effective communication between the customer agency and shared services provider, reflecting observations found in out-sourcing literature. Research limitations/implications - Results point to significant challenges continuing to occur for shared services in healthcare. Risks identified suggest a more intimate relationship between clinical and support services than previously discussed. Originality/value - Previous discussion of the shared services model has not considered the skills, knowledge and ability required by staff in the customer agency. This research indicates that in the absence of such consideration, the concepts of the shared services model are weakened.

  6. Wireless Emergency Alerts Commercial Mobile Service Provider (CMSP) Cybersecurity Guidelines

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-16

    Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited Copyright 2016 Carnegie Mellon University This material is based upon...opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views...INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO

  7. A Primary Care Workload Production Model for Estimating Relative Value Unit Output

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-01

    for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary , National Health Statistics Group; and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic...The systematic variation in a relationship can be represented by a mathematical expression, whereas stochastic variation cannot. Further, stochastic...expressed mathematically as an equation, whereby a response variable Y is fitted to a function of “regressor variables and parameters” (SAS©, 2010). A

  8. Hardware, Languages, and Architectures for Defense Against Hostile Operating Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-14

    Executive Service Directorate (0704-0188). Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to...in privileged system services . ExpressOS requires only a modest annotation burden (annotations were about 3% of code of the kernel), modest performance...INT benchmarks . In addition to enabling the development of an architecture- neutral instrumentation framework, our approach can take advantage of the

  9. Education Funding. A Brief to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation. BCTF Education Funding Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    British Columbia Teachers' Federation, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) would like to express its appreciation for the recommendations made on funding for K-12 education in the past two reports of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services (the Committee). The BCTF does not like to be repetitive, but the situation with funding of public education…

  10. Guide to Rebuilding Public Sector Services in Stability Operations: A Role for the Military

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-10-01

    economic growth. Each topic discussion focuses on the key issues, trade-offs faced in addressing those issues in stability operations, and recommended...top-down versus bottom-up planning. As discussed above, countries have a long-term development framework that expresses broad national strategy for...SERVICES This section discusses a relatively narrow range of issues and potential actions in rebuilding government, focusing on government’s provision

  11. A Method for Analyzing Volunteered Geographic Information ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Volunteered geographic information (VGI) can be used to identify public valuation of ecosystem services in a defined geographic area using photos as a representation of lived experiences. This method can help researchers better survey and report on the values and preferences of stakeholders involved in rehabilitation and revitalization projects. Current research utilizes VGI in the form of geotagged social media photos from three platforms: Flickr, Instagram, and Panaramio. Social media photos have been obtained for the neighborhoods next to the St. Louis River in Duluth, Minnesota, and are being analyzed along several dimensions. These dimensions include the spatial distribution of each platform, the characteristics of the physical environment portrayed in the photos, and finally, the ecosystem service depicted. In this poster, we focus on the photos from the Irving and Fairmount neighborhoods of Duluth, MN to demonstrate the method at the neighborhood scale. This study demonstrates a method for translating the values expressed in social media photos into ecosystem services and spatially-explicit data to be used in multiple settings, including the City of Duluth’s Comprehensive Planning and community revitalization efforts, habitat restoration in a Great Lakes Area of Concern, and the USEPA’s Office of Research and Development. This poster will demonstrate a method for translating values expressed in social media photos into ecosystem services and spatially

  12. ESA's Planetary Science Archive: Preserve and present reliable scientific data sets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Besse, S.; Vallat, C.; Barthelemy, M.; Coia, D.; Costa, M.; De Marchi, G.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; Heather, D.; Lim, T.; Martinez, S.; Arviset, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Docasal, R.; Macfarlane, A.; Rios, C.; Saiz, J.; Vallejo, F.

    2018-01-01

    The European Space Agency (ESA) Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is undergoing a significant refactoring of all its components to improve the services provided to the scientific community and the public. The PSA supports ESA's missions exploring the Solar System by archiving scientific peer-reviewed observations as well as engineering data sets. This includes the Giotto, SMART-1, Huygens, Venus Express, Mars Express, Rosetta, Exomars 2016, Exomars RSP, BepiColombo, and JUICE missions. The PSA is offering a newly designed graphical user interface which is simultaneously meant to maximize the interaction with scientific observations and also minimise the efforts needed to download these scientific observations. The PSA still offers the same services as before (i.e., FTP, documentation, helpdesk, etc.). In addition, it will support the two formats of the Planetary Data System (i.e., PDS3 and PDS4), as well as providing new ways for searching the data products with specific metadata and geometrical parameters. As well as enhanced services, the PSA will also provide new services to improve the visualisation of data products and scientific content (e.g., spectra, etc.). Together with improved access to the spacecraft engineering data sets, the PSA will provide easier access to scientific data products that will help to maximize the science return of ESA's space missions.

  13. 19 CFR 128.1 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... operations must be sufficiently integrated at both ends of the service (i.e., pick-up and delivery) so that... franchise arrangement). (g) Reimbursable. “Reimbursable” means all normal costs incurred at an express...

  14. What do we really know about UK paediatric dental general anaesthesia services?

    PubMed

    Robertson, S; Ní Chaollaí, A; Dyer, T A

    2012-02-24

    Dental general anaesthesia (DGA) is only permitted within a hospital setting where critical care facilities are available. Recently, concern has been expressed about the number of hospital admissions for the dental care of children following the publication of a high profile paper which highlighted an apparent increase in children being admitted for extractions due to caries under DGA. Coincidentally new best practice standards for paediatric DGA services have been published. An evaluation of DGA services in Yorkshire and the Humber suggested that existing monitoring was inadequate and is unlikely to represent true levels of activity and that any apparent increase may reflect the method of remuneration for services. In fact, recent changes in service structure and changes to improve quality have reduced DGA activity in some areas. In addition, the evaluation revealed that many services were not meeting standards of best practice.

  15. Minnesota Department of Human Services audit of medication therapy management programs.

    PubMed

    Smith, Stephanie; Cell, Penny; Anderson, Lowell; Larson, Tom

    2013-01-01

    To inform medication therapy management (MTM) providers of findings of the Minnesota Department of Human Services review of claims submitted to Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) for patients receiving MTM services and to discuss the impact of the audit on widespread MTM services and future audits. A retrospective review was completed on MTM claims submitted to MHCP from 2008 to 2010. The auditor verified that the Current Procedural Terminology codes billed matched the actual number of medications, conditions, and drug therapy problems assessed during an encounter. 190 claims were reviewed for 57 distinct pharmacies that billed for MTM services from 2008 to 2010, representing 4.5% of all claims submitted. The auditor reported that generally, the documentation within the electronic medical record had the least "up-coding" of all documentation systems. A total of 18 claims were coded at a higher level than appropriate, but only 10 notices were sent out to recover money because the others did not meet the minimum $50 threshold. The auditor expressed concerns that a number of claims billed at the highest complexity level were only 15 minutes long. Providers will need to be cautious of the conditions that they bill as complex and of how they define drug therapy problems. Everything for which is being billed must be clearly assessed or rationalized in the documentation note. The auditor expressed that overall, documentation was well done; however, many MTM providers are now asking how to internally prepare for future audits.

  16. Perspectives from deductible plan enrollees: plan knowledge and anticipated care-seeking changes.

    PubMed

    Reed, Mary; Benedetti, Nancy; Brand, Richard; Newhouse, Joseph P; Hsu, John

    2009-12-29

    Consumer directed health care proposes that patients will engage as informed consumers of health care services by sharing in more of their medical costs, often through deductibles. We examined knowledge of deductible plan details among new enrollees, as well as anticipated care-seeking changes in response to the deductible. In a large integrated delivery system with a range of deductible-based health plans which varied in services included or exempted from deductible, we conducted a mixed-method, cross-sectional telephone interview study. Among 458 adults newly enrolled in a deductible plan (71% response rate), 51% knew they had a deductible, 26% knew the deductible amount, and 6% knew which medical services were included or exempted from their deductible. After adjusting for respondent characteristics, those with more deductible-applicable services and those with lower self-reported health status were significantly more likely to know they had a deductible. Among those who knew of their deductible, half anticipated that it would cause them to delay or avoid medical care, including avoiding doctor's office visits and medical tests, even services that they believed were medically necessary. Many expressed concern about their costs, anticipating the inability to afford care and expressing the desire to change plans. Early in their experience with a deductible, patients had limited awareness of the deductible and little knowledge of the details. Many who knew of the deductible reported that it would cause them to delay or avoid seeking care and were concerned about their healthcare costs.

  17. An evaluation of a palliative care outreach programme for children with Burkitt lymphoma in rural Cameroon.

    PubMed

    Tamannai, Mona; Kaah, Joel; Mbah, Glenn; Ndimba, Joseph; D'Souza, Catherine; Wharin, Paul; Hesseling, Peter B

    2015-07-01

    Palliative care (PC) is the most appropriate treatment for patients with life-limiting, incurable diseases, but it is a relatively new concept in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A lack of curative treatment options for some conditions creates a great need for PC, but such services are rarely provided in SSA. More research into PC in SSA is urgently needed to create an evidence base to confirm the importance of appropriate PC services. To gain a better understanding of the needs of patients and their families visited by a children's PC nurse in Cameroon and to identify aspects of the service that can be improved. A qualitative study design with semi-structured interviews was used. Tape-recorded interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed. Twelve interviews were conducted with patients, carers and nurses. Financial aid, general disease improvement and prayers were the directly expressed needs of service recipients. Specialist training in children's PC was the main need expressed by the nurses. Open communication about clinical status and treatment failure, more detailed counselling, more distraction for patients and respite for carers were identified as underlying needs. It is possible to provide an effective children's PC service that meets the most urgent needs of recipients in a rural setting in SSA. Recommendations include improved counselling, specialist education for staff, expansion of local support networks and more frequent home visits. More studies are needed to help define the need for PC in children with life-limiting diseases.

  18. Database Resources of the BIG Data Center in 2018

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Xingjian; Hao, Lili; Zhu, Junwei; Tang, Bixia; Zhou, Qing; Song, Fuhai; Chen, Tingting; Zhang, Sisi; Dong, Lili; Lan, Li; Wang, Yanqing; Sang, Jian; Hao, Lili; Liang, Fang; Cao, Jiabao; Liu, Fang; Liu, Lin; Wang, Fan; Ma, Yingke; Xu, Xingjian; Zhang, Lijuan; Chen, Meili; Tian, Dongmei; Li, Cuiping; Dong, Lili; Du, Zhenglin; Yuan, Na; Zeng, Jingyao; Zhang, Zhewen; Wang, Jinyue; Shi, Shuo; Zhang, Yadong; Pan, Mengyu; Tang, Bixia; Zou, Dong; Song, Shuhui; Sang, Jian; Xia, Lin; Wang, Zhennan; Li, Man; Cao, Jiabao; Niu, Guangyi; Zhang, Yang; Sheng, Xin; Lu, Mingming; Wang, Qi; Xiao, Jingfa; Zou, Dong; Wang, Fan; Hao, Lili; Liang, Fang; Li, Mengwei; Sun, Shixiang; Zou, Dong; Li, Rujiao; Yu, Chunlei; Wang, Guangyu; Sang, Jian; Liu, Lin; Li, Mengwei; Li, Man; Niu, Guangyi; Cao, Jiabao; Sun, Shixiang; Xia, Lin; Yin, Hongyan; Zou, Dong; Xu, Xingjian; Ma, Lina; Chen, Huanxin; Sun, Yubin; Yu, Lei; Zhai, Shuang; Sun, Mingyuan; Zhang, Zhang; Zhao, Wenming; Xiao, Jingfa; Bao, Yiming; Song, Shuhui; Hao, Lili; Li, Rujiao; Ma, Lina; Sang, Jian; Wang, Yanqing; Tang, Bixia; Zou, Dong; Wang, Fan

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The BIG Data Center at Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides freely open access to a suite of database resources in support of worldwide research activities in both academia and industry. With the vast amounts of omics data generated at ever-greater scales and rates, the BIG Data Center is continually expanding, updating and enriching its core database resources through big-data integration and value-added curation, including BioCode (a repository archiving bioinformatics tool codes), BioProject (a biological project library), BioSample (a biological sample library), Genome Sequence Archive (GSA, a data repository for archiving raw sequence reads), Genome Warehouse (GWH, a centralized resource housing genome-scale data), Genome Variation Map (GVM, a public repository of genome variations), Gene Expression Nebulas (GEN, a database of gene expression profiles based on RNA-Seq data), Methylation Bank (MethBank, an integrated databank of DNA methylomes), and Science Wikis (a series of biological knowledge wikis for community annotations). In addition, three featured web services are provided, viz., BIG Search (search as a service; a scalable inter-domain text search engine), BIG SSO (single sign-on as a service; a user access control system to gain access to multiple independent systems with a single ID and password) and Gsub (submission as a service; a unified submission service for all relevant resources). All of these resources are publicly accessible through the home page of the BIG Data Center at http://bigd.big.ac.cn. PMID:29036542

  19. A collaborative exploration of the reasons for lower satisfaction with services among Bangladeshi and Pakistani social care users.

    PubMed

    Blake, Margaret; Bowes, Alison; Gill, Valdeep; Husain, Fatima; Mir, Ghazala

    2017-05-01

    This study explored underlying reasons for the expression of dissatisfaction with services among Bangladeshi and Pakistani social care users in England and investigated, using a collaborative approach, how these could be addressed. In-depth interviews were conducted in Birmingham, Leeds and London during 2012-2013 with 63 Bangladeshi, Pakistani and white British service users and 24 social care managers, social workers and care workers. A further 34 cognitive interviews were conducted within the same study. Following data analysis, three collaborative workshops involving service users and providers were held to validate the findings and to draw out policy and practice recommendations. Analysis of the cognitive interviews showed that higher dissatisfaction among Bangladeshi and Pakistani service users reported in social care surveys was not due to questionnaire design. Instead in-depth interviews showed that dissatisfaction across all three groups was expressed along the social care journey, including accessing care, communication with social workers and the nature of care received. While many issues were common to all three groups, cultural differences also emerged as affecting experiences of social care. These included misunderstandings about family roles in care; gender issues, especially relating to women; language and communication barriers, alongside the need for a more nuanced approach to ethnic 'matching'; and continuing limited cultural understanding among care workers. The collaborative workshops identified practical actions that could address some of the issues identified. These covered raising awareness of services within communities; improving support for informal carers; service user input to assessments; consistent and ongoing sharing of information; improving access; and more efforts to diversify and appropriately train the social care workforce. In conclusion, the paper presents the reality of dissatisfaction among these groups and argues for more action involving communities and service providers to address these persistent issues collaboratively. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. BioSWR – Semantic Web Services Registry for Bioinformatics

    PubMed Central

    Repchevsky, Dmitry; Gelpi, Josep Ll.

    2014-01-01

    Despite of the variety of available Web services registries specially aimed at Life Sciences, their scope is usually restricted to a limited set of well-defined types of services. While dedicated registries are generally tied to a particular format, general-purpose ones are more adherent to standards and usually rely on Web Service Definition Language (WSDL). Although WSDL is quite flexible to support common Web services types, its lack of semantic expressiveness led to various initiatives to describe Web services via ontology languages. Nevertheless, WSDL 2.0 descriptions gained a standard representation based on Web Ontology Language (OWL). BioSWR is a novel Web services registry that provides standard Resource Description Framework (RDF) based Web services descriptions along with the traditional WSDL based ones. The registry provides Web-based interface for Web services registration, querying and annotation, and is also accessible programmatically via Representational State Transfer (REST) API or using a SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language. BioSWR server is located at http://inb.bsc.es/BioSWR/and its code is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/bioswr/under the LGPL license. PMID:25233118

  1. BioSWR--semantic web services registry for bioinformatics.

    PubMed

    Repchevsky, Dmitry; Gelpi, Josep Ll

    2014-01-01

    Despite of the variety of available Web services registries specially aimed at Life Sciences, their scope is usually restricted to a limited set of well-defined types of services. While dedicated registries are generally tied to a particular format, general-purpose ones are more adherent to standards and usually rely on Web Service Definition Language (WSDL). Although WSDL is quite flexible to support common Web services types, its lack of semantic expressiveness led to various initiatives to describe Web services via ontology languages. Nevertheless, WSDL 2.0 descriptions gained a standard representation based on Web Ontology Language (OWL). BioSWR is a novel Web services registry that provides standard Resource Description Framework (RDF) based Web services descriptions along with the traditional WSDL based ones. The registry provides Web-based interface for Web services registration, querying and annotation, and is also accessible programmatically via Representational State Transfer (REST) API or using a SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language. BioSWR server is located at http://inb.bsc.es/BioSWR/and its code is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/bioswr/under the LGPL license.

  2. Acceptance of Swedish e-health services.

    PubMed

    Jung, Mary-Louise; Loria, Karla

    2010-11-16

    To investigate older people's acceptance of e-health services, in order to identify determinants of, and barriers to, their intention to use e-health. Based on one of the best-established models of technology acceptance, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), in-depth exploratory interviews with twelve individuals over 45 years of age and of varying backgrounds are conducted. This investigation could find support for the importance of usefulness and perceived ease of use of the e-health service offered as the main determinants of people's intention to use the service. Additional factors critical to the acceptance of e-health are identified, such as the importance of the compatibility of the services with citizens' needs and trust in the service provider. Most interviewees expressed positive attitudes towards using e-health and find these services useful, convenient, and easy to use. E-health services are perceived as a good complement to traditional health care service delivery, even among older people. These people, however, need to become aware of the e-health alternatives that are offered to them and the benefits they provide.

  3. Acceptance of Swedish e-health services

    PubMed Central

    Jung, Mary-Louise; Loria, Karla

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To investigate older people’s acceptance of e-health services, in order to identify determinants of, and barriers to, their intention to use e-health. Method: Based on one of the best-established models of technology acceptance, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), in-depth exploratory interviews with twelve individuals over 45 years of age and of varying backgrounds are conducted. Results: This investigation could find support for the importance of usefulness and perceived ease of use of the e-health service offered as the main determinants of people’s intention to use the service. Additional factors critical to the acceptance of e-health are identified, such as the importance of the compatibility of the services with citizens’ needs and trust in the service provider. Most interviewees expressed positive attitudes towards using e-health and find these services useful, convenient, and easy to use. Conclusion: E-health services are perceived as a good complement to traditional health care service delivery, even among older people. These people, however, need to become aware of the e-health alternatives that are offered to them and the benefits they provide. PMID:21289860

  4. 10 CFR 9.33 - Search, review, and special service fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... by an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, or a representative of the news media; (3... are true copies; (2) Sending records by special methods, such as express mail, package delivery...

  5. 47 CFR 5.83 - Cancellation provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Services accepts the license with the express understanding: (a) that the authority to use the frequency or... Commission at any time without hearing if in its discretion the need for such action arises. However, a...

  6. Transforming from a Service-Centric to a Joint Recruiting Environment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-09

    Manpower Policy, (Lawrence, Kansas, University Press of Kansas, 1989), 170. 9 Rostker, I Want You!, 52. 10 Milton Friedman (Why not a Volunteer Army...partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Strategic Studies Degree. The views expressed in this student academic research paper are those...centric with a narrow vision. Why does DoD recruit with a service-centric mindset? Why does DoD have separate headquarters to command and control

  7. How to improve psychiatric services: a perspective from critical psychiatry.

    PubMed

    de Silva, Prasanna

    2017-09-02

    Concern has been expressed from both within and outwith psychiatry about the relative lack of improvement of mental health services. Critical psychiatry is an emerging school of thought, mainly the product of practicing clinicians, which could be useful in remedying this situation. This article outlines, for psychiatrists and doctors of other specialities, practices which could be improved, and the competencies required to achieve this, in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes.

  8. Tobacco use among Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans: a qualitative study of barriers, facilitators, and treatment preferences.

    PubMed

    Gierisch, Jennifer M; Straits-Tröster, Kristy; Calhoun, Patrick S; Beckham, Jean C; Acheson, Shawn; Hamlett-Berry, Kim

    2012-01-01

    Military service and combat exposure are risk factors for smoking. Although evidence suggests that veterans are interested in tobacco use cessation, little is known about their reasons for quitting, treatment preferences, and perceived barriers to effective tobacco use cessation treatment. Our study objective was to elicit perspectives of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans who had not yet quit smoking postdeployment to inform the development of smoking cessation services for this veteran cohort. We conducted 3 focus groups among 20 participants in October 2006 at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center to explore issues on tobacco use and smoking cessation for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans who continued to smoke postdeployment. We used qualitative content analysis to identify major themes and organize data. Veterans expressed the belief that smoking was a normalized part of military life and described multiple perceived benefits of smoking. Although veterans expressed a high level of interest in quitting, they listed several behavioral, situational, and environmental triggers that derailed smoking cessation. They expressed interest in such cessation treatment features as flexible scheduling, free nicotine replacement therapy, peer support, and family inclusion in treatment. Our results indicate that the newest cohort of veterans perceives smoking as endemic in military service. However, they want to quit smoking and identified several personal and environmental obstacles that make smoking cessation difficult. Our findings may inform programmatic efforts to increase successful quit attempts in this unique veteran population.

