Social sustainability in healthcare facilities: a rating tool for analysing and improving social aspects in environments of care.

PubMed

Capolongo, Stefano; Gola, Marco; di Noia, Michela; Nickolova, Maria; Nachiero, Dario; Rebecchi, Andrea; Settimo, Gaetano; Vittori, Gail; Buffoli, Maddalena

2016-01-01

Nowadays several rating systems exist for the evaluation of the sustainability of buildings, but often their focus is limited to environmental and efficiency aspects. Hospitals are complex constructions in which many variables affect hospital processes. Therefore, a research group has developed a tool for the evaluation of sustainability in healthcare facilities. The paper analyses social sustainability issues through a tool which evaluates users' perception from a the quality and well-being perspective. It presents a hierarchical structure composed of a criteria and indicators system which is organised through a weighing system calculated by using the Analytic Network Process. The output is the definition of a tool which evaluates how Humanisation, Comfort and Distribution criteria can affect the social sustainability of a building. Starting from its application, it is evident that the instrument enables the improvement of healthcare facilities through several design and organisational suggestions for achieving healing and sustainable architectures.

NASA's GreenLab Research Facility: A Guide for a Self-Sustainable Renewable Energy Ecosystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bomani, B. M. McDowell; Hendricks, R. C.; Elbuluk, Malik; Okon, Monica; Lee, Eric; Gigante, Bethany

2011-01-01

There is a large gap between the production and demand for energy from alternative fuel and alternative renewable energy sources. The sustainability of humanity, as we know it, directly depends on the ability to secure affordable fuel, food, and freshwater. NASA Glenn Research Center (Glenn) has initiated a laboratory pilot study on using biofuels as viable alternative fuel resources for the field of aviation, as well as utilizing wind and solar technology as alternative renewable energy resources. The GreenLab Research Facility focuses on optimizing biomass feedstock using algae and halophytes as the next generation of renewable aviation fuels. The unique approach in this facility helps achieve optimal biomass feedstock through climatic adaptation of balanced ecosystems that do not use freshwater, compete with food crops, or use arable land. In addition, the GreenLab Research Facility is powered, in part, by alternative and renewable energy sources, reducing the major environmental impact of present electricity sources. The ultimate goal is to have a 100 percent clean energy laboratory that, when combined with biomass feedstock research, has the framework in place for a self-sustainable renewable energy ecosystem that can be duplicated anywhere in the world and can potentially be used to mitigate the shortage of food, fuel, and water. This paper describes the GreenLab Research Facility at Glenn and its power and energy sources, and provides recommendations for worldwide expansion and adoption of the facility s concept.

Close Calls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Paul

2010-01-01

As student enrollment drops, school districts need less learning space and fewer facilities. With cuts in funding, budgets cannot sustain existing building operations and program costs, and buildings must be taken offline or repurposed for financial efficiency. How does a community address this issue? Whether a district is having to shutter…

Balance ability and cognitive impairment influence sustained walking in an assisted living facility.

PubMed

Bowen, Mary Elizabeth; Crenshaw, Jeremy; Stanhope, Steven J

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of cognitive impairment (CI), 1 gait quality, and balance ability on walking distance and speed in an assisted living facility. This was a longitudinal cohort study of institutionalized older adults (N = 26; 555 observations) followed for up to 8 months. Hierarchical linear modeling statistical techniques were used to examine the effects of gait quality and balance ability (using the Tinetti Gait and Balance Test) and cognitive status (using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment) on walking activity (distance, sustained distance, sustained speed). The latter were measured objectively and continuously by a real-time locating system (RTLS). A one-point increase in balance ability was associated with an 8% increase in sustained walking distance (p = 0.03) and a 4% increase in sustained gait speed (p = 0.00). Gait quality was associated with decreased sustained gait speed (p = 0.03). Residents with moderate (ERR = 2.34;p = 0.01) or severe CI (trend with an ERR = 1.62; p = 0.06) had longer sustained walking distances at slower speeds when compared to residents with no CI. After accounting for cognitive status, it was balance ability, not gait quality, that was a determinant of sustained walking distances and speeds. Therefore, balance interventions for older adults in assisted living may enable sustained walking activity. Given that CI was associated with more sustained walking, limiting sustained walking in the form of wandering behavior, especially for those with balance impairments, may prevent adverse events, including fall-related injury. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Green Dialysis Survey: Establishing a Baseline for Environmental Sustainability across Dialysis Facilities in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Barraclough, Katherine A; Gleeson, Alice; Holt, Stephen G; Agar, John Wm

2017-11-02

The Green Dialysis Survey aimed to 1) establish a baseline for environmental sustainability (ES) across Victorian dialysis facilities, and 2) guide future initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of dialysis delivery. Nurse unit managers of all Victorian public dialysis facilities received an online link to the survey, which asked 107 questions relevant to the ES of dialysis services. Responses were received from 71/83 dialysis facilities in Victoria (86%), representing 628/660 dialysis chairs (95%). Low energy lighting was present in 13 facilities (18%), 18 (25%) recycled reverse osmosis water and 7 (10%) reported use of renewable energy. Fifty-six facilities (79%) performed comingled recycling but only 27 (38%) recycled polyvinyl chloride plastic. A minority educated staff in appropriate waste management (n=30;42%) or formally audited waste generation and segregation (n=19;27%). Forty-four (62%) provided secure bicycle parking but only 33 (46%) provided shower and changing facilities. There was limited use of tele- or video-conferencing to replace staff meetings (n=19;27%) or patient clinic visits (n=13;18%). A minority considered ES in procurement decisions (n=28;39%) and there was minimal preparedness to cope with climate change. Only 39 services (49%) confirmed an ES policy and few had ever formed a green group (n=14; 20%) or were currently undertaking a green project (n=8;11%). Only 15 facilities (21%) made formal efforts to raise awareness of ES. This survey provides a baseline for practices that potentially impact the environmental sustainability of dialysis units in Victoria, Australia. It also identifies achievable targets for attention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Preventing Heel Pressure Ulcers: Sustained Quality Improvement Initiative in a Canadian Acute Care Facility.

PubMed

Hanna-Bull, Debbie

2016-01-01

The setting for this quality improvement initiative designed to reduce the prevalence of facility-acquired heel pressure ulcers was a regional, acute-care, 490-bed facility in Ontario, Canada, responsible for dialysis, vascular, and orthopedic surgery. An interdisciplinary skin and wound care team designed an evidence-based quality improvement initiative based on a systematic literature review and standardization of heel offloading methods. The prevalence of heel pressure ulcers was measured at baseline (immediately prior to implementation of initiative) and at 1 and 4 years following implementation. The prevalence of facility-acquired heel pressure ulcers was 5.8% when measured before project implementation. It was 4.2% at 1 year following implementation and 1.6% when measured at the end of the 4-year initiative. Outcomes demonstrate that the initiative resulted in a continuous and sustained reduction in facility-acquired heel pressure ulcer incidence over a 4-year period.

Modifications to ART service delivery models by health facilities in Uganda in promotion of intervention sustainability: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Zakumumpa, Henry; Bennett, Sara; Ssengooba, Freddie

2017-04-04

In November 2015, WHO released new treatment guidelines recommending that all diagnosed as HIV positive be enrolled on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Sustaining and expanding ART scale-up programs in resource-limited settings will require adaptations and modifications to traditional ART delivery models to meet the rapid increase in demand. We identify modifications to ART service delivery models by health facilities in Uganda to sustain ART interventions over a 10-year period (2004-2014). A mixed methods approach involving two study phases was adopted. In the first phase, a survey of a nationally representative sample of health facilities (n = 195) in Uganda which were accredited to provide ART between 2004 and 2009 was conducted. The second phase involved semi-structured interviews (n = 18) with ART clinic managers of 6 of the 195 health facilities purposively selected from the first study phase. We adopted a thematic framework consisting of four categories of modifications (format, setting, personnel, and population). The majority of health facilities 185 (95%) reported making modifications to ART interventions between 2004 and 2014. Of the 195 health facilities, 157 (81%) rated the modifications made to ART as "major." Modifications to ART were reported under all the four themes. The quantitative and qualitative findings are integrated and presented under four themes. Format: Reducing the frequency of clinic appointments and pharmacy-only refill programs was identified as important strategies for decongesting ART clinics. Home-based care programs were introduced to reduce provider ART delivery costs. Personnel: Task shifting to non-physician cadre was reported in 181 (93%) of the health facilities. Visits to the ART clinic were rationalized in favor of the sub-population deemed to have more clinical need. Two health facilities focused on patients living nearer the health facilities to align with targets set by external donors. Over the study period

Sustainability Curriculum in Higher Education: A Call to Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2010

2010-01-01

This report is a culmination of the ideas presented during AASHE's Summit on Sustainability in the Curriculum to address how higher education institutions can further infuse sustainability topics into college and university curricula. Recognizing the scale of the challenges faced by higher education and the urgency with which changes must be…

Sustainable Design Guidelines for the Construction of New Facilities and the Renovation of Existing Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorsey, Judy; L'Esperance, Clare

This guide summarizes research conducted at Colorado's Poudre School District (PSD) to develop guidelines for the desired performance outcomes from employing sustainable educational facility design, and it suggests approaches for attaining them. The guide also provides case studies and references to further investigate opportunities on specific…

Factors influencing sustainability of communally-managed water facilities in rural areas of Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kativhu, T.; Mazvimavi, D.; Tevera, D.; Nhapi, I.

2017-08-01

Sustainability of point water facilities is a major development challenge in many rural settings of developing countries not sparing those in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. This study was done in Zimbabwe to investigate the factors influencing sustainability of rural water supply systems. A total of 399 water points were studied in Nyanga, Chivi and Gwanda districts. Data was collected using a questionnaire, observation checklist and key informant interview guide. Multi-Criteria analysis was used to assess the sustainability of water points and inferential statistical analysis such as Chi square tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to determine if there were significant differences on selected variables across districts and types of lifting devices used in the study area. The thematic approach was used to analyze qualitative data. Results show that most water points were not functional and only 17% across the districts were found to be sustainable. A fusion of social, technical, financial, environmental and institutional factors was found to be influencing sustainability. On technical factors the ANOVA results show that the type of lifting device fitted at a water point significantly influences sustainability (F = 37.4, p < 0.01). Availability of spare parts at community level was found to be determining the downtime period of different lifting devices in the studied wards. Absence of user committees was found to be central in influencing sustainability as water points that did not have user committees were not sustainable and most of them were not functional during the time of the survey. Active participation by communities at the planning stage of water projects was also found to be critical for sustainability although field results showed passive participation by communities at this critical project stage. Financial factors of adequacy of financial contributions and establishment of operation and maintenance funds were also found to be of great

Swim track kinematics and calling behavior attributed to Bryde's whales on the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility.

PubMed

Helble, Tyler A; Henderson, E Elizabeth; Ierley, Glenn R; Martin, Stephen W

2016-12-01

Time difference of arrival methods for acoustically localizing multiple marine mammals have been applied to recorded data from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in order to localize and track calls attributed to Bryde's whales. Data were recorded during the months of August-October 2014, and 17 individual tracks were identified. Call characteristics were compared to other Bryde's whale vocalizations from the Pacific Ocean, and locations of the recorded signals were compared to published visual sightings of Bryde's whales in the Hawaiian archipelago. Track kinematic information, such as swim speeds, bearing information, track duration, and directivity, was recorded for the species. The intercall interval was also established for most of the tracks, providing cue rate information for this species that may be useful for future acoustic density estimate calculations.

ESIF Call for High-Impact Integrated Projects | Energy Systems Integration

Science.gov Websites

Integrated Projects As a U.S. Department of Energy user facility, the Energy Systems Integration Facility concepts, tools, and technologies needed to measure, analyze, predict, protect, and control the grid of the Facility | NREL ESIF Call for High-Impact Integrated Projects ESIF Call for High-Impact

Guidelines for the evaluation and assessment of the sustainable use of resources and of wastes management at healthcare facilities.

PubMed

Townend, William K; Cheeseman, Christopher R

2005-10-01

This paper presents guidelines that can be used by managers of healthcare facilities to evaluate and assess the quality of resources and waste management at their facilities and enabling the principles of sustainable development to be addressed. The guidelines include the following key aspects which need to be considered when completing an assessment. They are: (a) general management; (b) social issues; (c) health and safety; (d) energy and water use; (e) purchasing and supply; (f) waste management (responsibility, segregation, storage and packaging); (g) waste transport; (h) recycling and re-use; (i) waste treatment; and (j) final disposal. They identify actions required to achieve a higher level of performance which can readily be applied to any healthcare facility, irrespective of the local level of social, economic and environmental development. The guidelines are presented, and the characteristics of facilities associated with sustainable (level 4) and unsustainable (level 0) healthcare resource and wastes management are outlined. They have been used to assess a major London hospital, and this highlighted a number of deficiencies in current practice, including a lack of control over purchasing and supply, and very low rates of segregation of municipal solid waste from hazardous healthcare waste.

Outsourcing an Effective Postdischarge Call Program

PubMed Central

Meek, Kevin L.; Williams, Paula; Unterschuetz, Caryn J.

2018-01-01

To improve patient satisfaction ratings and decrease readmissions, many organizations utilize internal staff to complete postdischarge calls to recently released patients. Developing, implementing, monitoring, and sustaining an effective call program can be challenging and have eluded some of the renowned medical centers in the country. Using collaboration with an outsourced vendor to bring state-of-the-art call technology and staffed with specially trained callers, health systems can achieve elevated levels of engagement and satisfaction for their patients postdischarge. PMID:29494453

Facile and sustainable synthesis of shaped iron oxide nanoparticles: effect of iron precursor salts on the shapes of iron oxides.

PubMed

Sayed, Farheen N; Polshettiwar, Vivek

2015-05-05

A facile and sustainable protocol for synthesis of six different shaped iron oxides is developed. Notably, all the six shapes of iron oxides can be synthesised using exactly same synthetic protocol, by simply changing the precursor iron salts. Several of the synthesised shapes are not reported before. This novel protocol is relatively easy to implement and could contribute to overcome the challenge of obtaining various shaped iron oxides in economical and sustainable manner.

Facile and Sustainable Synthesis of Shaped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Effect of Iron Precursor Salts on the Shapes of Iron Oxides

PubMed Central

Sayed, Farheen N.; Polshettiwar, Vivek

2015-01-01

A facile and sustainable protocol for synthesis of six different shaped iron oxides is developed. Notably, all the six shapes of iron oxides can be synthesised using exactly same synthetic protocol, by simply changing the precursor iron salts. Several of the synthesised shapes are not reported before. This novel protocol is relatively easy to implement and could contribute to overcome the challenge of obtaining various shaped iron oxides in economical and sustainable manner. PMID:25939969

People, Process and Technology: Strategies for Assuring Sustainable Implementation of EMRs at Public-Sector Health Facilities in Kenya

PubMed Central

Kang’a, Samuel G.; Muthee, Veronica M.; Liku, Nzisa; Too, Diana; Puttkammer, Nancy

2016-01-01

The Ministry of Health (MoH) rollout of electronic medical record systems (EMRs) has continuously been embraced across health facilities in Kenya since 2012. This has been driven by a government led process supported by PEPFAR that recommended standardized systems for facilities. Various strategies were deployed to assure meaningful and sustainable EMRs implementation: sensitization of leadership; user training, formation of health facility-level multi-disciplinary teams; formation of county-level Technical Working Groups; data migration; routine data quality assessments; point of care adoption; successive release of software upgrades; and power provision. Successes recorded include goodwill and leadership from the county management (22 counties), growth in the number of EMR trained users (2561 health care workers), collaboration in among other things, data migration(90 health facilities completed) and establishment of county TWGs (13 TWGs). Sustenance of EMRs demand across facilities is possible through; county TWGs oversight, timely resolution of users’ issues and provision of reliable power. PMID:28269864

People, Process and Technology: Strategies for Assuring Sustainable Implementation of EMRs at Public-Sector Health Facilities in Kenya.

PubMed

Kang'a, Samuel G; Muthee, Veronica M; Liku, Nzisa; Too, Diana; Puttkammer, Nancy

2016-01-01

The Ministry of Health (MoH) rollout of electronic medical record systems (EMRs) has continuously been embraced across health facilities in Kenya since 2012. This has been driven by a government led process supported by PEPFAR that recommended standardized systems for facilities. Various strategies were deployed to assure meaningful and sustainable EMRs implementation: sensitization of leadership; user training, formation of health facility-level multi-disciplinary teams; formation of county-level Technical Working Groups; data migration; routine data quality assessments; point of care adoption; successive release of software upgrades; and power provision. Successes recorded include goodwill and leadership from the county management (22 counties), growth in the number of EMR trained users (2561 health care workers), collaboration in among other things, data migration(90 health facilities completed) and establishment of county TWGs (13 TWGs). Sustenance of EMRs demand across facilities is possible through; county TWGs oversight, timely resolution of users' issues and provision of reliable power.

Educational Infrastructure and Resources for Sustainable Access to Schooling and Outcomes: The Case of Early Literacy Development in Southern Tanzania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngwaru, Jacob Marriote; Oluga, Mary

2015-01-01

Following on the 1990 and 2000 World Conferences on Education for All, African governments increased their focus on access to schooling (but not necessarily on outcomes) by providing more facilities for increased enrolments. The learning outcomes that had been neglected led to a call to focus on more sustainable access--re-examining the quality of…

Impact of a Regional Pharmacy Call Center on Telephone Access Metrics Within the Veterans Health Administration.

PubMed

White, Christina A; Jones, Marshall R; Kuester, Melanie K; Myers, Kelly L; Schnarr, Barbara A

2015-05-01

To establish a cost-effective centralized pharmacy call center to serve the patients of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 11 that would meet established performance metrics. A pilot project began in August 2011 with the Indianapolis VA Medical Center (VAMC) and the Health Resource Center (HRC) in Topeka, Kansas. The Indianapolis VAMC used a first-call resolution business model consisting of pharmacy technicians receiving tier 1 phone calls that could be escalated to a tier 2 line that consisted of lead technicians and pharmacists, while the HRC utilized general telephone agents that would transfer unresolved calls to the primary facility. Pre- and post-VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center performance metrics were compared for each of the 7 facilities in the network with the goals being monthly average abandoned call rate less than 5% and average speed to answer less than 30 seconds. Cost per call was also compared. The average abandoned call rate for the network during the year prior to VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center implementation (August 2010-July 2011) was 15.66% and decreased to 3% in July 2014. The average abandoned call rate decreased for each individual facility. In fiscal year 2014, the VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center was operating at a cost of $4.35 per call while providing more services than the HRC, resulting in less workload being transferred back to the individual facilities. A centralized VISN pharmacy call center is a reasonable alternative to individual facility call centers or the HRC.

The AGING Initiative experience: a call for sustained support for team science networks.

PubMed

Garg, Tullika; Anzuoni, Kathryn; Landyn, Valentina; Hajduk, Alexandra; Waring, Stephen; Hanson, Leah R; Whitson, Heather E

2018-05-18

Team science, defined as collaborative research efforts that leverage the expertise of diverse disciplines, is recognised as a critical means to address complex healthcare challenges, but the practical implementation of team science can be difficult. Our objective is to describe the barriers, solutions and lessons learned from our team science experience as applied to the complex and growing challenge of multiple chronic conditions (MCC). MCC is the presence of two or more chronic conditions that have a collective adverse effect on health status, function or quality of life, and that require complex healthcare management, decision-making or coordination. Due to the increasing impact on the United States society, MCC research has been identified as a high priority research area by multiple federal agencies. In response to this need, two national research entities, the Healthcare Systems Research Network (HCSRN) and the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAIC), formed the Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth (AGING) Initiative to build nationwide capacity for MCC team science. This article describes the structure, lessons learned and initial outcomes of the AGING Initiative. We call for funding mechanisms to sustain infrastructures that have demonstrated success in fostering team science and innovation in translating findings to policy change necessary to solve complex problems in healthcare.

Sustainability of a person-centered ward atmosphere and possibility to provide person-centered forensic psychiatric care after facility relocation.

PubMed

Alexiou, Eirini; Wijk, Helle; Ahlquist, Gustaf; Kullgren, Anette; Degl' Innocenti, Alessio

2018-05-01

This longitudinal study aims to assess the sustainability of staff perceptions of ward atmosphere and their possibility to provide person-centered forensic psychiatric care after relocation to new hospitals that aimed to provide supportive work conditions for the staff to be able to perform care of high quality. In this study we only present the result for the repeated measures, that is, only the individuals that performed both the questionnaires at baseline and at the three follow-ups. Data were collected prospectively between 2010 and 2016; before (baseline) and after relocation of the forensic psychiatric clinics to new buildings, i.e., after six months (follow-up 1), after one year (follow-up 2) and after two years (follow-up 3), respectively. Data were obtained by employing structured validated questionnaires. The main findings of this study display an improvement in the staff assessment of a person-centered atmosphere from baseline to follow-up 3 in the domains of safety, everydayness and community where safety was evaluated the highest. No sustainable significant changes were found concerning staff's assessment of the support for them to provide person-centered care. The findings show sustainability of person-centered ward atmosphere in forensic psychiatric care according to staff's assessment after relocation from traditional health care facilities to evidence-based designed premises. In this study the increased staff perception of the possibility to provide person-centered care in the new facilities could not be revealed as sustainability over the two years of follow-up. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of a Regional Pharmacy Call Center on Telephone Access Metrics Within the Veterans Health Administration

PubMed Central

Jones, Marshall R.; Kuester, Melanie K.; Myers, Kelly L.; Schnarr, Barbara A.

2015-01-01

Purpose: To establish a cost-effective centralized pharmacy call center to serve the patients of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 11 that would meet established performance metrics. Methods: A pilot project began in August 2011 with the Indianapolis VA Medical Center (VAMC) and the Health Resource Center (HRC) in Topeka, Kansas. The Indianapolis VAMC used a first-call resolution business model consisting of pharmacy technicians receiving tier 1 phone calls that could be escalated to a tier 2 line that consisted of lead technicians and pharmacists, while the HRC utilized general telephone agents that would transfer unresolved calls to the primary facility. Pre- and post-VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center performance metrics were compared for each of the 7 facilities in the network with the goals being monthly average abandoned call rate less than 5% and average speed to answer less than 30 seconds. Cost per call was also compared. Results: The average abandoned call rate for the network during the year prior to VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center implementation (August 2010-July 2011) was 15.66% and decreased to 3% in July 2014. The average abandoned call rate decreased for each individual facility. In fiscal year 2014, the VISN 11 Pharmacy Call Center was operating at a cost of $4.35 per call while providing more services than the HRC, resulting in less workload being transferred back to the individual facilities. Conclusion: A centralized VISN pharmacy call center is a reasonable alternative to individual facility call centers or the HRC. PMID:26405322

Designing sustainable acute hospitals.

PubMed

Cory, Alistair

2008-01-01

The need to provide sustainable hospitals lies in the fact that we have an obligation to act responsibly towards good stewardship of our environment and the world's precious resources, ensuring a healthy future for coming generations. As such, a sustainable hospital must sit squarely in a sustainable society, and the global and local context should be considered when designing a sustainable health facility.

Comparison of Perceived and Technical Healthcare Quality in Primary Health Facilities: Implications for a Sustainable National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana

PubMed Central

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Duku, Stephen Opoku; Janssens, Wendy; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; Spieker, Nicole; van Ostenberg, Paul; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo; Pradhan, Menno; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F.

2015-01-01

Background Quality care in health facilities is critical for a sustainable health insurance system because of its influence on clients’ decisions to participate in health insurance and utilize health services. Exploration of the different dimensions of healthcare quality and their associations will help determine more effective quality improvement interventions and health insurance sustainability strategies, especially in resource constrained countries in Africa where universal access to good quality care remains a challenge. Purpose To examine the differences in perceptions of clients and health staff on quality healthcare and determine if these perceptions are associated with technical quality proxies in health facilities. Implications of the findings for a sustainable National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana are also discussed. Methods This is a cross-sectional study in two southern regions in Ghana involving 64 primary health facilities: 1,903 households and 324 health staff. Data collection lasted from March to June, 2012. A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test was performed to determine differences in client and health staff perceptions of quality healthcare. Spearman’s rank correlation test was used to ascertain associations between perceived and technical quality care proxies in health facilities, and ordered logistic regression employed to predict the determinants of client and staff-perceived quality healthcare. Results Negative association was found between technical quality and client-perceived quality care (coef. = -0.0991, p<0.0001). Significant staff-client perception differences were found in all healthcare quality proxies, suggesting some level of unbalanced commitment to quality improvement and potential information asymmetry between clients and service providers. Overall, the findings suggest that increased efforts towards technical quality care alone will not necessarily translate into better client-perceived quality care and willingness to

Comparison of Perceived and Technical Healthcare Quality in Primary Health Facilities: Implications for a Sustainable National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana.

PubMed

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Duku, Stephen Opoku; Janssens, Wendy; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; Spieker, Nicole; van Ostenberg, Paul; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo; Pradhan, Menno; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F

2015-01-01

Quality care in health facilities is critical for a sustainable health insurance system because of its influence on clients' decisions to participate in health insurance and utilize health services. Exploration of the different dimensions of healthcare quality and their associations will help determine more effective quality improvement interventions and health insurance sustainability strategies, especially in resource constrained countries in Africa where universal access to good quality care remains a challenge. To examine the differences in perceptions of clients and health staff on quality healthcare and determine if these perceptions are associated with technical quality proxies in health facilities. Implications of the findings for a sustainable National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana are also discussed. This is a cross-sectional study in two southern regions in Ghana involving 64 primary health facilities: 1,903 households and 324 health staff. Data collection lasted from March to June, 2012. A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test was performed to determine differences in client and health staff perceptions of quality healthcare. Spearman's rank correlation test was used to ascertain associations between perceived and technical quality care proxies in health facilities, and ordered logistic regression employed to predict the determinants of client and staff-perceived quality healthcare. Negative association was found between technical quality and client-perceived quality care (coef. = -0.0991, p<0.0001). Significant staff-client perception differences were found in all healthcare quality proxies, suggesting some level of unbalanced commitment to quality improvement and potential information asymmetry between clients and service providers. Overall, the findings suggest that increased efforts towards technical quality care alone will not necessarily translate into better client-perceived quality care and willingness to utilize health services in NHIS

Outsourcing an Effective Postdischarge Call Program: A Collaborative Approach.

PubMed

Meek, Kevin L; Williams, Paula; Unterschuetz, Caryn J

To improve patient satisfaction ratings and decrease readmissions, many organizations utilize internal staff to complete postdischarge calls to recently released patients. Developing, implementing, monitoring, and sustaining an effective call program can be challenging and have eluded some of the renowned medical centers in the country. Using collaboration with an outsourced vendor to bring state-of-the-art call technology and staffed with specially trained callers, health systems can achieve elevated levels of engagement and satisfaction for their patients postdischarge.

Theology links Christian ministry with God's call.

PubMed

O'Connell, L J

1984-03-01

Catholic health care ministry originates in and is shaped by the theme of call in the Old and New Testaments. To be specifically Catholic, health professionals and facilities must define their ministries according to the values expressed in this theological tradition. Sponsorship. The opportunity to provide health care enables religious communities to contribute to God's ongoing creation process and to reiterate Christ's call to minister to others. Although health care facility sponsorship thrusts religious communities into the arena of big business, the abandonment of the health care mission could be considered a betrayal of evangelical values. Quality of life. The implicit concern for human dignity that distinguishes Catholic health care facilities should be evident in personalized patient care, just working conditions, and a commitment to healing in the civic community. Stewardship in ethics. The development of business policies and procedures and institutional responses to social change should be carefully considered in light of the Catholic understanding of loving covenant and the Christian way of life. Shared ministry. Health care facilities have played a leading role in implementing the Second Vatican Council's vision of ministry. Sponsoring communities' continued willingness to share responsibilities with laity will be imperative in meeting the health care demands of the future.

Brief Survey of TSC Computing Facilities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-05-01

The Transportation Systems Center (TSC) has four, essentially separate, in-house computing facilities. We shall call them Honeywell Facility, the Hybrid Facility, the Multimode Simulation Facility, and the Central Facility. In addition to these four,...