  9. Homecoming of Citizen Soldiers: Postdeployment Problems and Service Use Among Army National Guard Soldiers.

    PubMed

    Griffith, James

    2017-10-01

    The present study described the types and amount of problems and services sought among returned deployed Army National Guard soldiers (4568 soldiers in 50 units). The study responds to gaps in the research literature to better understand community intervention needs of reservists. About half (48%) of the soldiers reported one or two problems, mostly those of psychological well-being, such as feelings of anger and frustration, upsetting memories, and troubled sleep (34% of the study sample), followed by problems of social support (18%), alcohol use (17%), feelings of isolation including suicidal thoughts (13%), and financial difficulties (11%). Having engaged in direct combat and having wounded or killed someone showed positive relationships with reported problems. One-third (35%) of soldiers who reported having used services went to one service and, generally, soldiers went to services related to their expressed problems. Variance in self-reported problems explained by service use was low, suggesting unsought postdeployment services.

  10. Flight Dynamics and GN&C for Spacecraft Servicing Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naasz, Bo; Zimpfer, Doug; Barrington, Ray; Mulder, Tom

    2010-01-01

    Future human exploration missions and commercial opportunities will be enabled through In-space assembly and satellite servicing. Several recent efforts have developed technologies and capabilities to support these exciting future missions, including advances in flight dynamics and Guidance, Navigation and Control. The Space Shuttle has demonstrated significant capabilities for crewed servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). Following the Columbia disaster NASA made significant progress in developing a robotic mission to service the HST. The DARPA Orbital Express mission demonstrated automated rendezvous and capture, In-space propellant transfer, and commodity replacement. This paper will provide a summary of the recent technology developments and lessons learned, and provide a focus for potential future missions.

  11. Reliability and sensitivity analysis of a system with multiple unreliable service stations and standby switching failures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ke, Jyh-Bin; Lee, Wen-Chiung; Wang, Kuo-Hsiung

    2007-07-01

    This paper presents the reliability and sensitivity analysis of a system with M primary units, W warm standby units, and R unreliable service stations where warm standby units switching to the primary state might fail. Failure times of primary and warm standby units are assumed to have exponential distributions, and service times of the failed units are exponentially distributed. In addition, breakdown times and repair times of the service stations also follow exponential distributions. Expressions for system reliability, RY(t), and mean time to system failure, MTTF are derived. Sensitivity analysis, relative sensitivity analysis of the system reliability and the mean time to failure, with respect to system parameters are also investigated.

  12. Examining emotional expressions in discourse: methodological considerations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hufnagel, Elizabeth; Kelly, Gregory J.

    2017-10-01

    This methodological paper presents an approach for examining emotional expressions through discourse analysis and ethnographic methods. Drawing on trends in the current literature in science education, we briefly explain the importance of emotions in science education and examine the current research methodologies used in interactional emotion studies. We put forth and substantiate a methodological approach that attends to the interactional, contextual, intertextual, and consequential aspects of emotional expressions. By examining emotional expressions in the discourse in which they are constructed, emotional expressions are identified through semantics, contextualization, and linguistic features. These features make salient four dimensions of emotional expressions: aboutness, frequency, type, and ownership. Drawing on data from a large empirical study of pre-service elementary teachers' emotional expressions about climate change in a science course, we provide illustrative examples to describe what counts as emotional expressions in situ. In doing so we explain how our approach makes salient the nuanced nature of such expressions as well as the broader discourse in which they are constructed and the implications for researching emotional expressions in science education discourse. We suggest reasons why this discourse orientated research methodology can contribute to the interactional study of emotions in science education contexts.

  13. Sound transit climate risk reduction project.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-09-01

    The Climate Risk Reduction Project assessed how climate change may affect Sound Transit commuter rail, light rail, and express bus : services. The project identified potential climate change impacts on agency operations, assets, and long-term plannin...

  14. Service impact of a national clinical leadership development programme: findings from a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Fealy, Gerard M; McNamara, Martin S; Casey, Mary; O'Connor, Tom; Patton, Declan; Doyle, Louise; Quinlan, Christina

    2015-04-01

    The study reported here was part of a larger study, which evaluated a national clinical leadership development programme with reference to resources, participant experiences, participant outcomes and service impact. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the programme's service impact. Clinical leadership development develops competencies that are expressed in context. The outcomes of clinical leadership development occur at individual, departmental and organisational levels. The methods used to evaluate the service impact were focus groups, group interviews and individual interviews. Seventy participants provided data in 18 separate qualitative data collection events. The data contained numerous accounts of service development activities, initiated by programme participants, which improved service and/or improved the culture of the work setting. Clinical leadership development programmes that incorporate a deliberate service impact element can result in identifiable positive service outcomes. The nuanced relationship between leader development and service development warrants further investigation. This study demonstrates that clinical leadership development can impact on service in distinct and identifiable ways. Clinical leadership development programmes should focus on the setting in which the leadership competencies will be demonstrated. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Experienced and potential medical tourists' service quality expectations.

    PubMed

    Guiry, Michael; Scott, Jeannie J; Vequist, David G

    2013-01-01

    The paper's aim is to compare experienced and potential US medical tourists' foreign health service-quality expectations. Data were collected via an online survey involving 1,588 US consumers engaging or expressing an interest in medical tourism. The sample included 219 experienced and 1,369 potential medical tourists. Respondents completed a SERVQUAL questionnaire. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to determine significant differences between experienced and potential US medical tourists' service-quality expectations. For all five service-quality dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) experienced medical tourists had significantly lower expectations than potential medical tourists. Experienced medical tourists also had significantly lower service-quality expectations than potential medical tourists for 11 individual SERVQUAL items. Results suggest using experience level to segment medical tourists. The study also has implications for managing medical tourist service-quality expectations at service delivery point and via external marketing communications. Managing medical tourists' service quality expectations is important since expectations can significantly influence choice processes, their experience and post-consumption behavior. This study is the first to compare experienced and potential US medical tourist service-quality expectations. The study establishes a foundation for future service-quality expectations research in the rapidly growing medical tourism industry.

  16. Support Service Use and Interest in Support Services among Lung Cancer Patients

    PubMed Central

    Mosher, Catherine E.; Hanna, Nasser; Jalal, Shadia I.; Fakiris, Achilles J.; Einhorn, Lawrence H.; Birdas, Thomas J.; Kesler, Kenneth A.; Champion, Victoria L.

    2013-01-01

    Summary Objectives This study examined support service use and interest in support services among lung cancer patients (N = 165) at two comprehensive medical centers in the midwestern United States. Materials and Methods Patients completed an assessment of support service use (i.e., receipt of mental health services, complementary and alternative medicine [CAM], and help from a spiritual leader), interest in support services, and physical and psychological symptoms. Results Only 40% of patients with significant anxiety and depressive symptoms and 28% of the entire sample reported current mental health service use. However, nearly half (47%) of all patients were receiving support from a spiritual leader. Having late-stage lung cancer and a religious affiliation predicted receipt of spiritual support. Few patients who were not receiving mental health services or spiritual support were interested in these services (range = 4% to 18%). Conversely, although interest in CAM was expressed by a substantial minority of patients (27%) who were not using these services, rates of CAM use were relatively low (22%). Conclusion Findings suggest that distressed lung cancer patients underuse mental health services, but many patients receive help from spiritual leaders. Given the lack of interest in mental health services among patients who are not receiving them, efforts are needed to enhance palatability of services and identify and reduce barriers to evidence-based service use. PMID:23932457

  17. Genevar: a database and Java application for the analysis and visualization of SNP-gene associations in eQTL studies.

    PubMed

    Yang, Tsun-Po; Beazley, Claude; Montgomery, Stephen B; Dimas, Antigone S; Gutierrez-Arcelus, Maria; Stranger, Barbara E; Deloukas, Panos; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T

    2010-10-01

    Genevar (GENe Expression VARiation) is a database and Java tool designed to integrate multiple datasets, and provides analysis and visualization of associations between sequence variation and gene expression. Genevar allows researchers to investigate expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) associations within a gene locus of interest in real time. The database and application can be installed on a standard computer in database mode and, in addition, on a server to share discoveries among affiliations or the broader community over the Internet via web services protocols. http://www.sanger.ac.uk/resources/software/genevar.

  18. Design and Analysis of on-Orbit Servicing Architectures for the Global Positioning System Constellation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-03-01

    expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S...a satellite constellation through a policy of launching a new satellite at the first on-orbit failure. Increasing satellite design life is a common...alternatives consisted of the current constellation with the addition of various servicing architectures. We assumed no radical shift in GPS management policy

  19. Encouraging Work Family Balance: Why The Department of Defense Needs A Family Medical Leave Act

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-05-06

    DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. ii Disclaimer The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the...typical service member demographic has changed over the last 25 years. There are more service members who are married, have children, are female, and are ...this, the military will continue to have a difficult time maintaining unit readiness as more and more of its members are faced with family choices

  20. Student Loans: Oversight of Servicemembers Interest Rate Cap Could Be Strengthened

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-11-01

    especially for certain third-party service providers who may lend money for or service private student loans. NCUA noted that it does not currently...calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or TDD (202) 512-2537. Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, Visa...check, or money order. Call for additional information. Connect with GAO on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or

  1. Evaluation of Candidate Materials for Fines Filter Media in the C2 Canister

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-05-01

    Philadelphia PA 19103. (5) Owens - Corning Technical Center, "Breaking Strength", Test Report 48708, October 1, 1990. (6) ASTM F778-88, "Gas Flow...strength per ASTM D1682-64. Appendix A 39 OWENS - CORNING TESTING SERVICES TECHNICAL CENTER, 2790 Columbus Rd. OWENS - CORNING FIBERGLAS CORPORATION Granville... Owens - Corning Testing Services makes no warranty, express or implied, whether of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, with respect to

  2. A responsible method of making healthcare choices.

    PubMed

    Scandlen, Greg

    2002-01-01

    The essential problem in healthcare has never been fee-for-service. The problem is third-party payment that inevitably leads to excessive demand for services. Third-party payers will always try to limit the use and cost of services to reduce their exposure. The big question facing us in the next 10 years is who decides what gets paid for and what doesn't. Will it be employers, insurers, the government? Or it will it be consumers? Many employers have concluded that Americans are perfectly capable of expressing their preferences and choices in healthcare. But they need to understand that resources are limited and trade-offs are required.

  3. How Receptive Are Patients With Late Stage Cancer to Rehabilitation Services and What Are the Sources of Their Resistance?

    PubMed

    Cheville, Andrea L; Rhudy, Lori; Basford, Jeffrey R; Griffin, Joan M; Flores, Ann Marie

    2017-02-01

    To describe the proportion and characteristics of patients with late stage cancer that are and are not receptive to receiving rehabilitation services, and the rationale for their level of interest. Prospective mixed-methods study. Comprehensive cancer center in a quaternary medical center. Adults with stage IIIC or IV non-small cell or extensive stage small cell lung cancer (N=311). Not applicable. Telephone-acquired responses to the administration of (1) the Activity Measure for Post Acute Care Computer Adaptive Test (AM-PAC-CAT); (2) numerical rating scales for pain, dyspnea, fatigue, general emotional distress, and distress associated with functional limitations; (3) a query regarding receptivity to receipt of rehabilitation services, and (4) a query about rationale for nonreceptivity. Overall, 99 (31.8%) of the study's 311 participants expressed interest in receiving rehabilitation services: 38 at the time of enrollment and an additional 61 during at least 1 subsequent contact. Participants expressing interest were more likely to have a child as primary caregiver (18.18% vs 9.91%, P=.04) and a musculoskeletal comorbidity (42.4% vs 31.6%, P=.05). Function-related distress was highly associated with receptivity, as were lower AM-PAC-CAT scores. Reasons provided for lack of interest in receiving services included a perception of their limited benefit, being too busy, and prioritization below more pressing tasks/concerns. One-third of patients with late stage lung cancer are likely to be interested in receiving rehabilitation services despite high levels of disability and related distress. These findings suggest that patient misperception of the role of rehabilitation services may be a barrier to improved function and quality of life. Efforts to educate patients on the benefits of rehabilitation and to more formally integrate rehabilitation as part of comprehensive care may curb these missed opportunities. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. How receptive are patients with late stage cancer to rehabilitation services and what are the sources of their resistance?

    PubMed Central

    Cheville, Andrea L.; Rhudy, Lori; Basford, Jeffrey R.; Griffin, Joan M.; Flores, Ann Marie

    2017-01-01

    Objective To describe the proportion and characteristics of patients with late stage cancer that are and are not receptive to receiving rehabilitation services, as well as the rationale for their level of interest. Setting A comprehensive cancer center in a Northcentral US quaternary medical center Design A prospective mixed methods study Participants 311 adults with Stage IIIC or IV non-small cell or extensive stage small cell lung cancer. Interventions Not applicable Main Outcome Measures Telephone acquired responses to the administration of: 1) the Activity Measure for Post Acute Care Computer Adaptive Test (AM-PAC-CAT); 2) Numerical rating scales for pain, dyspnea, fatigue, general emotional distress, and distress associated with functional limitations; 3) a query regarding receptivity to receipt of rehabilitation services, and 4) a query about rationale for non-receptivity. Results Overall 99 (31.8%) of the study’s 311 participants expressed interest in receiving rehabilitation services; 38 at the time of enrollment and an additional 61 during at least one subsequent contact. Participants expressing interest were more likely to have a child as primary caregiver (18.18% vs. 9.91%, p = 0.04) and a musculoskeletal comorbidity (42.4% vs. 31.6%, p = 0.05). Function-related distress was highly associated with receptivity, as were lower AM-PAC-CAT scores. Reasons provided for lack of interest in receiving services included a perception of their limited benefit, being too busy, and prioritization below more pressing tasks/concerns. Conclusions One-third of patients with late stage lung cancer are likely to be interested in receiving rehabilitation services despite high levels of disability and related distress. These findings suggest that patient misperception of the role of rehabilitation services may be a barrier to improved function and quality of life. Efforts to educate patients on the benefits of rehabilitation and to more formally integrate rehabilitation as part of comprehensive care may curb these missed opportunities. PMID:27592401

  5. Genetic expression programming-based DBA for enhancing peer-assisted music-on-demand service in EPON

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liem, Andrew Tanny; Hwang, I.-Shyan; Nikoukar, AliAkbar; Lee, Jhong-Yue

    2015-03-01

    Today, the popularity of peer-assisted music-on-demand (MoD) has increased significantly worldwide. This service allows users to access large music library tracks, listen to music, and share their playlist with other users. Unlike the conventional voice traffic, such an application maintains music quality that ranges from 160 kbps to 320 kbps, which most likely consumes more bandwidth than other traffics. In the access network, Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) is one of the best candidates for delivering such a service because of being cost-effective and with high bandwidth. To maintain music quality, a stutter needs to be prevented because of either network effects or when the due user was not receiving enough resources to play in a timely manner. Therefore, in this paper, we propose two genetic expression programming (GEP)-based dynamic bandwidth allocations (DBAs). The first DBA is a generic DBA that aims to find an optimum formula for voice, video, and data services. The second DBA aims to find optimum formulas so that Optical Line Terminal (OLT) can satisfy not only the voice and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) MoD traffics but also reduce the stutter. Optical Network Unit (ONU) traits such as REPORT and GATE messages, cycle time, and mean packet delay are set to be predictor variables. Simulation results show that our proposed DBAs can satisfy the voice and P2P MoD services packet delay and monitor other overall system performances such as expedited forwarding (EF) jitter, packet loss, bandwidth waste, and system throughputs.

  6. Database Resources of the BIG Data Center in 2018.

    PubMed

    2018-01-04

    The BIG Data Center at Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides freely open access to a suite of database resources in support of worldwide research activities in both academia and industry. With the vast amounts of omics data generated at ever-greater scales and rates, the BIG Data Center is continually expanding, updating and enriching its core database resources through big-data integration and value-added curation, including BioCode (a repository archiving bioinformatics tool codes), BioProject (a biological project library), BioSample (a biological sample library), Genome Sequence Archive (GSA, a data repository for archiving raw sequence reads), Genome Warehouse (GWH, a centralized resource housing genome-scale data), Genome Variation Map (GVM, a public repository of genome variations), Gene Expression Nebulas (GEN, a database of gene expression profiles based on RNA-Seq data), Methylation Bank (MethBank, an integrated databank of DNA methylomes), and Science Wikis (a series of biological knowledge wikis for community annotations). In addition, three featured web services are provided, viz., BIG Search (search as a service; a scalable inter-domain text search engine), BIG SSO (single sign-on as a service; a user access control system to gain access to multiple independent systems with a single ID and password) and Gsub (submission as a service; a unified submission service for all relevant resources). All of these resources are publicly accessible through the home page of the BIG Data Center at http://bigd.big.ac.cn. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  7. Funding health and social services for older people - a qualitative study of care recipients in the last year of life.

    PubMed

    Hanratty, Barbara; Lowson, Elizabeth; Holmes, Louise; Grande, Gunn; Addington-Hall, Julia; Payne, Sheila; Seymour, Jane

    2012-05-01

    This study explores the views of older adults who are receiving health and social care at the end of their lives, on how services should be funded, and describes their health-related expenditure. Qualitative interview study. North West England. 30 people aged 69-93 years, diagnosed with lung cancer, heart failure or stroke and judged by health professionals to be in their last year of life. Sixteen participants lived in disadvantaged areas. Views of older adults on funding of services. Participants expressed a belief in an earned entitlement to services funded from taxation, based on a broad sense of being a good citizen. Irrespective of social background, older people felt that those who could afford to pay for social care, should do so. Sale of assets and use of children's inheritance to fund care was widely perceived as an injustice. The costs of living with illness are a burden, and families are filling many of the gaps left by welfare provision. People who had worked in low-wage occupations were most concerned to justify their current acceptance of services, and distance themselves from what they described as welfare 'spongers' or 'layabouts.' There is a gap between the health and social care system that older adults expect and what may be provided by a reformed welfare state at a time of financial stringencies. The values that underpinned the views expressed--mutuality, care for the most needy, and the importance of working to contribute to society--are an important contribution to the debate on welfare funding.

  8. Levels of satisfaction of 'low-risk' mothers with their current health visiting service.

    PubMed

    Bowns, I R; Crofts, D J; Williams, T S; Rigby, A S; Hall, D M; Haining, R P

    2000-04-01

    To assess the expressed levels of satisfaction of 'low-risk' mothers with the current health visiting service. Setting Sheffield, England, Autumn 1997. Self-completion, postal questionnaire (initial postcard reminder followed by a second letter and questionnaire) to a sample of 403 mothers assessed as 'low priority' by their health visitor. Questions largely related to maternal opinion of the adequacy of the health visiting service delivered during the first 9-12 months. The local research ethics committee approved the study. A corrected response rate of 75% with little evidence of significant bias. A high proportion (86%) of women stated that they were either 'fairly' or 'very' satisfied with the service they had received from their health visitor with regard to their baby. A lower proportion (72%) was equally satisfied with the service they had received in respect of their own health. Despite an average number of approximately 10 contacts in relation to infant health with the health visitor during the first year of life, some 6% of women wanted more frequent contacts, particularly in the first few weeks. Study limitations The questionnaire was designed specifically for the study and validation was limited. The study population comprised a selected, 'low-risk' group. The number of reported contacts with the health visitor seemed to greatly exceed those indicated by a basic child health surveillance programme. The overall level of maternal satisfaction is high, though a minority of women would like more support. Dissatisfaction was expressed with the lack of an appointment system for clinics, poor punctuality in home visits, and inappropriate or inadequate advice.

  9. Multipurpose broadcast data link architecture

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-04-07

    The aviation community has recently expressed significant interest in a broadcast mode of data link services. A broadcast mode of delivery is well suited for applications of a general interest to many users and for applications that require periodic ...

  10. 75 FR 62425 - Notice of Determinations Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-08

    ... August 27, 2009. Workers Express Employment Professionals, Contemporary Staffing, etc. 74,586 Burton... date 74,062 EPSG Management Services Burbank, CA 74,430 Tasman Hartford, LLC.... Hartford, WI I hereby...

  11. Measuring the impact of enhanced kinship navigator services for informal kinship caregivers using an experimental design.

    PubMed

    Feldman, Leonard H; Fertig, Amanda

    2013-01-01

    While relative care may offer significant benefits to kin children as compared to non-relative foster care, informal kinship caregivers often experience various hardships and needs without the resources of the child welfare system to aid them. They may benefit from services provided by an expanded kinship navigator program. This study, using an experimental design, adds to knowledge about the characteristics and needs of kinship caregivers and the impact of enhanced navigator services. The relative effect of this more intensive intervention was mixed. Caregivers had many of their expressed needs met. Yet, the enhanced services group did not demonstrate: an increase in perceived social support; reduction in caregiver stress; or improvement in child behavior compared to the families receiving brief, traditional navigator services. Little difference was found in post intervention involvement in the child welfare system. Further enhancements to the model are suggested.

  12. A new method for E-government procurement using collaborative filtering and Bayesian approach.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shuai; Xi, Chengyu; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Wenyu; Chen, Yanhong

    2013-01-01

    Nowadays, as the Internet services increase faster than ever before, government systems are reinvented as E-government services. Therefore, government procurement sectors have to face challenges brought by the explosion of service information. This paper presents a novel method for E-government procurement (eGP) to search for the optimal procurement scheme (OPS). Item-based collaborative filtering and Bayesian approach are used to evaluate and select the candidate services to get the top-M recommendations such that the involved computation load can be alleviated. A trapezoidal fuzzy number similarity algorithm is applied to support the item-based collaborative filtering and Bayesian approach, since some of the services' attributes can be hardly expressed as certain and static values but only be easily represented as fuzzy values. A prototype system is built and validated with an illustrative example from eGP to confirm the feasibility of our approach.

  13. A New Method for E-Government Procurement Using Collaborative Filtering and Bayesian Approach

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yan

    2013-01-01

    Nowadays, as the Internet services increase faster than ever before, government systems are reinvented as E-government services. Therefore, government procurement sectors have to face challenges brought by the explosion of service information. This paper presents a novel method for E-government procurement (eGP) to search for the optimal procurement scheme (OPS). Item-based collaborative filtering and Bayesian approach are used to evaluate and select the candidate services to get the top-M recommendations such that the involved computation load can be alleviated. A trapezoidal fuzzy number similarity algorithm is applied to support the item-based collaborative filtering and Bayesian approach, since some of the services' attributes can be hardly expressed as certain and static values but only be easily represented as fuzzy values. A prototype system is built and validated with an illustrative example from eGP to confirm the feasibility of our approach. PMID:24385869

  14. Innovations in Emergency Nursing: Transforming Emergency Care Through a Novel Nurse-Driven Emergency Department Telehealth Express Care Service.

    PubMed

    McHugh, Catherine; Krinsky, Rhonda; Sharma, Rahul

    2018-04-06

    Emergency department overcrowding and acuity are significant challenges to patients and staff. Low-acuity patients have extended wait times, and decreased satisfaction can have a negative effect on patient flow. A multidisciplinary ED team developed and launched the first ED-based Telehealth Express Care Service, where patients who present to the emergency department with minor complaints are offered a "virtual visit" with a board-certified emergency physician located remotely. More than 6 months into the program, more than 1,300 patients have been treated. These patients experienced decreased length of stay (2.5 hours to 38 minutes) and increased satisfaction. The program is very well received by staff members who appreciate its efficiency. Telehealth has the potential to optimize ED efficiency, increase patient satisfaction, and promote safe, high-quality provision of care. Copyright © 2018 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Consumer participation in housing: reflecting on consumer preferences.

    PubMed

    Browne, Graeme; Hemsley, Martin

    2010-12-01

    Historically, people living with mental illness have had limited chance to participate in mental health services other than as patients. Following on from a recent review focusing on consumer participation in mental health services, this paper looks at consumer participation in housing. Housing is a critical element in recovery from mental illness. Without suitable housing, people have little chance of maintaining other resources in their lives, such as supportive social relationships and meaningful activities. Consumer participation is not a common topic in the recent literature, despite the significant public policy push to promote it. The importance of appropriate housing to the recovery of people living with mental illness cannot be underestimated. Even well-meaning and well-resourced housing initiatives can fall short of meeting consumers' recovery goals when they do not incorporate the expressed needs of consumers. These expressed needs include keeping units small in size and employing drop-in support models.

  16. Orbital Express Advanced Video Guidance Sensor: Ground Testing, Flight Results and Comparisons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinson, Robin M.; Howard, Richard T.; Heaton, Andrew F.

    2008-01-01

    Orbital Express (OE) was a successful mission demonstrating automated rendezvous and docking. The 2007 mission consisted of two spacecraft, the Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) and the Next Generation Serviceable Satellite (NEXTSat) that were designed to work together and test a variety of service operations in orbit. The Advanced Video Guidance Sensor, AVGS, was included as one of the primary proximity navigation sensors on board the ASTRO. The AVGS was one of four sensors that provided relative position and attitude between the two vehicles. Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for the AVGS software and testing (especially the extensive ground testing), flight operations support, and analyzing the flight data. This paper briefly describes the historical mission, the data taken on-orbit, the ground testing that occurred, and finally comparisons between flight data and ground test data for two different flight regimes.

  17. Transimulation - protein biosynthesis web service.

    PubMed

    Siwiak, Marlena; Zielenkiewicz, Piotr

    2013-01-01

    Although translation is the key step during gene expression, it remains poorly characterized at the level of individual genes. For this reason, we developed Transimulation - a web service measuring translational activity of genes in three model organisms: Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens. The calculations are based on our previous computational model of translation and experimental data sets. Transimulation quantifies mean translation initiation and elongation time (expressed in SI units), and the number of proteins produced per transcript. It also approximates the number of ribosomes that typically occupy a transcript during translation, and simulates their propagation. The simulation of ribosomes' movement is interactive and allows modifying the coding sequence on the fly. It also enables uploading any coding sequence and simulating its translation in one of three model organisms. In such a case, ribosomes propagate according to mean codon elongation times of the host organism, which may prove useful for heterologous expression. Transimulation was used to examine evolutionary conservation of translational parameters of orthologous genes. Transimulation may be accessed at http://nexus.ibb.waw.pl/Transimulation (requires Java version 1.7 or higher). Its manual and source code, distributed under the GPL-2.0 license, is freely available at the website.

  18. Data Quality Screening Service

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strub, Richard; Lynnes, Christopher; Hearty, Thomas; Won, Young-In; Fox, Peter; Zednik, Stephan

    2013-01-01

    A report describes the Data Quality Screening Service (DQSS), which is designed to help automate the filtering of remote sensing data on behalf of science users. Whereas this process often involves much research through quality documents followed by laborious coding, the DQSS is a Web Service that provides data users with data pre-filtered to their particular criteria, while at the same time guiding the user with filtering recommendations of the cognizant data experts. The DQSS design is based on a formal semantic Web ontology that describes data fields and the quality fields for applying quality control within a data product. The accompanying code base handles several remote sensing datasets and quality control schemes for data products stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF), a common format for NASA remote sensing data. Together, the ontology and code support a variety of quality control schemes through the implementation of the Boolean expression with simple, reusable conditional expressions as operands. Additional datasets are added to the DQSS simply by registering instances in the ontology if they follow a quality scheme that is already modeled in the ontology. New quality schemes are added by extending the ontology and adding code for each new scheme.

  19. Summer programming in rural communities: unique challenges.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Ruthellen; Harper, Stacey; Gamble, Susan

    2007-01-01

    During the past several decades, child poverty rates have been higher in rural than in urban areas, and now 2.5 million children live in deep poverty in rural America. Studies indicate that poor children are most affected by the typical "summer slide." Summer programming has the ability to address the issues of academic loss, nutritional loss, and the lack of safe and constructive enrichment activities. However, poor rural communities face three major challenges in implementing summer programming: community resources, human capital, and accessibility. The success of Energy Express, a statewide award-winning six-week summer reading and nutrition program in West Virginia, documents strategies for overcoming the challenges faced by poor, rural communities in providing summer programs. Energy Express (1) uses community collaboration to augment resources and develop community ownership, (2) builds human capital and reverses the acknowledged brain drain by engaging college students and community volunteers in meaningful service, and (3) increases accessibility through creative transportation strategies. West Virginia University Extension Service, the outreach arm of the land-grant institution, partners with AmeriCorps, a national service program, and various state and local agencies and organizations to implement a program that produces robust results.

  20. Towards Using Reo for Compliance-Aware Business Process Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arbab, Farhad; Kokash, Natallia; Meng, Sun

    Business process modeling and implementation of process supporting infrastructures are two challenging tasks that are not fully aligned. On the one hand, languages such as Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) exist to capture business processes at the level of domain analysis. On the other hand, programming paradigms and technologies such as Service-Oriented Computing (SOC) and web services have emerged to simplify the development of distributed web systems that underly business processes. BPMN is the most recognized language for specifying process workflows at the early design steps. However, it is rather declarative and may lead to the executable models which are incomplete or semantically erroneous. Therefore, an approach for expressing and analyzing BPMN models in a formal setting is required. In this paper we describe how BPMN diagrams can be represented by means of a semantically precise channel-based coordination language called Reo which admits formal analysis using model checking and bisimulation techniques. Moreover, since additional requirements may come from various regulatory/legislative documents, we discuss the opportunities offered by Reo and its mathematical abstractions for expressing process-related constraints such as Quality of Service (QoS) or time-aware conditions on process states.

  1. Community/hospital indicators in South African public sector mental health services.

    PubMed

    Lund, Crick; Flisher, Alan J

    2003-12-01

    The need to balance resources between community and hospital-based mental health services in the post-deinstitutionalisation era has been well-documented. However, few indicators have been developed to monitor the relationship between community and hospital services, in either developed or developing countries. There is a particular need for such indicators in the South African context, with its history of inequitable services based in custodial institutions under apartheid, and a new policy that proposes the development of more equitable community-based care. Indicators are needed to measure the distribution of resources and the relative utilisation of community and hospital-based services during the reform process. These indicators are potentially useful for assessing the implementation of policy objectives over time. To develop and document community/hospital indicators in public sector mental health services in South Africa. A questionnaire was distributed to provincial mental health coordinators requesting numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who provide mental health care at all service levels, annual patient admissions to hospitals and annual patient attendances at ambulatory care facilities. The information was supplemented by consultations with mental health coordinators in each of the 9 provinces. Population data were obtained from preliminary findings of the 1996 census. The community/hospital indicator measuring staff distribution was defined as the ratio of staff employed in community settings to all staff, expressed as a percentage. The community/hospital indicator measuring patient service utilisation was defined as the ratio of the annual ambulatory care attendance rate per 100,000 population to the sum of this rate and the annual hospital admission rate per 100,000 population, expressed as a percentage. Of psychiatric public sector staff, 25% are located in community settings in South Africa (provincial range: 11-70%). If hospital outpatient services are included in the definition of ' 'hospital' ', this figure is reduced to 17% (provincial range: 3-56%). In terms of service utilisation, 66% of patient contacts with mental health services occur through ambulatory care services in South Africa (provincial range: 44-93%). Community/hospital staff distribution indicates an overemphasis on centralised hospital-based care in most provinces and inadequate hospital care in certain provinces. Patterns of patient service utilisation indicate an over-reliance on central hospital-based services and substantial unmet need. The findings draw attention to problems in information systems for mental health care in South Africa. The community/hospital indicators developed for this study form a useful measure for assessing the implementation of mental health policy over time. For the South African context, the community/hospital indicators are a measure of the extent of resource redistribution from hospital to community services and changing patterns of service utilisation over time. Currently, patterns of resource distribution and service utilisation are inconsistent with government policy. Further research is needed into the development of mental health information systems, refining service indicators and improving methodologies for assessing the implementation of mental health policies in service delivery.

  2. Service user and family member perspectives on services for mental health, substance use/addiction, and violence: a qualitative study of their goals, experiences and recommendations.

    PubMed

    Haskell, Rebecca; Graham, Kathryn; Bernards, Sharon; Flynn, Andrea; Wells, Samantha

    2016-01-01

    Mental health and substance use disorders (MSD) are significant public health concerns that often co-occur with violence. To improve services that address MSD and violence [MSD(V)], it is critical to understand the perspectives of those most affected, people who have sought help for MSD(V) (i.e., "service users"), especially those with co-occurring issues, as well as their family members. We conducted structured interviews with 73 service users and 41 family members of service users in two Ontario communities (one urban, one rural) regarding their goals related to help-seeking, positive and negative experiences, and recommendations for improving systems of care. Overall, participants expressed a need for services that: (1) are respectful, nonjudgmental, and supportive, help service users to feel more 'normal' and include education to reduce stigma; (2) are accessible, varied and publicly funded, thereby meeting individual needs and addressing equity concerns at a systems level; and (3) are coordinated, holistic and inclusive of family members who often support service users. The findings provide a rich understanding of how service users and their families perceive services for MSD(V) issues and identify key ways to better meet their needs.

  3. Barriers to mental health service use among distressed family caregivers of lung cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Mosher, C E; Given, B A; Ostroff, J S

    2015-01-01

    Although family caregivers of patients with lung and other cancers show high rates of psychological distress, they underuse mental health services. This qualitative study aimed to identify barriers to mental health service use among 21 distressed family caregivers of lung cancer patients. Caregivers had not received mental health services during the patient's initial months of care at a comprehensive cancer centre in New York City. Thematic analysis of interview data was framed by Andersen's model of health service use and Corrigan's stigma theory. Results of our analysis expand Andersen's model by providing a description of need variables (e.g. psychiatric symptoms), enabling factors (e.g. finances), and psychosocial factors associated with caregivers' non-use of mental health services. Regarding psychosocial factors, caregivers expressed negative perceptions of mental health professionals and a desire for independent management of emotional concerns. Additionally, caregivers perceived a conflict between mental health service use and the caregiving role (e.g. prioritising the patient's needs). Although caregivers denied stigma associated with service use, their anticipated negative self-perceptions if they were to use services suggest that stigma may have influenced their decision to not seek services. Findings suggest that interventions to improve caregivers' uptake of mental health services should address perceived barriers. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Intimate partner violence among female service members and veterans: information and resources available through military and non-military websites.

    PubMed

    Brown, Amy; Joshi, Manisha

    2014-01-01

    With the expansion of women's roles in the military, the number of female service members and veterans has increased. Considerable knowledge about intimate partner violence (IPV) in civilian couples exists but little is known about IPV among female service members and veterans. Prevalence rates of IPV range from 17% to 39% for female service members, and 21.9% to 74% for veterans. Most service members and veterans indicated using the Internet at least occasionally and expressed willingness to seek information about services via the Internet. Informed by data, we conducted a systematic review of military (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps) and non-military (Veterans Affairs and Google) websites to explore the availability and presentation of information and resources related to IPV. The websites search revealed a variety of resources and information available, and important differences between sites with regard to what and how information is presented. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.

  5. Illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners: predicting potential consumers.

    PubMed Central

    Pender, N J; Pender, A R

    1980-01-01

    A cross-sectional survey of 388 residents of a northern Illinois county explored the relationships between psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of the population and intentions to use illness prevention and health promotion services provided by nurse practitioners. Results of the study indicated that 61 per cent of the respondents intended to use one or more of the nurse-provided services when they became available within the community. The best predictors of intention to use the services were: expressed interest in use of prevention and health promotion services for direct pay, education beyond high school, and a low level of life stress. Intentions to use the services did not differ significantly between individuals with a regular personal physician and those without a regular physician. These data were interpreted as indicating a need within the community for nurse practitioners to provide prevention and health promotion care. The findings also supported the complementary roles of nurses and physicians in providing health care to ambulatory populations. PMID:7416338

  6. Mars Express Forward Link Capabilities for the Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allard, Daniel A.; Wallick, Michael N.; Gladden, Roy E.; Wang, Paul

    2012-01-01

    This software provides a new capability for landed Mars assets to perform forward link relay through the Mars Express (MEX) European Union orbital spacecraft. It solves the problem of standardizing the relay interface between lander missions and MEX. The Mars Operations Relay Service (MaROS) is intended as a central point for relay planning and post-pass analysis for all Mars landed and orbital assets. Through the first two phases of implementation, MaROS supports relay coordination through the Odyssey orbiter and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). With this new software, MaROS now fully integrates the Mars Express spacecraft into the relay picture. This new software generates and manages a new set of file formats that allows for relay request to MEX for forward and return link relay, including the parameters specific to MEX. Existing MEX relay planning interactions were performed via email exchanges and point-to-point file transfers. By integrating MEX into MaROS, all transactions are managed by a centralized service for tracking and analysis. Additionally, all lander missions have a single, shared interface with MEX and do not have to integrate on a mission-by mission basis. Relay is a critical element of Mars lander data management. Landed assets depend largely upon orbital relay for data delivery, which can be impacted by the availability and health of each orbiter in the network. At any time, an issue may occur to prevent relay. For this reason, it is imperative that all possible orbital assets be integrated into the overall relay picture.

  7. Depression and Korean American immigrants.

    PubMed

    Park, So-Youn; Bernstein, Kunsook Song

    2008-02-01

    Koreans are a relatively new and fast-growing immigrant group in the United States. Research has shown that immigration experiences are associated with depression, whereas acculturation and social support are moderating factors. Korean culture is informed by Confucianism, which emphasizes family integrity, group conformity, and traditional gender roles, and has influenced how Korean immigrants conceptualize depression, express depressive symptoms, and demonstrate help-seeking behavior. An understanding of Korean patterns of manifesting and expressing depression will be helpful to provide culturally appropriate mental health services to Korean American immigrants.

  8. Alternative Measured-Service Rate Structures for Local Telephone Service,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-06-01

    contracts or grants . Views expressed in a Papet are the author’s own, and are not necessarily shared by Rand or its research sponsors. The Rand Corporation...by National Science Foundation, grant DAR 77-16286 to The Rand Corporation. Measuring costs depend strongly on the technology of the telephone network...a Budget Constraint. The Case of the Two-Part Tariff," Review of Economic Studies, July 1974, Vol. 41, pp. 337-345. -28- Oi, W. Y., "A Disneyland

  9. Crack free concrete made with nanofiber reinforcement

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-05-10

    The aviation community has recently expressed significant interest in a broadcast mode of data link services. A broadcast mode of delivery is well suited for applications of a general interest to many users and for applications that require periodic ...

  10. Los Angeles congestion reduction demonstration (Metro ExpressLanes) program. National evaluation : environmental data test plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-09-19

    The term National Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure (NITI) refers to the integrated electronics, communications, and hardware and software elements that can support Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services and products. NITI is not ju...

  11. 78 FR 6325 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Applicants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-30

    ... World Shipping, dba OWS, dba Ocean Express, dba Oceanexpress Vanguard Logistics Services, dba Vanguard... FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Applicants The Commission gives notice that the following applicants have filed an application for an Ocean Transportation...

  12. Passenger Demand Model for Railway Revenue Management

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we have illustrated a fare pricing strategy for the Acela Express service operated by Amtrak. The RM method proposed is based on passengers preference and products attributes. Using sales data, a MNL model has been calibrated; th...

  13. 3 CFR 8380 - Proclamation 8380 of May 14, 2009. Armed Forces Day, 2009

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... people.” Based on this perspective, I call upon all Americans to learn more about, and express gratitude... the call to service deserve recognition and gratitude. They have endured the most difficult of...

  14. 77 FR 31013 - Notice of Inquiry; Solicitation of Views on Requests To Develop and Release Container Freight...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-24

    ... liner shipping markets. In principle, the availability of credible rate benchmarks allows shippers and... Agricultural Marketing Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have expressed an interest in...

  15. Should a doctor stop rendering medical services? Principles of conduct towards patients attempting to commit suicide. Part 1 -- the Polish perspective.

    PubMed

    Zajdel, Justyna; Zajdel, Radoslaw; Krakowiak, Anna

    2013-01-01

    According to the general idea a doctor can start the medical management process in an adult and not legally incapacitated patient after the patient has given consent to initiate such a process. The patient's refusal makes rendering medical services impossible, irrespective of their scope and kind. It should be emphasized that such a refusal is respected if it is expressed fully, clearly and consciously. Cases in which such a refusal is expressed by an intoxicated suicidal patient, remaining under the influence of narcotics, drugs or medicaments which characterize with a similar activity should be particularly analysed. Although such a person is able to verbally declare his objection, his ability to process the information given by the doctor before initiating medical procedures is limited, or even non-existant. The refusal therefore cannot be regarded as reliable, which results in rendering medical services to the patient. An analysis was made of Acts of Law and the opinions of the judiciar by comparing and excluding contradictory and incoherent elements. Despite the lack of clear regulations of a patient rejecting procedures aimed at saving the patient's life, or the prevention of serious health impairment or sustaining injury, it should be assumed that the objection expressed by the patient who does not demonstrate the ability to process the information provided by the doctor is not reliable, and the doctor is therefore still obliged to render medical services. External factors, such as consumption of alcohol, narcotics and drugs, which characterize with a similar activity impair perception and make the taking of a conscious decision impossible. Not providing medical help and introducing direct compulsion would mean neglecting provision of due diligence in the process of treatment and, as a consequence, placing the patient's health at risk, and suffering from negative implications for the patient's life and/or health in the future. Current provisions should directly regulate the negligence of respecting a refusal expressed 'unconsciously' by a patient who remains under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, drugs or medicaments which characterize with a similar activity. Moreover, apart from legal provisions, the law providers should consider introducing a direct compulsion in patients who are unable to make a conscious decision in the treatment process.