Neoliberalism and Justice in Education for Sustainable Development: A Call for Inclusive Pluralism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopnina, Helen; Cherniak, Brett

2016-01-01

Commonly conceived, sustainable development is concerned with social and economic equity and maintenance of ecological stability for future generations. The Brundtland Report addresses the ethical principles of intragenerational and intergenerational equity as fundamental pillars of sustainable development. This equity is often defined in economic…

Close-Call Action Log Form

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spuler, Linda M.; Ford, Patricia K.; Skeete, Darren C.; Hershman, Scot; Raviprakash, Pushpa; Arnold, John W.; Tran, Victor; Haenze, Mary Alice

2005-01-01

"Close Call Action Log Form" ("CCALF") is the name of both a computer program and a Web-based service provided by the program for creating an enhanced database of close calls (in the colloquial sense of mishaps that were avoided by small margins) assigned to the Center Operations Directorate (COD) at Johnson Space Center. CCALF provides a single facility for on-line collaborative review of close calls. Through CCALF, managers can delegate responses to employees. CCALF utilizes a pre-existing e-mail system to notify managers that there are close calls to review, but eliminates the need for the prior practices of passing multiple e-mail messages around the COD, then collecting and consolidating them into final responses: CCALF now collects comments from all responders for incorporation into reports that it generates. Also, whereas it was previously necessary to manually calculate metrics (e.g., numbers of maintenance-work orders necessitated by close calls) for inclusion in the reports, CCALF now computes the metrics, summarizes them, and displays them in graphical form. The reports and all pertinent information used to generate the reports are logged, tracked, and retained by CCALF for historical purposes.

MIMI: multimodality, multiresource, information integration environment for biomedical core facilities.

PubMed

Szymanski, Jacek; Wilson, David L; Zhang, Guo-Qiang

2009-10-01

The rapid expansion of biomedical research has brought substantial scientific and administrative data management challenges to modern core facilities. Scientifically, a core facility must be able to manage experimental workflow and the corresponding set of large and complex scientific data. It must also disseminate experimental data to relevant researchers in a secure and expedient manner that facilitates collaboration and provides support for data interpretation and analysis. Administratively, a core facility must be able to manage the scheduling of its equipment and to maintain a flexible and effective billing system to track material, resource, and personnel costs and charge for services to sustain its operation. It must also have the ability to regularly monitor the usage and performance of its equipment and to provide summary statistics on resources spent on different categories of research. To address these informatics challenges, we introduce a comprehensive system called MIMI (multimodality, multiresource, information integration environment) that integrates the administrative and scientific support of a core facility into a single web-based environment. We report the design, development, and deployment experience of a baseline MIMI system at an imaging core facility and discuss the general applicability of such a system in other types of core facilities. These initial results suggest that MIMI will be a unique, cost-effective approach to addressing the informatics infrastructure needs of core facilities and similar research laboratories.

Quality maternity care for every woman, everywhere: a call to action.

PubMed

Koblinsky, Marjorie; Moyer, Cheryl A; Calvert, Clara; Campbell, James; Campbell, Oona M R; Feigl, Andrea B; Graham, Wendy J; Hatt, Laurel; Hodgins, Steve; Matthews, Zoe; McDougall, Lori; Moran, Allisyn C; Nandakumar, Allyala K; Langer, Ana

2016-11-05

To improve maternal health requires action to ensure quality maternal health care for all women and girls, and to guarantee access to care for those outside the system. In this paper, we highlight some of the most pressing issues in maternal health and ask: what steps can be taken in the next 5 years to catalyse action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 livebirths by 2030, with no single country exceeding 140? What steps can be taken to ensure that high-quality maternal health care is prioritised for every woman and girl everywhere? We call on all stakeholders to work together in securing a healthy, prosperous future for all women. National and local governments must be supported by development partners, civil society, and the private sector in leading efforts to improve maternal-perinatal health. This effort means dedicating needed policies and resources, and sustaining implementation to address the many factors influencing maternal health-care provision and use. Five priority actions emerge for all partners: prioritise quality maternal health services that respond to the local specificities of need, and meet emerging challenges; promote equity through universal coverage of quality maternal health services, including for the most vulnerable women; increase the resilience and strength of health systems by optimising the health workforce, and improve facility capability; guarantee sustainable finances for maternal-perinatal health; and accelerate progress through evidence, advocacy, and accountability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable diets within sustainable food systems.

PubMed

Meybeck, Alexandre; Gitz, Vincent

2017-02-01

Sustainable diets and sustainable food systems are increasingly explored by diverse scientific disciplines. They are also recognised by the international community and called upon to orient action towards the eradication of hunger and malnutrition and the fulfilment of sustainable development goals. The aim of the present paper is to briefly consider some of the links between these two notions in order to facilitate the operationalisation of the concept of sustainable diet. The concept of sustainable diet was defined in 2010 combining two totally different perspectives: a nutrition perspective, focused on individuals, and a global sustainability perspective, in all its dimensions: environmental, economic and social. The nutrition perspective can be easily related to health outcomes. The global sustainability perspective is more difficult to analyse directly. We propose that it be measured as the contribution of a diet to the sustainability of food systems. Such an approach, covering the three dimensions of sustainability, enables identification of interactions and interrelations between food systems and diets. It provides opportunities to find levers of change towards sustainability. Diets are both the results and the drivers of food systems. The drivers of change for those variously involved, consumers and private individuals, are different, and can be triggered by different dimensions (heath, environment, social and cultural). Combining different dimensions and reasons for change can help facilitate the transition to sustainable diets, recognising the food system's specificities. The adoption of sustainable diets can be facilitated and enabled by food systems, and by appropriate policies and incentives.

Improving the food waste composting facilities site selection for sustainable development using a hybrid modified MADM model.

PubMed

Liu, Kung-Ming; Lin, Sheng-Hau; Hsieh, Jing-Chzi; Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung

2018-05-01

With the growth of population and the development of urbanization, waste management has always been a critical global issue. Recently, more and more countries have found that food waste constitutes the majority of municipal waste, if they are disposed of properly, will bring more benefits in sustainable development. Regarding the issue of selecting and improving the location to make the disposal facility towards achieving the aspiration level for sustainable development, since it involves multiple and complicated interaction factors about environment, society, and economy which have to be considered properly in the decision-making process of mutual influence relationship. It is basically a multiple attribute decision making (MADM) issue, a difficult problem which has been obsessing the governments of many countries is widely studied and discussed. This study uses the new hybrid modified MADM model, as follows, first to build an influential network relation map (INRM) via DEMATEL technique, next to confirm the influential weightings via DANP (DEMATEL-based ANP), and then to construct a decision-making model via a hybrid modified VIKOR method to improve and select the location for remaining the best disposal facilities. Finally, an empirical case study is illustrated to demonstrate that the proposed model can be effective and useful. In finding the process of decision making, environmental pollution is the main concern of many people in the area, but actually it is the resistance by the general public that has to be considered with first priority. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective biosolids management at a large Canadian wastewater treatment facility.

PubMed

Leblanc, R J; Allain, C J; Laughton, P J; Henry, J G

2004-01-01

The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission's 115,000 m3/d advanced, chemically assisted primary wastewater treatment facility located in New Brunswick, Canada, has developed an integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective programme for the management and beneficial utilization of biosolids from lime stabilized raw sludge. The paper overviews biosolids production, lime stabilization, conveyance, and odour control followed by an indepth discussion of the wastewater sludge as a resource programme, namely: composting, mine site reclamation, landfill cover, land application for agricultural use, tree farming, sod farm base as a soil enrichment, topsoil manufacturing. The paper also addresses the issues of metals, pathogens, organic compounds, the quality control program along with the regulatory requirements. Biosolids capital and operating costs are presented. Research results on removal of metals from primary sludge using a unique biological process known as BIOSOL as developed by the University of Toronto, Canada to remove metals and destroy pathogens are presented. The paper also discusses an ongoing cooperative research project with the Université de Moncton where various mixtures of plant biosolids are composted with low quality soil. Integration, approach to sustainability and "cumulative effects" as part of the overall biosolids management strategy are also discussed.

Selection of Sustainable Processes using Sustainability ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Chemical products can be obtained by process pathways involving varying amounts and types of resources, utilities, and byproduct formation. When such competing process options such as six processes for making methanol as are considered in this study, it is necessary to identify the most sustainable option. Sustainability of a chemical process is generally evaluated with indicators that require process and chemical property data. These indicators individually reflect the impacts of the process on areas of sustainability, such as the environment or society. In order to choose among several alternative processes an overall comparative analysis is essential. Generally net profit will show the most economic process. A mixed integer optimization problem can also be solved to identify the most economic among competing processes. This method uses economic optimization and leaves aside the environmental and societal impacts. To make a decision on the most sustainable process, the method presented here rationally aggregates the sustainability indicators into a single index called sustainability footprint (De). Process flow and economic data were used to compute the indicator values. Results from sustainability footprint (De) are compared with those from solving a mixed integer optimization problem. In order to identify the rank order of importance of the indicators, a multivariate analysis is performed using partial least square variable importance in projection (PLS-VIP)

48 CFR 952.223-78 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or... Prime Contractor's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor... reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. Reporting under this...

48 CFR 952.223-78 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or... Prime Contractor's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor... reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. Reporting under this...

48 CFR 952.223-78 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or... Prime Contractor's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor... reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. Reporting under this...

48 CFR 952.223-78 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or... Prime Contractor's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor... reports through the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. Reporting under this...

Trauma facilities in Denmark - a nationwide cross-sectional benchmark study of facilities and trauma care organisation.

PubMed

Weile, Jesper; Nielsen, Klaus; Primdahl, Stine C; Frederiksen, Christian A; Laursen, Christian B; Sloth, Erik; Mølgaard, Ole; Knudsen, Lars; Kirkegaard, Hans

2018-03-27

Trauma is a leading cause of death among adults aged < 44 years, and optimal care is a challenge. Evidence supports the centralization of trauma facilities and the use multidisciplinary trauma teams. Because knowledge is sparse on the existing distribution of trauma facilities and the organisation of trauma care in Denmark, the aim of this study was to identify all Danish facilities that care for traumatized patients and to investigate the diversity in organization of trauma management. We conducted a systematic observational cross-sectional study. First, all hospitals in Denmark were identified via online services and clarifying phone calls to each facility. Second, all trauma care manuals on all facilities that receive traumatized patients were gathered. Third, anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons on call at all trauma facilities were contacted via telephone for structured interviews. A total of 22 facilities in Denmark were found to receive traumatized patients. All facilities used a trauma care manual and all had a multidisciplinary trauma team. The study found three different trauma team activation criteria and nine different compositions of teams who participate in trauma care. Training was heterogeneous and, beyond the major trauma centers, databases were only maintained in a few facilities. The study established an inventory of the existing Danish facilities that receive traumatized patients. The trauma team activation criteria and the trauma teams were heterogeneous in both size and composition. A national database for traumatized patients, research on nationwide trauma team activation criteria, and team composition guidelines are all called for.

The consistency between treatments provided to nursing facility residents and orders on the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment form.

PubMed

Hickman, Susan E; Nelson, Christine A; Moss, Alvin H; Tolle, Susan W; Perrin, Nancy A; Hammes, Bernard J

2011-11-01

To evaluate the consistency between treatments provided and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) orders. Retrospective chart abstraction. Stratified, random sample of 90 nursing facilities in Oregon, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Eight hundred seventy living and deceased nursing facility residents aged 65 and older with a minimum 60-day stay. Chart data about POLST form orders and related treatments over a 60-day period were abstracted. Decision rules were created to determine whether the rationale for each treatment was consistent with POLST orders. Most residents (85.2%) had the same POLST form in place during the review period. A majority of treatments provided to residents with orders for comfort measures only (74.3%) and limited antibiotics (83.3%) were consistent with POLST orders because they were primarily comfort focused rather than life-prolonging, but antibiotics were provided to 32.1% of residents with orders for no antibiotics. Overall consistency rates between treatments and POLST orders were high for resuscitation (98%), medical interventions (91.1%), and antibiotics (92.9%) and modest for feeding tubes (63.6%). In all, POLST orders were consistent with treatments provided 94.0% of the time. With the exception of feeding tubes and antibiotic use in residents with orders for no antibiotics, the use of medical treatments was nearly always consistent with POLST orders to provide or withhold life-sustaining interventions. The POLST program is a useful tool for ensuring that the treatment preferences of nursing facility residents are honored. © 2011, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn how local governments have achieved sustained energy improvements at their water and wastewater facilities through equipment upgrades, operational modifications, and modifications to facility buildings.

Systematic Planning for Educational Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuffey, Carroll W.

This monograph provides a systematic approach to the problem of planning educational facilities. It first presents a conceptual framework for a general facilities planning and management system called Facilities Resource Allocation Management Evaluation System (FRAMES). The main components of FRAMES are identified as: (1) needs assessment, (2)…

Capability challenges of facility management (FM) personnel toward sustainability agenda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halim, Ahmad Ilyas Ahmad; Sarpin, Norliana; Kasim, Narimah Binti; Zainal, Rozlin Binti

2017-10-01

The industries business play a significant role to contribute toward economic growth in develop and developing country. However, they always face serious problems such as time overrun, waste generation, and cost overrun during their operation and maintenance. Traditional practice is found unable to control that situation. These challenges accent the need for practitioners to rethink and improve their process management. This show that industries business has major potential when applying sustainable development by focusing on three pillars (economic, environment, and social). By adopting sustainability, it can reduce energy consumption and waste, while increasing productivity, financial return and corporate standing in community. FM personnel are most suitable position to lead organizations toward sustainability implementation. However, lack of skill and capability among FM personnel to achieve sustainable goal had become barrier that need to overcome. This paper focus to identify capability challenges of FM personnel toward sustainability. A multiple researches were conducted and data were gathered through literature review from previous studies.

Sustainability at BPA 2012

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

None

BPA’s Sustainability Action Plan is grounded in our commitment to environmental stewardship and Executive Order 13514 that calls on the federal agencies to “lead by example” by setting a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions target, increasing energy efficiency; reducing fleet petroleum consumption; conserving water; reducing waste; supporting sustainable communities; and leveraging federal purchasing power to promoting environmentally responsible products and technologies.

48 CFR 970.5223-7 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. (g) The Contractor shall prepare and submit... Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor will advise the Contractor if it is... coordinate its activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability...

48 CFR 970.5223-7 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. (g) The Contractor shall prepare and submit... Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor will advise the Contractor if it is... coordinate its activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability...

48 CFR 970.5223-7 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. (g) The Contractor shall prepare and submit... Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor will advise the Contractor if it is... coordinate its activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability...

48 CFR 970.5223-7 - Sustainable acquisition program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Environmental Sustainability Coordinator or equivalent position. (g) The Contractor shall prepare and submit... Sustainability Coordinator at the supported facility. The Subcontractor will advise the Contractor if it is... coordinate its activities with and submit required reports through the Environmental Sustainability...

Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility - A unique facility with new capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, P. A.; Stubbs, S. M.; Tanner, J. A.

1985-01-01

The Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), formerly called the Landing Loads Track, is described. The paper gives a historical overview of the original NASA Langley Research Center Landing Loads Track and discusses the unique features of this national test facility. Comparisons are made between the original track characteristics and the new capabilities of the Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility following the recently completed facility update. Details of the new propulsion and arresting gear systems are presented along with the novel features of the new high-speed carriage. The data acquisition system is described and the paper concludes with a review of future test programs.

Taking a Holistic Approach to Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Girouard, Miles

2011-01-01

The benefits of sustainability go way beyond improving the environment. School districts that choose to build facilities using sustainable principles reap the benefits of environmentally friendly, healthy establishments; attractive work spaces (which improve recruiting and retention); and significant operational cost savings. Districts realize…

Initiating Sustainable Operations at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, Daniel E.; Orrell, Josh

2003-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center conducted a preliminary sustainability assessment to identify sustainable projects for potential implementation at its facility in Huntsville, Alabama. This presentation will discuss the results of that assessment, highlighting current and future initiatives aimed at integrating sustainability into daily operations.

A Dynamic Model of Sustainment Investment

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

Sustainment System Dynamics Model 11 Figure 7: Core Structure of Sustainment Work 12 Figure 8: Bandwagon Effect Loop 13 Figure 9: Limits to Growth Loop 14...Dynamics Model sustainment capacity sustainment performance gap Bandwagon Effect R1 Limits to Growth B1 S Work Smarter B3 Work Bigger B2 desired...which is of concern primarily when using the model as a vehicle for research. Figure 8 depicts a reinforcing loop called the “ Bandwagon Effect

Economic evaluation of the differential benefits of home visits with telephone calls and telephone calls only in transitional discharge support.

PubMed

Wong, Frances Kam Yuet; So, Ching; Chau, June; Law, Antony Kwan Pui; Tam, Stanley Ku Fu; McGhee, Sarah

2015-01-01

home visits and telephone calls are two often used approaches in transitional care, but their differential economic effects are unknown. to examine the differential economic benefits of home visits with telephone calls and telephone calls only in transitional discharge support. cost-effectiveness analysis conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial (RCT). patients discharged from medical units randomly assigned to control (control, N = 210), home visits with calls (home, N = 196) and calls only (call, N = 204). cost-effectiveness analyses were conducted from the societal perspective comparing monetary benefits and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. the home arm was less costly but less effective at 28 days and was dominating (less costly and more effective) at 84 days. The call arm was dominating at both 28 and 84 days. The incremental QALY for the home arm was -0.0002/0.0008 (28/84 days), and the call arm was 0.0022/0.0104 (28/84 days). When the three groups were compared, the call arm had a higher probability being cost-effective at 84 days but not at 28 days (home: 53%, call: 35% (28 days) versus home: 22%, call: 73% (84 days)) measuring against the NICE threshold of £20,000. the original RCT showed that the bundled intervention involving home visits and calls was more effective than calls only in the reduction of hospital readmissions. This study adds a cost perspective to inform policymakers that both home visits and calls only are cost-effective for transitional care support, but calls only have a higher chance of being cost-effective for a sustained period after intervention. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Mitigating risks related to facilities management.

PubMed

O'Neill, Daniel P; Scarborough, Sydney

2013-07-01

By looking at metrics focusing on the functionality, age, capital investment, transparency, and sustainability (FACTS) of their organizations' facilities, facilities management teams can build potential business cases to justify upgrading the facilities. A FACTS analysis can ensure that capital spent on facilities will produce a higher or more certain ROI than alternatives. A consistent process for managing spending helps to avoid unexpected spikes that cost the enterprise more in the long run.

Towards sustainability: nitrogen emissions from beef feedyards

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Greater public awareness of the potential effects of food production on the environment calls for livestock management systems that are sustainable with regard to the environment, society, and the economy. The concept of sustainable agriculture challenges producers to better understand the dynamics ...

PRELIMINARY DATA CALL REPORT ADVANCED BURNER REACTOR START UP FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY

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

S. T. Khericha

2007-04-01

The purpose of this report is to provide data for preparation of a NEPA Environmental Impact Statement in support the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). One of the GNEP objectives is to reduce the inventory of long lived actinide from the light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel. The LWR spent fuel contains Plutonium (Pu) -239 and other transuranics (TRU) such as Americium-241. One of the options is to transmute or burn these actinides in fast neutron spectra as well as generate the electricity. A sodium-cooled Advanced Recycling Reactor (ARR) concept has been proposed tomore » achieve this goal. However, fuel with relatively high TRU content has not been used in the fast reactor. To demonstrate the utilization of TRU fuel in a fast reactor, an Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR) prototype of ARR is proposed, which would necessarily be started up using weapons grade (WG) Pu fuel. The WG Pu is distinguished by relatively highest proportions of Pu-239 and lesser amount of other actinides. The WG Pu will be used as the startup fuel along with TRU fuel in lead test assemblies. Because such fuel is not currently being produced in the US, a new facility (or new capability in an existing facility) is being considered for fabrication of WG Pu fuel for the ABR. This report is provided in response to ‘Data Call’ for the construction of startup fuel fabrication facility. It is anticipated that the facility will provide the startup fuel for 10-15 years and will take to 3 to 5 years to construct.« less

Sustainability rooted in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubchenco, Jane; Barner, Allison K.; Cerny-Chipman, Elizabeth B.; Reimer, Jessica N.

2015-10-01

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals emphasize the importance of evidence-based decision-making. This is a clarion call for Earth scientists to contribute directly to the health, prosperity and well-being of all people.

Perspectives on achieving sustainable energy production and use

EPA Science Inventory

The traditional definition of sustainability calls for polices and strategies that meet society's present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Achieving operational sustainability requires three critical elements: advances in scien...

Assess and improve the sustainability of water treatment facility using Computational Fluid Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Tejada-Martinez, Andres; Lei, Hongxia; Zhang, Qiong

2016-11-01

Fluids problems in water treatment industry are often simplified or omitted since the focus is usually on chemical process only. However hydraulics also plays an important role in determining effluent water quality. Recent studies have demonstrated that computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has the ability to simulate the physical and chemical processes in reactive flows in water treatment facilities, such as in chlorine and ozone disinfection tanks. This study presents the results from CFD simulations of reactive flow in an existing full-scale ozone disinfection tank and in potential designs. Through analysis of the simulation results, we found that baffling factor and CT10 are not optimal indicators of disinfection performance. We also found that the relationship between effluent CT (the product of disinfectant concentration and contact time) obtained from CT transport simulation and baffling factor depends on the location of ozone release. In addition, we analyzed the environmental and economic impacts of ozone disinfection tank designs and developed a composite indicator to quantify the sustainability of ozone disinfection tank in technological, environmental and economic dimensions.

METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GREEN PROCESSES

EPA Science Inventory

A methodology, called GREENSCOPE (Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for the ENvironmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi-Objective Process Evaluator), has been developed in the U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development to directly compare the sustainability of proces...

Solvents and sustainable chemistry

PubMed Central

Welton, Tom

2015-01-01

Solvents are widely recognized to be of great environmental concern. The reduction of their use is one of the most important aims of green chemistry. In addition to this, the appropriate selection of solvent for a process can greatly improve the sustainability of a chemical production process. There has also been extensive research into the application of so-called green solvents, such as ionic liquids and supercritical fluids. However, most examples of solvent technologies that give improved sustainability come from the application of well-established solvents. It is also apparent that the successful implementation of environmentally sustainable processes must be accompanied by improvements in commercial performance. PMID:26730217

Contributions of the American Baha'i Community to Education for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podger, Dimity

2009-01-01

UNESCO, the lead agency for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), calls for faith organisations to play a role in assisting societal transition towards sustainability through education for sustainability (EfS). However, the interface between sustainability and spirituality, and the insights that faith organisations can…

Increasing Role of Nurse Practitioners in House Call Programs.

PubMed

Yao, Nengliang Aaron; Rose, Karen; LeBaron, Virginia; Camacho, Fabian; Boling, Peter

2017-04-01

Residence-based primary care provides homebound frail patients with a care plan that is individually tailored to manage multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations using a variety of resources. We (1) examine the visit volume and Medicare payments for residence-based health care provided by nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Medicare fee-for-service environment; (2) compare NP's residential visits to those of internists and family physicians; and (3) compare the geographical service area of full-time house call NPs versus NPs who make nursing facility visits a major portion of their work. An observational study using secondary data. Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data. Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare payments for home and domiciliary care visits, the number of residence-based medical visits, provider volume, geographical distribution of full-time house call providers. About 3,300 NPs performed over 1.1 million home and domiciliary care visits in 2013, accounting for 22% of all residential visits to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. A total of 310 NPs individually made more than 1,000 residential visits (defined as a full-time house call provider); among full-time house call providers, including physicians, NPs are now the most common provider type. There are substantial variations in the geographic distribution of full-time house call NPs, internists, and family physicians. Full time NP's service area is about 30% larger than family physicians and internists. Nursing home residents are far more likely to receive NP visits than are homebound persons receiving home visits. NPs are now the largest type of provider delivering residence-based care and NPs provide care over the largest geographical service area. However, the vast majority of frail Americans are more likely to receive NP's care in a nursing facility versus at home. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Sustainable tourism development: the case study of Antalya, Turkey

Treesearch

Latif Gurkan Kaya; Richard Smardon

2001-01-01

This paper discuss ideas about how tourism can be made base for sustainable tourism development in Antalya, Turkey. The introduction is a general overview of sustainable tourism development in coastal areas. The paper also addresses the role of NGOs in the course of development. Information is given about coastal tourism facilities in Turkey. Finally, sustainable...

Using GREENSCOPE for Sustainable Process Design: An Educational Opportunity

EPA Science Inventory

Increasing sustainability can be approached through the education of those who design, construct, and operate facilities. As chemical engineers learn elements of process systems engineering, they can be introduced to sustainability concepts. The EPA’s GREENSCOPE methodology and...

Sustainable Trade: A New Paradigm for World Welfare.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costanza, Robert; And Others

1995-01-01

Discusses the environmental impact of the liberalization of trade and calls for the development of a fair and sustainable trading system. Examines the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) for their impact on sustainable trade. (LZ)

Investing in Software Sustainment

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-30

colored arrows simply represent a reinforcing  loop called the “ Bandwagon   Effect ”.  This  effect   simply means that a series of successful missions will...the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) developed a simulation model for analyzing the effects of changes in demand for software sustainment and the...developed a simulation model for analyzing the effects of changes in demand for software sustainment and the corresponding funding decisions. The model

ORNL Sustainable Campus Initiative

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

Halford, Christopher K

2012-01-01

The research conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) spans many disciplines and has the potential for far-reaching impact in many areas of everyday life. ORNL researchers and operations staff work on projects in areas as diverse as nuclear power generation, transportation, materials science, computing, and building technologies. As the U.S. Department of Energy s (DOE) largest science and energy research facility, ORNL seeks to establish partnerships with industry in the development of innovative new technologies. The primary focus of this current research deals with developing technologies which improve or maintain the quality of life for humans while reducing themore » overall impact on the environment. In its interactions with industry, ORNL serves as both a facility for sustainable research, as well as a representative of DOE to the private sector. For these reasons it is important that the everyday operations of the Laboratory reflect a dedication to the concepts of stewardship and sustainability.« less

Study protocol of the YOU CALL--WE CALL TRIAL: impact of a multimodal support intervention after a "mild" stroke.

PubMed

Rochette, Annie; Korner-Bitensky, Nicol; Bishop, Duane; Teasell, Robert; White, Carole; Bravo, Gina; Côté, Robert; Lachaine, Jean; Green, Teri; Lebrun, Louise-Hélène; Lanthier, Sylvain; Kapral, Moira; Wood-Dauphinee, Sharon

2010-01-06

More than 60% of new strokes each year are "mild" in severity and this proportion is expected to rise in the years to come. Within our current health care system those with "mild" stroke are typically discharged home within days, without further referral to health or rehabilitation services other than advice to see their family physician. Those with mild stroke often have limited access to support from health professionals with stroke-specific knowledge who would typically provide critical information on topics such as secondary stroke prevention, community reintegration, medication counselling and problem solving with regard to specific concerns that arise. Isolation and lack of knowledge may lead to a worsening of health problems including stroke recurrence and unnecessary and costly health care utilization.The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness, for individuals who experience a first "mild" stroke, of a sustainable, low cost, multimodal support intervention (comprising information, education and telephone support)--"WE CALL" compared to a passive intervention (providing the name and phone number of a resource person available if they feel the need to)--"YOU CALL", on two primary outcomes: unplanned-use of health services for negative events and quality of life. We will recruit 384 adults who meet inclusion criteria for a first mild stroke across six Canadian sites. Baseline measures will be taken within the first month after stroke onset. Participants will be stratified according to comorbidity level and randomised to one of two groups: YOU CALL or WE CALL. Both interventions will be offered over a six months period. Primary outcomes include unplanned use of heath services for negative event (frequency calendar) and quality of life (EQ-5D and Quality of Life Index). Secondary outcomes include participation level (LIFE-H), depression (Beck Depression Inventory II) and use of health services for health promotion or prevention (frequency calendar

Sustainability Base: The Self-guided "Tour"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grymes, Rosalind; Poll, Scott

2012-01-01

This series of 6 information sheets was designed to familiarize readers with the performance capabilities of Sustainability Base. The set described the design intentions and operational characteristics of this LEED Platinum facility

NNSA B-Roll: MOX Facility

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

In 1999, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

NNSA B-Roll: MOX Facility

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

None

2010-05-21

In 1999, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) signed a contract with a consortium, now called Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC to design, build, and operate a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. This facility will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapon-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapon-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. These assemblies will be irradiated in commercial nuclear power reactors.

Disproportionate emission of bubble streams with killer whale biphonic calls: perspectives on production and function.