  16. Optimal control of M/M/1 two-phase queueing system with state-dependent arrival rate, server breakdowns, delayed repair, and N-policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rao, Hanumantha; Kumar, Vasanta; Srinivasa Rao, T.; Srinivasa Kumar, B.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we examine a two-stage queueing system where the arrivals are Poisson with rate depends on the condition of the server to be specific: vacation, pre-service, operational or breakdown state. The service station is liable to breakdowns and deferral in repair because of non-accessibility of the repair facility. The service is in two basic stages, the first being bulk service to every one of the customers holding up on the line and the second stage is individual to each of them. The server works under N-policy. The server needs preliminary time (startup time) to begin batch service after a vacation period. Startup times, uninterrupted service times, the length of each vacation period, delay times and service times follows an exponential distribution. The closed form of expressions for the mean system size at different conditions of the server is determined. Numerical investigations are directed to concentrate the impact of the system parameters on the ideal limit N and the minimum base expected unit cost.

  17. [Satisfaction with health services in the North Bohemia Region].

    PubMed

    Masopust, V; Rajman, K

    1989-04-01

    In May 1988 in the North Bohemian region an anonymous survey was made in which 3,767 respondents participated, i.e. 0.42% of the population living in the region. The survey was focused on the satisfaction with and attitudes of patients to the health services. 73.64% of the respondents evaluated the provided services positively, 24.39% had an ambivalent attitude and 1.97% evaluated them negatively. Material shortcomings in the health services were criticized by 54.05% of the respondents, 37.75% criticized long waiting periods and 23.17% shortage of health personnel. The greatest advantage of our health services is that they are free of charge (49.91% respondents); availability (48.23%) and good interpersonal relations (21.56%). The satisfaction with the health services was expressed by 85.72% respondents verbally, 5.57% by criticism, 1.57% by a bribe and 1.43% by complaints. The most pretentious group are young patients working in industry. A positive attitude to the health services correlates with a positive evaluation of health workers. Thus the necessity arises to guard the ethical and professional standard of the health workers.

  18. Marketing family planning services in New Orleans.

    PubMed

    Bertrand, J T; Proffitt, B J; Bartlett, T L

    1987-01-01

    The health care profession is witnessing a shift in focus from the interests and needs of the service provider to those of the potential consumer in an effort to attract and maintain clients. This study illustrates the role that marketing research can play in the development of program strategies, even for relatively small organizations. The study was conducted for Planned Parenthood of Louisiana, a recently organized affiliate that began offering clinical services in May 1984, to provide information on the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. Data from telephone interviews among a random sample of 1,000 women 15-35 years old in New Orleans before the clinic opened confirmed that the need for family planning services was not entirely satisfied by existing service providers. Moreover, it indicated that clinic hours and the cost of services were in line with client interests. The most useful findings for developing the promotional strategy were the relatively low name recognition of Planned Parenthood and a higher-than-expected level of interest that young, low income blacks expressed in using the service.

  19. Marketing family planning services in New Orleans.

    PubMed Central

    Bertrand, J T; Proffitt, B J; Bartlett, T L

    1987-01-01

    The health care profession is witnessing a shift in focus from the interests and needs of the service provider to those of the potential consumer in an effort to attract and maintain clients. This study illustrates the role that marketing research can play in the development of program strategies, even for relatively small organizations. The study was conducted for Planned Parenthood of Louisiana, a recently organized affiliate that began offering clinical services in May 1984, to provide information on the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. Data from telephone interviews among a random sample of 1,000 women 15-35 years old in New Orleans before the clinic opened confirmed that the need for family planning services was not entirely satisfied by existing service providers. Moreover, it indicated that clinic hours and the cost of services were in line with client interests. The most useful findings for developing the promotional strategy were the relatively low name recognition of Planned Parenthood and a higher-than-expected level of interest that young, low income blacks expressed in using the service. PMID:3112854

  20. Automated web service composition supporting conditional branch structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Pengwei; Ding, Zhijun; Jiang, Changjun; Zhou, Mengchu

    2014-01-01

    The creation of value-added services by automatic composition of existing ones is gaining a significant momentum as the potential silver bullet in service-oriented architecture. However, service composition faces two aspects of difficulties. First, users' needs present such characteristics as diversity, uncertainty and personalisation; second, the existing services run in a real-world environment that is highly complex and dynamically changing. These difficulties may cause the emergence of nondeterministic choices in the process of service composition, which has gone beyond what the existing automated service composition techniques can handle. According to most of the existing methods, the process model of composite service includes sequence constructs only. This article presents a method to introduce conditional branch structures into the process model of composite service when needed, in order to satisfy users' diverse and personalised needs and adapt to the dynamic changes of real-world environment. UML activity diagrams are used to represent dependencies in composite service. Two types of user preferences are considered in this article, which have been ignored by the previous work and a simple programming language style expression is adopted to describe them. Two different algorithms are presented to deal with different situations. A real-life case is provided to illustrate the proposed concepts and methods.

  1. Genevar: a database and Java application for the analysis and visualization of SNP-gene associations in eQTL studies

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Tsun-Po; Beazley, Claude; Montgomery, Stephen B.; Dimas, Antigone S.; Gutierrez-Arcelus, Maria; Stranger, Barbara E.; Deloukas, Panos; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T.

    2010-01-01

    Summary: Genevar (GENe Expression VARiation) is a database and Java tool designed to integrate multiple datasets, and provides analysis and visualization of associations between sequence variation and gene expression. Genevar allows researchers to investigate expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) associations within a gene locus of interest in real time. The database and application can be installed on a standard computer in database mode and, in addition, on a server to share discoveries among affiliations or the broader community over the Internet via web services protocols. Availability: http://www.sanger.ac.uk/resources/software/genevar Contact: emmanouil.dermitzakis@unige.ch PMID:20702402

  2. Needs and Preferences for Receiving Mental Health Information in an African American Focus Group Sample

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Shiraz I.; Lucksted, Alicia; Gioia, Deborah; Barnet, Beth; Baquet, Claudia R.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to better understand the mental health/illness information and service delivery preferences among African American residents of Baltimore. We conducted four focus groups (n=42) among African American adults currently unconnected with the mental health system. Participants expressed fear of stigma and perceptions of racism as major barriers to seeking information and/or services and discussed some normalizing strategies to address these barriers. African Americans harbor cultural and traditional beliefs regarding mental illness which could also act as barriers. Findings have implications for imparting acceptable and culturally-sensitive mental health education and service delivery programs in community settings. PMID:18633704

  3. Service user involvement in the assessment of a practice competency in mental health nursing - stakeholders' views and recommendations.

    PubMed

    Speers, Janey

    2008-03-01

    Competence in building therapeutic relationships is essential for student mental health nurses and therefore requires robust assessment. However, the assessment of such complex skills is problematic. Following policy directives exhorting increased service user involvement in general, there have been recent suggestions that service users could contribute to the assessment of practice. This paper outlines a research project which investigated the views of 24 stakeholders (service users, lecturers, mentors, ex-students and student nurses) about the potential involvement of service users in the assessment of student mental health nurses' competence in forming therapeutic relationships. The findings revealed that service users interviewed had a largely positive attitude towards this potential development. Nurse participants were more ambivalent. Despite citing several key advantages, nurses also expressed some important reservations about how such a proposal could be implemented in practice. Nevertheless, on balance, they were in favour in principle. Key recommendations for the implementation of this potential development included strategies to enable anonymity and freedom of choice for service users. A range of options for obtaining service user feedback were put forward, along with some ideas about how the fairness of the assessment might be protected.

  4. 78 FR 23563 - FCC Reduces Backlog of Broadcast Indecency Complaints by 70% (More Than One Million Complaints...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-19

    ...-sexual) nudity the same as or differently than isolated expletives? Commenters are invited to address... Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. [ssquf] U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority...

  5. 32 CFR 1602.19 - Numbers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Numbers. 1602.19 Section 1602.19 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 1602.19 Numbers. Cardinal numbers may be expressed by Arabic or Roman symbols. ...

  6. 32 CFR 1602.19 - Numbers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Numbers. 1602.19 Section 1602.19 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 1602.19 Numbers. Cardinal numbers may be expressed by Arabic or Roman symbols. ...

  7. 32 CFR 1602.19 - Numbers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Numbers. 1602.19 Section 1602.19 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 1602.19 Numbers. Cardinal numbers may be expressed by Arabic or Roman symbols. ...

  8. 32 CFR 1602.19 - Numbers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Numbers. 1602.19 Section 1602.19 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 1602.19 Numbers. Cardinal numbers may be expressed by Arabic or Roman symbols. ...

  9. 32 CFR 1602.19 - Numbers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 6 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Numbers. 1602.19 Section 1602.19 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 1602.19 Numbers. Cardinal numbers may be expressed by Arabic or Roman symbols. ...

  10. Organizational Innovations: What Have We Learned?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blakely, Craig

    In the last two decades, increasing concern has been expressed about the ability (or inability) of various governmental agencies, service organizations, and manufacturing organizations to effectively perform their tasks. Psychologists have only recently become involved in researching issues concerning the adoption, implementation, and…

  11. Ecosystem Services as Assessment Endpoints in Ecological Risk Assessment

    EPA Science Inventory

    The focus of ecological risk assessment (ERA) is on assessment endpoints, explicit expressions of environmental values to be protected. Traditionally, the ecological entities identified in assessment endpoints have been components of ecosystems deemed by risk assessors to be impo...

  12. Effectiveness of Bus Signal Priority : Final Report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-01-01

    Effectiveness of Bus Signal Priority (BSP) study evaluates BSP?s impact on traffic operations. The goal was to examine how different situations, such as the level of congestion, placement of bus stops, presence of express bus service, and number of t...

  13. Evaluation of the Greenwood Drive fringe parking facility.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1978-01-01

    The application of a procedural method for planning express bus-fringe parking transit to determine why the Greenwood Drive service in Portsmouth, Virginia, failed to attract more riders than it did is described. The analysis of the study area reveal...

  14. Instrumentation for noninvasive express-diagnostics bacteriophages and viruses by optical method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moguilnaia, Tatiana A.; Andreev, Gleb I.; Agibalov, Andrey A.; Botikov, Andrey G.; Kosenkov, Evgeniy; Saguitova, Elena

    2004-03-01

    The theoretical and the experimental researches of spectra of absent-minded radiation in medium containing viruses were carried out. The information on spectra luminescence 31 viruses was written down.The new method the express - analysis of viruses in organism of the man was developed. It shall be mentioned that the proposed method of express diagnostics allows detection of infection agent in the organism several hours after infection. It makes it suitable for high efficient testing in blood services for detection and rejection of potential donors infected with such viruses as hepatitis, herpes, Epstein-Barre, cytomegalovirus, and immunodeficiency. Methods of serum diagnostics used for that purpose can detect antibodies to virus only 1-3 months after the person has been infected. The device for the express analysis of 31 viruses of the man was created.

  15. The expressed needs of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A systematic review

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background We aimed to review systematically the needs for support in managing illness and maintaining social inclusion expressed by people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) Methods We carried out a systematic review of primary research and personal ('own') stories expressing the needs of people with CFS/ME. Structured searches were carried out on Medline, AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, ASSIA, CENTRAL, and other health, social and legal databases from inception to November 2007. Study inclusion, data extraction and risk of bias were assessed independently in duplicate. Expressed needs were tabulated and a conceptual framework developed through an iterative process. Results Thirty two quantitative and qualitative studies, including the views of over 2500 people with CFS/ME with mainly moderate or severe illness severity, met the inclusion criteria. The following major support needs emerged: 1) The need to make sense of symptoms and gain diagnosis, 2) for respect and empathy from service providers, 3) for positive attitudes and support from family and friends, 4) for information on CFS/ME, 5) to adjust views and priorities, 6) to develop strategies to manage impairments and activity limitations, and 7) to develop strategies to maintain/regain social participation. Conclusions Although the studies were heterogeneous, there was consistent evidence that substantial support is needed to rebuild lives. Gaining support depends - most importantly - on the ability of providers of health and social care, colleagues, friends and relatives, and those providing educational and leisure services, to understand and respond to those needs. PMID:20003363

  16. Factors associated with fertility of nulliparous dairy heifers following a 10-day fixed-time artificial insemination program with sex-sorted and conventional semen.

    PubMed

    Noonan, E J; Kelly, J C; Beggs, D S

    2016-05-01

    To examine factors associated with fertility on dairy farms that used a common fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) program in yearling heifers. Records were analysed from 954 yearling heifers on 10 south-west Victorian dairy farms that used a common FTAI program, involving the insertion of a 1.9-g progesterone-releasing device for 10 days; 2 mg oestradiol benzoate at insertion; 500 µg cloprostenol on day 7; and FTAI 48 h after device removal. Weight, age, expression of oestrus, sire, semen type (frozen sex-sorted or frozen conventional) and timing of insemination were examined for their relationship with first-service conception rates. Heifers over 300 kg body weight were 1.18-fold more likely to express oestrus during the FTAI program. For every extra 1 kg, there was a 1.5% increase in the likelihood of expressing oestrus. First-service conception rates were 40.3% and 56.0% for sex-sorted and conventional semen, respectively, and were significantly higher when oestrus was expressed. The difference was greater for sex-sorted semen (3.4-fold) compared with conventional semen (1.5-fold). The interval from device removal to insemination varied between 47 and 51.4 h and had no significant effect on conception rates. However, there was a trend towards a higher conception rate for sex-sorted semen when inseminations were performed >50 h after device removal. Increased fertility was associated with larger heifers and heifers that expressed oestrus, particularly when sexed-sorted semen was used. Variation in the timing of AI with respect to device removal between 47 and 51.4 h did not adversely affect conception rates. © 2016 Australian Veterinary Association.

  17. Preferences for Professional Assistance for Distress in a Diverse Sample of Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Gum, Amber M.; Ayalon, Liat; Greenberg, Jared Matt; Palko, Balint; Ruffo, Emily; Areán, Patricia A.

    2012-01-01

    Older adults (N=140; 68.6% minority) participating in community health screenings reported their use and preferences for various professionals and services to deal with distress. Race/ethnicity was recorded based on self-report. A third of participants had discussed distress with some professional within the past year. Compared to Whites, Asian and Black elders were less likely to see a mental health professional or receive counseling in the past year. Almost all participants (89.3%) were willing to discuss distress with some professional; most preferred medical (37.9%) or religious professionals (21.4%). Fewer Asians expressed willingness across most professionals and services. Findings support efforts to integrate mental health with other services, and suggest the need for additional strategies to enhance willingness to use mental health services, especially for Asian elders. PMID:22611301

  18. Consumer-operated service organizations: organizational characteristics, community relationships, and the potential for citizenship.

    PubMed

    Tanenbaum, Sandra J

    2012-08-01

    Consumer-operated service organizations (COSOs) are independent organizations whose administrative and financial control resides with consumers. Based on a 2008 mail survey and followup interviews conducted in 2009, this study depicts the internal characteristics and external relationships, as well as some relationships between the two, of COSOs in one state. Profiles include on the one hand, governance structures, services provided, sources and levels of funding, etc. and on the other, relationships between COSOs and other actors in the mental health system and the local community. COSOs emerge as more self-governing and community-based than required by certification requirements and as developing internally and externally in tandem. COSOs are not only adjunct or alternative service providers, but also civic associations and loci for the expression of citizenship by mentally ill people.

  19. Funding health and social services for older people – a qualitative study of care recipients in the last year of life

    PubMed Central

    Hanratty, Barbara; Lowson, Elizabeth; Holmes, Louise; Grande, Gunn; Addington-Hall, Julia; Payne, Sheila; Seymour, Jane

    2012-01-01

    Objectives This study explores the views of older adults who are receiving health and social care at the end of their lives, on how services should be funded, and describes their health-related expenditure. Design Qualitative interview study Setting North West England Participants 30 people aged 69–93 years, diagnosed with lung cancer, heart failure or stroke and judged by health professionals to be in their last year of life. Sixteen participants lived in disadvantaged areas. Main outcome measures Views of older adults on funding of services. Results Participants expressed a belief in an earned entitlement to services funded from taxation, based on a broad sense of being a good citizen. Irrespective of social background, older people felt that those who could afford to pay for social care, should do so. Sale of assets and use of children's inheritance to fund care was widely perceived as an injustice. The costs of living with illness are a burden, and families are filling many of the gaps left by welfare provision. People who had worked in low-wage occupations were most concerned to justify their current acceptance of services, and distance themselves from what they described as welfare ‘spongers’ or ‘layabouts.’ Conclusions There is a gap between the health and social care system that older adults expect and what may be provided by a reformed welfare state at a time of financial stringencies. The values that underpinned the views expressed – mutuality, care for the most needy, and the importance of working to contribute to society – are an important contribution to the debate on welfare funding. PMID:22537882

  20. Differences between willingness to pay and willingness to accept for visits by a family physician: A contingent valuation study

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background The economic value attributed by users of health services in public health systems can be useful in planning and evaluation. This value can differ from the perspectives of Willingness to Pay (WTP) and Willingness to Accept [Compensation] (WTA). Our objective was to study the perceptions of the patient about the service provided by the family physician by means of the WTA/WTP ratio. Methods An economic evaluation study by the Contingent Valuation Method was designed. Interviews were conducted with 451 subjects at six health centres (four urban and two rural) in areas with different socioeconomic characteristics. A payment card was used to measure the WTP and WTA. Other characteristics of the subject or service that could influence these responses were collected. An explicative model was constructed to study the WTA/WTP relationship. Results Four hundred and four subjects (89.6%) expressed a WTP and WTA different from zero. The WTA/WTP quotient showed a median of 1.55 (interquartile range 1-3.08) and a mean of 3.30 (IC 95%: 2.84-3.75). The WTA/WTP ratio increases with age and in low-income areas. It decreases in professional groups with more specialized activities, with growing family income, and in the chronically ill. Other characteristics related to the perception of state of health, accessibility to the service, satisfaction, or perception of risk were not explicative. Conclusions Subjects who were older and had a less favourable socioeconomic situation expressed a higher WTA/WTP ratio when valuing the visit to the family physician. These characteristics could identify a profile of "aversion to loss" with respect to this service. PMID:20459714

  1. Suicide prevention in primary care: General practitioners' views on service availability

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Primary care may be a key setting for suicide prevention. However, comparatively little is known about the services available in primary care for suicide prevention. The aims of the current study were to describe services available in general practices for the management of suicidal patients and to examine GPs views on these services. We carried out a questionnaire and interview study in the North West of England. We collected data on GPs views of suicide prevention generally as well as local mental health service provision. Findings During the study period (2003-2005) we used the National Confidential Inquiry Suicide database to identify 286 general practitioners (GPs) who had registered patients who had died by suicide. Data were collected from GPs and practice managers in 167 practices. Responses suggested that there was greater availability of services and training for general mental health issues than for suicide prevention specifically. The three key themes which emerged from GP interviews were: barriers accessing primary or secondary mental health services; obstacles faced when referring a patient to mental health services; managing change within mental health care services Conclusions Health professionals have an important role to play in preventing suicide. However, GPs expressed concerns about the quality of primary care mental health service provision and difficulties with access to secondary mental health services. Addressing these issues could facilitate future suicide prevention in primary care. PMID:20920302

  2. Implementation of personalized medicine services in community pharmacies: perceptions of independent community pharmacists.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Katelyn M; Divine, Holly S; Hanna, Cathy R; Gokun, Yevgeniya; Freeman, Patricia R

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the perceptions of independent community pharmacists within a regional independent community pharmacy cooperative on implementing personalized medicine services at their pharmacies and to gauge the pharmacists' self-reported knowledge of pharmacogenomic principles. Descriptive, exploratory, nonexperimental study. American Pharmacy Services Corporation (APSC), 2011-12. Pharmacists (n = 101) affiliated with the independent pharmacies of APSC. Single-mode survey. Independent community pharmacists' interest in implementing personalized medicine services, perceived readiness to provide such services, and perceived barriers to implementation. 101 completed surveys were returned for data analysis. The majority of pharmacists surveyed (75%) expressed interest in offering personalized medicine services. When asked to describe their knowledge of pharmacogenomics and readiness to implement such services, more than 50% said they were not knowledgeable on the subject and would not currently be comfortable making drug therapy recommendations to physicians or confident counseling patients based on results of genetic screenings without further training and education. Respondents identified cost of providing the service, reimbursement issues, current knowledge of pharmacogenomics, and time to devote to the program as the greatest barriers to implementing personalized medicine services. The majority of independent community pharmacists are interested in incorporating personalized medicine services into their practices, but they require further education before this is possible. Future initiatives should focus on the development of comprehensive education programs to further train pharmacists for provision of these services.

  3. The privatization of environmental health services: a national survey of practices and perspectives in local health departments.

    PubMed

    Keane, Christopher; Marx, John; Ricci, Edmund

    2002-01-01

    This article presents nationally representative data on environmental health (EH) services privatized by local public health departments, enforcement and assurance mechanisms for privatized services, and administrators' views about EH services that should not be privatized. A national sample of 380 local public health departments, stratified by jurisdiction size, was drawn from a universe of 2,488 departments. Telephone interviews were conducted with 347 administrators of departments. Results were weighted to be nationally representative. Approximately one-quarter of departments had privatized at least one EH service, almost always to for-profit organizations. The two most common reasons given for privatizing EH services were cost savings or increased efficiency and lack of capacity or expertise to carry out the service. The most rigorous, although infrequent, technique of enforcement and assurance of EH standards when services were privatized was double-testing of samples. Departments more commonly relied on state licensing and certification of contractors. When asked what services should not be privatized, 27% of respondents cited EH services. Many respondents argued against privatizing environmental services that have inherent regulatory functions. They expressed concern that privatization would fragment the public health infrastructure by impairing communication, diminishing control over performance, or weakening health departments' capacity to respond to environmental and other health crises. These findings raise serious concerns about the privatization of EH.

  4. Examining clinicians’ experiences providing sexual health services for LGBTQ youth: considering social and structural determinants of health in clinical practice

    PubMed Central

    Knight, R. E.; Shoveller, J. A.; Carson, A. M.; Contreras-Whitney, J. G.

    2014-01-01

    Although barriers related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth’s experiences accessing sexual health services have been examined in detail, research into the experiences and perceptions of clinicians providing these services has been conspicuously absent. The aim of this article is to explore the perceptions and experiences of clinicians providing sexual health services for LGBTQ youth. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study examines 24 clinicians’ experiences providing sexual health services to LGBTQ youth in five communities in British Columbia, Canada. Our findings reveal how many clinicians provide services to LGBTQ youth with a lack of cultural competency—either implicitly (e.g. by describing heteronormative practices) or explicitly (e.g. by expressing frustration that they had not been sufficiently provided with appropriate training related to LGBTQ youth sexual health). Institutional norms and values were identified as the dominant barriers in the effective provision of LGBTQ-tailored services. Many clinicians find themselves unprepared to provide culturally competent sexual health services that have both the capacity to address individual-level issues (e.g. promoting condom use) while considering (and adapting services to) the broader socio-cultural and structural conditions that can render LGBTQ youth socially vulnerable. PMID:24412811

  5. Patients’ willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services in community pharmacies

    PubMed Central

    Lakić, Dragana; Stević, Ivana; Odalović, Marina; Vezmar-Kovačević, Sandra; Tadić, Ivana

    2017-01-01

    Aim To determine the general population willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist service in community pharmacy, describe the behavior of participants regarding health care issues, and evaluate correlation between participants’ sociodemographic characteristics or attitudes and their willingness to pay. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among general population visiting community pharmacies. The participants were asked about receiving cognitive pharmacist services to identify and resolve potential medication therapy problems after the initiation of a new medicine to optimize health outcomes of the patients. A univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze associations between different variables and willingness to pay for pharmacy service. Results Of 444 respondents, 167 (38%) reported that they were willing to pay for a medication management service provided in the community pharmacy. Univariate analysis showed significant association between the willingness to pay for pharmacist-provided service and respondents’ socio-demographic factors, health-related characteristics, and behavior, dilemmas, or need for certain pharmacist-provided service. The logistic regression model was statistically significant (χ2 = 4.599, P < 0.001). Conclusions The respondents expressed their willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services, which has not been fully recognized within the health care system. In future, pharmacists should focus on practical implementation of the service and models of funding. PMID:29094815

  6. Patients' willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services in community pharmacies.

    PubMed

    Lakić, Dragana; Stević, Ivana; Odalović, Marina; Vezmar-Kovačević, Sandra; Tadić, Ivana

    2017-10-31

    To determine the general population willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist service in community pharmacy, describe the behavior of participants regarding health care issues, and evaluate correlation between participants' sociodemographic characteristics or attitudes and their willingness to pay. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among general population visiting community pharmacies. The participants were asked about receiving cognitive pharmacist services to identify and resolve potential medication therapy problems after the initiation of a new medicine to optimize health outcomes of the patients. A univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze associations between different variables and willingness to pay for pharmacy service. Of 444 respondents, 167 (38%) reported that they were willing to pay for a medication management service provided in the community pharmacy. Univariate analysis showed significant association between the willingness to pay for pharmacist-provided service and respondents' socio-demographic factors, health-related characteristics, and behavior, dilemmas, or need for certain pharmacist-provided service. The logistic regression model was statistically significant (χ2=4.599, P<0.001). The respondents expressed their willingness to pay for cognitive pharmacist services, which has not been fully recognized within the health care system. In future, pharmacists should focus on practical implementation of the service and models of funding.

  7. Clinicians' satisfaction with a hospital blood transfusion service: a marketing analysis of a monopoly supplier.

    PubMed Central

    Pennington, S J; McClelland, D B; Murphy, W G

    1993-01-01

    One of the objectives of the NHS reforms is to improve customer focus within the health service. In a study to assess the quality of customer service provided by the Edinburgh and South East Scotland Blood Transfusion Service a 19 item questionnaire survey of the main clinical users of the service was performed to ascertain their satisfaction, measured on a 5 point anchored scale, with important aspects of the service, including medical consultation, diagnostic services, blood and blood components or products and their delivery, and general satisfaction with the service. Of 122 clinicians in medical and surgical disciplines in five hospitals in Edinburgh, 72 (59%) replied. Fourteen (22%) indicated dissatisfaction with any aspect of the medical consultation service, owing to inadequate follow up of clinical contacts and unsatisfactory routing of incoming calls. Diagnostic services were criticised for the presentation, communication, and interpretation of results. The restricted availability of whole blood, the necessity to order platelets and plasma through the duty blood transfusion service doctor, and the use of a group and screen policy, attracted criticism from a small number of clinicians. Ten of 68 respondents expressed dissatisfaction with delivery of blood and components to the wards and theatres. The findings indicate that the clinicians served by this blood transfusion service are largely satisfied with the service. Changes are being implemented to improve reporting of laboratory results and measures taken to improve liaison with clinicians. PMID:10132458

  8. Innovations in service learning: a novel program for community service at NYU School of Medicine.

    PubMed

    Herlihy, Nola Seta; Brown, Christina

    2015-01-01

    As NYU medical students, the authors determined that there was no structured form of service learning in their curriculum. They sought to establish a service program that recognizes students for their dedication to community service in both the NYU and NYC communities. In 2012, with the support of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), the authors created the NYU School of Medicine Community Service Program (CSP). The program tracks and verifies students' participation in service projects. It sets a goal for students to complete 100 service hours through at least five unique service initiatives. Two reflective essays at the completion of pre-clinical and core clerkship curricula challenge students to express how their service experiences will inform their future careers in medicine. The authors developed an innovative online portal for students to track their service involvement and allow the committee to easily approve hours. They created the Community Service Committee, made up of two representatives from each class year, to be in charge of regulating the program together with the OSA. The class of 2015 is the first class to participate; thus far, 13 students have met program requirements. In the classes of 2016 and 2017, 20 and 41 students, respectively, are expected to receive the award. Total participation has significantly increased in successive class years. The authors seek to gather data on CSP participants' changing perspectives and hope the program can serve as a model for other schools to build service learning into their curricula.

  9. Utilization of a state run public private emergency transportation service exclusively for childbirth: the Janani (maternal) Express program in Madhya Pradesh, India.

    PubMed

    Sidney, Kristi; Ryan, Kayleigh; Diwan, Vishal; De Costa, Ayesha

    2014-01-01

    In 2009 the state government of Madhya Pradesh, India launched an emergency obstetric transportation service, Janani Express Yojana (JEY), to support the cash transfer program that promotes institutional delivery. JEY, a large scale public private partnership, lowers geographical access barriers to facility based care. The state contracts and pays private agencies to provide emergency transportation at no cost to the user. The objective was to study (a) the utilization of JEY among women delivering in health facilities, (b) factors associated with usage, (c) the timeliness of the service. A cross sectional facility based study was conducted in facilities that carried out > ten deliveries a month. Researchers who spent five days in each facility administered a questionnaire to all women who gave birth there to elicit socio-demographic characteristics and transport related details. 35% of women utilised JEY to reach a facility, however utilization varied between study districts. Uptake was highest among women from rural areas (44%), scheduled tribes (55%), and poorly educated women (40%). Living in rural areas and belonging to scheduled tribes were significant predictors for JEY usage. Almost 1/3 of JEY users (n = 104) experienced a transport related delay. The JEY service model complements the cash transfer program by providing transport to a facility to give birth. A study of the distribution of utilization in population subgroups suggests the intervention was successful in reaching the most vulnerable population, promoting equity in access. While 1/3 of women utilized the service and it saved them money; 30% experienced significant transport related delays in reaching a facility, which is comparable to women using public transportation. Further research is needed to understand why utilization is low, to explore if there is a need for service expansion at the community level and to improve the overall time efficiency of JEY.

  10. Diabetes services in the UK: third national survey confirms continuing deficiencies.

    PubMed

    Jefferson, I G; Swift, P G F; Skinner, T C; Hood, G K

    2003-01-01

    To determine the current level of diabetes services and to compare the results with previous national surveys. A questionnaire was mailed to all paediatricians in the UK identified as providing care for children with diabetes aged under 16 years. Information was sought on staffing, personnel, clinic size, facilities, and patterns of care. Responses were compared with results of two previous national surveys. Replies were received from 244 consultant paediatricians caring for an estimated 17 192 children. A further 2234 children were identified as being cared for by other consultants who did not contribute to the survey. Of 244 consultants, 78% expressed a special interest in diabetes and 91% saw children in a designated diabetic clinic. In 93% of the clinics there was a specialist nurse (44% were not trained to care for children; 47% had nurse:patient ratio >1:100), 65% a paediatric dietitian, and in 25% some form of specialist psychology or counselling available. Glycated haemoglobin was measured routinely at clinics in 88%, retinopathy screening was performed in 87%, and microalbuminuria measured in 66%. Only 34% consultants used a computer database. There were significant differences between the services provided by paediatricians expressing a special interest in diabetes compared with "non-specialists", the latter describing less frequent clinic attendance of dietitians or psychologists, less usage of glycated haemoglobin measurements, and less screening for vascular complications. Non-specialist clinics met significantly fewer of the recommendations of good practice described by Diabetes UK. The survey shows improvements in services provided for children with diabetes, but serious deficiencies remain. There is a shortage of diabetes specialist nurses trained to care for children and paediatric dietitians, and a major shortfall in the provision of psychology/counselling services. The services described confirm the need for more consultant paediatricians to receive specialist training and to develop expertise and experience in childhood diabetes.

  11. Los Angeles congestion reduction demonstration (Metro ExpressLanes) program. National evaluation : exogenous factors test plan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-12-01

    The Traceability document consists of brief introductory material and a series of appended Trace Tables. These tables provide complete traceability of ITS User Service Requirements (USR) to elements of the National ITS Architecture. Additional Trace ...

  12. 78 FR 77172 - New Postal Product

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-20

    ... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2014-13; Order No. 1907] New Postal Product AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning a contract with Canada for the delivery of inbound Expedited Parcels USA and Express...

  13. Tri-wheeled scooters transported on buses and vans : assessment of securement restraint issues

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-10-01

    Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, all "common wheelchairs and mobility aids", including tri-wheeled scooters, must be accommodated on buses and vans used in public transit service. Several transit systems have recently expresse...

  14. 2006 evaluation of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) bus rapid transit project : December 1, 2006

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-12-01

    The surface transportation system plays a crucial role in responding to natural disasters, terrorist acts, and other catastrophic events. The Disaster Response and Evacuation (DRE) User Service uses intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to enhance...

  15. 21 CFR 660.25 - Potency tests without reference preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... manufacturer's package insert using red blood cells showing heterozygous or diminished expression of the... SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES FOR LABORATORY TESTS Blood Grouping Reagent § 660.25 Potency tests without reference preparations. Products for which Reference Blood...

  16. 21 CFR 660.25 - Potency tests without reference preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... manufacturer's package insert using red blood cells showing heterozygous or diminished expression of the... SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES FOR LABORATORY TESTS Blood Grouping Reagent § 660.25 Potency tests without reference preparations. Products for which Reference Blood...

  17. 21 CFR 660.25 - Potency tests without reference preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... manufacturer's package insert using red blood cells showing heterozygous or diminished expression of the... SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES FOR LABORATORY TESTS Blood Grouping Reagent § 660.25 Potency tests without reference preparations. Products for which Reference Blood...

  18. 21 CFR 660.25 - Potency tests without reference preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... manufacturer's package insert using red blood cells showing heterozygous or diminished expression of the... SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES FOR LABORATORY TESTS Blood Grouping Reagent § 660.25 Potency tests without reference preparations. Products for which Reference Blood...

  19. 21 CFR 660.25 - Potency tests without reference preparations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... manufacturer's package insert using red blood cells showing heterozygous or diminished expression of the... SERVICES (CONTINUED) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES FOR LABORATORY TESTS Blood Grouping Reagent § 660.25 Potency tests without reference preparations. Products for which Reference Blood...

  20. 78 FR 3424 - Notice of Agreements Filed

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-16

    ... Sud Americana de Vapores, S.A.; COSCO Container Lines Company Limited; Dole Ocean Cargo Express....A.G.) as shareholder parties, and Alianca Navegacao e Logistica Ltda.; China Shipping Container... Container Lines Co., Ltd.; Emirates Shipping Lines; Evergreen Line Joint Service Agreement; Gold Star Line...

  1. Miami urban partnership agreement (UPA) Pines Boulevard transit signal priority evaluation .report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-01

    The Miami Urban Partnership Agreement included the conversion of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95 to high occupancy toll : (HOT) lanes and additional express bus service. It also included funding for the installation of transit signal prior...

  2. Developing cessation interventions for the social and community service setting: a qualitative study of barriers to quitting among disadvantaged Australian smokers.

    PubMed

    Bryant, Jamie; Bonevski, Billie; Paul, Christine; O'Brien, Jon; Oakes, Wendy

    2011-06-24

    Smoking rates remain unacceptably high among individuals who are socially disadvantaged. Social and community service organisations (SCSO) are increasingly interested in providing smoking cessation support to clients, however little is known about the best way to assist disadvantaged smokers to quit in this setting. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to quitting within the conceptual framework of the PRECEDE model to identify possible interventions appropriate to the social and community service setting. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with clients attending five community welfare organisations located in New South Wales, Australia. Thirty-two clients participated in six focus groups. A discussion guide was used to explore the barriers and facilitators to smoking and smoking cessation including: current smoking behaviour, motivation to quit, past quit attempts, barriers to quitting and preferences for cessation support. Focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis techniques. Participants were current smokers and most expressed a desire to quit. Factors predisposing continued smoking included perceived benefits of smoking for stress relief, doubting of ability to quit, fear of gaining weight, and poor knowledge and scepticism about available quit support. The high cost of nicotine replacement therapy was a barrier to its use. Continual exposure to smoking in personal relationships and in the community reinforced smoking. Participants expressed a strong preference for personalised quit support. Disadvantaged smokers in Australia express a desire to quit smoking, but find quitting difficult for a number of reasons. SCSOs may have a role in providing information about the availability of quit support, engaging disadvantaged smokers with available quit support, and providing personalised, ongoing support.

  3. A survey of parents' reactions to the diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder by a local service: access to information and use of services.

    PubMed

    Mansell, Warren; Morris, Kathleen

    2004-12-01

    We conducted a postal survey of parents whose child had been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder by a district diagnostic service. The service was regarded as having improved significantly following recent changes, but there were still shortcomings. Parents had obtained useful information from a range of other sources, including a parents' support group, school teachers, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, the Internet, books and academic journals. Special units and schools were rated as the most useful source of support and treatment, but many other interventions were rated highly. Parents reported a diverse range of both negative and positive consequences of diagnosis, and many reported a change in their attitudes to diagnosis over time. Many expressed frustration with trying to get an early diagnosis, with the social, educational and health services, and with the way that autistic spectrum disorders are regarded by lay people and other parents.

  4. WORK INTEREST AS A PREDICTOR OF COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT: POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHIATRIC REHABILITATION

    PubMed Central

    Macias, Cathaleene; DeCarlo, Lawrence T.; Wang, Qi; Frey, Jana; Barreira, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Consumers with serious mental illness (N=166) enrolling in two community-based mental health programs, a vocational Program of Assertive Community Treatment and a clubhouse certified by the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD), were asked about their interest in work. About one third of the new enrollees expressed no interest in working. Equivalent supported employment services were then offered to all participants in each program. Stated interest in work and receipt of vocational services were statistically significant predictors of whether a person would work and how long it would take to get a job. Two thirds of those interested in work and half of those with no initial interest obtained a competitive job if they received at least one hour of vocational service. Once employed, these two groups held comparable jobs for the same length of time. These findings demonstrate the importance of making vocational services continuously available to all people with serious mental illness, and the viability of integrating these services into routine mental health care. PMID:11577655

  5. Self-Injury, Help-Seeking, and the Internet: Informing Online Service Provision for Young People.

    PubMed

    Frost, Mareka; Casey, Leanne; Rando, Natalie

    2016-01-01

    Although increasing numbers of young people are seeking help online for self-injury, relatively little is known about their online help-seeking preferences. To investigate the perspectives of young people who self-injure regarding online services, with the aim of informing online service delivery. A mixed-methods exploratory analysis regarding the perspectives of a subsample of young people who reported a history of self-injury and responded to questions regarding preferences for future online help-seeking (N = 457). The sample was identified as part of a larger study (N = 1,463) exploring self-injury and help-seeking. Seven themes emerged in relation to preferences for future online help-seeking: information, guidance, reduced isolation, online culture, facilitation of help-seeking, access, and privacy. Direct contact with a professional via instant messaging was the most highly endorsed form of online support. Young people expressed clear preferences regarding online services for self-injury, supporting the importance of consumer consultation in development of online services.

  6. Upholding the human right of children in New Zealand experiencing communication difficulties to voice their needs and dreams.

    PubMed

    Doell, Elizabeth; Clendon, Sally

    2018-02-01

    New Zealand Ministry of Education's proposal for an updated service to support children experiencing communication difficulties provides an opportunity to consider the essential criteria required for children to express their opinion, information and ideas as outlined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This commentary begins with a summary of key policies that provide strategic direction for enhancing children's rights to be actively involved in the development of services designed to support them and to communicate and participate in inclusive environments. The authors use a human rights lens to inform the development of speech-language pathology services that facilitate individuals' contribution and engagement and are responsive to their needs. A review of international literature describing the lived experience of children and young people identifies key factors related to accessible information, service coordination, holistic practice, and partnerships that facilitate co-constructed understanding and decision-making. The commentary concludes with suggested recommendations for structuring services, establishing partnership models, and capability building.

  7. Work interest as a predictor of competitive employment: policy implications for psychiatric rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Macias, C; DeCarlo, L T; Wang, Q; Frey, J; Barreira, P

    2001-03-01

    Consumers with serious mental illness (N = 166) enrolling in two community-based mental health programs, a vocational Program of Assertive Community Treatment and a clubhouse certified by the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD), were asked about their interest in work. About one third of the new enrollees expressed no interest in working. Equivalent supported employment services were then offered to all participants in each program. Stated interest in work and receipt of vocational services were statistically significant predictors of whether a person would work and how long it would take to get a job. Two thirds of those interested in work and half of those with no initial interest obtained a competitive job if they received at least one hour of vocational service. Once employed, these two groups held comparable jobs for the same length of time. These findings demonstrate the importance of making vocational services continuously available to all people with serious mental illness, and the viability of integrating these services into routine mental health care.