PubMed

Bowles, Ann E; Grebner, Dawn M; Musser, Whitney B; Nash, Juliette S; Crance, Jessica L

2015-02-01

Stereotyped pulsed calls were attributed to 11 killer whales (Orcinus orca) with and without synchronous bubble streams in three datasets collected from two facilities from 1993 to 2012. Calls with and without synchronous bubble streams and divergent overlapping high frequency components ("biphonic" vs "monophonic") were compared. Subjects produced bubbles significantly more often when calls had divergent high frequency components. However, acoustic features in one biphonic call shared by five subjects provided little evidence for an acoustic effect of synchronous bubble flow. Disproportionate bubbling supported other evidence that biphonic calls form a distinct category, but suggested a function in short-range communication.

Sustainability of the integrated chronic disease management model at primary care clinics in South Africa.

PubMed

Mahomed, Ozayr H; Asmall, Shaidah; Voce, Anna

2016-11-17

An integrated chronic disease management (ICDM) model consisting of four components (facility reorganisation, clinical supportive management, assisted self-supportive management and strengthening of support systems and structures outside the facility) has been implemented across 42 primary health care clinics in South Africa with a view to improve the operational efficiency and patient clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the sustainability of the facility reorganisation and clinical support components 18 months after the initiation. The study was conducted at 37 of the initiating clinics across three districts in three provinces of South Africa. The National Health Service (NHS) Institute for Innovation and Improvement Sustainability Model (SM) self-assessment tool was used to assess sustainability. Bushbuckridge had the highest mean sustainability score of 71.79 (95% CI: 63.70-79.89) followed by West Rand Health District (70.25 (95% CI: 63.96-76.53)) and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District (66.50 (95% CI: 55.17-77.83)). Four facilities (11%) had an overall sustainability score of less than 55. The less than optimal involvement of clinical leadership (doctors), negative staff behaviour towards the ICDM, adaptability or flexibility of the model to adapt to external factors and infrastructure limitation have the potential to negatively affect the sustainability and scale-up of the model.

Perspectives of Nurses and Patients on Call Light Technology.

PubMed

Galinato, Jose; Montie, Mary; Patak, Lance; Titler, Marita

2015-08-01

Call lights are prevalent in inpatient healthcare facilities across the nation. While call light use directly influences the delivery of nursing care, there remain significant gaps both in research and technology that can affect the quality of care and patient satisfaction. This study examines nurse and patient perceptions of the use of a new call communication solution, Eloquence, in the acute care inpatient setting. Eighteen patients were recruited for the study and participated in individual semistructured interviews during their hospital stay. Eighteen nurses were recruited and participated in focus groups for this study. Qualitative descriptive methods were used to analyze the data. Results revealed themes of usability, improved communication, and suggestions for improvement to the alpha prototype design. After a demonstration of the use and capability of Eloquence, nurse and patient participants found Eloquence as a welcomed advancement in nurse call technology that has the potential to improve workflow and patient outcomes. In addition, the participants also proposed ideas on how to further develop the technology to improve its use.

Perspectives of Nurses and Patients on Call Light Technology

PubMed Central

Galinato, Jose; Montie, Mary; Patak, Lance; Titler, Marita

2015-01-01

Call lights are prevalent in inpatient healthcare facilities across the nation. While call light use directly influences the delivery of nursing care, there remain significant gaps both in research and technology that can impact the quality of care and patient satisfaction. This study examines the perception of nurses and patients on the use of a new call communication solution, Eloquence™, in the acute care inpatient setting. Eighteen patients were recruited for the study and participated in individual semi-structured interviews during their hospital stay. Eighteen nurses were recruited and participated in focus groups for this study. Qualitative descriptive methods were used to analyze the data. Results revealed themes of usability, improved communication, and suggestions for improvement to the alpha prototype design. After a demonstration of the use and capability of Eloquence™, nurse and patient participants found Eloquence™ as a welcomed advancement in nurse call technology that has the potential to improve workflow and patient outcomes. In addition, the participants also proposed ideas on how to further develop the technology to improve its use. PMID:26176639

Students' Understanding of Sustainability and Climate Change across Linked Service-Learning Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Kimberly; Murdoch, James; Rayback, Shelly; Seidl, Amy; Wallin, Kimberly

2017-01-01

College and university faculty are increasingly being called upon to teach about sustainability. Many of these faculty members are incorporating content related to climate change because climate change is arguably the biggest threat to global sustainability. However, the concept of sustainability is complex, interdisciplinary, and potentially…

Evaluating School-Community Participation in Developing a Local Sustainability Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eilam, Efrat; Trop, Tamar

2013-01-01

Increasingly, international and national statements are calling for the development of local sustainability scenarios within partnerships between schools and their communities. The present study addresses the question of reciprocity in such partnerships, by comparing the sustainability agendas underlying schools' educational programs to the…

Facility Composer (Trademark) and PACES (Trademark) Integration: Development of an XML Interface Based on Industry Foundation Classes

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

Engineer- ing Research Laboratory is currently developing a set of facility ‘architec- tural’ programming tools , called Facility ComposerTM (FC). FC...requirements in the early phases of project development. As the facility program, crite- ria, and requirements are chosen, these tools populate the IFC...developing a set of facility “ar- chitectural” programming tools , called Facility Composer (FC), to support the capture and tracking of facility criteria

APPA Promotes Leadership in Energy and Sustainability with New FPI Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Darryl K.

2012-01-01

Although sustainability best practices for buildings are generally well understood, campuses face unique challenges because they are developed to support a diverse community with a variety of facilities. From academic facilities and labs to residences and sports facilities, all operate under one organizational umbrella. This can make it difficult…

EVALUATING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GREEN CHEMISTRIES

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory is developing a methodology for the evaluation of reaction chemistries. This methodology, called GREENSCOPE (Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for the ENvironmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi-Objective Proc...

Leveraging Educational, Research and Facility Expertise to Improve Global Seismic Monitoring: Preparing a Guide on Sustainable Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nybade, A.; Aster, R.; Beck, S.; Ekstrom, G.; Fischer, K.; Lerner-Lam, A.; Meltzer, A.; Sandvol, E.; Willemann, R. J.

2008-12-01

Building a sustainable earthquake monitoring system requires well-informed cooperation between commercial companies that manufacture components or deliver complete systems and the government or other agencies that will be responsible for operating them. Many nations or regions with significant earthquake hazard lack the financial, technical, and human resources to establish and sustain permanent observatory networks required to return the data needed for hazard mitigation. Government agencies may not be well- informed about the short-term and long-term challenges of managing technologically advanced monitoring systems, much less the details of how they are built and operated. On the relatively compressed time scale of disaster recovery efforts, it can be difficult to find a reliable, disinterested source of information, without which government agencies may be dependent on partial information. If system delivery fails to include sufficient development of indigenous expertise, the performance of local and regional networks may decline quickly, and even data collected during an early high-performance period may be degraded or lost. Drawing on unsurpassed educational capabilities of its members working in close cooperation with its facility staff, IRIS is well prepared to contribute to sustainability through a wide variety of training and service activities that further promote standards for network installation, data exchange protocols, and free and open access to data. Members of the Consortium and staff of its Core Programs together could write a guide on decisions about network design, installation and operation. The intended primary audience would be government officials seeking to understand system requirements, the acquisition and installation process, and the expertise needed operate a system. The guide would cover network design, procurement, set-up, data use and archiving. Chapters could include advice on network data processing, archiving data (including

The Nature of Scatter at the DARHT Facility and Suggestions for Improved Modeling of DARHT Facility

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

Morneau, Rachel Anne

This report describes the US Stockpile Stewardship Program which is meant to sustain and evaluate nuclear weapon stockpile with no underground nuclear tests. This research will focus on DARHT, the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility.

Army Sustainment. Volume 42, Issue 4, July-August 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

bookstore.gpo.gov on the Web. For credit card orders, call (866) 512–1800. Subscribers should submit address changes directly to Army Sustain...Afghanistan. (Photo by SPC Monte Swift) Army Sustainment Application Now Available on iTunes Army Sustainment now has an application (app) on... iTunes . The free app gives readers access to the latest articles and will eventually provide the ability to submit live feedback to article content. In

Site Sustainability Plan with FY2015 Performance Data

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

Nichols, Teresa A.; Lapsa, Melissa Voss; Hudey, Bryce D.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is both the largest science and energy laboratory in the US Department of Energy (DOE) complex and one of the oldest national laboratories still operating at its original site. ORNL implemented an aggressive modernization program in 2000, providing modern, energy-efficient facilities that help to support the growth of important national scientific missions while faced with the unique and challenging opportunity to integrate sustainability into legacy assets. ORNL is committed to leveraging the outcomes of DOE-sponsored research programs to maximize the efficient use of energy and natural resources across a diverse campus. ORNL leadership in conjunctionmore » with the Sustainable Campus Initiative (SCI) maintains a commitment to the integration of technical innovations into new and existing facilities, systems, and processes with a comprehensive approach to achieving DOE directives and the new Executive Order 13693. Energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reductions, climate change resiliency, and other pursuits toward integrated sustainability factor in all we do. ORNL continues to pursue and deploy innovative solutions and initiatives to advance regional, national, and worldwide sustainability and continues to transform its culture and engage employees in supporting sustainability at work, at home, and in the community.« less

A multi-objective model for sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste.

PubMed

Mirdar Harijani, Ali; Mansour, Saeed; Karimi, Behrooz

2017-04-01

The efficient management of municipal solid waste is a major problem for large and populated cities. In many countries, the majority of municipal solid waste is landfilled or dumped owing to an inefficient waste management system. Therefore, an optimal and sustainable waste management strategy is needed. This study introduces a recycling and disposal network for sustainable utilisation of municipal solid waste. In order to optimise the network, we develop a multi-objective mixed integer linear programming model in which the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability are concurrently balanced. The model is able to: select the best combination of waste treatment facilities; specify the type, location and capacity of waste treatment facilities; determine the allocation of waste to facilities; consider the transportation of waste and distribution of processed products; maximise the profit of the system; minimise the environmental footprint; maximise the social impacts of the system; and eventually generate an optimal and sustainable configuration for municipal solid waste management. The proposed methodology could be applied to any region around the world. Here, the city of Tehran, Iran, is presented as a real case study to show the applicability of the methodology.

sustainable facilities vs. Sustainable Facilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Folsom, Kevin

2008-01-01

Being environmentally responsible is a hot topic and critical issue. Many in the scientific community estimate we are slowly destroying the Earth's climate and landscape as we know it today. However, not all scientists agree with this theory, as a significant number of people have been environmentally responsible for a long time, recognizing…

Sustainability of the integrated chronic disease management model at primary care clinics in South Africa

PubMed Central

Asmall, Shaidah

2016-01-01

Background An integrated chronic disease management (ICDM) model consisting of four components (facility reorganisation, clinical supportive management, assisted self-supportive management and strengthening of support systems and structures outside the facility) has been implemented across 42 primary health care clinics in South Africa with a view to improve the operational efficiency and patient clinical outcomes. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the sustainability of the facility reorganisation and clinical support components 18 months after the initiation. Setting The study was conducted at 37 of the initiating clinics across three districts in three provinces of South Africa. Methods The National Health Service (NHS) Institute for Innovation and Improvement Sustainability Model (SM) self-assessment tool was used to assess sustainability. Results Bushbuckridge had the highest mean sustainability score of 71.79 (95% CI: 63.70–79.89) followed by West Rand Health District (70.25 (95% CI: 63.96–76.53)) and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District (66.50 (95% CI: 55.17–77.83)). Four facilities (11%) had an overall sustainability score of less than 55. Conclusion The less than optimal involvement of clinical leadership (doctors), negative staff behaviour towards the ICDM, adaptability or flexibility of the model to adapt to external factors and infrastructure limitation have the potential to negatively affect the sustainability and scale-up of the model. PMID:28155314

Sustainability issues for resource managers.

Treesearch

Daniel L. Bottom; Gordon H. Reeves; Martha H. Brookes

1996-01-01

Throughout their history, conservation science and sustainable-yield management have failed to maintain the productivity of living resources. Repeated overexploitation of economic species, loss of biological diversity, and degradation of regional environments now call into question the economic ideas and values that have formed the foundation of scientific management...

Sustainability at BPA May 2011

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

None

BPA’s approach to sustainability is built on the agency’s foundation of environmental stewardship partnered with its commitment to operational excellence. Around the world today, sustainable business practices are driving innovation, opening opportunities for resource and cost efficiencies, as well as increasing employee engagement and productivity. Business jumped on the bandwagon early finding that sustainability can be an important component of their company’s competitive advantage. A 2010 survey by the United Nations Global Compact/Accenture of 766 CEOs from around the globe found that, despite the economic downturn, 93 percent of the CEOs surveyed see sustainability as critical to their company’s futuremore » success. Calling on the federal government to “lead by example,” President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13514 in October 2009 to green the government by improving “environmental, energy and economic performance.”« less

Facilities of Environmental Distinction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascopella, Angela

2011-01-01

Three of nine school buildings that have won the latest Educational Facility Design Awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education stand out from the crowd of other school buildings because they are sustainable and are connected to the nature that surrounds them. They are: (1) Thurston Elementary…

Biofuels and sustainability.

PubMed

Solomon, Barry D

2010-01-01

Interest in liquid biofuels production and use has increased worldwide as part of government policies to address the growing scarcity and riskiness of petroleum use, and, at least in theory, to help mitigate adverse global climate change. The existing biofuels markets are dominated by U.S. ethanol production based on cornstarch, Brazilian ethanol production based on sugarcane, and European biodiesel production based on rapeseed oil. Other promising efforts have included programs to shift toward the production and use of biofuels based on residues and waste materials from the agricultural and forestry sectors, and perennial grasses, such as switchgrass and miscanthus--so-called cellulosic ethanol. This article reviews these efforts and the recent literature in the context of ecological economics and sustainability science. Several common dimensions for sustainable biofuels are discussed: scale (resource assessment, land availability, and land use practices); efficiency (economic and energy); equity (geographic distribution of resources and the "food versus fuel" debate); socio-economic issues; and environmental effects and emissions. Recent proposals have been made for the development of sustainable biofuels criteria, culminating in standards released in Sweden in 2008 and a draft report from the international Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. These criteria hold promise for accelerating a shift away from unsustainable biofuels based on grain, such as corn, and toward possible sustainable feedstock and production practices that may be able to meet a variety of social, economic, and environmental sustainability criteria.

Budgeting Facilities Operation Costs Using the Facilities Operation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

practices that today’s modern buildings have built into them. Several factors can change from the time the requirement is generated to when actual...information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and...BOS required $4.2 billion.2 In FY2012, it is estimated it will reach $4.6 billion.3 Unlike sustainment and modernization , failure to fund facility

Designing for sustainability: ergonomics--carpe diem.

PubMed

Martin, K; Legg, S; Brown, C

2013-01-01

Sustainability is a global issue that has worldwide attention but the role of ergonomics in designing for sustainability is poorly understood and seldom considered. An analysis of the literature on ergonomics, design and sustainability was conducted via a search of electronic databases: Scopus, Business Source Complete, Google Scholar, Emerald Publishing, Academic Search Premiere, Web of Science, Discover and Ergonomics Abstracts, for the years 1995-2012. A total of 1934 articles fulfilled the search criteria, but content analysis of the abstracts indicated that only 14 refereed articles addressed the main search criteria. Of those seven were in ergonomics journals and seven were in other journals (and were not written by ergonomists). It is concluded that the contribution of ergonomics to sustainability and sustainable design has been limited, even though the goals of sustainability and ergonomics are congruent. Ergonomists have not been at the forefront of research contributing to sustainability - and it is time for them to 'seize the day' - 'carpe diem'. This literature review shows that ergonomics contribution to sustainability is limited but since there is congruence between the disciplines it calls for ergonomists to become more involved and to seize the day - carpe diem.

Sustainability Base Construction Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mewhinney, Michael

2012-01-01

Construction of the new Sustainability Base Collaborative support facility, expected to become the highest performing building in the federal government continues at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, Calif. The new building is designed to achieve a platinum rating under the leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) new construction standards for environmentally sustainable construction developed by the U. S. Green Building Council, Washington, D. C. When completed by the end of 2011, the $20.6 million building will feature near zero net energy consumption, use 90 percent less potable water than conventionally build buildings of equivalent size, and will result in reduced building maintenance costs.

SEU Test Facility

Science.gov Websites

to the effects of ionizing radiation. This is of particular concern for space applications due to the develop a powerful and user-friendly test facility for investigating space-radiation effects on micro -electronic devices[1]. The main type of effects studied are the so called Single Event Upsets (SEUs) where

Seeking Richer Descriptions of Learners' Sustainability Attributes and Learning Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, S.; Harraway, J.; Broughton-Ansin, F.; Deaker, L.; Shephard, K.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to respond to calls for higher education institutions to address sustainability within the curriculum. Institutions that aim to graduate citizens with prescribed attributes relevant to sustainability may need to develop teaching and learning support-programmes appropriate to the varied nature of students'…

THE GREEN DORM: A SUSTAINABLE RESIDENCE AND LIVING LABORATORY FOR STANFORD UNIVERSITY

EPA Science Inventory

The Lotus Living Laboratory at Stanford University is exploring sustainable building technologies and sustainable living habits through the design, construction and operation of The Green Dorm, an innovative facility containing residential, laboratory and commons space. Both ...

Sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in Central America

PubMed Central

Medlin, Elizabeth; Aquino, Gonzalo; Gelting, Richard J.

2015-01-01

The American Red Cross and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated on a sustainability evaluation of post-hurricane water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in Central America. In 2006 and 2009, we revisited six study areas in rural El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to assess sustainability of WASH interventions finalized in 2002, after 1998’s Hurricane Mitch. We used surveys to collect data, calculate indicators and identify factors that influence sustainability. Regional sustainability indicator results showed there was a statistically significant decline in access to water. The presence of sanitation facilities had not changed since the beginning of the project; however, maintenance and use of latrines declined but continued to meet the goal of 75% use after 7 years. The hygiene indicator, hand washing, initially declined and then increased. Declines in water access were due to operational problems related to storm events and population changes. Sanitation facilities were still present and sometimes used even though they reached or surpassed their original design life. Changes in hygiene practices appeared related to ongoing hygiene promotion from outside organizations. These results provide useful input for making WASH programs more sustainable and informing future, more in-depth research into factors influencing sustainability. PMID:26413262

Sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in Central America.

PubMed

Sabogal, Raquel I; Medlin, Elizabeth; Aquino, Gonzalo; Gelting, Richard J

The American Red Cross and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated on a sustainability evaluation of post-hurricane water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in Central America. In 2006 and 2009, we revisited six study areas in rural El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to assess sustainability of WASH interventions finalized in 2002, after 1998's Hurricane Mitch. We used surveys to collect data, calculate indicators and identify factors that influence sustainability. Regional sustainability indicator results showed there was a statistically significant decline in access to water. The presence of sanitation facilities had not changed since the beginning of the project; however, maintenance and use of latrines declined but continued to meet the goal of 75% use after 7 years. The hygiene indicator, hand washing, initially declined and then increased. Declines in water access were due to operational problems related to storm events and population changes. Sanitation facilities were still present and sometimes used even though they reached or surpassed their original design life. Changes in hygiene practices appeared related to ongoing hygiene promotion from outside organizations. These results provide useful input for making WASH programs more sustainable and informing future, more in-depth research into factors influencing sustainability.

Is alarm calling risky? Marmots avoid calling from risky places.

PubMed

Collier, Travis C; Blumstein, Daniel T; Girod, Lewis; Taylor, Charles E

2010-12-01

Alarm calling is common in many species. A prevalent assumption is that calling puts the vocalizing individual at increased risk of predation. If calling is indeed costly, we need special explanations for its evolution and maintenance. In some, but not all species, callers vocalize away from safety and thus may be exposed to an increased risk of predation. However, for species that emit bouts with one or a few calls, it is often difficult to identify the caller and find the precise location where a call was produced. We analyzed the spatial dynamics of yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) alarm calling using an acoustic localization system to determine the location from which calls were emitted. Marmots almost always called from positions close to the safety of their burrows, and, if they produced more than one alarm call, tended to end their calling bouts closer to safety than they started them. These results suggest that for this species, potential increased predation risk from alarm calling is greatly mitigated and indeed calling may have limited predation costs.

Is alarm calling risky? Marmots avoid calling from risky places

PubMed Central

Collier, Travis C.; Blumstein, Daniel T.; Girod, Lewis; Taylor, Charles E.

2010-01-01

Alarm calling is common in many species. A prevalent assumption is that calling puts the vocalizing individual at increased risk of predation. If calling is indeed costly, we need special explanations for its evolution and maintenance. In some, but not all species, callers vocalize away from safety and thus may be exposed to an increased risk of predation. However, for species that emit bouts with one or a few calls, it is often difficult to identify the caller and find the precise location where a call was produced. We analyzed the spatial dynamics of yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) alarm calling using an acoustic localization system to determine the location from which calls were emitted. Marmots almost always called from positions close to the safety of their burrows, and, if they produced more than one alarm call, tended to end their calling bouts closer to safety than they started them. These results suggest that for this species, potential increased predation risk from alarm calling is greatly mitigated and indeed calling may have limited predation costs. PMID:21116460

A History of the Future of Higher Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherren, Kate

2008-01-01

Thirty years of academic dialogue and reinvention about environmental and sustainability education conceals the consistency of rhetoric that literature holds. This paper argues that higher education for sustainable development does not call for the invention of anything disconcertingly new. In fact, four simple, long-standing concepts contribute…

Sustaining healthy freshwater ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baron, Jill S.; Poff, N.L.

2004-01-01

Functionally intact and biologically complex freshwater ecosystems provide many economically valuable commodities and services to society. The services supplied by freshwater ecosystems include flood control, transportation, recreation, purification of human and industrial wastes, habitat for plants and animals, and production of fish and other foods and marketable goods. These human benefits are called ecological services, defined as “the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life” (Daily 1997). Over the long term, healthy freshwater ecosystems are likely to retain the adaptive capacity to sustain production of these ecological services in the face of future environmental disruptions such as climate change.

Factors Influencing the Presence of Sustainability Initiatives in the Strategic Planning of Spanish Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larrán Jorge, Manuel; Herrera Madueño, Jesús; Javier Andrades Peña, Francisco

2015-01-01

Sustainability issues in higher educational institutions have attracted increasing levels of attention from both the public and policy-makers in recent decades. Many studies have called for a more integration of sustainability into mainstream university operations and curricula. Nevertheless, the interest in sustainability issues has been more…

Integrating Sustainability Programs into the Facilities Capital Planning Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Susan

2011-01-01

With detailed information about the costs and benefits of potential green investments, educational facilities can effectively evaluate which initiatives will ultimately provide the greatest results over the short and long term. Based on its overall goals, every school, college, or university will have different values and therefore different…

Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Each year EPA releases the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures report, formerly called Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: Facts and Figures. It includes information on Municipal Solid Waste generation, recycling, an

A health maintenance facility for space station freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Billica, R. D.; Doarn, C. R.

1991-01-01

We describe a health care facility to be built and used on an orbiting space station in low Earth orbit. This facility, called the health maintenance facility, is based on and modeled after isolated terrestrial medical facilities. It will provide a phased approach to health care for the crews of Space Station Freedom. This paper presents the capabilities of the health maintenance facility. As Freedom is constructed over the next decade there will be an increase in activities, both construction and scientific. The health maintenance facility will evolve with this process until it is a mature, complete, stand-alone health care facility that establishes a foundation to support interplanetary travel. As our experience in space continues to grow so will the commitment to providing health care.

17 CFR 37.8 - Information relating to transactions on derivatives transaction execution facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... transactions on derivatives transaction execution facilities. 37.8 Section 37.8 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DERIVATIVES TRANSACTION EXECUTION FACILITIES § 37.8 Information relating to transactions on derivatives transaction execution facilities. (a) Special calls for...

Sustaining and Extending the Open Science Grid: Science Innovation on a PetaScale Nationwide Facility (DE-FC02-06ER41436) SciDAC-2 Closeout Report

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

Livny, Miron; Shank, James; Ernst, Michael

Under this SciDAC-2 grant the project’s goal w a s t o stimulate new discoveries by providing scientists with effective and dependable access to an unprecedented national distributed computational facility: the Open Science Grid (OSG). We proposed to achieve this through the work of the Open Science Grid Consortium: a unique hands-on multi-disciplinary collaboration of scientists, software developers and providers of computing resources. Together the stakeholders in this consortium sustain and use a shared distributed computing environment that transforms simulation and experimental science in the US. The OSG consortium is an open collaboration that actively engages new research communities. Wemore » operate an open facility that brings together a broad spectrum of compute, storage, and networking resources and interfaces to other cyberinfrastructures, including the US XSEDE (previously TeraGrid), the European Grids for ESciencE (EGEE), as well as campus and regional grids. We leverage middleware provided by computer science groups, facility IT support organizations, and computing programs of application communities for the benefit of consortium members and the US national CI.« less

Field survey of a sustainable sanitation system in a residential house.

PubMed

Nakagawa, Naoko; Otaki, Masahiro; Miura, Shinji; Hamasuna, Hironobu; Ishizaki, Katsuyoshi

2006-01-01

Sustainable sanitation is an approach for more ecological and sustainable water resources management. In this paper, we proposed one of the new integrated waste treatment systems: an "sustainable sanitation system" that includes separation of the black water from water system by a non-flushing toilet (bio-toilet), and a gray water treatment based on a biological and ecological concept. Sustainable sanitation system also converts the domestic waste to soil conditioners and fertilizers, for farmland use. As one of the case studies, Environmentally Symbiotic Housing in which people actually live using the bio-toilet for the black water treatment and the household wastewater treatment facility for the gray water was introduced. The availability of this system was investigated by analyzing the sawdust used in the bio-toilet and the quality of the effluent in the household wastewater treatment facility. As the result, the water content of the sawdust did not exceed 60% in any of the sampling points and the BOD and COD of the effluent of the household wastewater treatment facility were below 10 and 20 mg/L respectively, due to the low loading. Compared to the pollution load on the water environment created by the conventional system, it was found that the effluent of the house has a lower load than the tertiary treatment and the volume of the water consumption is 75% of the conventional system.

Electronic Cigarette Exposure: Calls to Wisconsin Poison Control Centers, 2010–2015.

PubMed

Weiss, Debora; Tomasallo, Carrie D; Meiman, Jon G; Creswell, Paul D; Melstrom, Paul C; Gummin, David D; Patel, Disa J; Michaud, Nancy T; Sebero, Heather A; Anderson, Henry A

2016-12-01

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine and flavorings by aerosol and have been marketed in the United States since 2007. Because e-cigarettes have increased in popularity, toxicity potential from device misuse and malfunction also has increased. National data indicate that during 2010–2014, exposure calls to US poison control centers increased only 0.3% for conventional cigarette exposures, whereas calls increased 41.7% for e-cigarette exposures. We characterized cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center January 1, 2010 through October 10, 2015. We compared cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls by exposure year, demographic characteristics, caller site, exposure site, exposure route, exposure reason, medical outcome, management site, and level of care at a health care facility. During January 2010 to October 2015, a total of 98 e-cigarette exposure calls were reported, and annual exposure calls increased approximately 17-fold, from 2 to 35. During the same period, 671 single-exposure cigarette calls with stable annual call volumes were reported. E-cigarette exposure calls were associated with children aged ≤5 years (57/98, 58.2%) and adults aged ≥20 years (30/98, 30.6%). Cigarette exposure calls predominated among children aged ≤5 years (643/671, 95.8%). The frequency of e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center has increased and is highest among children aged ≤5 years and adults. Strategies are warranted to prevent future poisonings from these devices, including nicotine warning labels and public advisories to keep e-cigarettes away from children.

Engineering biological systems toward a sustainable bioeconomy.

PubMed

Lopes, Mateus Schreiner Garcez

2015-06-01

The nature of our major global risks calls for sustainable innovations to decouple economic growth from greenhouse gases emission. The development of sustainable technologies has been negatively impacted by several factors including sugar production costs, production scale, economic crises, hydraulic fracking development and the market inability to capture externality costs. However, advances in engineering of biological systems allow bridging the gap between exponential growth of knowledge about biology and the creation of sustainable value chains for a broad range of economic sectors. Additionally, industrial symbiosis of different biobased technologies can increase competitiveness and sustainability, leading to the development of eco-industrial parks. Reliable policies for carbon pricing and revenue reinvestments in disruptive technologies and in the deployment of eco-industrial parks could boost the welfare while addressing our major global risks toward the transition from a fossil to a biobased economy.

The World Health Organization "Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action".