  8. Exploring intergenerational changes in perceptions of gender roles and sexuality among Indigenous women in Oaxaca.

    PubMed

    Karver, Tahilin S; Sorhaindo, Annik; Wilson, Kate S; Contreras, Xipatl

    2016-08-01

    The south of Mexico has traditionally faced disproportionate social, health and economic disadvantage relative to the rest of the country, due in part to lower levels of economic and human development, and barriers faced by Indigenous populations. The state of Oaxaca, in particular, has one of the highest proportions of Indigenous people and consistently displays high rates of maternal mortality, sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. This study examines how social values and norms surrounding sexuality have changed between two generations of women living in Indigenous communities in Oaxaca. We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 women from two generational cohorts in 12 communities. Comparison views of these two cohorts suggest that cultural gender norms continue to govern how women express and experience their sexuality. In particular, feelings of shame and fear permeate the expression of sexuality, virginity continues be a determinant of a woman's worth and motherhood remains the key attribute to womanhood. Evidence points to a transformation of norms, and access to information and services related to sexual health is increasing. Nonetheless, there is still a need for culturally appropriate sex education programmes focused on female empowerment, increased access to sexual health services, and a reduction in the stigma surrounding women's expressions of sexuality.

  9. Layered stigma among health-care and social service providers toward key affected populations in Jamaica and The Bahamas.

    PubMed

    Rogers, S J; Tureski, K; Cushnie, A; Brown, A; Bailey, A; Palmer, Q

    2014-01-01

    While considerable research has documented stigma toward key populations affected by HIV and AIDS - men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers (SWs) - it provided limited empirical evidence on the presence of layered stigma among health-care professionals providing services for these populations. C-Change conducted a survey among 332 staff of health-care and social service agencies in Jamaica and The Bahamas to understand the levels of stigma toward people living with HIV (PLHIV), including MSM and SWs and factors associated with stigma. While most health-care professionals responding to the survey said that PLHIV, MSM, and SWs deserved quality care, they expressed high levels of blame and negative judgments, especially toward MSM and SWs. Across a stigma assessment involving eight vignette characters, the highest levels of stigma were expressed toward PLHIV who were also MSM or SWs, followed by PLHIV, MSM, and SWs. Differences were assessed by gender, country, type of staff, type of agency, and exposure to relevant training. Findings indicate higher reported stigma among nonclinical vs. clinical staff, staff who worked in general vs. MSM/SW-friendly health facilities, and among untrained vs. training staff. This implies the need for targeted staff capacity strengthening as well as improved facility environments that are MSM/SW-friendly.

  10. BioInfra.Prot: A comprehensive proteomics workflow including data standardization, protein inference, expression analysis and data publication.

    PubMed

    Turewicz, Michael; Kohl, Michael; Ahrens, Maike; Mayer, Gerhard; Uszkoreit, Julian; Naboulsi, Wael; Bracht, Thilo; Megger, Dominik A; Sitek, Barbara; Marcus, Katrin; Eisenacher, Martin

    2017-11-10

    The analysis of high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomics data must address the specific challenges of this technology. To this end, the comprehensive proteomics workflow offered by the de.NBI service center BioInfra.Prot provides indispensable components for the computational and statistical analysis of this kind of data. These components include tools and methods for spectrum identification and protein inference, protein quantification, expression analysis as well as data standardization and data publication. All particular methods of the workflow which address these tasks are state-of-the-art or cutting edge. As has been shown in previous publications, each of these methods is adequate to solve its specific task and gives competitive results. However, the methods included in the workflow are continuously reviewed, updated and improved to adapt to new scientific developments. All of these particular components and methods are available as stand-alone BioInfra.Prot services or as a complete workflow. Since BioInfra.Prot provides manifold fast communication channels to get access to all components of the workflow (e.g., via the BioInfra.Prot ticket system: bioinfraprot@rub.de) users can easily benefit from this service and get support by experts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Representing Web Service Policies in OWL-DL

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-01-01

    dation., feb 2004. 3. F. M . Donini , M . Lenzerini, D. Nardi, and A. Schaerf. Adding epistemic operators to concept languages. In B. Nebel, C. Rich, and W...on Policies for Distributed Systems and Networks (POLICY’04), 2004. 2. M . Dean and G. Schreiber. Owl web ontology language reference w3c recommen...B1∩B3)∪...∪(An−1∩An∩B( m −1)∩Bm)) (3) Having both of the expressions in DNF, we can easily show that each disjunct from (1) can be expressed using a

  12. An Investigation of Flame Stability in a Coaxial Dump Combustor

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-05-18

    M.Sc. Approved: Chairman (9 ~%46 ’A L4A4 lee /0 9 77 Accepted: Dean , School of Engineering Acknowledgements I wish to express my appreciation to Dr...correlating a large quantity of experimental data and to Dr. Frank D. Stull , who made the facility and the services of the test group available for this...correlation quoted by Stull et al. (Ref 1), a value of 6 equal to * Note that U and P in this expression correspond to the values at flame blow-off: these

  13. Amelie: A Recombinant Computing Framework for Ambient Awareness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Metaxas, Georgios; Markopoulos, Panos; Aarts, Emile

    This paper presents Amelie, a service oriented framework that supports the implementation of awareness systems. Amelie adopts the tenets of Recombinant computing to address an important non-functional requirement for Ambient Intelligence software, namely the heterogeneous combination of services and components. Amelie is founded upon FN-AAR an abstract model of Awareness Systems which enables the immediate expression and implementation of socially salient requirements, such as symmetry and social translucence. We discuss the framework and show how system behaviours can be specified using the Awareness Mark-up Language AML.

  14. 78 FR 16816 - Radio Broadcasting Services; Ehrenberg, First Mesa, Kachina Village, Munds Park, Wickenburg, and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-19

    ...The Media Bureau grants a Counterproposal filed by Grenax Broadcasting II, LLC, for a new FM allotment on Channel 246C2 at Munds Park, Arizona, over a conflicting Petition for Rule Making and hybrid application filed by Univision Radio License Corporation for an increase in existing service by Station KHOV-FM, Wickenburg, Arizona. The Bureau also dismisses a Petition for Rule Making filed by Rocket Radio, Inc. for a new allotment at Williams, Arizona, because no continuing expression of interest was filed.

  15. A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the United States Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, and the "Freedom Summer" of 1964, and that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.

    THOMAS, 111th Congress

    Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY

    2010-07-12

    Senate - 07/15/2010 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  16. Electronic health records: eliciting behavioral health providers' beliefs.

    PubMed

    Shank, Nancy; Willborn, Elizabeth; Pytlikzillig, Lisa; Noel, Harmonijoie

    2012-04-01

    Interviews with 32 community behavioral health providers elicited perceived benefits and barriers of using electronic health records. Themes identified were (a) quality of care, (b) privacy and security, and (c) delivery of services. Benefits to quality of care were mentioned by 100% of the providers, and barriers by 59% of providers. Barriers involving privacy and security concerns were mentioned by 100% of providers, and benefits by 22%. Barriers to delivery of services were mentioned by 97% of providers, and benefits by 66%. Most providers (81%) expressed overall positive support for electronic behavioral health records.

  17. A Call for Integrated and Coordinated Palliative Care

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Integrated palliative care is viewed as having the potential to improve service coordination, efficiency, and quality outcomes for patients and family carers. However, the majority of Canadians do not have access to regional, comprehensive, integrated palliative care. Work needs to be directed toward planning palliative care services that is integrated into the healthcare and social care system. To further this goal, it is important to have a conceptual understanding of the meaning of integrated care and its expression in organizational models for the provision of palliative care. PMID:29283874

  18. PmiRExAt: plant miRNA expression atlas database and web applications

    PubMed Central

    Gurjar, Anoop Kishor Singh; Panwar, Abhijeet Singh; Gupta, Rajinder; Mantri, Shrikant S.

    2016-01-01

    High-throughput small RNA (sRNA) sequencing technology enables an entirely new perspective for plant microRNA (miRNA) research and has immense potential to unravel regulatory networks. Novel insights gained through data mining in publically available rich resource of sRNA data will help in designing biotechnology-based approaches for crop improvement to enhance plant yield and nutritional value. Bioinformatics resources enabling meta-analysis of miRNA expression across multiple plant species are still evolving. Here, we report PmiRExAt, a new online database resource that caters plant miRNA expression atlas. The web-based repository comprises of miRNA expression profile and query tool for 1859 wheat, 2330 rice and 283 maize miRNA. The database interface offers open and easy access to miRNA expression profile and helps in identifying tissue preferential, differential and constitutively expressing miRNAs. A feature enabling expression study of conserved miRNA across multiple species is also implemented. Custom expression analysis feature enables expression analysis of novel miRNA in total 117 datasets. New sRNA dataset can also be uploaded for analysing miRNA expression profiles for 73 plant species. PmiRExAt application program interface, a simple object access protocol web service allows other programmers to remotely invoke the methods written for doing programmatic search operations on PmiRExAt database. Database URL: http://pmirexat.nabi.res.in. PMID:27081157

  19. The use of information sources by faculty members of babol university of medical sciences: a case study from iran.

    PubMed

    Siamian, Hasan; Yaminfirooz, Moosa; Dehghan, Zahra; Shahrabi, Afsaneh

    2013-01-01

    This study seeks to determine the expertise, use, and satisfaction of faculty members of Babol University of Medical Sciences, using the provided online information services by the university. This study is descriptive and analytical survey and the information gathering was through the questionnaireand the samples, based on the random of Kerjesi and Morgan Table sample size determination that was selected through stratified sampling proportionately to the size of the departments which summed up to 155 of which 113 responded to the mailed questionnaire. The results of the study show that among the various data sources such as books, journals and internet, faculty members have more undemandingand convenient access to the Internet compared to other resources use, however, half of the information needs of faculty members, 57 (50.4 percent) are provided by the printed books;and the databases available to the University and used by faculty members are PubMed with 76.1% and Science direct with 53.1% and Iranmedex with 46.9%.Only 17% of faculty members have the absolute contentment of the Internet information services,and more than half of the respondents (58.4%) expressed the low speed of Internet service as their major reason for their dissatisfaction of the provided services. Use and Satisfaction of Internet-Based Information Services of Faculty Members. Using the Internet to provide the needed information with an index of 46%is a significant issue. The results of the study show that among the various data sources such as books, journals and internet, faculty members have more undemandingand convenient access to the Internet and their access to printed books was really hard and limited, although the internet was more convenient to acquire information, most of the information needs of faculty members are provided by the printed books based on what they expressed. The study showed that the use and acquaintance of the sample of the information databases is very lowand only a few of them have the full satisfaction of the provided Internet information services and the main foremost reason for this major dissatisfaction is the low-speed Internet services at the University.

  20. The forgotten smoker: a qualitative study of attitudes towards smoking, quitting, and tobacco control policies among continuing smokers.

    PubMed

    Uppal, Navneet; Shahab, Lion; Britton, John; Ratschen, Elena

    2013-05-03

    Although research suggests that the majority of smokers want to quit smoking, the uptake of Stop Smoking Services, designed to assist smokers with quitting, remains low. Little is known about continuing smokers who do not access these services, and opportunities to influence their motivation and encourage quit attempts through the uptake of services. Using PRIME theory, this study explored differences between continuing smokers who had varying levels of motivation to quit, in terms of their plans to quit, evaluative beliefs about smoking, cigarette dependence, and attitudes towards tobacco control policies and services. Twenty-two current smokers, recruited from the community, were classified by motivation level to quit using a self-report questionnaire (two groups: high/low). Four focus groups (n=13) and individual interviews (n=9) were conducted with both groups using an interview guide incorporating aspects of PRIME theory. Discussion areas included motives for smoking, attitudes towards smoking and quitting, perceptions of dependence, motives for quitting, barriers to quitting, and attitudes towards existing and impending tobacco control policies and services. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic framework analysis. All participants expressed low motivation to quit during discussions, despite some initially self-classifying as having high explicit levels of motivation to quit. Both groups reported similar attitudes towards smoking and quitting, including a perceived psychological addiction to smoking, positive evaluations about smoking which inhibited plans to quit, and similar suggested methods to increase motivation (simply wanting to, save money, improve health). Most felt that they 'ought' to quit as opposed to 'wanted' to. Little influence was ascribed towards tobacco control policies such as plain packaging and hidden sales displays, and participants felt that price increases of tobacco products needed to be considerable in order to influence motivation. Highly motivated smokers expressed more willingness to visit Stop Smoking Services, although none had done so. Continuing smokers' attitudes towards smoking and quitting suggests that research and policy need to focus on increasing smokers' implicit motivation to quit smoking, even for those who classified themselves as having high motivation to quit. Targeted information and further education about Stop Smoking Services is required to increase uptake.

  1. An exploration of person-centred concepts in human services: A thematic analysis of the literature.

    PubMed

    Waters, Rebecca A; Buchanan, Angus

    2017-10-01

    Being 'person-centred' in the delivery of health and human services has become synonymous with quality care, and it is a core feature of policy reform in Australia and other Western countries. This research aimed to identify the uses, definitions and characteristics of the term 'person-centred' in the ageing, mental health and disability literature. A thematic analysis identified seven common core themes of person-centredness: honouring the person, being in relationship, facilitating participation and engagement, social inclusion/citizenship, experiencing compassionate love, being strengths/capacity focussed, and organisational characteristics. These suggest a set of higher-order experiences for people that are translated differently in different human services. There is no common definition of what it means to be person-centred, despite being a core feature of contemporary health and human service policy, and this suggests that its inclusion facilitates further misunderstanding and misinterpretation. A common understanding and policy conceptualisation of person-centredness is likely to support quality outcomes in service delivery especially where organisations work across human service groups. Further research into the application and service expressions of being 'person-centred' in context is necessary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Racial variation in wanting and obtaining mental health services among women veterans in a primary care clinic.

    PubMed Central

    Bosworth, H. B.; Parsey, K. S.; Butterfield, M. I.; McIntyre, L. M.; Oddone, E. Z.; Stechuchak, K. M.; Bastian, L. A.

    2000-01-01

    Epidemiologic studies suggest that African-American women may be less likely to obtain mental health services. Racial differences were explored in wanting and obtaining mental health services among women in an equal access primary care clinic setting after adjusting for demographics, mental disorder symptoms, and a history of sexual trauma. Participating in the study were women veterans at a primary care clinic at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Consecutive women patients (n = 526) between the ages of 20 and 49 years were screened for a desire to obtain mental health services. Patients were given the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders questionnaire (PRIME-MD) and a sexual trauma questionnaire. Mental health service utilization was monitored for 12 months. The median age of the women was 35.8 years; 54.4% of them were African-American. African-American women expressed a greater desire for mental health services than whites, yet mental health resources at the clinic were similarly used by both racial groups. African-American women may want more mental health services; however, given an equal access system, there were no racial differences in mental health use. PMID:10881472

  3. Ambulance services in London and Great Britain from 1860 until today: a glimpse of history gleaned mainly from the pages of contemporary journals.

    PubMed

    Pollock, Alexander

    2013-03-01

    Little has been published on the subject of civil ambulance services and their development from the mid-19th century in the UK until modern times. There is limited secondary literature available which provides useful background information on the subject and most organisations may give brief histories of their early days but these sources lack historical adequacy in terms of detail. This article shows part of the uncertain path which the history followed towards the service which we enjoy today. From the pages of the British Medical Journal and the Lancet and Hansard, the battle to set up the service is followed and an indication of the drivers towards change over the period is revealed in the attitudes expressed. In particular, the two World Wars are seen to be the stepwise stimuli to providing a necessary service to the British population where the will to achieve this had hitherto been lacking at a parliamentary level. The history of the London Ambulance Service is chosen because more is written about it in these journals but services in other British cities and the USA are mentioned since they played a part in influencing change.

  4. Callers’ Experiences of Contacting a National Suicide Prevention Helpline

    PubMed Central

    Coveney, Catherine M.; Pollock, Kristian; Armstrong, Sarah; Moore, John

    2012-01-01

    Background: Helplines are a significant phenomenon in the mixed economy of health and social care. Given the often anonymous and fleeting nature of caller contact, it is difficult to obtain data about their impact and how users perceive their value. This paper reports findings from an online survey of callers contacting Samaritans emotional support services. Aims: To explore the (self-reported) characteristics of callers using a national suicide prevention helpline and their reasons given for contacting the service, and to present the users’ evaluations of the service they received. Methods: Online survey of a self-selected sample of callers. Results: 1,309 responses were received between May 2008 and May 2009. There were high incidences of expressed suicidality and mental health issues. Regular and ongoing use of the service was common. Respondents used the service for complex and varied reasons and often as part of a network of support. Conclusions: Respondents reported high levels of satisfaction with the service and perceived contact to be helpful. Although Samaritans aims to provide a crisis service, many callers do not access this in isolation or as a last resort, instead contacting the organization selectively and often in tandem with other types of support. PMID:22759662

  5. Root Cause Analyses of Suicides of Mental Health Clients: Identifying Systematic Processes and Service-Level Prevention Strategies.

    PubMed

    Gillies, Donna; Chicop, David; O'Halloran, Paul

    2015-01-01

    The ability to predict imminent risk of suicide is limited, particularly among mental health clients. Root cause analysis (RCA) can be used by health services to identify service-wide approaches to suicide prevention. To (a) develop a standardized taxonomy for RCAs; (b) to quantitate service-related factors associated with suicides; and (c) to identify service-related suicide prevention strategies. The RCAs of all people who died by suicide within 1 week of contact with the mental health service over 5 years were thematically analyzed using a data collection tool. Data were derived from RCAs of all 64 people who died by suicide between 2008 and 2012. Major themes were categorized as individual, situational, and care-related factors. The most common factor was that clients had recently denied suicidality. Reliance on carers, recent changes in medication, communication problems, and problems in follow-through were also commonly identified. Given the difficulty in predicting suicide in people whose expressions of suicidal ideation change so rapidly, services may consider the use of strategies aimed at improving the individual, stressor, support, and care factors identified in this study.

  6. Barriers to health service access among female migrant Ugandan sex workers in Guangzhou, China.

    PubMed

    Davis, Alissa; Meyerson, Beth E; Aghaulor, Blessing; Brown, Katherine; Watson, Adisyn; Muessig, Kathryn E; Yang, Ligang; Tucker, Joseph D

    2016-10-14

    Increased trade between China and Uganda has fueled trafficking of female Ugandans into China. These women may face challenges accessing health services. This study focused on examining barriers to health care access among female Ugandan sex workers in China. In 2014, we undertook in-depth interviews with 19 female Ugandan sex workers in Guangzhou, China. Interviews focused on barriers to health service access and were analyzed using an a priori coding framework followed by open-coding to capture emergent themes. Out of 19 women, 12 women reported a history of being trafficked into China. None of the women had a valid Chinese visa. Fear of being arrested for lack of documentation discouraged women in this sample from accessing hospital services. Low pay, housing exploitation, and remittances contributed to participants' lack of financial resources, which further inhibited their ability to access health services. Participants expressed feeling social isolation from the local community and reported mistrust of local individuals and organizations, including hospitals. Ugandan sex workers in China faced substantial structural barriers that limited health service access. Policy changes and the development of new programs are urgently needed to ensure these women have improved access to health services.

  7. Early Prevention of Childhood Disability in Developing Countries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simeonsson, Rune J.

    1991-01-01

    This paper presents a disability prevention framework for community-based rehabilitation services, by conceptualizing early intervention in terms of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. The framework views prevention as the effort to reduce a disability's expression, duration, or extended impact. (Author/JDD)

  8. 5 CFR 2601.103 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Policy. 2601.103 Section 2601.103... GOVERNMENT ETHICS STATUTORY GIFT ACCEPTANCE AUTHORITY General Provisions § 2601.103 Policy. (a) Scope. The... products, services, activities, or policies. Letters to a donor expressing appreciation of a gift are...

  9. 7 CFR 1980.302 - Definitions and abbreviations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... E to subpart A of part 1924 applicable to single family residential construction or other similar...) Receptive and expressive language, (iii) Learning, (iv) Mobility, (v) Self-direction, (vi) Capacity for... Lender on behalf of the borrower. Lender. The organization making, holding, and/or servicing the loan...

  10. 7 CFR 1980.302 - Definitions and abbreviations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... E to subpart A of part 1924 applicable to single family residential construction or other similar...) Receptive and expressive language, (iii) Learning, (iv) Mobility, (v) Self-direction, (vi) Capacity for... Lender on behalf of the borrower. Lender. The organization making, holding, and/or servicing the loan...

  11. Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need to prevent the closure or consolidation of post offices.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Rep. Emerson, Jo Ann [R-MO-8

    2011-01-07

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

  12. Focused Logistics: Putting Agility in Agile Logistics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-05-19

    list, ahead of companies like American Express, DuPont and Coca Cola ; Supports nearly 1,900 weapon systems; DLA manages eight supply chains and...35 7) Force Health Protection...Distribution, Information Fusion, Joint Theater Logistics Command and Control, Multinational Logistics, Joint Health Services Support, and Agile

  13. Client Oriented Management Documents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Limaye, Mohan R.; Hightower, Rick

    Noting that accounting reports, including management advisory service (MAS) studies, reports on internal control, and tax memoranda, often appear rather dense and heavy in style--partly because of the legal environment's demand for careful expression and partly because such documents convey very complex information--this paper presents four…

  14. 14 CFR 13.202 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...-delivery or use of a contract or express messenger service. “Personal delivery” does not include the use of.... Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel for Operations, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Enforcement, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Europe, Africa, and Middle East Area Office, each Regional Counsel, the...

  15. 14 CFR 13.202 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...-delivery or use of a contract or express messenger service. “Personal delivery” does not include the use of.... Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel for Operations, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Enforcement, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Europe, Africa, and Middle East Area Office, each Regional Counsel, the...

  16. 14 CFR 13.202 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ...-delivery or use of a contract or express messenger service. “Personal delivery” does not include the use of.... Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel for Operations, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Enforcement, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Europe, Africa, and Middle East Area Office, each Regional Counsel, the...

  17. 14 CFR 13.202 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ...-delivery or use of a contract or express messenger service. “Personal delivery” does not include the use of.... Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel for Operations, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Enforcement, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Europe, Africa, and Middle East Area Office, each Regional Counsel, the...

  18. 14 CFR 13.202 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...-delivery or use of a contract or express messenger service. “Personal delivery” does not include the use of.... Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel for Operations, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Enforcement, the Assistant Chief Counsel, Europe, Africa, and Middle East Area Office, each Regional Counsel, the...

  19. 45 CFR 81.115 - Matters not prohibited.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE FOR... or expressing points of view is not deemed an ex parte communication. Such requests should be directed to the Civil Rights hearing clerk. Communications with respect to minor procedural matters or...

  20. 32 CFR 176.35 - HUD's review of the application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... other existing housing, social service, community economic, or other development plans adopted by the... to the expressed interest and requests of representatives of the homeless, whether the application... communities in the vicinity of the installation. (2) Impact of notices of interest. Takes into consideration...

  1. Evaluation of the Facilitated Communication Pilot

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    The Office of Special Education and Student Services asked the Office of Shared Accountability to evaluate the "Facilitated Communication Pilot." In facilitated communication (FC), people with communication impairments express themselves by typing with the aid of a communication partner, called a facilitator, who provides physical (and…

  2. 37 CFR 1.6 - Receipt of correspondence.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ....6 Section 1.6 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES General Provisions General Information and... stamped with the date of deposit as “Express Mail” with the United States Postal Service. (3...

  3. Orbital Express Mission Operations Planning and Resource Management using ASPEN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chouinard, Caroline; Knight, Russell; Jones, Grailing; Tran, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    As satellite equipment and mission operations become more costly, the drive to keep working equipment running with less man-power rises.Demonstrating the feasibility of autonomous satellite servicing was the main goal behind the Orbital Express (OE) mission. Planning the satellite mission operations for OE required the ability to create a plan which could be executed autonomously over variable conditions. The Automated-Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN)tool, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was used to create the schedule of events in each daily plan for the two satellites of the OE mission. This paper presents an introduction to the ASPEN tool, the constraints of the OE domain, the variable conditions that were presented within the mission, and the solution to operations that ASPEN provided. ASPEN has been used in several other domains, including research rovers, Deep Space Network scheduling research, and in flight operations for the ASE project's EO1 satellite. Related work is discussed, as are the future of ASPEN and the future of autonomous satellite servicing.

  4. Public health agendas addressing violence against rural women - an analysis of local level health services in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

    PubMed

    da Costa, Marta Cocco; Lopes, Marta Julia Marques; Soares, Joannie dos Santos Fachinelli

    2015-05-01

    This study analyses health managers' perceptions of local public health agendas addressing violence against rural women in municipalities in the southern part of the State Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It consists of an exploratory descriptive study utilizing a qualitative approach. Municipal health managers responsible for planning actions directed at women's health and primary health care were interviewed. The analysis sought to explore elements of programmatic vulnerability related to violence in the interviewees' narratives based on the following dimensions of programmatic vulnerability: expression of commitment, transformation of commitment into action, and planning and coordination. It was found that local health agendas directed at violence against rural women do not exist. Health managers are therefore faced with the challenge of defining lines of action in accordance with the guidelines and principles of the SUS. The repercussions of this situation are expressed in fragile comprehensive services for these women and programmatic vulnerability.

  5. A 3D character animation engine for multimodal interaction on mobile devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sandali, Enrico; Lavagetto, Fabio; Pisano, Paolo

    2005-03-01

    Talking virtual characters are graphical simulations of real or imaginary persons that enable natural and pleasant multimodal interaction with the user, by means of voice, eye gaze, facial expression and gestures. This paper presents an implementation of a 3D virtual character animation and rendering engine, compliant with the MPEG-4 standard, running on Symbian-based SmartPhones. Real-time animation of virtual characters on mobile devices represents a challenging task, since many limitations must be taken into account with respect to processing power, graphics capabilities, disk space and execution memory size. The proposed optimization techniques allow to overcome these issues, guaranteeing a smooth and synchronous animation of facial expressions and lip movements on mobile phones such as Sony-Ericsson's P800 and Nokia's 6600. The animation engine is specifically targeted to the development of new "Over The Air" services, based on embodied conversational agents, with applications in entertainment (interactive story tellers), navigation aid (virtual guides to web sites and mobile services), news casting (virtual newscasters) and education (interactive virtual teachers).

  6. Christian charity: the Unitarian Service Committee's relief activities on behalf of refugees from Nazism, 1940-5.

    PubMed

    GENIZI, H

    1987-01-01

    The Unitanan Service Committee (USC) was one of a number of American Christian organizations which aided refugees, mostly Christians, during the Nazi period. Although modelled somewhat after the Quakers' American Friends Service Committee, the USC differed from this group in its opposition to neutrality and openly expressed support for the Allied cause Despite its late start (1940) in overseas work, the USC was very energetic and creative in aiding refugees. The Committee was also the only relief agency in Lisbon specializing in care for illegal refugees. This case study points to how much might have been accomplished had there been greater determination on the part of more people to aid the innocents endangered by the Nazis.

  7. A Best Practice for Developing Availability Guarantee Language in Photovoltaic (PV) O&M Agreements.

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

    Klise, Geoffrey Taylor; Balfour, John

    This document outlines the foundation for developing language that can be utilized in an Equipment Availability Guarantee, typically included in an O&M services agreement between a PV system or plant owner and an O&M services provider, or operator. Many of the current PV O&M service agreement Availability Guarantees are based on contracts used for traditional power generation, which create challenges for owners and operators due to the variable nature of grid-tied photovoltaic generating technologies. This report documents language used in early PV availability guarantees and presents best practices and equations that can be used to more openly communicate how themore » reliability of the PV system and plant equipment can be expressed in an availability guarantee. This work will improve the bankability of PV systems by providing greater transparency into the equipment reliability state to all parties involved in an O&M services contract.« less

  8. [A functional analysis of healthcare auditors' skills in Venezuela, 2008].

    PubMed

    Chirinos-Muñoz, Mónica S

    2010-10-01

    Using functional analysis for identifying the basic, working, specific and generic skills and values which a health service auditor must have. Implementing the functional analysis technique with 10 experts, identifying specific, basic, generic skills and values by means of deductive logic. A functional map was obtained which started by establishing a key purpose based on improving healthcare and service quality from which three key functions emerged. The main functions and skills' units were then broken down into the competitive elements defining what a health service auditor is able to do. This functional map (following functional analysis methodology) shows in detail the simple and complex tasks which a healthcare auditor should apply in the workplace, adopting a forward management approach for improving healthcare and health service quality. This methodology, expressing logical-deductive awareness raising, provides expert consensual information validating each element regarding overall skills.

  9. Mental illness and principal physical diagnoses among Asian American and Pacific Islander users of emergency services.

    PubMed

    Chen, Huey Jen

    2005-12-01

    The stigma of mental illness is one of the factors that prevents Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (APIs) from seeking formal mental health services. A somatic complaint is more acceptable in expressing psychiatric/emotional distress. Admission diagnoses in API emergency service users with secondary psychiatric diagnoses were identified from the 2001 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The sample consisted of 10,623 adult APIs. The study examined the differences in the six leading principal physical admission diagnoses between API emergency service users with psychiatric diagnoses and those without psychiatric diagnoses. Several of the study findings create concern (e.g., the higher percentage of APIs with psychiatric diagnosis who were discharged against medical advice, the high percentage admitted with medication intoxication). Further study is needed to provide guidance for clinical practice.

  10. Marketing service guarantees for health care.

    PubMed

    Levy, J S

    1999-01-01

    The author introduces the concept of service guarantees for application in health care and differentiates between explicit, implicit, and conditional vs. unconditional types of guarantees. An example of an unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is provided by the hospitality industry. Firms conveying an implicit guarantee are those with outstanding reputations for products such as luxury automobiles, or ultimate customer service, like Nordstrom. Federal Express and Domino's Pizza offer explicit guarantees of on-time delivery. Taking this concept into efforts to improve health care delivery involves a number of caveats. Customers invited to use exceptional service cards may use these to record either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The cards need to provide enough specific information about issues so that "immediate action could be taken to improve processes." Front-line employees should be empowered to respond to complaints in a meaningful way to resolve the problem before the client leaves the premises.

  11. Unmet needs of children with special health care needs in a specialized day school setting.

    PubMed

    Aruda, Mary M; Kelly, Mary; Newinsky, Karina

    2011-06-01

    Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) represent a significant component of the pediatric population. They often present to schools with multiple and increasingly complex health issues, including medical technology dependency. Their daily variation in health status requires close monitoring and communication among caregivers. Limited research exists regarding parental concerns and communication between health providers, schools, and families. This study identifies the concerns of parents with CSHCN families, including satisfaction with communication between medical providers and schools. Parents completed a survey adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Analysis of data indicated a high utilization of primary care services but highlighted persistent difficulty accessing services. This study demonstrates families have basic unmet needs in attaining services, including respite and palliative care; indicated an interest in improved communication and coordination of health information between schools and their primary health care providers; and expressed interest in augmenting school health services.

  12. Automatic Conflict Detection on Contracts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fenech, Stephen; Pace, Gordon J.; Schneider, Gerardo

    Many software applications are based on collaborating, yet competing, agents or virtual organisations exchanging services. Contracts, expressing obligations, permissions and prohibitions of the different actors, can be used to protect the interests of the organisations engaged in such service exchange. However, the potentially dynamic composition of services with different contracts, and the combination of service contracts with local contracts can give rise to unexpected conflicts, exposing the need for automatic techniques for contract analysis. In this paper we look at automatic analysis techniques for contracts written in the contract language mathcal{CL}. We present a trace semantics of mathcal{CL} suitable for conflict analysis, and a decision procedure for detecting conflicts (together with its proof of soundness, completeness and termination). We also discuss its implementation and look into the applications of the contract analysis approach we present. These techniques are applied to a small case study of an airline check-in desk.

  13. Sustainable business models: systematic approach toward successful ambulatory care pharmacy practice.

    PubMed

    Sachdev, Gloria

    2014-08-15

    This article discusses considerations for making ambulatory care pharmacist services at least cost neutral and, ideally, generate a margin that allows for service expansion. The four pillars of business sustainability are leadership, staffing, information technology, and compensation. A key facet of leadership in ambulatory care pharmacy practice is creating and expressing a clear vision for pharmacists' services. Staffing considerations include establishing training needs, maximizing efficiencies, and minimizing costs. Information technology is essential for efficiency in patient care delivery and outcomes assessment. The three domains of compensation are cost savings, pay for performance, and revenue generation. The following eight steps for designing and implementing an ambulatory care pharmacist service are discussed: (1) prepare a needs assessment, (2) analyze existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, (3) analyze service gaps and feasibility, (4) consider financial opportunities, (5) consider stakeholders' interests, (6) develop a business plan, (7) implement the service, and (8) measure outcomes. Potential future changes in national healthcare policy (such as pharmacist provider status and expanded pay for performance) could enhance the opportunities for sustainable ambulatory care pharmacy practice. The key challenges facing ambulatory care pharmacists are developing sustainable business models, determining which services yield a positive return on investment, and demanding payment for value-added services. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Expedite the Processing of Unpressurized Payloads to the International Space Station Using the ExPRESS Pallet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bacskay, Allen S.; Gilbert, Paul A. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The Expedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (ExPRESS) Pallet will be used as an experiment platform for external/unpressurized payloads to be flown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the ExPRESS Pallet is to provide an easy access to the ISS for Scientific Investigators that require an external platform for their experiment hardware. As the name of the ExPRESS Pallet implies, the objective of the ExPRESS program is to provide a simplified integration process in a short time period (24 months) for payloads to be flown on the ISS. The ExPRESS Pallet provides unique opportunities for research across many science disciplines, including earth observation, communications, solar and deep space viewing, and long-term exposure. The ExPRESS Pallet provides access to Ram, Wake, Nadir, Zenith and Earth Limb for viewing and exposure to the space environment. The ExPRESS Pallet will provide standard physical payload interfaces, and a standard integration template. The ExPS consists of the Pallet structure, payload Adapters, a subsystem assembly that includes data controller, power distribution and conversion, and Extra Vehicular Robotics compatibility. The ExPRESS Pallet provides the capability to changeout payloads on-orbit via the ExPRESS Pallet Adapter (ExPA). The following paragraphs will describe the Services and Accommodations available to the Payload developers by the ExPRESS Pallet and a brief description of the Integration process. More detailed information on the ExPRESS Pallet can be found in the ExPRESS Pallet Payload Accommodations Handbook, SSP 52000-PAH-EPP.

  15. The Obligation to Provide Assistive Technology: Enhancing the General Curriculum Access.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Sean J.; Jones, Eric D.

    1999-01-01

    Describes public commitment (expressed in federal legislation) to using assistive technology devices and services in K-12 special education and discusses approaches for addressing obstacles in meeting this commitment. Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act represents progress toward integrating assistive technology into disabled…

  16. Listening to Families' Views Regarding Institutionalization & Deinstitutionalization.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tabatabainia, Mohammad Mehdi

    2003-01-01

    A study of 22 Australian families whose relatives were living in an institution found families expressed their opposition to deinstitutionalization for the following reasons: adverse effects on themselves and on their relatives with intellectual disabilities; inadequate community-based residential settings; and provision of good services by the…

  17. 75 FR 12981 - Eligibility for Commercial Flats Failing Deflection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-18

    ..., customers expressed concerns about the potential additional postage due for pieces failing the deflection... Service proposed to change the price eligibilities applicable for pieces that fail the deflection... to the comments, a summary of the changes and revisions to the applicable prices for pieces that do...

  18. Gender as a Factor in School-Based Mental Health Service Delivery

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friedrich, Allison A.; Raffaele Mendez, Linda M.; Mihalas, Stephanie T.

    2010-01-01

    There is a large research base indicating numerous gender differences in prevalence rates of psychopathology, the expression of psychopathology, and the etiology of psychopathology across different disorders (Zahn-Waxler, Shirtcliff, & Marceau, 2008). Such documented gender differences in mental health among children and adolescents have…

  19. 7 CFR 1980.302 - Definitions and abbreviations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... codes listed in exhibit E to subpart A of part 1924 applicable to single family residential construction...: (i) Self-care, (ii) Receptive and expressive language, (iii) Learning, (iv) Mobility, (v) Self... Lender on behalf of the borrower. Lender. The organization making, holding, and/or servicing the loan...

  20. 7 CFR 1980.302 - Definitions and abbreviations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... codes listed in exhibit E to subpart A of part 1924 applicable to single family residential construction...: (i) Self-care, (ii) Receptive and expressive language, (iii) Learning, (iv) Mobility, (v) Self... Lender on behalf of the borrower. Lender. The organization making, holding, and/or servicing the loan...

  1. 2 CFR 200.473 - Transportation costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Transportation costs. 200.473 Section 200... Transportation costs. Costs incurred for freight, express, cartage, postage, and other transportation services... identified with the items involved, they may be charged directly as transportation costs or added to the cost...

  2. 47 CFR 1.1404 - Complaint.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ..., maintenance, and administrative. These charges may be expressed as a percentage of the net pole investment... state court that determines the treatment of accumulated deferred taxes if it is at issue in the... deferred taxes. (x) The rate of return authorized for the utility for intrastate service. With its pleading...

  3. 5 CFR 734.402 - Expression of an employee's individual opinion.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... this subpart retains the right to participate in any of the following political activities, as long as such activity is not performed in concert with a political party, partisan political group, or a... SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES Employees in Certain Agencies...

  4. 22 CFR 1421.15 - Secret ballot.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2013-04-01 2009-04-01 true Secret ballot. 1421.15 Section 1421.15 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE LABOR RELATIONS BOARD; FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY; GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE... THIS SUBCHAPTER § 1421.15 Secret ballot. Secret ballot means the expression by ballot, voting machine...

  5. 22 CFR 1421.15 - Secret ballot.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Secret ballot. 1421.15 Section 1421.15 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE LABOR RELATIONS BOARD; FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY; GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE... THIS SUBCHAPTER § 1421.15 Secret ballot. Secret ballot means the expression by ballot, voting machine...

  6. 22 CFR 1421.15 - Secret ballot.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Secret ballot. 1421.15 Section 1421.15 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE LABOR RELATIONS BOARD; FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY; GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE... THIS SUBCHAPTER § 1421.15 Secret ballot. Secret ballot means the expression by ballot, voting machine...

  7. 22 CFR 1421.15 - Secret ballot.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2012-04-01 2009-04-01 true Secret ballot. 1421.15 Section 1421.15 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE LABOR RELATIONS BOARD; FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY; GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE... THIS SUBCHAPTER § 1421.15 Secret ballot. Secret ballot means the expression by ballot, voting machine...

  8. 22 CFR 1421.15 - Secret ballot.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Secret ballot. 1421.15 Section 1421.15 Foreign Relations FOREIGN SERVICE LABOR RELATIONS BOARD; FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY; GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE... THIS SUBCHAPTER § 1421.15 Secret ballot. Secret ballot means the expression by ballot, voting machine...

  9. 77 FR 59193 - Ocean Transportation Intermediary License Applicants

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-26

    ... Type: New OFF License. Bring Logistics US, Inc. (NVO & OFF), 4500 N. Sam Houston Parkway W., 130...: New NVO & OFF License. Contract Logistics, LLC (NVO & OFF), 4911 N. Portland Avenue, Suite 200.... Roush, Manager, Application Type: New NVO & OFF License. Crescent Line Inc. dba Globe Express Services...

  10. 7 CFR 634.17 - Termination of grant agreement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE... Conservationist, NRCS, may, based on evidence of failure to comply with the terms of the grant agreement, issue a... EPA, have been informed of any expressed views of the administering agency and concurred in the...

  11. Individual Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Anger

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, John L.; Dodd, Louise; Rose, Nicola

    2008-01-01

    There is growing evidence for the efficacy of programs to reduce inappropriate aggression in people with intellectual disabilities. These have been provided in groups and for individuals in forensic settings. People with intellectual disability and inappropriately expressed anger who were referred to a community psychology service were assigned to…

  12. 17 CFR Appendix A to Part 146 - Fees for Copies of Records Requested Under the Privacy Act of 1974

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... by means of an overnight/express service at the fee of $10.00 per unit mailed. (5) The Commission may..., Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. c...

  13. 77 FR 66870 - Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-07

    ... Administration (OSHA), Labor. ACTION: Request for nominations for membership on ACCSH. SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA Assistant Secretary) invites interested persons...) 693-1648; or Mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger or courier service: Submit your...

  14. Decision-Guided Recommenders with Composite Alternatives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alodhaibi, Khalid

    2011-01-01

    Recommender systems aim to support users in their decision-making process while interacting with large information spaces and recommend items of interest to users based on preferences they have expressed, either explicitly or implicitly. Recommender systems are increasingly used with product and service selection over the Internet. Although…

  15. Examining long-distance express buses as an extension of and feeder to passenger rail systems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-03-01

    One of the mobility challenges facing Texas and other high-population states in the coming years is the : rising travel demand along major intercity travel corridors. Increased passenger rail service may help to : absorb some of the travel demand fro...