PubMed

Gimigliano, Francesca; Negrini, Stefano

2017-04-01

February 6th-7th, 2017 might become a memorable date in the future of rehabilitation. On these two days, the World Health Organization (WHO) has summoned over 200 stakeholders in the Executive Board Room of the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Their common aim was to a launch the "Rehabilitation 2030" call to action and to present the WHO Recommendations on rehabilitation in health systems. These initiatives are meant to draw attention to the increasing unmet need for rehabilitation in the world; to highlight the role of rehabilitation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations; to call for coordinated and concerted global action towards strengthening rehabilitation in health systems. The aim of this paper is to report on the scientific events of these 2 days, which will most likely mark the history of rehabilitation.

The effect of rapid and sustained decompression on barotrauma in juvenile brook lamprey and Pacific lamprey: implications for passage at hydroelectric facilities

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

Colotelo, Alison HA; Pflugrath, Brett D.; Brown, Richard S.

Fish passing downstream through hydroelectric facilities may pass through hydroturbines where they experience a rapid decrease in barometric pressure as they pass by turbine blades, which can lead to barotraumas including swim bladder rupture, exopthalmia, emboli, and hemorrhaging. In juvenile Chinook salmon, the main mechanism for injury is thought to be expansion of existing gases (particularly those present in the swim bladder) and the rupture of the swim bladder ultimately leading to exopthalmia, emboli and hemorrhaging. In fish that lack a swim bladder, such as lamprey, the rate and severity of barotraumas due to rapid decompression may be reduced however;more » this has yet to be extensively studied. Another mechanism for barotrauma can be gases coming out of solution and the rate of this occurrence may vary among species. In this study, juvenile brook and Pacific lamprey acclimated to 146.2 kPa (equivalent to a depth of 4.6 m) were subjected to rapid (<1 sec; brook lamprey only) or sustained decompression (17 minutes) to a very low pressure (13.8 kPa) using a protocol previously applied to juvenile Chinook salmon. No mortality or evidence of barotraumas, as indicated by the presence of hemorrhages, emboli or exopthalmia, were observed during rapid or sustained decompression, nor following recovery for up to 120 h following sustained decompression. In contrast, mortality or injury would be expected for 97.5% of juvenile Chinook salmon exposed to a similar rapid decompression to these very low pressures. Additionally, juvenile Chinook salmon experiencing sustained decompression died within 7 minutes, accompanied by emboli in the fins and gills and hemorrhaging in the tissues. Thus, juvenile lamprey may not be susceptible to barotraumas associated with hydroturbine passage to the same degree as juvenile salmonids, and management of these species should be tailored to their specific morphological and physiological characteristics.« less

Sustainability Criteria for Contingency Bases

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

and construction sustainability pro - grams and identified concepts, guidelines, and practices relevant to mili- tary contingency infrastructure...incorporate best practices in force pro - tection, e.g., facility spacing to limit damage to multiple buildings from a single incoming rocket or mortar...The Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) is a program administered by the US Army to pro - vide contingency support

Environmental practices for biomedical research facilities.

PubMed Central

Medlin, E L; Grupenhoff, J T

2000-01-01

As a result of the Leadership Conference on Biomedical Research and the Environment, the Facilities Committee focused its work on the development of best environmental practices at biomedical research facilities at the university and independent research facility level as well as consideration of potential involvement of for-profit companies and government agencies. The designation "facilities" includes all related buildings and grounds, "green auditing" of buildings and programs, purchasing of furnishings and sources, energy efficiency, and engineering services (lighting, heating, air conditioning), among other activities. The committee made a number of recommendations, including development of a national council for environmental stewardship in biomedical research, development of a system of green auditing of such research facilities, and creation of programs for sustainable building and use. In addition, the committee recommended extension of education and training programs for environmental stewardship, in cooperation with facilities managers, for all research administrators and researchers. These programs would focus especially on graduate fellows and other students, as well as on science labs at levels K--12. PMID:11121360

Medical Decisions of Pediatric Residents Turn Riskier after a 24-Hour Call with No Sleep.

PubMed

Aran, Adi; Wasserteil, Netanel; Gross, Itai; Mendlovic, Joseph; Pollak, Yehuda

2017-01-01

Despite a gradual reduction in the workload during residency, 24-hour calls are still an integral part of most training programs. While sleep deprivation increases the risk propensity, the impact on medical risk taking has not been studied. This study aimed to assess the clinical decision making and psychomotor performance of pediatric residents following a limited nap time during a 24-hour call. A neurocognitive battery (IntegNeuro) and a medical decision questionnaire were completed by 44 pediatric residents at 2 time points: after a 24-hour call and following 3 nights with no calls (sleep ≥5 hours). To monitor sleep, residents wore actigraphs and completed sleep logs. Nap time during the shift was <1 hour in 14 cases (32%), 1 to 2 hours in 16 cases (35%), and 2 to 3 hours in 14 cases (32%). Residents who napped less than 1 hour chose the riskier medical option in 50% of cases compared with 36% when answering the same questionnaire after 3 nights with no calls (P = 0.002). This effect was not found in residents who napped 1 to 2 hours (no change in risk taking) or 2 to 3 hours (4% decreased risk taking) (difference between groups, P = 0.001). Risk-taking tendency inversely correlated with sustained attention scores (Pearson = -0.433, P = 0.003). Sustained attention was the neurocognitive domain most affected by sleep deprivation (effect size = 0.29, P = 0.025). This study suggests that residents napping less than an hour during a night shift are prone to riskier clinical decisions. Hence, enabling residents to nap at least 1 hour during shifts is recommended. © The Author(s) 2016.

The watershed-scale optimized and rearranged landscape design (WORLD) model and local biomass processing depots for sustainable biofuel production: Integrated life cycle assessments

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

Eranki, Pragnya L.; Manowitz, David H.; Bals, Bryan D.

An array of feedstock is being evaluated as potential raw material for cellulosic biofuel production. Thorough assessments are required in regional landscape settings before these feedstocks can be cultivated and sustainable management practices can be implemented. On the processing side, a potential solution to the logistical challenges of large biorefi neries is provided by a network of distributed processing facilities called local biomass processing depots. A large-scale cellulosic ethanol industry is likely to emerge soon in the United States. We have the opportunity to influence the sustainability of this emerging industry. The watershed-scale optimized and rearranged landscape design (WORLD) modelmore » estimates land allocations for different cellulosic feedstocks at biorefinery scale without displacing current animal nutrition requirements. This model also incorporates a network of the aforementioned depots. An integrated life cycle assessment is then conducted over the unified system of optimized feedstock production, processing, and associated transport operations to evaluate net energy yields (NEYs) and environmental impacts.« less

Commercialization is Required for Sustainable Space Exploration and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Gary L.; Olson, John M.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Space Exploration policy outlines an exciting new direction in space for human and robotic exploration and development beyond low Earth orbit. Pressed by this new visionary guidance, human civilization will be able to methodically build capabilities to move off Earth and into the solar system in a step-by-step manner, gradually increasing the capability for humans to stay longer in space and move further away from Earth. The new plans call for an implementation that would create an affordable and sustainable program in order to span over generations of explorers, each new generation pushing back the boundaries and building on the foundations laid by the earlier. To create a sustainable program it is important to enable and encourage the development of a selfsupporting commercial space industry leveraging both traditional and non-traditional segments of the industrial base. Governments will not be able to open the space frontier on their own because their goals change over relatively short timescales and because the large costs associated with human spaceflight cannot be sustained. A strong space development industrial sector is needed that can one day support the needs of commercial space enterprises as well as provide capabilities that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other national space agencies can buy to achieve their exploration goals. This new industrial space sector will someday provide fundamental capabilities like communications, power, logistics, and even cargo and human space transportation, just as commercial companies are able to provide these services on Earth today. To help develop and bolster this new space industrial sector, NASA and other national space agencies can enable and facilitate it in many ways, including reducing risk by developing important technologies necessary for commercialization of space, and as a paying customer, partner, or anchor tenant. This transition from all or mostly government

Use of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment program for patients being discharged from the hospital to the nursing facility.

PubMed

Hickman, Susan E; Nelson, Christine A; Smith-Howell, Esther; Hammes, Bernard J

2014-01-01

The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) documents patient preferences as medical orders that transfer across settings with patients. The objectives were to pilot test methods and gather preliminary data about POLST including (1) use at time of hospital discharge, (2) transfers across settings, and (3) consistency with prior decisions. Descriptive with chart abstraction and interviews. Participants were hospitalized patients discharged to a nursing facility and/or their surrogates in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. POLST forms were abstracted from hospital records for 151 patients. Hospital and nursing facility chart data were abstracted and interviews were conducted with an additional 39 patients/surrogates. Overall, 176 patients had valid POLST forms at the time of discharge from the hospital, and many (38.6%; 68/176) only documented code status. When the whole POLST was completed, orders were more often marked as based on a discussion with the patient and/or surrogate than when the form was used just for code status (95.1% versus 13.8%, p<.001). In the follow-up and interview sample, a majority (90.6%; 29/32) of POLST forms written in the hospital were unchanged up to three weeks after nursing facility admission. Most (71.9%; 23/32) appeared consistent with patient or surrogate recall of prior treatment decisions. POLST forms generated in the hospital do transfer with patients across settings, but are often used only to document code status. POLST orders appeared largely consistent with prior treatment decisions. Further research is needed to assess the quality of POLST decisions.

Sustainability of utility-scale solar energy: Critical environmental concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, R. R.; Moore-O'Leary, K. A.; Johnston, D. S.; Abella, S.; Tanner, K.; Swanson, A.; Kreitler, J.; Lovich, J.

2017-12-01

Renewable energy development is an arena where ecological, political, and socioeconomic values collide. Advances in renewable energy will incur steep environmental costs to landscapes in which facilities are constructed and operated. Scientists - including those from academia, industry, and government agencies - have only recently begun to quantify trade-off in this arena, often using ground-mounted, utility-scale solar energy facilities (USSE, ≥ 1 megawatt) as a model. Here, we discuss five critical ecological concepts applicable to the development of more sustainable USSE with benefits over fossil-fuel-generated energy: (1) more sustainable USSE development requires careful evaluation of trade-offs between land, energy, and ecology; (2) species responses to habitat modification by USSE vary; (3) cumulative and large-scale ecological impacts are complex and challenging to mitigate; (4) USSE development affects different types of ecosystems and requires customized design and management strategies; and (5) long-term ecological consequences associated with USSE sites must be carefully considered. These critical concepts provide a framework for reducing adverse environmental impacts, informing policy to establish and address conservation priorities, and improving energy production sustainability.

Two-Dimensional Work: Workplace Literacy in the Aged Care and Call Centre Industries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waterhouse, Peter; Virgona, Crina

2004-01-01

A key challenge of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system is to serve the broad needs of individuals, communities, and industries. This includes the provision of literacy and generic skills which meet the needs of all groups. This study investigates and documents workplace literacy in aged care facilities and call centres,…

Review of Aeronautical Wind Tunnel Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The nation's aeronautical wind tunnel facilities constitute a valuable technological resource and make a significant contribution to the global supremacy of U.S. aircraft, both civil and military. At the request of NASA, the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board organized a commitee to review the state of repair, adequacy, and future needs of major aeronautical wind tunnel facilities in meeting national goals. The comittee identified three main areas where actions are needed to sustain the capability of NASA's aeronautical wind tunnel facilities to support the national aeronautical research and development activities: tunnel maintenance and upgrading, productivity enhancement, and accommodation of new requirements (particularly in hypersonics). Each of these areas are addressed and the committee recommendations for appropriate actions presented.

An IMS Station life cycle from a sustainment point of view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brely, Natalie; Gautier, Jean-Pierre; Foster, Daniel

2014-05-01

The International Monitoring System (IMS) is to consist of 321 monitoring facilities, composed of four different technologies with a variety of designs and equipment types, deployed in a range of environments around the globe. The International Monitoring System is conceived to operate in perpetuity through maintenance, replacement and recapitalization of IMS facilities' infrastructure and equipment when the end of service life is reached [CTBT/PTS/INF.1163]. Life Cycle techniques and modellization are being used by the PTS to plan and forecast life cycle sustainment requirements of IMS facilities. Through historical data analysis, Engineering inputs and Feedback from experienced Station Operators, the PTS currently works towards increasing the level of confidence on these forecasts and sustainment requirements planning. Continued validation, feedback and improvement of source data from scientific community and experienced users is sought and essential in order to ensure limited effect on data availability and optimal costs (human and financial).

NREL Research Support Facility (RSF) Documentary

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

Glover, Bill; Pless, Shanti; Torcellini, Paul

2010-01-01

The ideas and innovations that define NREL are now shaping the next generation of commercial office buildings. DOE's Research Support Facility at NREL, will set a new benchmark for affordable, sustainable commercial design and construction. The unique form of the RSF is driven by energy-saving strategies, many researched and advanced at NREL.

NREL Research Support Facility (RSF) Documentary

ScienceCinema

Glover, Bill; Pless, Shanti; Torcellini, Paul; Judkoff, Ron; Detamore, Drew; Telesmanich, Eric

2017-12-09

The ideas and innovations that define NREL are now shaping the next generation of commercial office buildings. DOE's Research Support Facility at NREL, will set a new benchmark for affordable, sustainable commercial design and construction. The unique form of the RSF is driven by energy-saving strategies, many researched and advanced at NREL.

Small engine components test facility compressor testing cell at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brokopp, Richard A.; Gronski, Robert S.

1992-01-01

LeRC has designed and constructed a new test facility. This facility, called the Small Engine Components Facility (SECTF) is used to test gas turbines and compressors at conditions similar to actual engine conditions. The SECTF is comprised of a compressor testing cell and a turbine testing cell. Only the compressor testing cell is described. The capability of the facility, the overall facility design, the instrumentation used in the facility, and the data acquisition system are discussed in detail.

Evaluation of the antipsychotic medication review process at four long-term facilities in Alberta.

PubMed

Birney, Arden; Charland, Paola; Cole, Mollie; Aslam Arain, Mubashir

2016-01-01

The goal of this evaluation was to understand how four long-term care (LTC) facilities in Alberta have implemented medication reviews for the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics (AUA) initiative. We aimed to determine how interprofessional (IP) collaboration was incorporated in the antipsychotic medication reviews and how the reviews had been sustained. Four LTC facilities in Alberta participated in this evaluation. We conducted semistructured interviews with 18 facility staff and observed one antipsychotic medication review at each facility. We analyzed data according to the following key components that we identified as relevant to the antipsychotic medication reviews: the structure of the reviews, IP interactions between the staff members, and strategies for sustaining the reviews. The duration of antipsychotic medication reviews ranged from 1 to 1.5 hours. The number of professions in attendance ranged from 3 to 9; a pharmacist led the review at two sites, while a registered nurse led the review at one site and a nurse practitioner at the remaining site. The number of residents discussed during the review ranged from 6 to 20. The process at some facilities was highly IP, demonstrating each of the six IP competencies. Other facilities conducted the review in a less IP manner due to challenges of physician involvement and staff workload, particularly of health care aides. Facilities that had an nurse practitioner on site were more efficient with the process of implementing recommendations resulting from the medication reviews. The LTC facilities were successful in implementing the medication review process and the process seemed to be sustainable. A few challenges were observed in the implementation process at two facilities. IP practice moved forward the goals of the AUA initiative to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotics.

Apollo experience report: Real-time auxiliary computing facility development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allday, C. E.

1972-01-01

The Apollo real time auxiliary computing function and facility were an extension of the facility used during the Gemini Program. The facility was expanded to include support of all areas of flight control, and computer programs were developed for mission and mission-simulation support. The scope of the function was expanded to include prime mission support functions in addition to engineering evaluations, and the facility became a mandatory mission support facility. The facility functioned as a full scale mission support activity until after the first manned lunar landing mission. After the Apollo 11 mission, the function and facility gradually reverted to a nonmandatory, offline, on-call operation because the real time program flexibility was increased and verified sufficiently to eliminate the need for redundant computations. The evaluation of the facility and function and recommendations for future programs are discussed in this report.

A Process for Transition to Sustainability: Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooltorton, Sandra; Palmer, Marilyn; Steele, Fran

2011-01-01

This paper reports the outcomes of the second action cycle of an ongoing project at Edith Cowan University (ECU) called "Transition to Sustainability: ECU South West" which is located in a small, single faculty regional university campus. The overall project has comprised three action research cycles, the first of which was the planning…

When They Talk about CALL: Discourse in a Required CALL Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessler, Greg

2010-01-01

This study investigates preservice teachers' discourse about CALL in a required CALL class which combines theory and practice. Thirty-three students in a Linguistics MA program CALL course were observed over a 10-week quarter. For all of these students, it was their first formal exposure to CALL as a discipline. Communication in the class…

Establishing sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering.

PubMed

Curiel-Esparza, Jorge; Canto-Perello, Julian; Calvo, Maria A

2004-07-01

Growth of urban areas, the corresponding increased demand for utility services and the possibility of new types of utility systems are overcrowding near surface underground space with urban utilities. Available subsurface space will continue to diminish to the point where utilidors (utility tunnels) may become inevitable. Establishing future sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering consists of the ability to lessen the use of traditional trenching. There is an increasing interest in utility tunnels for urban areas as a sustainable technique to avoid congestion of the subsurface. One of the principal advantages of utility tunnels is the substantially lower environmental impact compared with common trenches. Implementing these underground facilities is retarded most by the initial cost and management procedures. The habitual procedure is to meet problems as they arise in current practice. The moral imperative of sustainable strategies fails to confront the economic and political conflicts of interest. Municipal engineers should act as a key enabler in urban underground sustainable development.

42 CFR 136.110 - Facilities construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... application: (1) Provide its assessment of the environmental impact of the project as called for by section... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Facilities construction. 136.110 Section 136.110 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE...

42 CFR 136.110 - Facilities construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... application: (1) Provide its assessment of the environmental impact of the project as called for by section... 42 Public Health 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Facilities construction. 136.110 Section 136.110 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE...

42 CFR 136.110 - Facilities construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... application: (1) Provide its assessment of the environmental impact of the project as called for by section... 42 Public Health 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Facilities construction. 136.110 Section 136.110 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE...

42 CFR 136.110 - Facilities construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... application: (1) Provide its assessment of the environmental impact of the project as called for by section... 42 Public Health 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Facilities construction. 136.110 Section 136.110 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE...

Sustainable NREL Biennial Report, FY 2012 - 2013 (Management Report)

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

Slovensky, Michelle

2014-03-01

NREL's Sustainability Program plays a vital role bridging research and operations - integrating energy efficiency, water and material resource conservation and cultural change - adding depth in the fulfillment of NREL's mission. The report, per the GRI reporting format, elaborates on multi-year goals relative to executive orders, achievements, and challenges; and success stories provide specific examples. A section called "The Voice of NREL" gives an inside perspective of how to become more sustainable while at the same time addressing climate change.

Sustainability of utility-scale solar energy – critical ecological concepts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore-O'Leary, Kara A.; Hernandez, Rebecca R.; Johnston, Dave S.; Abella, Scott R.; Tanner, Karen E.; Swanson, Amanda C.; Kreitler, Jason R.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.

2017-01-01

Renewable energy development is an arena where ecological, political, and socioeconomic values collide. Advances in renewable energy will incur steep environmental costs to landscapes in which facilities are constructed and operated. Scientists – including those from academia, industry, and government agencies – have only recently begun to quantify trade-offs in this arena, often using ground-mounted, utility-scale solar energy facilities (USSE, ≥1 megawatt) as a model. Here, we discuss five critical ecological concepts applicable to the development of more sustainable USSE with benefits over fossil-fuel-generated energy: (1) more sustainable USSE development requires careful evaluation of trade-offs between land, energy, and ecology; (2) species responses to habitat modification by USSE vary; (3) cumulative and large-scale ecological impacts are complex and challenging to mitigate; (4) USSE development affects different types of ecosystems and requires customized design and management strategies; and (5) long-term ecological consequences associated with USSE sites must be carefully considered. These critical concepts provide a framework for reducing adverse environmental impacts, informing policy to establish and address conservation priorities, and improving energy production sustainability.

Companies’ contribution to sustainability through global supply chains

PubMed Central

Thorlakson, Tannis; de Zegher, Joann F.; Lambin, Eric F.

2018-01-01

Global supply chains play a critical role in many of the most pressing environmental stresses and social struggles identified by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Responding to calls from the global community, companies are adopting a variety of voluntary practices to improve the environmental and/or social management of their suppliers’ activities. We develop a global survey of 449 publicly listed companies in the food, textile, and wood-products sectors with annual reports in English to provide insight into how the private sector contributes to advancing the SDGs via such sustainable-sourcing practices. We find that while 52% of companies use at least one sustainable-sourcing practice, these practices are limited in scope; 71% relates to only one or a few input materials and 60.5% apply to only first-tier suppliers. We also find that sustainable-sourcing practices typically address a small subset of the sustainability challenges laid out by the SDGs, primarily focusing on labor rights and compliance with national laws. Consistent with existing hypotheses, companies that face consumer and civil society pressure are associated with a significantly higher probability of adopting sustainable-sourcing practices. Our findings highlight the opportunities and limitations of corporate sustainable-sourcing practices in addressing the myriad sustainability challenges facing our world today. PMID:29440420

Modeling Coherent Strategies for the Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, B.; Obersteiner, M.; Herrero, M.; Riahi, K.; Fritz, S.; van Vuuren, D.; Havlik, P.

2016-12-01

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for a comprehensive new approach to development rooted in planetary boundaries, equity and inclusivity. Societies have largely responded to this call with siloed strategies capable of making progress on selected subsets of these goals. However, agendas crafted specifically to alleviate poverty, hunger, deforestation, biodiversity loss, or other ills may doom the SDG agenda, as policies and strategies designed to accomplish one or several goals can impede and in some cases reverse progress toward others at national, regional, and global levels. We adopt a comprehensive modeling approach to understand the basis for tradeoffs among environmental conservation initiatives (goals 13-15) and food prices (goal 2). We show that such tradeoffs are manifestations of policy-driven pressure in land (i.e. agricultural and environmental) systems. By reducing total land system pressure, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP, goal 12) policies minimize tradeoffs and should therefore be regarded as necessary conditions for achieving multiple SDGs. SDG strategies constructed around SCP policies escape problem-shifting, which has long placed global development and conservation agendas at odds. We expect that this and future systems analyses will allow policymakers to negotiate tradeoffs and exploit synergies as they assemble sustainable development strategies equal in scope to the ambition of the SDGs.

Improving water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care facilities, Liberia.

PubMed

Abrampah, Nana Mensah; Montgomery, Maggie; Baller, April; Ndivo, Francis; Gasasira, Alex; Cooper, Catherine; Frescas, Ruben; Gordon, Bruce; Syed, Shamsuzzoha Babar

2017-07-01

The lack of proper water and sanitation infrastructures and poor hygiene practices in health-care facilities reduces facilities' preparedness and response to disease outbreaks and decreases the communities' trust in the health services provided. To improve water and sanitation infrastructures and hygiene practices, the Liberian health ministry held multistakeholder meetings to develop a national water, sanitation and hygiene and environmental health package. A national train-the-trainer course was held for county environmental health technicians, which included infection prevention and control focal persons; the focal persons acted as change agents. In Liberia, only 45% of 701 surveyed health-care facilities had an improved water source in 2015, and only 27% of these health-care facilities had proper disposal for infectious waste. Local ownership, through engagement of local health workers, was introduced to ensure development and refinement of the package. In-county collaborations between health-care facilities, along with multisectoral collaboration, informed national level direction, which led to increased focus on water and sanitation infrastructures and uptake of hygiene practices to improve the overall quality of service delivery. National level leadership was important to identify a vision and create an enabling environment for changing the perception of water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care provision. The involvement of health workers was central to address basic infrastructure and hygiene practices in health-care facilities and they also worked as stimulators for sustainable change. Further, developing a long-term implementation plan for national level initiatives is important to ensure sustainability.

Developing and Sustaining Professionalism within Gifted Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Mary Ruth; Gallagher, James J.; Job, Jennifer

2012-01-01

This article calls for a new paradigm of professionalism in the field of gifted education. The definition of professionalism varies, and yet the need for a common vision of professionalism in the field is necessary to strengthen gifted education in the future. The authors delineate a framework for sustaining professionalism within the field and…

Life cycle approaches to sustainable consumption: a critical review.

PubMed

Hertwich, Edgar G

2005-07-01

The 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for a comprehensive set of programs focusing on sustainable consumption and production. According to world leaders, these programs should rely on life cycle assessment (LCA) to promote sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Cleaner production is a well-established activity, and it uses LCA. UNEP, the European Union, and a number of national organizations have now begun to work on sustainable consumption. In developing sustainable consumption policies and activities, the use of LCA presents interesting opportunities that are not yet well understood by policy makers. This paper reviews how life cycle approaches, primarily based on input-output analysis, have been used in the area of sustainable consumption: to inform policy making, select areas of action, identify which lifestyles are more sustainable, advise consumers, and evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable consumption measures. Information on consumption patterns usually comes from consumer expenditure surveys. Different study designs and a better integration with consumer research can provide further interesting insights. Life-cycle approaches still need to be developed and tested. Current research is mostly descriptive; policy makers, however, require more strategic analysis addressing their decision options, including scenario analysis and backcasting.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. [Establishment of hazardous waste facilities

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

Not Available

Environmental Resources Secretary Arthur A. Davis and Commerce Secretary Raymond R. Christman have announced a joint initiative to establish commercial hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities Pennsylvania. The state Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, which Gov. Robert P. Casey signed into law last October, called for accelerated efforts in this regard. These included an expedited permitting process for facilities, requiring the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) to appoint a special sitting team to review permit applications, and designation of sitting coordinator within the Department of Commerce to identify potential developers of the facilities and encourage them to operate within Pennsylvania.

Marketing Residential Treatment Programs for Eating Disorders: A Call for Transparency.

PubMed

Attia, Evelyn; Blackwood, Kristy L; Guarda, Angela S; Marcus, Marsha D; Rothman, David J

2016-06-01

Residential behavioral treatment is a growing sector of the health care industry and is used by a large proportion of adolescent and adult patients with eating disorders. These programs and the organizations that own them have developed extensive marketing strategies that target clinicians and include promotional gifts, meals, travel reimbursement, and continuing education credit. Legislation and policy changes have limited these types of activities when conducted by the pharmaceutical industry, and awareness of conflicts of interest associated with clinician-targeted advertising of drugs and devices has increased. However, similar practices by the behavioral health care industry have evolved without oversight. The authors urge clinicians to consider how marketing strategies by treatment facilities may influence their referral behaviors and call for improved transparency regarding gifts and payments from treatment facilities.

WASH and gender in health care facilities: The uncharted territory.

PubMed

Kohler, Petra; Renggli, Samuel; Lüthi, Christoph

2017-11-08

Health care facilities in low- and middle-income countries are high-risk settings, and face special challenges to achieving sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Our applied interdisciplinary research conducted in India and Uganda analyzed six dimensions of WASH services in selected health care facilities, including menstrual hygiene management. To be effective, WASH monitoring strategies in health care facilities must include gender sensitive measures. We present a novel strategy, showing that applied gender sensitive multitool assessments are highly productive in assessments of WASH services and facilities from user and provider perspectives. We discuss its potential for applications at scale and as an area of future research.

ATR National Scientific User Facility 2009 Annual Report

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

Todd R. Allen; Mitchell K. Meyer; Frances Marshall

2010-11-01

This report describes activities of the ATR NSUF from FY-2008 through FY-2009 and includes information on partner facilities, calls for proposals, users week and education programs. The report also contains project information on university research projects that were awarded by ATR NSUF in the fiscal years 2008 & 2009. This research is university-proposed researcher under a user facility agreement. All intellectual property from these experiments belongs to the university per the user agreement.

Open-Access Textbooks and Financial Sustainability: A Case Study on Flat World Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, John, III; Wiley, David

2011-01-01

Many college students and their families are concerned about the high costs of textbooks. A company called Flat World Knowledge both gives away and sells open-source textbooks in a way it believes to be financially sustainable. This article reports on the financial sustainability of the Flat World Knowledge open-source textbook model after one…

Indissoluble Connection of Russian MC&A System Sustainability with that of the Russian Methodological & Training Center

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

Ryazanov, Boris G.; Goryunov, Victor; Pshakin, Gennady M.

During the past 10 years of collaboration under the U.S.-Russian Materials Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) Program great efforts were made to transform and upgrade the Russian Federal Nuclear Materials Control and Accounting (MC&A) System. The efforts were focused not only on MC&A systems for nuclear facilities but also on creating and developing the system infrastructure, including legislation, state inspection and agency monitoring, training of operators and inspectors, instrument and methodological support, and the Federal Information System (FIS). At present the most important and urgent goal is to provide sustainability of MC&A systems at the existing level or at themore » level that will be achieved in 2007-2008. Since the very beginning of the program, the Russian Methodological and Training Center (RMTC) activities have been focused on intensive training of the personnel as well as the methodological support necessary for transformation and development of the entire system and its elements located at nuclear facilities. Sustainability of the federal MC&A system is impossible without advanced training of personnel and methodological support for upgrading of system elements at nuclear facilities. That is why the RMTC sustainability is one of the key conditions required for the system sustainability as a whole. The paper presents the results of analysis of the conditions for the Russian MC&A system sustainable development in conjunction with the RMTC sustainability.« less

National Ignition Facility under fire over ignition failure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Michael

2016-08-01

The 3.5bn National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California is no nearer to igniting a sustainable nuclear fusion burn - four years after its initial target date - according to a report by the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

Modeling Sustainable Food Systems.

PubMed

Allen, Thomas; Prosperi, Paolo

2016-05-01

The processes underlying environmental, economic, and social unsustainability derive in part from the food system. Building sustainable food systems has become a predominating endeavor aiming to redirect our food systems and policies towards better-adjusted goals and improved societal welfare. Food systems are complex social-ecological systems involving multiple interactions between human and natural components. Policy needs to encourage public perception of humanity and nature as interdependent and interacting. The systemic nature of these interdependencies and interactions calls for systems approaches and integrated assessment tools. Identifying and modeling the intrinsic properties of the food system that will ensure its essential outcomes are maintained or enhanced over time and across generations, will help organizations and governmental institutions to track progress towards sustainability, and set policies that encourage positive transformations. This paper proposes a conceptual model that articulates crucial vulnerability and resilience factors to global environmental and socio-economic changes, postulating specific food and nutrition security issues as priority outcomes of food systems. By acknowledging the systemic nature of sustainability, this approach allows consideration of causal factor dynamics. In a stepwise approach, a logical application is schematized for three Mediterranean countries, namely Spain, France, and Italy.

Modeling Sustainable Food Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Thomas; Prosperi, Paolo

2016-05-01

The processes underlying environmental, economic, and social unsustainability derive in part from the food system. Building sustainable food systems has become a predominating endeavor aiming to redirect our food systems and policies towards better-adjusted goals and improved societal welfare. Food systems are complex social-ecological systems involving multiple interactions between human and natural components. Policy needs to encourage public perception of humanity and nature as interdependent and interacting. The systemic nature of these interdependencies and interactions calls for systems approaches and integrated assessment tools. Identifying and modeling the intrinsic properties of the food system that will ensure its essential outcomes are maintained or enhanced over time and across generations, will help organizations and governmental institutions to track progress towards sustainability, and set policies that encourage positive transformations. This paper proposes a conceptual model that articulates crucial vulnerability and resilience factors to global environmental and socio-economic changes, postulating specific food and nutrition security issues as priority outcomes of food systems. By acknowledging the systemic nature of sustainability, this approach allows consideration of causal factor dynamics. In a stepwise approach, a logical application is schematized for three Mediterranean countries, namely Spain, France, and Italy.

Factors influencing the long-term sustainment of quality improvements made in addiction treatment facilities: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Stumbo, Scott P; Ford, James H; Green, Carla A

2017-11-01

A greater understanding of the factors that influence long-term sustainment of quality improvement (QI) initiatives is needed to promote organizational ability to sustain QI practices over time, help improve future interventions, and increase the value of QI investments. We approached 83 of 201 executive sponsors or change leaders at addiction treatment organizations that participated in the 2007-2009 NIATx200 QI intervention. We completed semi-structured interviews with 33 individuals between November 2015 and April 2016. NIATx200 goals were to decrease wait time, increase admissions and improve retention in treatment. Interviews sought to understand factors that either facilitated or impeded long-term sustainment of organizational QI practices made during the intervention. We used thematic analysis to organize the data and group patterns of responses. We assessed available quantitative outcome data and intervention engagement data to corroborate qualitative results. We used narrative analysis to group four important themes related to long-term sustainment of QI practices: (1) finding alignment between business- and client-centered practices; (2) staff engagement early in QI process added legitimacy which facilitated sustainment; (3) commitment to integrating data into monitoring practices and the identification of a data champion; and (4) adequate organizational human resources devoted to sustainment. We found four corollary factors among agencies which did not sustain practices: (1) lack of evidence of impact on business practices led to discontinuation; (2) disengaged staff and lack of organizational capacity during implementation period led to lack of sustainment; (3) no data integration into overall business practices and no identified data champion; and (4) high staff turnover. In addition, we found that many agencies' current use of NIATx methods and tools suggested a legacy effect that might improve quality elsewhere, even absent overall sustainment of

Indicators and Metrics for Evaluating the Sustainability of Chemical Processes

EPA Science Inventory

A metric-based method, called GREENSCOPE, has been developed for evaluating process sustainability. Using lab-scale information and engineering assumptions the method evaluates full-scale epresentations of processes in environmental, efficiency, energy and economic areas. The m...

The Significant Incidents and Close Calls in Human Space Flight Chart: Lessons Learned Gone Viral

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Bill; Pate, Dennis; Thelen, David

2010-01-01

This presentation will explore the surprising history and events that transformed a mundane spreadsheet of historical spaceflight incidents into a popular and widely distributed visual compendium of lessons learned. The Significant Incidents and Close Calls in Human Space Flight Chart (a.k.a. The Significant Incidents Chart) is a popular and visually captivating reference product that has arisen from the work of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Flight Safety Office (FSO). It began as an internal tool intended to increase our team s awareness of historical and modern space flight incidents. Today, the chart is widely recognized across the agency as a reference tool. It appears in several training and education programs. It is used in familiarization training in the JSC Building 9 Mockup Facility and is seen by hundreds of center visitors each week. The chart visually summarizes injuries, fatalities, and close calls sustained during the continuing development of human space flight. The poster-sized chart displays over 100 total events that have direct connections to human space flight endeavors. The chart is updated periodically. The update process itself has become a collaborative effort. Many people, spanning multiple NASA organizations, have provided suggestions for additional entries. The FSO maintains a growing list of subscribers who have requested to receive updates. The presenters will discuss the origins and motivations behind the significant incidents chart. A review of the inclusion criteria used to select events will be offered. We will address how the chart is used today by S&MA and offer a vision of how it might be used by other organizations now and in the future. Particular emphasis will be placed on features of the chart that have met with broad acceptance and have helped spread awareness of the most important lessons in human spaceflight.

Closed-loop bird-computer interactions: a new method to study the role of bird calls.

PubMed

Lerch, Alexandre; Roy, Pierre; Pachet, François; Nagle, Laurent

2011-03-01

In the field of songbird research, many studies have shown the role of male songs in territorial defense and courtship. Calling, another important acoustic communication signal, has received much less attention, however, because calls are assumed to contain less information about the emitter than songs do. Birdcall repertoire is diverse, and the role of calls has been found to be significant in the area of social interaction, for example, in pair, family, and group cohesion. However, standard methods for studying calls do not allow precise and systematic study of their role in communication. We propose herein a new method to study bird vocal interaction. A closed-loop computer system interacts with canaries, Serinus canaria, by (1) automatically classifying two basic types of canary vocalization, single versus repeated calls, as they are produced by the subject, and (2) responding with a preprogrammed call type recorded from another bird. This computerized animal-machine interaction requires no human interference. We show first that the birds do engage in sustained interactions with the system, by studying the rate of single and repeated calls for various programmed protocols. We then show that female canaries differentially use single and repeated calls. First, they produce significantly more single than repeated calls, and second, the rate of single calls is associated with the context in which they interact, whereas repeated calls are context independent. This experiment is the first illustration of how closed-loop bird-computer interaction can be used productively to study social relationships. © Springer-Verlag 2010

Green ergonomics: combining sustainability and ergonomics.

PubMed

Pilczuk, Davana; Barefield, Kevin

2014-01-01

When discussing ergonomics, the term 'sustainability' usually refers to the preservation of the human workforce. However, in 2010 Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation made a conscious effort to combine ergonomics and environmental sustainability in order to increase employee engagement for both programs. They introduced a companywide campaign called Green Ergo which is the idea of creating ergonomic solutions from scrap material found on site. This concept embraced the true meaning of 'green' and encouraged engineers and employees all across the company to design innovative green ergonomic solutions. The idea generated over 35 new ergo solutions, reduced waste production, and solved over 700 ergo problems for a fraction of the cost of newly purchased items. The demand for these items grew large enough that the company outsourced their manufacturing to a local non-profit. The Green Ergo campaign has changed the culture of the company and has increased the level of buy-in for both the ergonomics and sustainability programs.

47 CFR 22.921 - 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... programming in the mobile unit that determines the handling of a non-911 call and permit the call to be... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.921 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode. Mobile telephones manufactured after February 13, 2000 that are capable of...

Research on CALL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pederson, Kathleen Marshall

The status of research on computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is explored beginning with a historical perspective of research on the language laboratory, followed by analyses of applied research on CALL. A theoretical base is provided to illustrate the need for more basic research on CALL that considers computer capabilities, learner…

40 CFR Appendix F to Part 112 - Facility-Specific Response Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... of Contents 1.0Model Facility-Specific Response Plan 1.1Emergency Response Action Plan 1.2Facility.... EC01MR92.015 1.1Emergency Response Action Plan Several sections of the response plan shall be co-located... sections shall be called the Emergency Response Action Plan. The Agency intends that the Action Plan...

A full value-chain Water Footprint Assessment to help informed decision in corporate sustainability strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guoping; Chico Zamanilo, Daniel; Bai, Xue; Ren, Xiajing; Chen, Rong; Qin, Jun

2017-04-01

This study evaluated the water footprint (WF) of five production facilities along Muyuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd's (Muyuan) value chain, and assessed the sustainability and impact of their water footprints at the river catchment level. Muyuan, a large-scale, integrated pig breeder and producer in China, is keen to fulfil its corporate social responsibilities and committed to ensuring food quality and security, promoting environmental protection, and participating in catchment water resources management. Formulating corporate water related sustainability strategies, however, has been challenging. This study carried out a comprehensive Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) for Muyuan's full value chain to assist in formulating such strategies and setting up action plans with water footprint reduction targets. The study showed that that the water footprint of the supply chain, resulting from crops and crop products used in Muyuan's feed production facility is a major contributor to Muyuan's facilities' water footprint. From the perspective of the direct WF at the facilities, addressing the impact on water quality from effluents (i.e. the grey water footprint) at hog farms is a critical component of any water sustainability strategy. From the blue WF perspective, there are opportunities to reduce blue water consumption at hog farms through improved technology and implementation of best practices. The water footprint sustainability assessment in this study indicated that Muyuan operates in a catchment which is already under water stress and is a hotspot in terms of both blue water scarcity and water pollution level. The study helped identify potential water-related risks and opportunities for improving Muyuan's water use efficiency as well as ways Muyuan could contribute to sustainable water resources management in the catchment within which it operates. This is an innovative application of WFA in the livestock sector and supports the development of Muyuan's corporate water

Companies' contribution to sustainability through global supply chains.

PubMed

Thorlakson, Tannis; de Zegher, Joann F; Lambin, Eric F

2018-02-27

Global supply chains play a critical role in many of the most pressing environmental stresses and social struggles identified by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Responding to calls from the global community, companies are adopting a variety of voluntary practices to improve the environmental and/or social management of their suppliers' activities. We develop a global survey of 449 publicly listed companies in the food, textile, and wood-products sectors with annual reports in English to provide insight into how the private sector contributes to advancing the SDGs via such sustainable-sourcing practices. We find that while 52% of companies use at least one sustainable-sourcing practice, these practices are limited in scope; 71% relates to only one or a few input materials and 60.5% apply to only first-tier suppliers. We also find that sustainable-sourcing practices typically address a small subset of the sustainability challenges laid out by the SDGs, primarily focusing on labor rights and compliance with national laws. Consistent with existing hypotheses, companies that face consumer and civil society pressure are associated with a significantly higher probability of adopting sustainable-sourcing practices. Our findings highlight the opportunities and limitations of corporate sustainable-sourcing practices in addressing the myriad sustainability challenges facing our world today. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Leveraging Resources and Sustaining Partnerships in Tough Economic Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booth, Cheryl N.; Vaidya, Shruti J.; Farrell, Patricia A.; Bokemeier, Janet L.

2004-01-01

During times of economic uncertainty, how can universities develop and sustain resources for engagement efforts? This article focuses on how a university-wide research and outreach coalition at Michigan State University called Families and Communities Together (FACT) is exploring a variety of funding approaches and implementing successful…

Explicitly Linking Pedagogy and Facilities to Campus Sustainability: Lessons from Carleton College and the University of Minnesota

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savanick, Suzanne; Strong, Richard; Manning, Christie

2008-01-01

Campus sustainability projects provide an opportunity to explicitly link campus operations and academics. College and university buildings and grounds offer the potential for numerous hands-on sustainability projects. Few schools explicitly link sustainability projects with academics as often the academic side of an institution is separate from…

The Proposal of Key Performance Indicators in Facility Management and Determination the Weights of Significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimbalová, Jarmila; Vilčeková, Silvia

2013-11-01

The practice of facilities management is rapidly evolving with the increasing interest in the discourse of sustainable development. The industry and its market are forecasted to develop to include non-core functions, activities traditionally not associated with this profession, but which are increasingly being addressed by facilities managers. The scale of growth in the built environment and the consequential growth of the facility management sector is anticipated to be enormous. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are measure that provides essential information about performance of facility services delivery. In selecting KPI, it is critical to limit them to those factors that are essential to the organization reaching its goals. It is also important to keep the number of KPI small just to keep everyone's attention focused on achieving the same KPIs. This paper deals with the determination of weights of KPI of FM in terms of the design and use of sustainable buildings.

Sustaining Health for Wealth: Perspectives for the Post-2015 Agenda

PubMed Central

Armah, Bartholomew K.

2015-01-01

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) offer a unique opportunity for policy-makers to build on the millennium development goals (MDGs) by adopting more sustainable approaches to addressing global development challenges. The delivery of health services is of particular concern. Most African countries are unlikely to achieve the health MDGs, however, significant progress has been made particularly in the area of child and maternal health due in part to significant external support. The weak global recovery, and persistent inequalities in access to healthcare, however, call into question the sustainability of the achievements made. Building on the principles articulated in Binagwaho and Scott, this commentary argues that addressing inequalities and promoting more integrated approaches to health service delivery is vital for consolidating and sustaining the health sector achievements in Africa. PMID:26673177

Development of sanitation technologies in African context : how could we make it more sustainable?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dakouré, M. S.; Traoré, M. B.; Sossou, S. K.; Maïga, A. H.

2017-03-01

Access to sanitation technologies remains one of the biggest challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. To overcome this gap, a sanitation project called “Ameli-EAUR” translated from French as improvement of water and sanitation in urban and rural areas, was implemented in Burkina Faso for 5 years (2010-2016). The technologies from the project were designed on the basis of agro-sanitation concept, leading to package containing a composting toilet, a grey water treatment facility and a set of urine collection and treatment. The study aimed to evaluate of Ameli-EAUR project, one year after the end, and identify some key factors of sustainability of technologies. As methodology, a survey and a technical diagnostic of implemented technologies were done. The results showed that, the pilot families stopped using all the technologies one year after the end of the project. However, two main lessons can be learnt: (1) in term of efficiency and effectiveness of the project the technology of composting toilet was not robust enough, leading to a rapid abandonment after the project (2) in term of impact and sustainability, the economic incentive of the resource oriented sanitation concept was very weak compared to the needed workload. The technologies development in this kind of project should be carried on and associated with a more inclusive system driven by economic incentive.

International Space Station -- Fluids and Combustion Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) is a modular, multi-user facility to accommodate microgravity science experiments on board Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The FCF will be a permanet facility aboard the ISS, and will be capable of accommodating up to ten science investigations per year. It will support the NASA Science and Technology Research Plans for the International Space Station (ISS) which require sustained systematic research of the effects of reduced gravity in the areas of fluid physics and combustion science. From left to right are the Combustion Integrated Rack, the Shared Rack, and the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FCF is being developed by the Microgravity Science Division (MSD) at the NASA Glenn Research Center. (Photo Credit: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center)

SCOPEOUT: sustainability and spread of quality improvement activities in long-term care- a mixed methods approach.

PubMed

Cranley, Lisa A; Hoben, Matthias; Yeung, Jasper; Estabrooks, Carole A; Norton, Peter G; Wagg, Adrian

2018-03-12

Interventions to improve quality of care for residents of long-term care facilities, and to examine the sustainability and spread of such initiatives, remain a top research priority. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the extent to which activities initiated in a quality improvement (QI) collaborative study using care aide led teams were sustained or spread following cessation of the initial project and to identify factors that led to its success. This study used an exploratory mixed methods study design and was conducted in seven residential long-term care facilities in two Canadian provinces. Sustainability and spread of QI activities were assessed by a questionnaire over five time points for 18 months following the collaborative study with staff from both intervention with non-intervention units. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with care managers at six and 12 months. QI team success in applying the QI model was ranked as high, medium, or low using criteria developed by the research team. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and General Estimating Equations were used to analyze the data. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. In total, 683 surveys were received over the five time periods from 476 unique individuals on a facility unit. Seven managers were interviewed. A total of 533 surveys were analyzed. While both intervention and non-intervention units experienced a decline over time in all outcome measures, this decline was significantly less pronounced on intervention units. Facilities with medium and high success ranking had significantly higher scores in all four outcomes than facilities with a low success ranking. Care aides reported significantly less involvement of others in QI activities, less empowerment and less satisfaction with the quality of their work life than regulated care providers. Manager interviews provided evidence of sustainability of QI activities on the intervention units in four of

SUSTAIN - A BMP Process and Placement Tool for Urban Watersheds (Poster)

EPA Science Inventory

To assist stormwater management professionals in planning for best management practices (BMPs) and low-impact developments (LIDs) implementation, USEPA is developing a decision support system, called the System for Urban Stormwater Treatment and Analysis INtegration (SUSTAIN). ...

Energy from Biomass for Sustainable Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panepinto, D.; Zanetti, M. C.; Gitelman, L.; Kozhevnikov, M.; Magaril, E.; Magaril, R.

2017-06-01

One of the major challenges of sustainable urban development is ensuring a sustainable energy supply while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The European Union Directive 2009/28/EC has set a goal of obtaining 20 percent of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. In this context, it is possible to consider the use of residues from forest maintenance, residues from livestock, the use of energy crops, the recovery of food waste, and residuals from agro-industrial activities. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the consequent environmental impact. In this paper an approach in order to evaluate the environmental compatibility has presented. The possibilities of national priorities for commissioning of power plants on biofuel and other facilities of distributed generation are discussed.

Process evaluation of the RaDIANT community study: a dialysis facility-level intervention to increase referral for kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Hamoda, Reem E; Gander, Jennifer C; McPherson, Laura J; Arriola, Kimberly J; Cobb, Loren; Pastan, Stephen O; Plantinga, Laura; Browne, Teri; Hartmann, Erica; Mulloy, Laura; Zayas, Carlos; Krisher, Jenna; Patzer, Rachel E

2018-01-15

The Reducing Disparities in Access to kidNey Transplantation Community Study (RaDIANT) was an End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 6-developed, dialysis facility-level randomized trial testing the effectiveness of a 1-year multicomponent education and quality improvement intervention in increasing referral for kidney transplant evaluation among selected Georgia dialysis facilities. To assess implementation of the RaDIANT intervention, we conducted a process evaluation at the conclusion of the intervention period (January-December 2014). We administered a 20-item survey to the staff involved with transplant education in 67 dialysis facilities randomized to participate in intervention activities. Survey items assessed facility participation in the intervention (fidelity and reach), helpfulness and willingness to continue intervention activities (sustainability), suggestions for improving intervention components (sustainability), and factors that may have influenced participation and study outcomes (context). We defined high fidelity to the intervention as completing 11 or more activities, and high participation in an activity as having at least 75% participation across intervention facilities. Staff from 65 of the 67 dialysis facilities completed the questionnaire, and more than half (50.8%) reported high adherence (fidelity) to RaDIANT intervention requirements. Nearly two-thirds (63.1%) of facilities reported that RaDIANT intervention activities were helpful or very helpful, with 90.8% of facilities willing to continue at least one intervention component beyond the study period. Intervention components with high participation emphasized staff and patient-level education, including in-service staff orientations, patient and family education programs, and patient educational materials. Suggested improvements for intervention activities emphasized addressing financial barriers to transplantation, with financial education materials perceived as most helpful among Ra

Kennedy Space Center Five Year Sustainability Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Ann T.

2016-01-01

The Federal Government is committed to following sustainable principles. At its heart, sustainability integrates environmental, societal and economic solutions for present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Building upon its pledge towards environmental stewardship, the Administration generated a vision of sustainability spanning ten goals mandated within Executive Order (EO) 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade. In November 2015, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) responded to this EO by incorporating it into a new release of the NASA Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan (SSPP). The SSPP recognizes the importance of aligning environmental practices in a manner that preserves, enhances and strengthens NASA's ability to perform its mission indefinitely. The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is following suit with KSC's Sustainability Plan (SP) by promoting, maintaining and pioneering green practices in all aspects of our mission. KSC's SP recognizes that the best sustainable solutions use an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach spanning civil servant and contractor personnel from across the Center. This approach relies on the participation of all employees to develop and implement sustainability endeavors connected with the following ten goals: Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Design, build and maintain sustainable buildings, facilities and infrastructure. Leverage clean and renewable energy. Increase water conservation. Improve fleet and vehicle efficiency and management. Purchase sustainable products and services. Minimize waste and prevent pollution. Implement performance contracts for Federal buildings. Manage electronic equipment and data centers responsibly. Pursue climate change resilience. The KSC SP details the strategies and actions that address the following objectives: Reduce Center costs. center dot Increase energy and water efficiencies. Promote smart

Energy Systems Integration News | Energy Systems Integration Facility |

Science.gov Websites

for its novel approach to energy reduction. The ultra-efficient ESIF data center features a chiller "chips to bricks" approach to sustainability integrates the data center into the facility systems, rather than trying to optimize each in isolation. Key to the approach was collaboration with

ParticleCall: A particle filter for base calling in next-generation sequencing systems

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Next-generation sequencing systems are capable of rapid and cost-effective DNA sequencing, thus enabling routine sequencing tasks and taking us one step closer to personalized medicine. Accuracy and lengths of their reads, however, are yet to surpass those provided by the conventional Sanger sequencing method. This motivates the search for computationally efficient algorithms capable of reliable and accurate detection of the order of nucleotides in short DNA fragments from the acquired data. Results In this paper, we consider Illumina’s sequencing-by-synthesis platform which relies on reversible terminator chemistry and describe the acquired signal by reformulating its mathematical model as a Hidden Markov Model. Relying on this model and sequential Monte Carlo methods, we develop a parameter estimation and base calling scheme called ParticleCall. ParticleCall is tested on a data set obtained by sequencing phiX174 bacteriophage using Illumina’s Genome Analyzer II. The results show that the developed base calling scheme is significantly more computationally efficient than the best performing unsupervised method currently available, while achieving the same accuracy. Conclusions The proposed ParticleCall provides more accurate calls than the Illumina’s base calling algorithm, Bustard. At the same time, ParticleCall is significantly more computationally efficient than other recent schemes with similar performance, rendering it more feasible for high-throughput sequencing data analysis. Improvement of base calling accuracy will have immediate beneficial effects on the performance of downstream applications such as SNP and genotype calling. ParticleCall is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/particlecall. PMID:22776067

Sustaining Environmental Pedagogy in Times of Educational Conservatism: A Case Study of Integrated Curriculum Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharpe, Erin; Breunig, Mary

2009-01-01

Although the global call for environmental education is persistent, on a local or regional level, this call can be confronted by educational policies that drive environmental education out of the curriculum. This paper reports on a qualitative case study of the factors contributing to the sustainability of three teacher-driven integrated…

Reclaiming the definition of sustainability.

PubMed

Johnston, Paul; Everard, Mark; Santillo, David; Robèrt, Karl-Henrik

2007-01-01

Since its inception two decades ago, the concept of sustainable development has suffered from a proliferation of definitions, such that it has increasingly come to mean many things to many different people. This has limited its credibility, called into question its practical application and the significance of associated achievements and, overall, limited the progress in environmental and social developments which it was designed to underpin. This viewpoint article is intended to re-open the concept of sustainable development for discussion 20 years on from the Brundtland Report, in the context of the current state of the world, our growing understanding of ecosystems and their response to stressors and the parallel increase in recognition of inherent limitations to that understanding. Following a brief review of the diverse manner in which the concept has developed over time, we present the case for application of a series of simple conditions for sustainability, originally developed by The Natural Step in the early 90s, which nevertheless still provide a sound basis on which progress towards sustainable development could be monitored. The paper also highlights the unavoidable links between sustainability and ethics, including those in the sensitive fields of population and quality of life. Overall we argue the need for the concept of sustainable development to be reclaimed from the plethora of economically-focused or somewhat vague and un-measurable definitions which have found increasing favour in recent years and which all too often accompany relatively minor progress against 'business as usual'. The vision encapsulated in the Brundtland Report was ground-breaking. If, however, true sustainability in human interactions with the biosphere is to be realised, a far stronger and more empirical interpretation of the original intent is urgently required. To be effective, such an interpretation must encompass and guide developments in political instruments and public

Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Site Documents Associated with Sustainability Base, N232

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grymes, Rosalind A.; Martin, Rodney Alexander; Dianati, Soheila

2016-01-01

These files contain more precise and accurate representations of the architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and site information pertaining to Sustainability Base, aka Collaborative Support Facility, aka N232. These supersede the 'bid' drawings released in STI 8112 previously. They are useful for NASA researchers and collaborators in modeling the performance characteristics of the facility. Otherwise, they do not contain new data.

Lunar placement of Mars quarantine facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, James E.; Mitchell, W. F.

1988-01-01

Advanced mission scenarios are currently being contemplated that would call for the retrieval of surface samples from Mars, from a comet, and from other places in the solar system. An important consideration for all of these sample return missions is quarantine. Quarantine facilities on the Moon offer unique advantages over other locations. The Moon offers gravity, distance, and vacuum. It is sufficiently near the Earth to allow rapid resupply and easy communication. It is sufficiently distant to lessen the psychological impact of a quarantine facility on Earth's human inhabitants. Finally, the Moon is airless, and seems to be devoid of life. It is, therefore, more suited to contamination control efforts.

47 CFR 22.921 - 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode. 22.921 Section 22.921 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.921 911 call processing...

47 CFR 22.921 - 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode. 22.921 Section 22.921 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.921 911 call processing...

CoVaCS: a consensus variant calling system.

PubMed

Chiara, Matteo; Gioiosa, Silvia; Chillemi, Giovanni; D'Antonio, Mattia; Flati, Tiziano; Picardi, Ernesto; Zambelli, Federico; Horner, David Stephen; Pesole, Graziano; Castrignanò, Tiziana

2018-02-05

The advent and ongoing development of next generation sequencing technologies (NGS) has led to a rapid increase in the rate of human genome re-sequencing data, paving the way for personalized genomics and precision medicine. The body of genome resequencing data is progressively increasing underlining the need for accurate and time-effective bioinformatics systems for genotyping - a crucial prerequisite for identification of candidate causal mutations in diagnostic screens. Here we present CoVaCS, a fully automated, highly accurate system with a web based graphical interface for genotyping and variant annotation. Extensive tests on a gold standard benchmark data-set -the NA12878 Illumina platinum genome- confirm that call-sets based on our consensus strategy are completely in line with those attained by similar command line based approaches, and far more accurate than call-sets from any individual tool. Importantly our system exhibits better sensitivity and higher specificity than equivalent commercial software. CoVaCS offers optimized pipelines integrating state of the art tools for variant calling and annotation for whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole-exome sequencing (WES) and target-gene sequencing (TGS) data. The system is currently hosted at Cineca, and offers the speed of a HPC computing facility, a crucial consideration when large numbers of samples must be analysed. Importantly, all the analyses are performed automatically allowing high reproducibility of the results. As such, we believe that CoVaCS can be a valuable tool for the analysis of human genome resequencing studies. CoVaCS is available at: https://bioinformatics.cineca.it/covacs .

Evaluating the Sustainability of School-Based Health Centers.