  16. The demand for ambulatory mental health services from specialty providers.

    PubMed Central

    Horgan, C M

    1986-01-01

    A two-part model is used to examine the demand for ambulatory mental health services in the specialty sector. In the first equation, the probability of having a mental health visit is estimated. In the second part of the model, variations in levels of use expressed in terms of visits and expenditures are examined in turn, with each of these equations conditional on positive utilization of mental health services. In the second part of the model, users are additionally grouped into those with and without out-of-pocket payment for services. This specification accounts for special characteristics regarding the utilization of ambulatory mental health services: (1) a large part of the population does not use these services; (2) of those who use services, the distribution of use is highly skewed; and (3) a large number of users have zero out-of-pocket expenditures. Cost-sharing does indeed matter in the demand for ambulatory mental health services from specialty providers; however, the decision to use mental health services is affected by the level of cost-sharing to a lesser degree than is the decision regarding the level of use of services. The results also show that price is only one of several important factors in determining the demand for services. The lack of significance of family income and of being female is notable. Evidence is presented for the existence of bandwagon effects. The importance of Medicaid in the probability of use equations is noted. PMID:3721874

  17. Performing statistical analyses on quantitative data in Taverna workflows: an example using R and maxdBrowse to identify differentially-expressed genes from microarray data.

    PubMed

    Li, Peter; Castrillo, Juan I; Velarde, Giles; Wassink, Ingo; Soiland-Reyes, Stian; Owen, Stuart; Withers, David; Oinn, Tom; Pocock, Matthew R; Goble, Carole A; Oliver, Stephen G; Kell, Douglas B

    2008-08-07

    There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of quantitative data derived from the measurement of changes at different levels of biological complexity during the post-genomic era. However, there are a number of issues associated with the use of computational tools employed for the analysis of such data. For example, computational tools such as R and MATLAB require prior knowledge of their programming languages in order to implement statistical analyses on data. Combining two or more tools in an analysis may also be problematic since data may have to be manually copied and pasted between separate user interfaces for each tool. Furthermore, this transfer of data may require a reconciliation step in order for there to be interoperability between computational tools. Developments in the Taverna workflow system have enabled pipelines to be constructed and enacted for generic and ad hoc analyses of quantitative data. Here, we present an example of such a workflow involving the statistical identification of differentially-expressed genes from microarray data followed by the annotation of their relationships to cellular processes. This workflow makes use of customised maxdBrowse web services, a system that allows Taverna to query and retrieve gene expression data from the maxdLoad2 microarray database. These data are then analysed by R to identify differentially-expressed genes using the Taverna RShell processor which has been developed for invoking this tool when it has been deployed as a service using the RServe library. In addition, the workflow uses Beanshell scripts to reconcile mismatches of data between services as well as to implement a form of user interaction for selecting subsets of microarray data for analysis as part of the workflow execution. A new plugin system in the Taverna software architecture is demonstrated by the use of renderers for displaying PDF files and CSV formatted data within the Taverna workbench. Taverna can be used by data analysis experts as a generic tool for composing ad hoc analyses of quantitative data by combining the use of scripts written in the R programming language with tools exposed as services in workflows. When these workflows are shared with colleagues and the wider scientific community, they provide an approach for other scientists wanting to use tools such as R without having to learn the corresponding programming language to analyse their own data.

  18. Performing statistical analyses on quantitative data in Taverna workflows: An example using R and maxdBrowse to identify differentially-expressed genes from microarray data

    PubMed Central

    Li, Peter; Castrillo, Juan I; Velarde, Giles; Wassink, Ingo; Soiland-Reyes, Stian; Owen, Stuart; Withers, David; Oinn, Tom; Pocock, Matthew R; Goble, Carole A; Oliver, Stephen G; Kell, Douglas B

    2008-01-01

    Background There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of quantitative data derived from the measurement of changes at different levels of biological complexity during the post-genomic era. However, there are a number of issues associated with the use of computational tools employed for the analysis of such data. For example, computational tools such as R and MATLAB require prior knowledge of their programming languages in order to implement statistical analyses on data. Combining two or more tools in an analysis may also be problematic since data may have to be manually copied and pasted between separate user interfaces for each tool. Furthermore, this transfer of data may require a reconciliation step in order for there to be interoperability between computational tools. Results Developments in the Taverna workflow system have enabled pipelines to be constructed and enacted for generic and ad hoc analyses of quantitative data. Here, we present an example of such a workflow involving the statistical identification of differentially-expressed genes from microarray data followed by the annotation of their relationships to cellular processes. This workflow makes use of customised maxdBrowse web services, a system that allows Taverna to query and retrieve gene expression data from the maxdLoad2 microarray database. These data are then analysed by R to identify differentially-expressed genes using the Taverna RShell processor which has been developed for invoking this tool when it has been deployed as a service using the RServe library. In addition, the workflow uses Beanshell scripts to reconcile mismatches of data between services as well as to implement a form of user interaction for selecting subsets of microarray data for analysis as part of the workflow execution. A new plugin system in the Taverna software architecture is demonstrated by the use of renderers for displaying PDF files and CSV formatted data within the Taverna workbench. Conclusion Taverna can be used by data analysis experts as a generic tool for composing ad hoc analyses of quantitative data by combining the use of scripts written in the R programming language with tools exposed as services in workflows. When these workflows are shared with colleagues and the wider scientific community, they provide an approach for other scientists wanting to use tools such as R without having to learn the corresponding programming language to analyse their own data. PMID:18687127

  19. Grid Enabled Geospatial Catalogue Web Service

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Ai-Jun; Di, Li-Ping; Wei, Ya-Xing; Liu, Yang; Bui, Yu-Qi; Hu, Chau-Min; Mehrotra, Piyush

    2004-01-01

    Geospatial Catalogue Web Service is a vital service for sharing and interoperating volumes of distributed heterogeneous geospatial resources, such as data, services, applications, and their replicas over the web. Based on the Grid technology and the Open Geospatial Consortium (0GC) s Catalogue Service - Web Information Model, this paper proposes a new information model for Geospatial Catalogue Web Service, named as GCWS which can securely provides Grid-based publishing, managing and querying geospatial data and services, and the transparent access to the replica data and related services under the Grid environment. This information model integrates the information model of the Grid Replica Location Service (RLS)/Monitoring & Discovery Service (MDS) with the information model of OGC Catalogue Service (CSW), and refers to the geospatial data metadata standards from IS0 19115, FGDC and NASA EOS Core System and service metadata standards from IS0 191 19 to extend itself for expressing geospatial resources. Using GCWS, any valid geospatial user, who belongs to an authorized Virtual Organization (VO), can securely publish and manage geospatial resources, especially query on-demand data in the virtual community and get back it through the data-related services which provide functions such as subsetting, reformatting, reprojection etc. This work facilitates the geospatial resources sharing and interoperating under the Grid environment, and implements geospatial resources Grid enabled and Grid technologies geospatial enabled. It 2!so makes researcher to focus on science, 2nd not cn issues with computing ability, data locztic, processir,g and management. GCWS also is a key component for workflow-based virtual geospatial data producing.

  20. DE-FG02-04ER25606 Identity Federation and Policy Management Guide: Final Report

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

    Humphrey, Marty, A

    The goal of this 3-year project was to facilitate a more productive dynamic matching between resource providers and resource consumers in Grid environments by explicitly specifying policies. There were broadly two problems being addressed by this project. First, there was a lack of an Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA)-compliant mechanism for expressing, storing and retrieving user policies and Virtual Organization (VO) policies. Second, there was a lack of tools to resolve and enforce policies in the Open Services Grid Architecture. To address these problems, our overall approach in this project was to make all policies explicit (e.g., virtual organization policies,more » resource provider policies, resource consumer policies), thereby facilitating policy matching and policy negotiation. Policies defined on a per-user basis were created, held, and updated in MyPolMan, thereby providing a Grid user to centralize (where appropriate) and manage his/her policies. Organizationally, the corresponding service was VOPolMan, in which the policies of the Virtual Organization are expressed, managed, and dynamically consulted. Overall, we successfully defined, prototyped, and evaluated policy-based resource management and access control for OGSA-based Grids. This DOE project partially supported 17 peer-reviewed publications on a number of different topics: General security for Grids, credential management, Web services/OGSA/OGSI, policy-based grid authorization (for remote execution and for access to information), policy-directed Grid data movement/placement, policies for large-scale virtual organizations, and large-scale policy-aware grid architectures. In addition to supporting the PI, this project partially supported the training of 5 PhD students.« less

  1. Caregiver perceptions about mental health services after child sexual abuse.

    PubMed

    Fong, Hiu-fai; Bennett, Colleen E; Mondestin, Valerie; Scribano, Philip V; Mollen, Cynthia; Wood, Joanne N

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to describe caregiver perceptions about mental health services (MHS) after child sexual abuse (CSA) and to explore factors that affected whether their children linked to services. We conducted semi-structured, in-person interviews with 22 non-offending caregivers of suspected CSA victims<13 years old seen at a child advocacy center in Philadelphia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit caregivers who had (n=12) and had not (n=10) linked their children to MHS. Guided by the Health Belief Model framework, interviews assessed perceptions about: CSA severity, the child's susceptibility for adverse outcomes, the benefits of MHS, and the facilitators and barriers to MHS. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using modified grounded theory. Recruitment ended when thematic saturation was reached. Caregivers expressed strong reactions to CSA and multiple concerns about adverse child outcomes. Most caregivers reported that MHS were generally necessary for children after CSA. Caregivers who had not linked to MHS, however, believed MHS were not necessary for their children, most commonly because they were not exhibiting behavioral symptoms. Caregivers described multiple access barriers to MHS, but caregivers who had not linked reported that they could have overcome these barriers if they believed MHS were necessary for their children. Caregivers who had not linked to services also expressed concerns about MHS being re-traumatizing and stigmatizing. Interventions to increase MHS linkage should focus on improving communication with caregivers about the specific benefits of MHS for their children and proactively addressing caregiver concerns about MHS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Change over a service learning experience in science undergraduates' beliefs expressed about elementary school students' ability to learn science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goebel, Camille A.

    This longitudinal investigation explores the change in four (3 female, 1 male) science undergraduates' beliefs expressed about low-income elementary school students' ability to learn science. The study sought to identify how the undergraduates in year-long public school science-teaching partnerships perceived the social, cultural, and economic factors affecting student learning. Previous service-learning research infrequently focused on science undergraduates relative to science and society or detailed expressions of their beliefs and field practices over the experience. Qualitative methodology was used to guide the implementation and analysis of this study. A sample of an additional 20 science undergraduates likewise involved in intensive reflection in the service learning in science teaching (SLST) course called Elementary Science Education Partners (ESEP) was used to examine the typicality of the case participants. The findings show two major changes in science undergraduates' belief expressions: (1) a reduction in statements of beliefs from a deficit thinking perspective about the elementary school students' ability to learn science, and (2) a shift in the attribution of students, underlying problems in science learning from individual-oriented to systemic-oriented influences. Additional findings reveal that the science undergraduates perceived they had personally and profoundly changed as a result of the SLST experience. Changes include: (1) the gain of a new understanding of others' situations different from their own; (2) the realization of and appreciation for their relative positions of privilege due to their educational background and family support; (3) the gain in ability to communicate, teach, and work with others; (4) the idea that they were more socially and culturally connected to their community outside the university and their college classrooms; and (5) a broadening of the way they understood or thought about science. Women participants stated that the experience validated their science and science-related career choices. Results imply that these changes have the potential to strengthen the undergraduate pursuit of science-related careers and will contribute positive influences to our education system and society at large.

  3. Social accountability for maternal health services in Muanda and Bolenge Health Zones, Democratic Republic of Congo: a situation analysis.

    PubMed

    Mafuta, Eric M; Dieleman, Marjolein A; Hogema, Lisanne M; Khomba, Paul N; Zioko, François M; Kayembe, Patrick K; de Cock Buning, Tjard; Mambu, Thérèse N M

    2015-11-23

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest maternal mortality ratio estimated at 846 deaths per 100,000 live births. Innovative strategies such as social accountability are needed to improve both health service delivery and utilization. Indeed, social accountability is a form of citizen engagement defined as the 'extent and capability of citizens to hold politicians, policy makers and providers accountable and make them responsive to their needs.' This study explores existing social accountability mechanisms through which women's concerns are expressed and responded to by health providers in local settings. An exploratory study was conducted in two health zones with purposively sampled respondents including twenty-five women, five men, five health providers, two health zone officers and eleven community stakeholders. Data on women's voice and oversight and health providers' responsiveness were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. In the two health zones, women rarely voiced their concerns and expectations about health services. This reluctance was due to: the absence of procedures to express them, to the lack of knowledge thereof, fear of reprisals, of being misunderstood as well as factors such as age-related power, ethnicity backgrounds, and women's status. The means most often mentioned by women for expressing their concerns were as individuals rather than as a collective. They did not use them instead; instead they looked to intermediaries, mostly, trusted health providers, community health workers and local leaders. Their perceptions of health providers' responsiveness varied. For women, there were no mechanisms for oversight in place. Individual discontent with malpractice was not shown to health providers. In contrast, health providers mentioned community health workers, health committee, and community based organizations as formal oversight mechanisms. All respondents recognized the lack of coalition around maternal health despite the many local associations and groups. Social accountability is relatively inexistent in the maternal health services in the two health zones. For social accountability to be promoted, efforts need to be made to create its mechanisms and to open the local context settings to dialogue, which appears structurally absent.

  4. Primary school teachers' attitudes about children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the role of pharmacological treatment.

    PubMed

    Moldavsky, Maria; Pass, Sarah; Sayal, Kapil

    2014-04-01

    Clinical experience and research suggest that teachers' attitudes about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are an important factor influencing access to specialist assessment and treatment, including medication. We performed a thematic analysis of comments written by primary school teachers who participated in a case-vignette study investigating the ability of teachers to recognise ADHD. Teachers read one of four types of vignette describing the behaviour of a nine-year-old child who met diagnostic criteria for ADHD (either a boy or a girl with inattentive or combined subtype of ADHD). They answered questions (identical for all types of vignette) about their views regarding the problems and their management. Teachers were invited to add their own comments. Altogether 496 teachers from 110 schools completed the questionnaire: 250 (50%) teachers from 94 schools wrote at least one comment, adding up to 341 comments. Regarding their views on the need to refer the child to specialist services, 32 teachers made comments that reflected caution. The most frequent comments were that it was too early to say whether a referral was necessary, the problems were not severe enough or the main support would come from school. Teachers also reported a lack of knowledge about specialist services or criticised them. When asked whether medication might be beneficial for the child, 125 teachers expressed hesitant or negative views: that it was premature to express an opinion about medication or too soon to give medication to the child; that medication was not necessary or should not be used at all; or that the problems were not severe enough or were emotional in nature. Only five teachers reported having a positive experience of the effect of medication. Teachers' comments suggested a strong preference in using within-school strategies for the management of children with ADHD. Teachers were reluctant to endorse medication for DHD and expressed negative views about its use. Health services should support teachers' management of ADHD-related behaviours in school and provide information to increase teachers' ability to identify the need for a referral to specialist health services.

  5. Examining clinicians' experiences providing sexual health services for LGBTQ youth: considering social and structural determinants of health in clinical practice.

    PubMed

    Knight, R E; Shoveller, J A; Carson, A M; Contreras-Whitney, J G

    2014-08-01

    Although barriers related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth's experiences accessing sexual health services have been examined in detail, research into the experiences and perceptions of clinicians providing these services has been conspicuously absent. The aim of this article is to explore the perceptions and experiences of clinicians providing sexual health services for LGBTQ youth. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study examines 24 clinicians' experiences providing sexual health services to LGBTQ youth in five communities in British Columbia, Canada. Our findings reveal how many clinicians provide services to LGBTQ youth with a lack of cultural competency-either implicitly (e.g., by describing heteronormative practices) or explicitly (e.g., by expressing frustration that they had not been sufficiently provided with appropriate training related to LGBTQ youth sexual health). Institutional norms and values were identified as the dominant barriers in the effective provision of LGBTQ-tailored services. Many clinicians find themselves unprepared to provide culturally competent sexual health services that have both the capacity to address individual-level issues (e.g. promoting condom use) while considering (and adapting services to) the broader socio-cultural and structural conditions that can render LGBTQ youth socially vulnerable. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Physicians' attitudes toward home healthcare services in Turkey: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Aksoy, Hilal; Kahveci, Rabia; Döner, Pınar; Aksoy, İhsan; Ayhan, Duygu; Koç, E Meltem; Şencan, İrfan; Kasım, İsmail; Özkara, Adem

    2015-01-01

    Because of the growth of the older population and the prevalence of chronic diseases, home care services (HCS) have become an important aspect of healthcare worldwide. However, various difficulties and deficiencies are present in the provision of these recently implemented services in Turkey. Modifications to home healthcare services are in progress. Physicians have an active role in home healthcare services. The present study was performed to examine physicians' attitudes toward this service in detail. Twenty-six physicians who provide home healthcare services in the city of Ankara were included in the study. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analysed. Most physicians thought that home care could be provided to patients who are bedridden, are very old, have a chronic disease, have problems leaving the house, or do not have family support. They also expressed displeasure about the abuse of services and discordance of organization between hospitals and primary care centres. They noted that real circumstances in practice were not compatible with regulations and that cooperation and coordination between departments are necessary and important. The current study underlines physicians' interest in and support of the home care system, which has various drawbacks and limitations. Legislation needs to be further changed to improve the quality of service and eliminate deficiencies in home healthcare.

  7. Getting on the Same Page: Expanding Student Support Services to Increase Candidate Success and Educator Accountability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallavan, Nancy P.; Benson, Tammy R.

    2014-01-01

    Today's teacher candidates frequently exhibit confusion and express discouragement while navigating the expectations of their educational journeys and career goals. Characteristically, many candidates tend to be first-generation college students limited in universal knowledge, global travels, diverse experiences, and multiple perspectives.…

  8. 50 CFR 29.21-4 - Terms and conditions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Terms and conditions. 29.21-4 Section 29.21-4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR... to the express condition that the exercise thereof will not unduly interfere with the management...

  9. 45 CFR 12.6 - Notice of available property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Notice of available property. 12.6 Section 12.6 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DISPOSAL AND UTILIZATION OF... the time the property is declared surplus, the occupant expresses interest in the property, and the...

  10. 45 CFR 12.6 - Notice of available property.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Notice of available property. 12.6 Section 12.6 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DISPOSAL AND UTILIZATION OF... the time the property is declared surplus, the occupant expresses interest in the property, and the...

  11. 40 CFR 86.000-26 - Mileage and service accumulation; emission measurements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... additional significant figure, in accordance with the Rounding-Off Method specified in ASTM E29-90, Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications... standard expressed to one additional significant figure. (d)(3)-(d)(6) [Reserved]. For guidance see § 86...

  12. 40 CFR 86.000-26 - Mileage and service accumulation; emission measurements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... additional significant figure, in accordance with the Rounding-Off Method specified in ASTM E29-90, Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications... standard expressed to one additional significant figure. (d)(3)-(d)(6) [Reserved]. For guidance see § 86...

  13. 40 CFR 86.000-26 - Mileage and service accumulation; emission measurements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... additional significant figure, in accordance with the Rounding-Off Method specified in ASTM E29-90, Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications... standard expressed to one additional significant figure. (d)(3)-(d)(6) [Reserved]. For guidance see § 86...

  14. 76 FR 54241 - Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Office of the Director... selected human gene transfer protocols, including a protocol that will use a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae that expresses the human Brachyury protein in adults with metastatic carcinoma. The RAC will also...

  15. 75 FR 38531 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-02

    .... Customers are defined as any individual or group seeking health or public health information from CDC. This... increasingly guided by a comprehensive evaluation that includes point-of-service and follow-up customer satisfaction surveys. These surveys provide the public with ongoing opportunity to express their level of...

  16. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should incorporate the principles of the Lean Six Sigma management strategy.

    THOMAS, 112th Congress

    Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-5

    2011-09-22

    House - 10/03/2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service, and Labor Policy. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  17. 39 CFR 320.2 - Suspension for certain data processing materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... processing; and (3) “data processing materials” means materials of all types that are sent exclusively for... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Suspension for certain data processing materials... LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.2 Suspension for certain data processing...

  18. 39 CFR 320.2 - Suspension for certain data processing materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... processing; and (3) “data processing materials” means materials of all types that are sent exclusively for... 39 Postal Service 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Suspension for certain data processing materials... LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.2 Suspension for certain data processing...

  19. 39 CFR 320.2 - Suspension for certain data processing materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... processing; and (3) “data processing materials” means materials of all types that are sent exclusively for... 39 Postal Service 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Suspension for certain data processing materials... LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.2 Suspension for certain data processing...

  20. 39 CFR 320.2 - Suspension for certain data processing materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... processing; and (3) “data processing materials” means materials of all types that are sent exclusively for... 39 Postal Service 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Suspension for certain data processing materials... LETTERS SUSPENSION OF THE PRIVATE EXPRESS STATUTES § 320.2 Suspension for certain data processing...

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