PubMed

Navarro, Stephanie; Zirkle, Dorothy L; Barr, Donald A

2017-01-01

The United States is facing a surge in the number of school-based health centers (SBHCs) owing to their success in delivering positive health outcomes and increasing access to care. To preserve this success, experts have developed frameworks for creating sustainable SBHCs; however, little research has affirmed or added to these models. This research seeks to analyze elements of sustainability in a case study of three SBHCs in San Diego, California, with the purpose of creating a research-based framework of SBHC sustainability to supplement expertly derived models. Using a mixed methods study design, data were collected from interviews with SBHC stakeholders, observations in SBHCs, and SBHC budgets. A grounded theory qualitative analysis and a quantitative budget analysis were completed to develop a theoretical framework for the sustainability of SBHCs. Forty-one interviews were conducted, 6 hours of observations were completed, and 3 years of SBHC budgets were analyzed to identify care coordination, community buy-in, community awareness, and SBHC partner cooperation as key themes of sustainability promoting patient retention for sustainable billing and reimbursement levels. These findings highlight the unique ways in which SBHCs gain community buy-in and awareness by becoming trusted sources of comprehensive and coordinated care within communities and among vulnerable populations. Findings also support ideas from expert models of SBHC sustainability calling for well-defined and executed community partnerships and quality coordinated care in the procurement of sustainable SBHC funding.

Using GREENSCOPE Indicators for Sustainable Computer-Aided Process Evaluation and Design

EPA Science Inventory

Manufacturing sustainability can be increased by educating those who design, construct, and operate facilities, and by using appropriate tools for process evaluation and design. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's GREENSCOPE methodology and tool, for evaluation and design ...

A framework to observe and evaluate the sustainability of human-natural systems in a complex dynamic context.

PubMed

Satanarachchi, Niranji; Mino, Takashi

2014-01-01

This paper aims to explore the prominent implications of the process of observing complex dynamics linked to sustainability in human-natural systems and to propose a framework for sustainability evaluation by introducing the concept of sustainability boundaries. Arguing that both observing and evaluating sustainability should engage awareness of complex dynamics from the outset, we try to embody this idea in the framework by two complementary methods, namely, the layer view- and dimensional view-based methods, which support the understanding of a reflexive and iterative sustainability process. The framework enables the observation of complex dynamic sustainability contexts, which we call observation metastructures, and enable us to map the contexts to sustainability boundaries.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Management Plan

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

Mather, James

2016-04-01

Mission and Vision Statements for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Mission The ARM Climate Research Facility, a DOE scientific user facility, provides the climate research community with strategically located in situ and remote-sensing observatories designed to improve the understanding and representation, in climate and earth system models, of clouds and aerosols as well as their interactions and coupling with the Earth’s surface. Vision To provide a detailed and accurate description of the Earth atmosphere in diverse climate regimes to resolve the uncertainties in climate and Earth system models toward the development ofmore » sustainable solutions for the nation's energy and environmental challenges.« less

SNL/CA Facilities Management Design Standards Manual

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

Rabb, David; Clark, Eva

2014-12-01

At Sandia National Laboratories in California (SNL/CA), the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities is guided by industry standards, a graded approach, and the systematic analysis of life cycle benefits received for costs incurred. The design of the physical plant must ensure that the facilities are "fit for use," and provide conditions that effectively, efficiently, and safely support current and future mission needs. In addition, SNL/CA applies sustainable design principles, using an integrated whole-building design approach, from site planning to facility design, construction, and operation to ensure building resource efficiency and the health and productivity of occupants. The safetymore » and health of the workforce and the public, any possible effects on the environment, and compliance with building codes take precedence over project issues, such as performance, cost, and schedule.« less

Physical Facilities for Holistic Education: Lessons from Secondary Schools in Kiambu and Samburu Counties, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ndirangu, Waweru Peter; Thinguri, Ruth; Chui, Mary Mugwe

2016-01-01

This paper is premised on the background that the majority of researchers and educationists who have contributed to the discourse on education for sustainability seem to be in agreement that management of physical facilities are critical ingredients in achieving holistic and sustainable education. The study examined the application of physical…

Schools That Sustain: Lessening the Environmental Impact of New Construction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peele, Katherine N.; Malone, Sara

2002-01-01

Discusses sustainable school design and its benefits to the environment, offering examples of illustrative schools. Provides suggestions on site selection (such as using smaller sites and recycling existing buildings), sharing facilities with the community, and construction elements that improve environmental impact (such as flexibility,…

47 CFR 22.921 - 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false 911 call processing procedures; 911-only... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.921 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode. Mobile telephones manufactured after February 13, 2000 that are capable of...

47 CFR 22.921 - 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false 911 call processing procedures; 911-only... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.921 911 call processing procedures; 911-only calling mode. Mobile telephones manufactured after February 13, 2000 that are capable of...

Simplifying Facility and Event Scheduling: Saving Time and Money.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raasch, Kevin

2003-01-01

Describes a product called the Event Management System (EMS), a computer software program to manage facility and event scheduling. Provides example of the school district and university uses of EMS. Describes steps in selecting a scheduling-management system. (PKP)

Hydrazine Catalyst Production: Sustaining S-405 Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wucherer, E. J.; Cook, Timothy; Stiefel, Mark; Humphries, Randy, Jr.; Parker, Janet

2003-01-01

The development of the iridium-based Shell 405 catalyst for spontaneous decomposition of hydrazine was one of the key enabling technologies for today's spacecraft and launch vehicles. To ensure that this crucial technology was not lost when Shell elected to exit the business, Aerojet, supported by NASA, has developed a dedicated catalyst production facility that will supply catalyst for future spacecraft and launch vehicle requirements. We have undertaken a program to transfer catalyst production from Shell Chemical USA (Houston, TX) to Aerojet's Redmond, WA location. This technology transition was aided by Aerojet's 30 years of catalyst manufacturing experience and NASA diligence and support in sustaining essential technologies. The facility has produced and tested S-405 catalyst to existing Shell 405 specifications and standards. Our presentation will describe the technology transition effort including development of the manufacturing facility, capture of the manufacturing process, test equipment validation, initial batch build and final testing.

Avoiding escalation from play to aggression in adult male rats: The role of ultrasonic calls.

PubMed

Burke, Candace J; Kisko, Theresa M; Pellis, Sergio M; Euston, David R

2017-11-01

Play fighting is most commonly associated with juvenile animals, but in some species, including rats, it can continue into adulthood. Post-pubertal engagement in play fighting is often rougher and has an increased chance of escalation to aggression, making the use of play signals to regulate the encounter more critical. During play, both juvenile and adult rats emit many 50-kHz calls and some of these may function as play facilitating signals. In the present study, unfamiliar adult male rats were introduced in a neutral enclosure and their social interactions were recorded. While all pairs escalated their playful encounters to become rougher, only the pairs in which one member was devocalized escalated to serious biting. A Monte Carlo shuffling technique was used for the analysis of the correlations between the overt playful and aggressive actions performed and the types and frequencies of various 50-kHz calls that were emitted. The analysis revealed that lower frequency (20-30kHz) calls with a flat component maybe particularly critical for de-escalating encounters and so allowing play to continue. Moreover, coordinating calls reciprocally, with either the same call mimicked in close, temporal association or with complementary calls emitted by participants as they engage in complementary actions (e.g., attacking the nape, being attacked on the nape), appeared to be ways with which calls could be potentially used to avoid escalation to aggression and so sustain playful interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The conundrum of hanging points in correctional facilities.

PubMed

Pridmore, Saxby; Pridmore, William

2017-02-01

We aimed to explore aspects of the removal of hanging points from correctional facilities. An argument can be made that individuals have a right to die/suicide. The United Nations holds that except for freedom of movement, prisoners have the same rights as non-prisoners. The rights of the individual and the duty of many custodial institutions are in conflict. This introduces a conundrum; when all hanging points are removed from correctional facilities, prisoners without mental disorder, but with a sustained wish to die, will not be able to achieve that end, while non-prisoners will be well able to do so.

NASA Ames Sustainability Initiatives: Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Sustainable Futures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grymes, Rosalind A.

2015-01-01

In support of the mission-specific challenges of aeronautics and space exploration, NASA Ames produces a wealth of research and technology advancements with significant relevance to larger issues of planetary sustainability. NASA research on NexGen airspace solutions and its development of autonomous and intelligent technologies will revolutionize both the nation's air transporation systems and have applicability to the low altitude flight economy and to both air and ground transporation, more generally. NASA's understanding of the Earth as a complex of integrated systems contributes to humanity's perception of the sustainability of our home planet. Research at NASA Ames on closed environment life support systems produces directly applicable lessons on energy, water, and resource management in ground-based infrastructure. Moreover, every NASA campus is a 'city'; including an urbanscape and a workplace including scientists, human relations specialists, plumbers, engineers, facility managers, construction trades, transportation managers, software developers, leaders, financial planners, technologists, electricians, students, accountants, and even lawyers. NASA is applying the lessons of our mission-related activities to our urbanscapes and infrastructure, and also anticipates a leadership role in developing future environments for living and working in space.

First Amendment Issues in the Control and Use of Public School Facilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Thomas E., Jr.

2011-01-01

The passage of the Equal Access Act (1984) brought to light the legal conflict that had been building over the previous four decades over who should or should not have access to public school facilities. Following the passage of the Act, many student and community groups began to request use of school facilities. School leaders were called on to…

A call center primer.

PubMed

Durr, W

1998-01-01

Call centers are strategically and tactically important to many industries, including the healthcare industry. Call centers play a key role in acquiring and retaining customers. The ability to deliver high-quality and timely customer service without much expense is the basis for the proliferation and expansion of call centers. Call centers are unique blends of people and technology, where performance indicates combining appropriate technology tools with sound management practices built on key operational data. While the technology is fascinating, the people working in call centers and the skill of the management team ultimately make a difference to their companies.

Overview of the Neutrinos from Stored Muons Facility - nuSTORM

DOE PAGES

Adey, D.; Appleby, R. B.; Bayes, R.; ...

2017-07-19

Neutrino beams produced from the decay of muons in a racetrack-like decay ring (the so called Neutrino Factory) provide a powerful way to study neutrino oscillation physics and, in addition, provide unique beams for neutrino interaction studies. The Neutrinos from STORed Muons (nuSTORM) facility uses a neutrino factory-like design. Due to the particular nature of nuSTORM, it can also provide an intense, very pure, muon neutrino beam from pion decay. This so-called 'Neo-conventional' muon-neutrino beam from nuSTORM makes nuSTORM a hybrid neutrino factory. Here in this paper we describe the facility and give a detailed description of the neutrino beamsmore » that are available and the precision to which they can be characterized. We then show its potential for a neutrino interaction physics program and present sensitivity plots that indicate how well the facility can perform for short-baseline oscillation searches. Lastly, we comment on the performance potential of a 'Neo-conventional' muon neutrino beam optimized for long-baseline neutrino-oscillation physics.« less

Conceptual design for the space station Freedom modular combustion facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

A definition study and conceptual design for a combustion science facility that will be located in the Space Station Freedom's baseline U.S. Laboratory module is being performed. This modular, user-friendly facility, called the Modular Combustion Facility, will be available for use by industry, academic, and government research communities in the mid-1990's. The Facility will support research experiments dealing with the study of combustion and its byproducts. Because of the lack of gravity-induced convection, research into the mechanisms of combustion in the absence of gravity will help to provide a better understanding of the fundamentals of the combustion process. The background, current status, and future activities of the effort are covered.

Evolution of Safeguards over Time: Past, Present, and Projected Facilities, Material, and Budget

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

Kollar, Lenka; Mathews, Caroline E.

This study examines the past trends and evolution of safeguards over time and projects growth through 2030. The report documents the amount of nuclear material and facilities under safeguards from 1970 until present, along with the corresponding budget. Estimates for the future amount of facilities and material under safeguards are made according to non-nuclear-weapons states’ (NNWS) plans to build more nuclear capacity and sustain current nuclear infrastructure. Since nuclear energy is seen as a clean and economic option for base load electric power, many countries are seeking to either expand their current nuclear infrastructure, or introduce nuclear power. In ordermore » to feed new nuclear power plants and sustain existing ones, more nuclear facilities will need to be built, and thus more nuclear material will be introduced into the safeguards system. The projections in this study conclude that a zero real growth scenario for the IAEA safeguards budget will result in large resource gaps in the near future.« less

Metrics for Success: Strategies for Enabling Core Facility Performance and Assessing Outcomes

PubMed Central

Hockberger, Philip E.; Meyn, Susan M.; Nicklin, Connie; Tabarini, Diane; Auger, Julie A.

2016-01-01

Core Facilities are key elements in the research portfolio of academic and private research institutions. Administrators overseeing core facilities (core administrators) require assessment tools for evaluating the need and effectiveness of these facilities at their institutions. This article discusses ways to promote best practices in core facilities as well as ways to evaluate their performance across 8 of the following categories: general management, research and technical staff, financial management, customer base and satisfaction, resource management, communications, institutional impact, and strategic planning. For each category, we provide lessons learned that we believe contribute to the effective and efficient overall management of core facilities. If done well, we believe that encouraging best practices and evaluating performance in core facilities will demonstrate and reinforce the importance of core facilities in the research and educational mission of institutions. It will also increase job satisfaction of those working in core facilities and improve the likelihood of sustainability of both facilities and personnel. PMID:26848284

Metrics for Success: Strategies for Enabling Core Facility Performance and Assessing Outcomes.

PubMed

Turpen, Paula B; Hockberger, Philip E; Meyn, Susan M; Nicklin, Connie; Tabarini, Diane; Auger, Julie A

2016-04-01

Core Facilities are key elements in the research portfolio of academic and private research institutions. Administrators overseeing core facilities (core administrators) require assessment tools for evaluating the need and effectiveness of these facilities at their institutions. This article discusses ways to promote best practices in core facilities as well as ways to evaluate their performance across 8 of the following categories: general management, research and technical staff, financial management, customer base and satisfaction, resource management, communications, institutional impact, and strategic planning. For each category, we provide lessons learned that we believe contribute to the effective and efficient overall management of core facilities. If done well, we believe that encouraging best practices and evaluating performance in core facilities will demonstrate and reinforce the importance of core facilities in the research and educational mission of institutions. It will also increase job satisfaction of those working in core facilities and improve the likelihood of sustainability of both facilities and personnel.

Improving water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care facilities, Liberia

PubMed Central

Montgomery, Maggie; Baller, April; Ndivo, Francis; Gasasira, Alex; Cooper, Catherine; Frescas, Ruben; Gordon, Bruce; Syed, Shamsuzzoha Babar

2017-01-01

Abstract Problem The lack of proper water and sanitation infrastructures and poor hygiene practices in health-care facilities reduces facilities’ preparedness and response to disease outbreaks and decreases the communities’ trust in the health services provided. Approach To improve water and sanitation infrastructures and hygiene practices, the Liberian health ministry held multistakeholder meetings to develop a national water, sanitation and hygiene and environmental health package. A national train-the-trainer course was held for county environmental health technicians, which included infection prevention and control focal persons; the focal persons acted as change agents. Local setting In Liberia, only 45% of 701 surveyed health-care facilities had an improved water source in 2015, and only 27% of these health-care facilities had proper disposal for infectious waste. Relevant changes Local ownership, through engagement of local health workers, was introduced to ensure development and refinement of the package. In-county collaborations between health-care facilities, along with multisectoral collaboration, informed national level direction, which led to increased focus on water and sanitation infrastructures and uptake of hygiene practices to improve the overall quality of service delivery. Lessons learnt National level leadership was important to identify a vision and create an enabling environment for changing the perception of water, sanitation and hygiene in health-care provision. The involvement of health workers was central to address basic infrastructure and hygiene practices in health-care facilities and they also worked as stimulators for sustainable change. Further, developing a long-term implementation plan for national level initiatives is important to ensure sustainability. PMID:28670017

Moving Sustainability Forward: Energy Efficient Renovations and Solar Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Bill

2011-01-01

For any goal to be a "smart goal" it needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time sensitive. This is equally true for sustainability goals for educational facilities. Evidence abounds that "green strategies" greatly impact both the academic and operational performance of a school. Agencies from the U.S. Environmental Protection…

"Sustainability" from A To Z: A Round-Table Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This paper presents an edited transcript from a round-table discussion in Boston between a group of architects and campus-sustainability directors. They met together with The Chronicle to talk about the issues on climate change, poverty, energy use, environmental health, and the role that colleges, and particularly their facilities offices, can…

Perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction: testing a moderated, multiple mediator model.

PubMed

Duffy, Ryan D; Bott, Elizabeth M; Allan, Blake A; Torrey, Carrie L; Dik, Bryan J

2012-01-01

The current study examined the relation between perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction among a diverse group of employed adults who completed an online survey (N = 201). Perceiving a calling and living a calling were positively correlated with career commitment, work meaning, and job satisfaction. Living a calling moderated the relations of perceiving a calling with career commitment and work meaning, such that these relations were more robust for those with a stronger sense they were living their calling. Additionally, a moderated, multiple mediator model was run to examine the mediating role of career commitment and work meaning in the relation of perceiving a calling and job satisfaction, while accounting for the moderating role of living a calling. Results indicated that work meaning and career commitment fully mediated the relation between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. However, the indirect effects of work meaning and career commitment were only significant for individuals with high levels of living a calling, indicating the importance of living a calling in the link between perceiving a calling and job satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

How Does Scale of Implementation Impact the Environmental Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment Integrated with Resource Recovery?

PubMed

Cornejo, Pablo K; Zhang, Qiong; Mihelcic, James R

2016-07-05

Energy and resource consumptions required to treat and transport wastewater have led to efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Resource recovery can reduce the environmental impact of these systems; however, limited research has considered how the scale of implementation impacts the sustainability of WWTPs integrated with resource recovery. Accordingly, this research uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate how the scale of implementation impacts the environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment integrated with water reuse, energy recovery, and nutrient recycling. Three systems were selected: a septic tank with aerobic treatment at the household scale, an advanced water reclamation facility at the community scale, and an advanced water reclamation facility at the city scale. Three sustainability indicators were considered: embodied energy, carbon footprint, and eutrophication potential. This study determined that as with economies of scale, there are benefits to centralization of WWTPs with resource recovery in terms of embodied energy and carbon footprint; however, the community scale was shown to have the lowest eutrophication potential. Additionally, technology selection, nutrient control practices, system layout, and topographical conditions may have a larger impact on environmental sustainability than the implementation scale in some cases.

Roadmap to a Sustainable Structured Trusted Employee Program

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

Coates, Cameron W; Eisele, Gerhard R

2013-08-01

Organizations (facility, regulatory agency, or country) have a compelling interest in ensuring that individuals who occupy sensitive positions affording access to chemical biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials facilities and programs are functioning at their highest level of reliability. Human reliability and human performance relate not only to security but also focus on safety. Reliability has a logical and direct relationship to trustworthiness for the organization is placing trust in their employees to conduct themselves in a secure, safe, and dependable manner. This document focuses on providing an organization with a roadmap to implementing a successful and sustainable Structured Trustedmore » Employee Program (STEP).« less

Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) Air Force facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, David F.

1993-01-01

The Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) Program is an initiative within the US Air Force to acquire and validate advanced technologies that could be used to sustain superior capabilities in the area or space nuclear propulsion. The SNTP Program has a specific objective of demonstrating the feasibility of the particle bed reactor (PBR) concept. The term PIPET refers to a project within the SNTP Program responsible for the design, development, construction, and operation of a test reactor facility, including all support systems, that is intended to resolve program technology issues and test goals. A nuclear test facility has been designed that meets SNTP Facility requirements. The design approach taken to meet SNTP requirements has resulted in a nuclear test facility that should encompass a wide range of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) test requirements that may be generated within other programs. The SNTP PIPET project is actively working with DOE and NASA to assess this possibility.

Similar call signs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-18

This presentation was given at the Partnership for Safety Meeting in Washington, DC. It examines the similarities that are found when calls signs are visually similar or similar sounding. Visually similar call signs increase the chances of controller...

Mapping synergies and trade-offs between energy and the Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuso Nerini, Francesco; Tomei, Julia; To, Long Seng; Bisaga, Iwona; Parikh, Priti; Black, Mairi; Borrion, Aiduan; Spataru, Catalina; Castán Broto, Vanesa; Anandarajah, Gabrial; Milligan, Ben; Mulugetta, Yacob

2018-01-01

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—including 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets—is a global plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. SDG7 calls for action to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Here we characterize synergies and trade-offs between efforts to achieve SDG7 and delivery of the 2030 Agenda as a whole. We identify 113 targets requiring actions to change energy systems, and published evidence of relationships between 143 targets (143 synergies, 65 trade-offs) and efforts to achieve SDG7. Synergies and trade-offs exist in three key domains, where decisions about SDG7 affect humanity's ability to: realize aspirations of greater welfare and well-being; build physical and social infrastructures for sustainable development; and achieve sustainable management of the natural environment. There is an urgent need to better organize, connect and extend this evidence, to help all actors work together to achieve sustainable development.

Institutionalizing and sustaining social change in health systems: the case of Uganda

PubMed Central

Hage, Jerald; Valadez, Joseph J

2017-01-01

Abstract The key to high impact health services is institutionalizing and sustaining programme evaluation. Uganda represents a success story in the use of a specific programme evaluation method: Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS). Institutionalization is defined by two C’s: competent programme evaluators and control mechanisms that effectively use evaluation data to improve health services. Sustainability means continued training and funding for the evaluation approach. Social science literature that researches institutionalization has emphasized ‘stability’, whereas in global health, the issue is determining how to improve the impact of services by ‘changing’ programmes. In Uganda, we measured the extent of the institutionalization and sustainability of evaluating programmes that produce change in nine districts sampled to represent three largely rural regions and varying levels of effective health programmes. We used the proportion of mothers with children aged 0–11 months who delivered in a health facility as the principal indicator to measure programme effectiveness. Interviews and focus groups were conducted among directors, evaluation supervisors, data collectors in the district health offices, and informant interviews conducted individually at the central government level. Seven of the nine districts demonstrated a high level of institutionalization of evaluation. The two others had only conducted one round of programme evaluation. When we control for the availability of health facilities, we find that the degree of institutionalization is moderately related to the prevalence of the delivery of a baby in a health facility. Evaluation was institutionalized at the central government level. Sustainability existed at both levels. Several measures indicate that lessons from the nine district case studies may be relevant to the 74 districts that had at least two rounds of programme evaluation. We note that there is an association between the

Compare Gene Calls

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

Ecale Zhou, Carol L.

2016-07-05

Compare Gene Calls (CGC) is a Python code used for combining and comparing gene calls from any number of gene callers. A gene caller is a computer program that predicts the extends of open reading frames within genomes of biological organisms.

The development of Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) as a learning pathway for sustainability education - a framework for engineering programmes in Malaysia Technical Universities Network (MTUN)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johan, Kartina; Mohd Turan, Faiz

2016-11-01

‘Environmental and sustainability’ is one of the Program Outcome (PO) designated by the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) as one of the accreditation program requirement. However, to-date the implementation of sustainability elements in engineering programme in the technical universities in Malaysia is within individual faculty's curriculum plan and lack of university-level structured learning pathway, which enable all students to have access to an education in sustainability across all disciplines. Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) is a framework designed to provide a learning pathway in the curriculum of engineering programs to inculcate sustainability education among engineering graduates. This paper aims to study the required attributes in Sustainability Graduate Community (SGC) framework to produce graduates who are not just engineers but also skilful in sustainability competencies using Global Project Management (GPM) P5 Standard for Sustainability. The development of the conceptual framework is to provide a constructive teaching and learning plan for educators and policy makers to work on together in developing the Sustainability Graduates (SG), the new kind of graduates from Malaysia Technical Universities Network (MTUN) in Malaysia who are literate in sustainability practices. The framework also support the call for developing holistic students based on Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education) and address the gap between the statuses of engineering qualification to the expected competencies from industries in Malaysia in particular by achieving the SG attributes outlined in the framework

Integrated Facilities and Infrastructure Plan.

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

Reisz Westlund, Jennifer Jill

Our facilities and infrastructure are a key element of our capability-based science and engineering foundation. The focus of the Integrated Facilities and Infrastructure Plan is the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to sustain the capabilities necessary to meet national research, design, and fabrication needs for Sandia National Laboratories’ (Sandia’s) comprehensive national security missions both now and into the future. A number of Sandia’s facilities have reached the end of their useful lives and many others are not suitable for today’s mission needs. Due to the continued aging and surge in utilization of Sandia’s facilities, deferred maintenance has continuedmore » to increase. As part of our planning focus, Sandia is committed to halting the growth of deferred maintenance across its sites through demolition, replacement, and dedicated funding to reduce the backlog of maintenance needs. Sandia will become more agile in adapting existing space and changing how space is utilized in response to the changing requirements. This Integrated Facilities & Infrastructure (F&I) Plan supports the Sandia Strategic Plan’s strategic objectives, specifically Strategic Objective 2: Strengthen our Laboratories’ foundation to maximize mission impact, and Strategic Objective 3: Advance an exceptional work environment that enables and inspires our people in service to our nation. The Integrated F&I Plan is developed through a planning process model to understand the F&I needs, analyze solution options, plan the actions and funding, and then execute projects.« less

Physician Burnout and the Calling to Care for the Dying: A National Survey.

PubMed

Yoon, John D; Hunt, Natalie B; Ravella, Krishna C; Jun, Christine S; Curlin, Farr A

2017-12-01

Physician burnout raises concerns over what sustains physicians' career motivations. We assess whether physicians in end-of-life specialties had higher rates of burnout and/or calling to care for the dying. We also examined whether the patient centeredness of the clinical environment was associated with burnout. In 2010 to 2011, we conducted a national survey of US physicians from multiple specialties. Primary outcomes were a validated single-item measure of burnout or sense of calling to end-of-life care. Primary predictors of burnout (or calling) included clinical specialty, frequency of encounters with dying patients, and patient centeredness of the clinical environments ("My clinical environment prioritizes the need of the patient over maximizing revenue"). Adjusted response rate among eligible respondents was 62% (1156 of 1878). Nearly a quarter of physicians (23%) experienced burnout, and rates were similar across all specialties. Half of the responding physicians (52%) agreed that they felt called to take care of patients who are dying. Burned-out physicians were more likely to report working in profit-centered clinical environments (multivariate odds ratio [OR] of 1.9; confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-2.8) or experiencing emotional exhaustion when caring for the dying (multivariate OR of 2.1; CI: 1.4-3.0). Physicians who identified their work as a calling were more likely to work in end-of-life specialties, to feel emotionally energized when caring for the dying, and to be religious. Physicians from end-of-life specialties not only did not have increased rates of burnout but they were also more likely to report a sense of calling in caring for the dying.

Education for Sustainability in Career and Technical Education: A Multiple Case Study of Innovative Community College Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruppel, Karen R.

2012-01-01

Research indicates we are faced with environmental, social, and economic challenges and higher education is being called upon to provide education for a sustainable future. The literature surrounding Education for Sustainability (EfS) in higher education points toward implementing EN into all levels of education. Very few Career and Technical…

Using Lean to Rapidly and Sustainably Transform a Behavioral Health Crisis Program: Impact on Throughput and Safety.

PubMed

Balfour, Margaret E; Tanner, Kathleen; Jurica, Paul J; Llewellyn, Dawn; Williamson, Robert G; Carson, Chris A

2017-06-01

Lean has been increasingly applied in health care to reduce waste and improve quality, particularly in fast-paced and high-acuity clinical settings such as emergency departments. In addition, Lean's focus on engagement of frontline staff in problem solving can be a catalyst for organizational change. In this study, ConnectionsAZ demonstrates how they applied Lean principles to rapidly and sustainably transform clinical operations in a behavioral health crisis facility. A multidisciplinary team of management and frontline staff defined values-based outcome measures, mapped the current and ideal processes, and developed new processes to achieve the ideal. Phase I was implemented within three months of assuming management of the facility and involved a redesign of flow, space utilization, and clinical protocols. Phase II was implemented three months later and improved the provider staffing model. Organizational changes such as the development of shift leads and daily huddles were implemented to sustain change and create an environment supportive of future improvements. Post-Phase I, there were significant decreases (pre vs. post and one-year post) in median door-to-door dwell time (343 min vs. 118 and 99), calls to security for behavioral emergencies (13.5 per month vs. 4.3 and 4.8), and staff injuries (3.3 per month vs. 1.2 and 1.2). Post-Phase II, there were decreases in median door-to-doctor time (8.2 hours vs. 1.6 and 1.4) and hours on diversion (90% vs. 17% and 34%). Lean methods can positively affect safety and throughput and are complementary to patient-centered clinical goals in a behavioral health setting. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Opportunity to Participate in ESSE 21: The 2003 Call for Participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzek, M.; Johnson, D. R.

2003-12-01

Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century (ESSE 21), sponsored by NASA through the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), is a collaborative undergraduate/graduate education program offering small grants to colleges and universities to engage a diverse interdisciplinary community of faculty and scientists in the development of courses, curricula and degree programs and sharing of learning resources focused on the fundamental understanding and application of Earth system principles for the classroom and laboratory. Through an expanded focus including partnerships with minority institutions, ESSE 21 is further developing broadly based courses, educational resources, electronic learning materials and degree programs that extend Earth system science concepts in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms and laboratories. These resources emphasizing the fundamentals of Earth system science advance the nation's broader agenda for improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics competency. The thrust to establish Earth system and global change science within the classrooms of colleges and universities is critical to laying and extending the foundation for knowledge-based decision making in the 21st century by both scientists and society in an effort to achieve sustainability. ESSE 21 released a Call for Participation (CFP) in the Fall of 2002 soliciting proposals from undergraduate institutions to create and adopt undergraduate and graduate level Earth system science content in courses, curricula and degree programs. In February 2003, twelve college and university teams were competitively selected through the CFP as the Year 1 and Year 2 Program participants. Eight of the participating teams are from minority institutions. The goal for all is to effect systemic change through developing Earth system science learning materials, courses, curricula, degree tracks or programs, and departments that are self-sustaining in the coming decades. ESSE

Perceiving a Calling, Living a Calling, and Job Satisfaction: Testing a Moderated, Multiple Mediator Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Ryan D.; Bott, Elizabeth M.; Allan, Blake A.; Torrey, Carrie L.; Dik, Bryan J.

2012-01-01

The current study examined the relation between perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction among a diverse group of employed adults who completed an online survey (N = 201). Perceiving a calling and living a calling were positively correlated with career commitment, work meaning, and job satisfaction. Living a calling moderated…

Is Sustainability Sustainable?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonevac, Daniel

2010-01-01

The most important concept in current environmental thinking is "sustainability". Environmental policies, economic policies, development, resource use--all of these things, according to the consensus, ought to be sustainable. But what is sustainability? What is its ethical foundation? There is little consensus about how these questions…

Energy Sustainability: It's Easier (and Cheaper) than You Think

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Molly; Peterson, David

2010-01-01

In this economy, it's hard to implement any kind of school facility improvement plan with tight budgets and rising energy costs. The following strategies and suggestions are just some of the many ways schools can reach toward sustainability. In creating this presentation, our objective was to point out what you can do to save energy right now with…

Sociodemographic Differences in Clients Preferring Video-Call Over In-person Interview: A Pilot Study of HIV Tele-partner Services.

PubMed

Udeagu, Chi-Chi N; Shah, Sharmila; Toussaint, Magalieta M; Pickett, Leonard

2017-11-01

The New York City Department of Health Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) routinely contact newly HIV-diagnosed persons via telephone calls and in-person meetings to conduct partner services (PS) interviews in order to elicit the names and contact information of the HIV-exposed partners for notification and HIV-testing, and to assist clients with linkage to care. From October 2013 to December 2015, we offered PS interviews conducted via video-call alongside voice-call and in-person modes in a selected geographic area of NYC. PS interviews were conducted according to the clients' preferred mode (in-person, voice- or video-call) and location (health care facility, clients' residences, or other NYC locations). At the conclusion of the PS interviews, DIS elicited responses from persons interviewed via video-call on their perception, satisfaction and personal experiences using video-call for public health and personal purposes. Acceptance and satisfaction with PS interviews via video-call were high among clients aged <30 years, men who have sex with men, or with education above high school; while PS yields were similar across modes. These results provide evidence of the potential effectiveness of video-call interviews for specific populations.

The transportation depot: An orbiting vehicle support facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaszubowski, Martin J.; Ayers, J. Kirk

1992-01-01

This paper describes the details of an effort to produce conceptual designs for an orbiting platform, called a transportation depot, to handle assembly and processing of lunar, Martian, and related vehicles. High-level requirements for such a facility were established, and several concepts were developed to meet those requirements. By showing that the critical rigid-body momentum characteristics of each concept are similar to those of the dual-keel space station, some insight was gained about the controllability and utility of this type of facility. Finally, several general observations were made that highlight the advantages and disadvantages of particular design features.

Using mobile phones to ensure that referred tuberculosis patients reach their treatment facilities: a call that makes a difference.

PubMed

Choun, Kimcheng; Achanta, Shanta; Naik, Balaji; Tripathy, Jaya Prasad; Thai, Sopheak; Lorent, Natalie; Khun, Kim Eam; van Griensven, Johan; Kumar, Ajay M V; Zachariah, Rony

2017-08-22

Over the last decade, the availability and use of mobile phones have grown exponentially globally and in Cambodia. In the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of Hope(SHCH) in Cambodia about half of all tuberculosis patients referred out to peripheral health facilities for TB treatment initiation or continuation were lost to contact after referral ranging from 19 to 69% between 2008 and 2013. To address this, we implemented a mobile phone-based patient tracking intervention. Here, we report the number and proportion of referred TB patients who could be contacted through a mobile phone and retained in care after the introduction of mobile phone tracking. A descriptive study involving follow-up of TB patients referred out from SHCH to peripheral health facilities during May-October 2014. Standard operating procedures were used to contact individual patients and/or health facilities using a mobile phone. Among 109 TB patients referred to peripheral health facilities, 107(98%) had access to a mobile phone of whom, 103(97%) could be contacted directly while 5(2%) were contacted through their health care providers. A total of 108(99%) of 109 referred TB patients in intervention period were thus placed on TB treatment. This study provides preliminary, but promising evidence that using mobile phones was accompanied with improved retention of referred TB patients compared to historical cohorts. Given the limitations associated with historical controls, we need better designed studies with larger sample size to strengthen the evidence before national scale-up.

A Sketch of the Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility.

PubMed

You, May-Su; Jiang, Yun-Jin; Yuh, Chiou-Hwa; Wang, Chien-Ming; Tang, Chih-Hao; Chuang, Yung-Jen; Lin, Bo-Hung; Wu, Jen-Leih; Hwang, Sheng-Ping L

2016-07-01

In the past three decades, the number of zebrafish laboratories has significantly increased in Taiwan. The Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility (TZCF), a government-funded core facility, was launched to serve this growing community. The Core Facility was built on two sites, one located at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI, called Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility at NHRI or TZeNH) and the other is located at the Academia Sinica (Taiwan Zebrafish Core Facility at AS a.k.a. TZCAS). The total surface area of the TZCF is about 180 m(2) encompassing 2880 fish tanks. Each site has a separate quarantine room and centralized water recirculating systems, monitoring key water parameters. To prevent diseases, three main strategies have been implemented: (1) imported fish must be quarantined; (2) only bleached embryos are introduced into the main facilities; and (3) working practices were implemented to minimize pathogen transfer between stocks and facilities. Currently, there is no health program in place; however, a fourth measure for the health program, specific regular pathogen tests, is being planned. In March 2015, the TZCF at NHRI has been AAALAC accredited. It is our goal to ensure that we provide "disease-free" fish and embryos to the Taiwanese research community.

THE PRACTICE OF CHEMISTRY AND ENGINEERING IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABILITY

EPA Science Inventory

It is generally recognized that the current rate of resource use to maintain our standard of living is not sustainable for the long term. This idea calls for satisfying our needs by finding resources that are renewable. The question remains as to how we ascertain that the means a...

Technology for Sustained Supersonic Combustion Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

flight vehicle . Many facilities are not large enough to perform free-jet testing of scramjet engines which include an inlet. Rather, testing is often...AFRL-RQ-WP-TR-2013-0029 TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINED SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow...TITLE AND SUBTITLE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINED SUPERSONIC COMBUSTION Task Order 0006: Scramjet Research with Flight-Like Inflow Conditions 5a

Practical Sustainability: Turn Your Building into a Funding Source

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Malley, Paul; Vujovic, Vuk; Ogurek, Douglas

2012-01-01

One would not expect Niles West High School to be a model of sustainability. Located in Skokie, Illinois, the facility is more than 50 years old and at 612,000 square feet, it stands among the nation's largest high schools. Last winter, Niles West became one of the first five schools in the United States to achieve certification from the U.S.…

Community Psychology, Planning, and Learning: A U.S. Perspective on Sustainable Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Douglas D.

An ecological framework for predicting citizen participation in grassroots community organizations and predicting community disorder problems (such as crime and fear) was developed and tested. The framework, which is called an ecological framework for sustainable community learning and development, delineates the relevant economic, political,…

The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility Advancing Nuclear Technology

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

T. R. Allen; J. B. Benson; J. A. Foster

2009-05-01

To help ensure the long-term viability of nuclear energy through a robust and sustained research and development effort, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated the Advanced Test Reactor and associated post-irradiation examination facilities a National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF), allowing broader access to nuclear energy researchers. The mission of the ATR NSUF is to provide access to world-class nuclear research facilities, thereby facilitating the advancement of nuclear science and technology. The ATR NSUF seeks to create an engaged academic and industrial user community that routinely conducts reactor-based research. Cost free access to the ATR and PIE facilities ismore » granted based on technical merit to U.S. university-led experiment teams conducting non-proprietary research. Proposals are selected via independent technical peer review and relevance to DOE mission. Extensive publication of research results is expected as a condition for access. During FY 2008, the first full year of ATR NSUF operation, five university-led experiments were awarded access to the ATR and associated post-irradiation examination facilities. The ATR NSUF has awarded four new experiments in early FY 2009, and anticipates awarding additional experiments in the fall of 2009 as the results of the second 2009 proposal call. As the ATR NSUF program mature over the next two years, the capability to perform irradiation research of increasing complexity will become available. These capabilities include instrumented irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examinations on materials previously irradiated in U.S. reactor material test programs. The ATR critical facility will also be made available to researchers. An important component of the ATR NSUF an education program focused on the reactor-based tools available for resolving nuclear science and technology issues. The ATR NSUF provides education programs including a summer short course, internships, faculty

Development and Validation of the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and Brief Calling Scale (BCS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dik, Bryan J.; Eldridge, Brandy M.; Steger, Michael F.; Duffy, Ryan D.

2012-01-01

Research on work as a calling is limited by measurement concerns. In response, the authors introduce the multidimensional Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and the Brief Calling scale (BCS), instruments assessing presence of, and search for, a calling. Study 1 describes CVQ development using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis…

77 FR 38077 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed Boat-House Facility...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-26

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [NPS-NCR-GWMP-1202-9483: 3310-0250-471] Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed Boat-House Facility for Non-Motorized... identify a preferred site for construction of an environmentally sustainable facility for non-motorized...

Calling behaviour under climate change: geographical and seasonal variation of calling temperatures in ectotherms.

PubMed

Llusia, Diego; Márquez, Rafael; Beltrán, Juan F; Benítez, Maribel; do Amaral, José P

2013-09-01

Calling behaviour is strongly temperature-dependent and critical for sexual selection and reproduction in a variety of ectothermic taxa, including anuran amphibians, which are the most globally threatened vertebrates. However, few studies have explored how species respond to distinct thermal environments at time of displaying calling behaviour, and thus it is still unknown whether ongoing climate change might compromise the performance of calling activity in ectotherms. Here, we used new audio-trapping techniques (automated sound recording and detection systems) between 2006 and 2009 to examine annual calling temperatures of five temperate anurans and their patterns of geographical and seasonal variation at the thermal extremes of species ranges, providing insights into the thermal breadths of calling activity of species, and the mechanisms that enable ectotherms to adjust to changing thermal environments. All species showed wide thermal breadths during calling behaviour (above 15 °C) and increases in calling temperatures in extremely warm populations and seasons. Thereby, calling temperatures differed both geographically and seasonally, both in terrestrial and aquatic species, and were 8-22 °C below the specific upper critical thermal limits (CTmax ) and strongly associated with the potential temperatures of each thermal environment (operative temperatures during the potential period of breeding). This suggests that calling behaviour in ectotherms may take place at population-specific thermal ranges, diverging when species are subjected to distinct thermal environments, and might imply plasticity of thermal adjustment mechanisms (seasonal and developmental acclimation) that supply species with means of coping with climate change. Furthermore, the thermal thresholds of calling at the onset of the breeding season were dissimilar between conspecific populations, suggesting that other factors besides temperature are needed to trigger the onset of reproduction. Our

CallWall: tracking resident calls to improve clinical utilization of pathology laboratories.

PubMed

Buck, Thomas P; Connor, Ian M; Horowitz, Gary L; Arnaout, Ramy A

2011-07-01

Clinical pathology (CP) laboratories are used for millions of tests each year. These lead to thousands of calls to CP residents. However, although laboratory utilization is a frequent topic of study, clinical utilization--the content of the interactions between clinicians and CP residents--is not. Because it reflects questions about laboratory utilization, clinical utilization could suggest ways to improve both training and care by reducing diagnostic error. To build and implement a secure, scalable Web-based system to allow CP residents at any hospital to track the calls they receive, the interaction's context, and the action taken as a result, with evidence where applicable, and to use this system to report on clinical utilization at a major academic hospital. Entries were analyzed from a nearly year-long period to describe the clinical utilization of CP at a large academic teaching hospital. Sixteen residents logged 847 calls during 10 months, roughly evenly distributed among transfusion medicine, chemistry, microbiology, and hematopathology. Calls covered 94 different analytes in chemistry and 71 different organisms or tests in microbiology. Analysis revealed areas where CP can improve clinical care through educating the clinical services, for example, about ordering Rh immune globulin, testosterone testing, and diagnosis of tick-borne diseases. Documenting calls also highlighted patterns among residents. Clinical utilization is a potentially rich knowledge base for improving patient care and resident training. Our resident call-tracking system is a useful way for measuring clinical utilization and mining it for actionable information.

Searching for sustainability: are assessments of wildlife harvests behind the times?

PubMed Central

Weinbaum, Karen Z.; Brashares, Justin S.; Golden, Christopher D.; Getz, Wayne M.

2012-01-01

The unsustainable harvest of wildlife is a major threat to global biodiversity and to the millions of people who depend on wildlife for food and income. Past research has called attention to the fact that commonly used methods to evaluate the sustainability of wildlife hunting perform poorly, yet these methods remain in popular use today. Here we conduct a systematic review of empirical sustainability assessments to quantify the use of sustainability indicators in the scientific literature and highlight associations between analytical methods and their outcomes. We find that indicator type, continent of study, species body mass, taxonomic group, and socioeconomic status of study site are important predictors of the probability of reported sustainability. The most common measures of sustainability include population growth models, the Robinson and Redford model (1991), and population trends through time. Indicators relying on population-specific biological data are most often used in North America and Europe while cruder estimates are more often used in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. Our results highlight both the uncertainty and lack of uniformity in sustainability science. Given our urgent need to conserve both wildlife and the food security of rural peoples around the world, improvements in sustainability indicators is of utmost importance. PMID:23062121

Searching for sustainability: are assessments of wildlife harvests behind the times?

PubMed

Weinbaum, Karen Z; Brashares, Justin S; Golden, Christopher D; Getz, Wayne M

2013-01-01

The unsustainable harvest of wildlife is a major threat to global biodiversity and to the millions of people who depend on wildlife for food and income. Past research has called attention to the fact that commonly used methods to evaluate the sustainability of wildlife hunting perform poorly, yet these methods remain in popular use today. Here, we conduct a systematic review of empirical sustainability assessments to quantify the use of sustainability indicators in the scientific literature and highlight associations between analytical methods and their outcomes. We find that indicator type, continent of study, species body mass, taxonomic group and socio-economic status of study site are important predictors of the probability of reported sustainability. The most common measures of sustainability include population growth models, the Robinson & Redford (1991) model and population trends through time. Indicators relying on population-specific biological data are most often used in North America and Europe, while cruder estimates are more often used in Africa, Latin America and Oceania. Our results highlight both the uncertainty and lack of uniformity in sustainability science. Given our urgent need to conserve both wildlife and the food security of rural peoples around the world, improvements in sustainability indicators are of utmost importance. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Sustainability.

PubMed

Chang, Chein-Chi; DiGiovanni, Kimberly; Mei, Ying; Wei, Li

2016-10-01

This review on Sustainability covers selected 2015 publications on the focus of Sustainability. It is divided into the following sections : • Sustainable water and wastewater utilities • Sustainable water resources management • Stormwater and green infrastructure • Sustainability in wastewater treatment • Life cycle assessment (LCA) applications • Sustainability and energy in wastewater industry, • Sustainability and asset management.

Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease - Guinea, 2014-2015

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-11

Control and Prevention Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease — Guinea, 2014...principally through the use of a telephone alert system. Community members and health facilities report deaths and suspected Ebola cases to local alert ...sensitivity of the national call center with the local alerts system, the CDC country team performed probabilistic record linkage of the combined

Facilities as teaching tools: A transformative participatory professional development experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Eric A.

Resource consumption continues to increase as the population grows. In order to secure a sustainable future, society must educate the next generation to become "sustainability natives." Schools play a pivotal role in educating a sustainability-literate society. However, a disconnect exists between the hidden curriculum of the built environment and the enacted curriculum. This study employs a transformative participatory professional development model to instruct teachers on how to use their school grounds as teaching tools for the purpose of helping students make explicit choices in energy consumption, materials use, and sustainable living. Incorporating a phenomenological perspective, this study considers the lived experience of two sustainability coordinators. Grounded theory provides an interpretational context for the participants' interactions with each other and the professional development process. Through a year long professional development experience - commencing with an intense, participatory two-day workshop -the participants discussed challenges they faced with integrating facilities into school curriculum and institutionalizing a culture of sustainability. Two major needs were identified in this study. For successful sustainability initiatives, a hybrid model that melds top-down and bottom-up approaches offers the requisite mix of administrative support, ground level buy-in, and excitement vis-a-vis sustainability. Second, related to this hybrid approach, K-12 sustainability coordinators ideally need administrative capabilities with access to decision making, while remaining connected to students in a meaningful way, either directly in the classroom, as a mentor, or through work with student groups and projects.

The status of LILW disposal facility construction in Korea

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

Kim, Min-Seok; Chung, Myung-Sub; Park, Kyu-Wan

2013-07-01

In this paper, we discuss the experiences during the construction of the first LILW disposal facility in South Korea. In December 2005, the South Korean Government designated Gyeongju-city as a host city of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste(LILW) disposal site through local referendums held in regions whose local governments had applied to host disposal facility in accordance with the site selection procedures. The LILW disposal facility is being constructed in Bongilri, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju. The official name of the disposal facility is called 'Wolsong Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center (LILW Disposal Center)'. It can dispose of 800,000 drumsmore » of radioactive wastes in a site of 2,100,000 square meters. At the first stage, LILW repository of underground silo type with disposal capacity of 100,000 drums is under construction expected to be completed by June of 2014. The Wolsong Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center consists of surface facilities and underground facilities. The surface facilities include a reception and inspection facility, an interim storage facility, a radioactive waste treatment building, and supporting facilities such as main control center, equipment and maintenance shop. The underground facilities consist of a construction tunnel for transport of construction equipment and materials, an operation tunnel for transport of radioactive waste, an entrance shaft for workers, and six silos for final disposal of radioactive waste. As of Dec. 2012, the overall project progress rate is 93.8%. (authors)« less

Institutionalizing and sustaining social change in health systems: the case of Uganda.

PubMed

Hage, Jerald; Valadez, Joseph J

2017-11-01

The key to high impact health services is institutionalizing and sustaining programme evaluation. Uganda represents a success story in the use of a specific programme evaluation method: Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS). Institutionalization is defined by two C's: competent programme evaluators and control mechanisms that effectively use evaluation data to improve health services. Sustainability means continued training and funding for the evaluation approach. Social science literature that researches institutionalization has emphasized 'stability', whereas in global health, the issue is determining how to improve the impact of services by 'changing' programmes. In Uganda, we measured the extent of the institutionalization and sustainability of evaluating programmes that produce change in nine districts sampled to represent three largely rural regions and varying levels of effective health programmes. We used the proportion of mothers with children aged 0-11 months who delivered in a health facility as the principal indicator to measure programme effectiveness. Interviews and focus groups were conducted among directors, evaluation supervisors, data collectors in the district health offices, and informant interviews conducted individually at the central government level. Seven of the nine districts demonstrated a high level of institutionalization of evaluation. The two others had only conducted one round of programme evaluation. When we control for the availability of health facilities, we find that the degree of institutionalization is moderately related to the prevalence of the delivery of a baby in a health facility. Evaluation was institutionalized at the central government level. Sustainability existed at both levels. Several measures indicate that lessons from the nine district case studies may be relevant to the 74 districts that had at least two rounds of programme evaluation. We note that there is an association between the evaluation data being used

Echolocation calls and communication calls are controlled differentially in the brainstem of the bat Phyllostomus discolor

PubMed Central

Fenzl, Thomas; Schuller, Gerd

2005-01-01

Background Echolocating bats emit vocalizations that can be classified either as echolocation calls or communication calls. Neural control of both types of calls must govern the same pool of motoneurons responsible for vocalizations. Electrical microstimulation in the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) elicits both communication and echolocation calls, whereas stimulation of the paralemniscal area (PLA) induces only echolocation calls. In both the PAG and the PLA, the current thresholds for triggering natural vocalizations do not habituate to stimuli and remain low even for long stimulation periods, indicating that these structures have relative direct access to the final common pathway for vocalization. This study intended to clarify whether echolocation calls and communication calls are controlled differentially below the level of the PAG via separate vocal pathways before converging on the motoneurons used in vocalization. Results Both structures were probed simultaneously in a single experimental approach. Two stimulation electrodes were chronically implanted within the PAG in order to elicit either echolocation or communication calls. Blockade of the ipsilateral PLA site with iontophoretically application of the glutamate antagonist kynurenic acid did not impede either echolocation or communication calls elicited from the PAG. However, blockade of the contralateral PLA suppresses PAG-elicited echolocation calls but not communication calls. In both cases the blockade was reversible. Conclusion The neural control of echolocation and communication calls seems to be differentially organized below the level of the PAG. The PLA is an essential functional unit for echolocation call control before the descending pathways share again the final common pathway for vocalization. PMID:16053533

Investing in sustainability at Coral World

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

Jackson, O.

Now open and operational for several years, Coral World offers a unique environmental model for other tourism-related facilities throughout the Caribbean and beyond. The extensive energy conservation program has yielded a 40 to 50% reduction in energy use and costs. The facility's unique on-site storm water absorption system virtually eliminates silt runoff to the coastal waters. The innovative, highly cost-effective series of renewable energy installations include a photovoltaic-powered restaurant kitchen, solar hot water systems and one of the world's first hydroelectric systems that uses wastewater drainage for turbine source waters. The extensive marine environmental conservation program protects fragile local ecosystemsmore » while also protecting the owners' investment in tourism. By investing aggressively in sustainability, Coral World's owners are reaping the benefits not only in reduced operating costs and improved profitability, but also in increased visitor volume and satisfaction.« less

Industrial training approach using GPM P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management: a framework for sustainability competencies in the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johan, Kartina; Mohd Turan, Faiz

2016-11-01

Malaysian Engineering Accreditation (Engineering Programme Accreditation Manual, 2007) requires all bachelor degree in engineering programmes to incorporate a minimum of two months industrial training in order for the programme to be accredited by the council. The industrial training has the objective to provide students on the insights of being an engineer at the workplace hence increasing their knowledge in employability skills prior to graduation. However the current structure of industrial training is not able to inculcate good leadership ability and prepare students with sustainability competencies needed in the era of Sustainable Development (SD). This paper aims to study project management methodology as a framework to create a training pathway in industrial training for students in engineering programs using Green Project Management (GPM) P5 standard for sustainability in project management. The framework involves students as interns, supervisors from both university and industry and also participation from NonProfit Organisation (NPO). The framework focus on the development of the student's competency in employability skills, lean leadership and sustainability competencies using experiential learning approach. Deliverables of the framework include internship report, professional sustainability report using GPM P5 standard and competency assessment. The post-industrial phase of the framework is constructed for students to be assessed collaboratively by the university, industry and the sustainability practitioner in the country. The ability for the interns to act as a change agent in sustainability practices is measured by the competency assessment and the quality of the sustainability report. The framework support the call for developing holistic students based on Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education) 2015-2025 and address the gap between the statuses of engineering qualification to the sustainability competencies in the 21st century in

Sustainability and resilience in midwifery: A discussion paper.

PubMed

Crowther, Susan; Hunter, Billie; McAra-Couper, Judith; Warren, Lucie; Gilkison, Andrea; Hunter, Marion; Fielder, Anna; Kirkham, Mavis

2016-09-01

midwifery workforce issues are of international concern. Sustainable midwifery practice, and how resilience is a required quality for midwives, have begun to be researched. How these concepts are helpful to midwifery continues to be debated. It is important that such debates are framed so they can be empowering for midwives. Care is required not to conceptually label matters concerning the midwifery workforce without judicious scrutiny and diligence. the aim of this discussion paper is to explore the concepts of sustainability and resilience now being suggested in midwifery workforce literature. Whether sustainability and resilience are concepts useful in midwifery workforce development is questioned. using published primary midwifery research from United Kingdom and New Zealand the concepts of sustainability and resilience are compared, contrasted and explored. there are obvious differences in models of midwifery care in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Despite these differences, the concepts of resilience and sustainability emerge as overlapping themes from the respective studies' findings. Comparison between studies provides evidence of what is crucial in sustaining healthy resilient midwifery practice. Four common themes have been identified that traverse the different models of care; Self-determination, ability to self-care, cultivation of relationships both professionally and with women/families, and a passion, joy and love for midwifery. the impact that midwifery models of care may have on sustainable practice and nurturing healthy resilient behaviors remains uncertain. The notion of resilience in midwifery as the panacea to resolve current concerns may need rethinking. Resilience may be interpreted as expecting midwives 'to toughen up' in a workplace setting that is socially, economically and culturally challenging. Sustainability calls for examination of the reciprocity between environments of working and the individual midwife. The findings invite

Sustained attention in adult ADHD: time-on-task effects of various measures of attention.

PubMed

Tucha, Lara; Fuermaier, Anselm B M; Koerts, Janneke; Buggenthin, Rieka; Aschenbrenner, Steffen; Weisbrod, Matthias; Thome, Johannes; Lange, Klaus W; Tucha, Oliver

2017-02-01

Neuropsychological research on adults with ADHD showed deficits in various aspects of attention. However, the majority of studies failed to explore the change of performance over time, so-called time-on-task effects. As a consequence, little is known about sustained attention performance of adults with ADHD. The aim of the present study was therefore to test the hypothesis of sustained attention deficits of adults with ADHD. Twenty-nine adults with ADHD and 30 healthy individuals were assessed on four 20-min tests of sustained attention, measuring alertness, selective attention, divided attention and flexibility. The deterioration of performance over time (time-on-task effects) was compared between patients with ADHD and healthy individuals to conclude on sustained attention performance. Compared to healthy individuals, patients with ADHD showed significant deficits of medium size in selective attention and divided attention. Furthermore, medium sustained attention deficits was observed in measures of alertness, selective attention and divided attention. This study supports the notion of sustained attention deficits of adults with ADHD.

Merging building maintainability and sustainability assessment: A multicriteria decision making approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmone, A. S.; Chew, M. Y. L.

2018-02-01

Accurately predicting maintainability has been a challenge due to the complex nature of buildings, yet it is an important research area with a rising necessity. This paper explores the use of multicriteria decision making approach for merging maintainability and sustainability elements into building grading systems to attain long-term sustainability in the building industry. The paper conducts a systematic literature review on multicriteria decision analysis approach and builds on the existing knowledge of maintainability to achieve this. A conceptual framework is developed to bridge the gap between building operations and maintenance with green facilities management by forecasting green maintainability at the design stage.

Optimal Facility Location Tool for Logistics Battle Command (LBC)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

64 Appendix B. VBA Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Appendix C. Story...should city planners have located emergency service facilities so that all households (the demand) had equal access to coverage?” The critical...programming language called Visual Basic for Applications ( VBA ). CPLEX is a commercial solver for linear, integer, and mixed integer linear programming problems

Sustainable Table | Welcome to Sustainable Table

Science.gov Websites

celebrates local, sustainable food, educates consumers about the benefits of sustainable agriculture and agriculture from the basics to key issues in depth. Eating Sustainably Find out how to shop for and prepare educate others to help build a sustainable food future! In Focus Sustainable Agriculture - The Basics

Addressing social aspects associated with wastewater treatment facilities

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

Padilla-Rivera, Alejandro; Morgan-Sagastume, Juan Manuel; Noyola, Adalberto

In wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF), technical and financial aspects have been considered a priority, while other issues, such as social aspects, have not been evaluated seriously and there is not an accepted methodology for assessing it. In this work, a methodology focused on social concerns related to WWTF is presented. The methodology proposes the use of 25 indicators as a framework for measuring social performance to evaluate the progress in moving towards sustainability. The methodology was applied to test its applicability and effectiveness in two WWTF in Mexico (urban and rural). This evaluation helped define the key elements, stakeholders andmore » barriers in the facilities. In this context, the urban facility showed a better overall performance, a result that may be explained mainly by the better socioeconomic context of the urban municipality. Finally, the evaluation of social aspects using the semi-qualitative approach proposed in this work allows for a comparison between different facilities and for the identification of strengths and weakness, and it provides an alternative tool for achieving and improving wastewater management. - Highlights: • The methodology proposes 25 indicators as a framework for measuring social performance in wastewater treatment facilities. • The evaluation helped to define the key elements, stakeholders and barriers in the wastewater treatment facilities. • The evaluation of social aspects allows the identification of strengths and weakness for improving wastewater management. • It provides a social profile of the facility that highlights the best and worst performances.« less

Sustaining NGOs in the developing world: a perspective from the developing world.

PubMed

Damodaran, A

1993-01-01

The issue of sustainable development is attracting a lot of attention in the 1990s in the developing world. The author therefore draws upon experience from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh to consider the related issue of sustaining nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in developing countries. Vision, credibility and trust, stable management, pragmatic leadership, good staff, team work, and public accountability are called for to develop and maintain a successful NGO. Further, pre-project studies, realistic budgeting, time frame, relationship between funding agency and NGO, multi-source funding, flexibility, scaling up, and resource mobilization are issues with which NGOs reckon throughout the world. Some criteria for financial sustainability, however, are strongly influenced by conditions and experiences particular to developing countries. In closing, the author stresses that NGOs working with the very poor must strive to sustain any process of social change leading toward community empowerment and social justice.

Toward A Science of Sustainable Water Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C.

2016-12-01

Societal need for improved water management and concerns for the long-term sustainability of water resources systems are prominent around the world. The continued susceptibility of society to the harmful effects of hydrologic variability, pervasive concerns related to climate change and the emergent awareness of devastating effects of current practice on aquatic ecosystems all illustrate our limited understanding of how water ought to be managed in a dynamic world. The related challenges of resolving the competition for freshwater among competing uses (so called "nexus" issues) and adapting water resources systems to climate change are prominent examples of the of sustainable water management challenges. In addition, largely untested concepts such as "integrated water resources management" have surfaced as Sustainable Development Goals. In this presentation, we argue that for research to improve water management, and for practice to inspire better research, a new focus is required, one that bridges disciplinary barriers between the water resources research focus on infrastructure planning and management, and the role of human actors, and geophysical sciences community focus on physical processes in the absence of dynamical human response. Examples drawn from climate change adaptation for water resource systems and groundwater management policy provide evidence of initial progress towards a science of sustainable water management that links improved physical understanding of the hydrological cycle with the socioeconomic and ecological understanding of water and societal interactions.

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task (SAT) for Rats.

PubMed

Bangasser, Debra A; Wicks, Brittany; Waxler, David E; Eck, Samantha R

2017-09-15

Sustained attention is the ability to monitor intermittent and unpredictable events over a prolonged period of time. This attentional process subserves other aspects of cognition and is disrupted in certain neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, it is clinically important to identify mechanisms that impair and improve sustained attention. Such mechanisms are often first discovered using rodent models. Therefore, several behavior procedures for testing aspects of sustained attention have been developed for rodents. One, first described by McGaughy and Sarter (1995), called the sustained attention task (SAT), trains rats to distinguish between signal (i.e., brief light presentation) and non-signal trials. The signals are short and thus require careful attention to be perceived. Attentional demands can be increased further by introducing a distractor (e.g., flashing houselight). We have modified this task for touchscreen operant chambers, which are configured with a touchscreen on one wall that can present stimuli and record responses. Here we detail our protocol for SAT in touchscreen chambers. Additionally, we present standard measures of performance in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Comparable performance on this task in both sexes highlights its use for attention studies, especially as more researchers are including female rodents in their experimental design. Moreover, the easy implementation of SAT for the increasingly popular touchscreen chambers increases its utility.

Sustainability.

PubMed

Chang, Chein-Chi; DiGiovanni, Kimberly; Zhang, Gong; Yang, Xiahua; You, Shao-Hong

2015-10-01

This review on Sustainability covers selected 2014 publications on the focus of the following sections: • Sustainable water and wastewater utilities • Sustainable water resources management • Stormwater and green infrastructure • Sustainability in wastewater treatment • Life cycle assessment (LCA) applications • Sustainability and energy in wastewater industry, • Sustainability and asset management.

Energy Systems Integration News | Energy Systems Integration Facility |

Science.gov Websites

facility. "We try to scope out some technical work that is based on the fundamental problem that technical or market problem that they're trying to solve, and then we'll scope out work with them based on that visit. "The second step is to begin to break that scope of work into what I call three

Using sustainability as a collaboration magnet to encourage multi-sector collaborations for health.

PubMed

Khayatzadeh-Mahani, Akram; Labonté, Ronald; Ruckert, Arne; de Leeuw, Evelyne

2017-03-01

The World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDH) places great emphasis on the role of multi-sector collaboration in addressing SDH. Despite this emphasis on this need, there is surprisingly little evidence for this to advance health equity goals. One way to encourage more successful multi-sector collaborations is anchoring SDH discourse around 'sustainability', subordinating within it the ethical and empirical importance of 'levelling up'. Sustainability, in contrast to health equity, has recently proved to be an effective collaboration magnet. The recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides an opportunity for novel ways of ideationally re-framing SDH discussions through the notion of sustainability. The 2030 Agenda for the SDGs calls for greater policy coherence across sectors to advance on the goals and targets. The expectation is that diverse sectors are more likely and willing to collaborate with each other around the SDGs, the core idea of which is 'sustainability'.

"How can I help?" Nurse call openings on a cancer helpline and implications for call progressivity.

PubMed

Leydon, Geraldine Marie; Ekberg, Katie; Drew, Paul

2013-07-01

Helplines are a key service used for information and support by people affected by cancer. Little is known about the process of delivering and seeking cancer related telephone help. Using conversation analysis 52 calls between callers and specialist nurses on a major UK cancer helpline are analysed; focusing on the openings of helpline calls by specialist nurses. The helpline involves a triage system from a frontline call-taker to a specialist nurse. The triage system introduces challenges to the interactions for nurses and callers. This paper demonstrates how calls commence, and outlines implications for how they progress. Four key elements to the nurse's initial opening of the call were identified, which together contribute to managing an effective transition from the frontline call-taker to the current call with the specialist cancer nurse. The smooth exchange of information and provision of support in a trusted call environment is a critical goal of the cancer helpline; an effective call opening in a triage environment may significantly optimise the possibility of this goal being realised. A simple strategy is recommended to avoid the difficulties identified, a script for how the triaged call openings may be optimally formulated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Australia's TERN: Building, Sustaining and Advancing Collaborative Long Term Ecosystem Research Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

HEld, A. A.; Phinn, S. R.

2012-12-01

TERN is Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (www.tern.org.au) is one of several environmental data collection, storage and sharing projects developed through the government's research infrastructure programs 2008-2014. This includes terrestrial and coastal ecosystem data collection infrastructure across multiple disciplines, hardware, software and processes used to store, analyse and integrate data sets. TERN's overall objective is to build the collaborations, infrastructure and programs to meet the needs of ecosystem science communities in Australia in the long term, through institutional frameworks necessary to establish a national terrestrial ecosystem site and observational network, coordinated networks enabling cooperation and operational experience; public access to quality assured and appropriately licensed data; and allowing the terrestrial ecosystem research community to define and sustain the terrestrial observing paradigm into the longer term. This paper explains how TERN was originally established, and now operates, along with plans to sustain itself in the future. TERN is implemented through discipline/technical groups referred to as "TERN Facilities". Combined, the facilities provide observations of surface mass and energy fluxes over key ecosystems, biophysical remote sensing data, ecological survey plots, soils information, and coastal ecosystems and associated water quality variables across Australia. Additional integrative facilities cover elements of ecoinformatics, data-scaling and modelling, and linking science to management. A central coordination and portal facility provides meta-data storage, data identification, legal and licensing support. Data access, uploading, meta-data generation, DOI attachment and licensing is completed at each facility's own portal level. TERN also acts as the open-data repository of choice for Australian scientists required to publish their data. Several key lessons we have learnt, will be presented

NSR&D Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Call for Proposals Mitigation of Seismic Risk at Nuclear Facilities using Seismic Isolation

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

Coleman, Justin

2015-02-01

Seismic isolation (SI) has the potential to drastically reduce seismic response of structures, systems, or components (SSCs) and therefore the risk associated with large seismic events (large seismic event could be defined as the design basis earthquake (DBE) and/or the beyond design basis earthquake (BDBE) depending on the site location). This would correspond to a potential increase in nuclear safety by minimizing the structural response and thus minimizing the risk of material release during large seismic events that have uncertainty associated with their magnitude and frequency. The national consensus standard America Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standard 4, Seismic Analysismore » of Safety Related Nuclear Structures recently incorporated language and commentary for seismically isolating a large light water reactor or similar large nuclear structure. Some potential benefits of SI are: 1) substantially decoupling the SSC from the earthquake hazard thus decreasing risk of material release during large earthquakes, 2) cost savings for the facility and/or equipment, and 3) applicability to both nuclear (current and next generation) and high hazard non-nuclear facilities. Issue: To date no one has evaluated how the benefit of seismic risk reduction reduces cost to construct a nuclear facility. Objective: Use seismic probabilistic risk assessment (SPRA) to evaluate the reduction in seismic risk and estimate potential cost savings of seismic isolation of a generic nuclear facility. This project would leverage ongoing Idaho National Laboratory (INL) activities that are developing advanced (SPRA) methods using Nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction (NLSSI) analysis. Technical Approach: The proposed study is intended to obtain an estimate on the reduction in seismic risk and construction cost that might be achieved by seismically isolating a nuclear facility. The nuclear facility is a representative pressurized water reactor building nuclear power plant (NPP

Large ionospheric disturbances produced by the HAARP HF facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, Paul A.; Siefring, Carl L.; Briczinski, Stanley J.; McCarrick, Mike; Michell, Robert G.

2016-07-01

The enormous transmitter power, fully programmable antenna array, and agile frequency generation of the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in Alaska have allowed the production of unprecedented disturbances in the ionosphere. Using both pencil beams and conical (or twisted) beam transmissions, artificial ionization clouds have been generated near the second, third, fourth, and sixth harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency. The conical beam has been used to sustain these clouds for up to 5 h as opposed to less than 30 min durations produced using pencil beams. The largest density plasma clouds have been produced at the highest harmonic transmissions. Satellite radio transmissions at 253 MHz from the National Research Laboratory TACSat4 communications experiment have been severely disturbed by propagating through artificial plasma regions. The scintillation levels for UHF waves passing through artificial ionization clouds from HAARP are typically 16 dB. This is much larger than previously reported scintillations at other HF facilities which have been limited to 3 dB or less. The goals of future HAARP experiments should be to build on these discoveries to sustain plasma densities larger than that of the background ionosphere for use as ionospheric reflectors of radio signals.

Generating sustainable towns from Chinese villages: a system modeling approach.

PubMed

Levine, Richard S; Hughes, Michael T; Ryan Mather, Casey; Yanarella, Ernest J

2008-04-01

village in its sustainability-oriented model form, the village model would be enlarged both quantitatively and qualitatively through many trial iterations. A research program is described whereby an operational definition of the sustainable city is developed as a means of creating these enlarged models through citizen participation assisted by outside experts using software under development called the Sustainability Engine to guide the process and provide feedback as to the consequences of various proposals that are brought to the table. As this process is continued, the village would be incrementally enlarged and made more diverse and more complex through a variety of scenarios until it would emerge as a modern, sustainable town or city. In this way, through a participatory, balance-seeking civil society process involving villagers and scientists in what the Center for Sustainable Cities calls the Sustainable City Game, the villages can become the DNA for generating future sustainable Chinese towns and cities. As an extension of this discussion, a new urban model, the Sustainable City-as-a-Hill, is presented that responds to both the qualities of the traditional Chinese village as well as to the modern demands of industrial and post-industrial economies and, in particular, to the need for sustainable urban patterns. In addition a new concept, the Sustainable Area Budget (SAB) is introduced which definitively creates the boundary condition for both modeling the sustainable city and presenting the quest for the sustainable city-region as a coherent, scientific design process.

A cross-sectional analysis of reported corporate environmental sustainability practices.

PubMed

Cowan, Dallas M; Dopart, Pamela; Ferracini, Tyler; Sahmel, Jennifer; Merryman, Kimberly; Gaffney, Shannon; Paustenbach, Dennis J

2010-12-01

The concept of sustainability evolved throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but was formally described by the 27 principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in 1992. Despite the passage of nearly 20years, to date there are no uniform set of federal rules, regulations, or guidelines specifically governing the environmental aspects of sustainability practices or related requirements in the United States. In this benchmark analysis, we have collected information on the sustainability programs of the five largest US companies in each of the 26 industrial sectors [based on the Forbes Global 2000 through 2009 (n=130)]. For each company, we reviewed the most recent corporate sustainability, citizenship, or responsibility report, limiting our scope to environmental components, if available. Ten criteria were identified and analyzed, including leadership, reporting, external review, certification, and individual components of environmental sustainability programs. With respect to the prevalence of sustainability components between various business sectors, we found that the Drugs and Biotechnology (87%), Household and Personal Products (87%) and Oil and Gas Operations (87%) industries had the most comprehensive environmental sustainability programs. Using the nine components of environmental sustainability as a benchmark, we identified four key components as the characteristics of the most comprehensive environmental sustainability programs. These were (1) empowering leadership with a commitment to sustainability (80%), (2) standardized reporting (87%), (3) third-party evaluation of the sustainability programs (73%), and (4) obtaining ISO 14001 certification (73%). We found that many firms shaped their own definition of sustainability and developed their associated sustainability programs based on their sector, stakeholder interests, products or services, and business model. We noted an emerging area that we have called product sustainability - one in which

Interface Control Document for the Traffic Lights and Emergency Communications System at Gretna and Governor Nicholls Traffic Light Facilities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-06

Gretna and Governor Nicholls Light facilities are two manned shore side : facilities mounted in critical areas on the banks of the Mississippi River in : the port of New Orleans, Louisiana. Coast Guard plans call for the lights to : be remotely contr...

Making mental health an integral part of sustainable development: the contribution of a social determinants framework.

PubMed

De Silva, M J

2015-04-01

There have been repeated calls to include mental health in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), arguing that progress in development will not be made without improvements in mental health. Although these calls are starting to gain political traction, currently only a tiny fraction of international development work includes mental health. A social determinants framework may be useful in incorporating mental health into sustainable development because it promotes a multi-sectorial and multi-disciplinary approach which is the corner stone of good development practice. Two approaches are suggested to make mental health a part of sustainable development: (1) integrate mental health into existing development programmes to promote social and economic environments that prevent mental health problems developing; (2) ensure that mental health programmes are better at promoting sustainable development by preventing the negative social and economic consequences of mental illness. Real-world examples of these approaches are provided. To achieve this, the mental health impact of wider development programmes, and the social and economic consequences of mental health interventions, must be evaluated. Development agencies should ensure that they have equity for mental health in all their policies, and investment must be increased for those mental health prevention, promotion and treatment programmes which have the greatest impact on sustainable development. The SDGs bring the promise of a more holistic approach to development. It is now the task of global mental health to demonstrate not just that mental health is an integral part of sustainable development, but that affordable and effective solutions exist which can improve mental health and development more broadly.

Status of the nuSTORM Facility and a Possible Extension for Long-Baseline $$\

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

Bross, Alan D.; Liu, Ao; Lagrange, Jean-Baptiste

2015-11-03

Neutrino beams produced from the decay of muons in a racetrack-like decay ring (the so called Neutrino Factory) provide a powerful way to study neutrino oscillation physics and, in addition, provide unique beams for neutrino interaction studies. The Neutrinos from STORed Muons (nuSTORM) facility uses a neutrino factory-like design. Due to the particular nature of nuSTORM, it can also provide an intense, very pure, muon neutrino beam from pion decay. This so-called “Neo-conventional" muon neutrino beam from nuSTORM makes nuSTORM a hybrid neutrino factory. In this paper we describe the facility and give a detailed description of the neutrino beammore » fluxes that are available and the precision to which these fluxes can be determined. We then present sensitivity plots that indicated how well the facility can perform for short-baseline oscillation searches and show its potential for a neutrino interaction physics program. Finally, we comment on the performance potential of the "Neo-conventional" muon neutrino beam optimized for long- baseline neutrino-oscillation physics.« less

Robosphere: Self Sustaining Robotic Ecologies as Precursors to Human Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colombano, Silvano P.

2003-01-01

The present sequential mission oriented approach to robotic planetary exploration, could be changed to an infrastructure building approach where a robotic presence is permanent, self sustaining and growing with each mission. We call this self-sustaining robotic ecology approach robosphere and discuss the technological issues that need to be addressed before this concept can be realized. One of the major advantages of this approach is that a robosphere would include much of the infrastructure required by human explorers and would thus lower the preparation and risk threshold inherent in the transition from robotic to human exploration. In this context we discuss some implications for space architecture.

Hanford solid-waste handling facility strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albaugh, J. F.

1982-05-01

Prior to 1970, transuranic (TRU) solid waste was disposed of at Hanford by shallow land burial. Since 1970, TRU solid waste has been stored in near surface trenches designed to facilitate retrieval after twenty year storage period. Current strategy calls for final disposal in a geologic repository. Funding permitting, in 1983, certification of newly generated TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) criteria for geologic disposal will be initiated. Certified and uncertified waste will continue to be stored at Hanford in retrievable storage until a firm schedule for shipment to WIPP is developed. Previously stored wastes retrieved for geologic disposal and newly generated uncertified waste requires processing to assure compliance with disposal criteria. A facility to perform this function is being developed. A study to determine the requirements of this Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility is currently being conducted.

The Experientiality of Sustainability: Living with Our Choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pritchard, M.

2015-12-01

In an age when the escalating impact of human activity on the global environment has begun to threaten the long-term survival of humanity, increasing focus is being brought to bear on the scientific, social, economic, political, and cultural ramifications of the various courses of action open to individuals and societies across the globe. The intentional and intelligent modification of human behavior to balance environmental impact with human wellbeing is seen as the key to entering what Jeffrey Sachs has called the 'Age of Sustainable Development'. There are mechanisms, legal, socio-cultural, religious, economic, and technological that may ameliorate to varying degrees the environmental impact of human activity. These mechanisms are explored at length in the literature and assessed by their capacity to encourage or compel compliant behavior. They rely heavily on individual and collective choices based on rational self-interest, which is in turn informed by knowledge. The role of education in facilitating sustainable human activity is a key feature of many contributions to the literature. The alarming shortcoming in these discussions is the absence of an effective approach to learned sustainability that may achieve the necessary changes in human behavior and particularly adult choices with respect to daily acts of consumption. Sustainable practices and choices are most effectively produced through immersion in experientially based learning programs aimed at elementary and secondary school students. The experience of sustainable living during the critical phase of personal identity formation is the key to shaping behavior, and not just imparting knowledge. This AGU education session, ED041: Teaching Sustainability and Human Impact through Collaborative Teaching Methods, explores the principles on which such experiential immersion learning contributes to genuine sustainable behaviors and choices through targeted, intelligently designed residential programs.

Sustainable Cities Programme: a joint UN-HABITAT-UNEP facility on the urban environment with participation of the Dutch government.

PubMed

Gebre-Egziabher, Axumite

2004-06-01

The fundamental objective of the Sustainable Cities Programme is to promote environmentally sustainable local development to more fully realize the vital contributions that urban areas make to over-all social and economic development by: (1) enhancing efficiency in the use of local environmental resources, reducing environmental risks, and strengthening application of environmental conventions and agreements with growing regard to the Climate Change Protocol; (2) reducing poverty by promoting more equitable access to resources and environmental services; (3) mobilizing and strengthening local capacities to plan, co-ordinate, and manage sustainable local development in partnership; and (4) combining the complementary strengths of UN-HABITAT, UNEP, and other partners in support of Agenda 21, and the Habitat Agenda sustainable development commitments including improved local environmental governance.

Increasing human pressure on freshwater resources threatens sustainability at the global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montanari, A.; Ceola, S.; Laio, F.

2017-12-01

Freshwater resources overexploitation and climate change are major threats to global sustainability and development in the XXI century, but nevertheless a global assessment of water threats evolution in time is still lacking. Here we demonstrate that nightlights are a good proxy for human pressure and investigate how it evolved from 1992 to 2013 in 2'148 major river basins. Globally, we find that human pressure positively evolved in the study period (1.8% increase per year as a global average), threatening future sustainability worldwide. The most critical conditions for sustainability are found within the equatorial area, showing markedly positive human pressure yearly trends (3.5% ± 2.2%). The results highlight that water threats are spreading worldwide and call for an urgent strategy to mitigate water overexploitation and related hazards to ecosystems and human security.

78 FR 76218 - Rural Call Completion

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... calls to rural areas, and enforce restrictions against blocking, choking, reducing, or restricting calls... to alert the Commission of systemic problems receiving calls from a particular originating long... associated with completing calls to rural areas. These rules will also enhance our ability to enforce...

The health-nutrition dimension: a methodological approach to assess the nutritional sustainability of typical agro-food products and the Mediterranean diet.

PubMed

Azzini, Elena; Maiani, Giuseppe; Turrini, Aida; Intorre, Federica; Lo Feudo, Gabriella; Capone, Roberto; Bottalico, Francesco; El Bilali, Hamid; Polito, Angela

2018-08-01

The aim of this paper is to provide a methodological approach to evaluate the nutritional sustainability of typical agro-food products, representing Mediterranean eating habits and included in the Mediterranean food pyramid. For each group of foods, suitable and easily measurable indicators were identified. Two macro-indicators were used to assess the nutritional sustainability of each product. The first macro-indicator, called 'business distinctiveness', takes into account the application of different regulations and standards regarding quality, safety and traceability as well as the origin of raw materials. The second macro-indicator, called 'nutritional quality', assesses product nutritional quality taking into account the contents of key compounds including micronutrients and bioactive phytochemicals. For each indicator a 0-10 scoring system was set up, with scores from 0 (unsustainable) to 10 (very sustainable), with 5 as a sustainability benchmark value. The benchmark value is the value from which a product can be considered sustainable. A simple formula was developed to produce a sustainability index. The proposed sustainability index could be considered a useful tool to describe both the qualitative and quantitative value of micronutrients and bioactive phytochemical present in foodstuffs. This methodological approach can also be applied beyond the Mediterranean, to food products in other world regions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Data Call Response for NEPA Supplement Analysis of CMRR

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

Booth, Steven Richard

The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) is proposing to provide analytical chemistry (AC) and materials characterization (MC) capabilities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) by using a combination of existing space in two existing buildings: the Radiological Laboratory/Utility/Office Building (RLUOB) and the Plutonium Facility, Building 4 (PF-4) in TA-55. This represents a change from decisions made by DOE as informed by previous National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. In accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE requirements, NNSA is preparing a Supplement Analysis (SA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action. Themore » focus of this analysis is on determining whether the proposal to provide AC and MC laboratory capabilities in existing space in RLUOB and PF-4 rather than building a new nuclear facility (NF) is a substantial change that is relevant to environmental concerns or whether new circumstance or information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impacts are significant. The end result of the analysis is a determination whether the existing Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Environmental Impact Statement (CMRR EIS) should be supplemented, a new EIS should be prepared, or no further NEPA analysis is necessary. This report provides data for incorporation into the Supplement Analysis being written by Leidos, Inc. under contract to NNSA. Responding to the data call requires several areas of expertise. Los Alamos subject matter experts estimate equipments lists, facility modifications, waste quantities, labor needs and radiological doses. Los Alamos NEPA experts assist Leidos in compiling existing data from the LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (SWEIS) and CMRR EIS for public and other impacts. Bounding conditions are used to determine NEPA estimates.« less

Pulsed laser facilities operating from UV to IR at the Gas Laser Lab of the Lebedev Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionin, Andrei; Kholin, Igor; Vasil'Ev, Boris; Zvorykin, Vladimir

2003-05-01

Pulsed laser facilities developed at the Gas Lasers Lab of the Lebedev Physics Institute and their applications for different laser-matter interactions are discussed. The lasers operating from UV to mid-IR spectral region are as follows: e-beam pumped KrF laser (λ= 0.248 μm) with output energy 100 J; e-beam sustained discharge CO2(10.6 μm) and fundamental band CO (5-6 μm) lasers with output energy up to ~1 kJ; overtone CO laser (2.5-4.2 μm) with output energy ~ 50 J and N2O laser (10.9 μm) with output energy of 100 J; optically pumped NH3 laser (11-14 μm). Special attention is paid to an e-beam sustained discharge Ar-Xe laser (1.73 μm ~ 100 J) as a potential candidate for a laser-propulsion facility. The high energy laser facilities are used for interaction of laser radiation with polymer materials, metals, graphite, rocks, etc.

Research Support Facility (RSF): Leadership in Building Performance (Brochure)

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

Not Available

This brochure/poster provides information on the features of the Research Support Facility including a detailed illustration of the facility with call outs of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Imagine an office building so energy efficient that its occupants consume only the amount of energy generated by renewable power on the building site. The building, the Research Support Facility (RSF) occupied by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employees, uses 50% less energy than if it were built to current commercial code and achieves the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED{reg_sign})more » Platinum rating. With 19% of the primary energy in the U.S. consumed by commercial buildings, the RSF is changing the way commercial office buildings are designed and built.« less

Proactive sustainability strategy and corporate sustainability performance: The mediating effect of sustainability control systems.

PubMed

Wijethilake, Chaminda

2017-07-01

This study examines to what extent corporations use sustainability control systems (SCS) to translate proactive sustainability strategy into corporate sustainability performance. The study investigates the mediating effect of SCS on the relationship between proactive sustainability strategy and corporate sustainability performance. Survey data were collected from top managers in 175 multinational and local corporations operating in Sri Lanka and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). SCS were observed to only partially mediate the relationship between proactive sustainability strategy and corporate sustainability performance. The mediating effect of SCS is further examined under three sustainability strategies; environmental and social strategies reveal a partial mediation, while the economic strategy exhibits no mediation. The study also finds that (i) a proactive sustainability strategy is positively associated with SCS and corporate sustainability performance and (ii) SCS are positively associated with corporate sustainability performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing sustainable remediation frameworks using sustainability principles.

PubMed

Ridsdale, D Reanne; Noble, Bram F

2016-12-15

The remediation industry has grown exponentially in recent decades. International organizations of practitioners and remediation experts have developed several frameworks for integrating sustainability into remediation projects; however, there has been limited attention to how sustainability is approached and operationalized in sustainable remediation frameworks and practices - or whether sustainability plays any meaningful role at all in sustainable remediation. This paper examines how sustainability is represented in remediation frameworks and the guidance provided for practical application. Seven broad sustainability principles and review criteria are proposed and applied to a sample of six international remediation frameworks. Not all review criteria were equally satisfied and none of the frameworks fully met all criteria; however, the best performing frameworks were those identified as sustainability remediation frameworks. Intra-generational equity was addressed by all frameworks. Integrating social, economic and biophysical components beyond triple-bottom-line indicators was explicitly addressed only by the sustainable remediation frameworks. No frameworks provided principle- or rule-based guidance for dealing with trade-offs in sustainability decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing Facilities for Collaborative Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Jeffrey; Powell, Mark; Backes, Paul; Steinke, Robert; Tso, Kam; Wales, Roxana

2003-01-01

A methodology for designing operational facilities for collaboration by multiple experts has begun to take shape as an outgrowth of a project to design such facilities for scientific operations of the planned 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. The methodology could also be applicable to the design of military "situation rooms" and other facilities for terrestrial missions. It was recognized in this project that modern mission operations depend heavily upon the collaborative use of computers. It was further recognized that tests have shown that layout of a facility exerts a dramatic effect on the efficiency and endurance of the operations staff. The facility designs (for example, see figure) and the methodology developed during the project reflect this recognition. One element of the methodology is a metric, called effective capacity, that was created for use in evaluating proposed MER operational facilities and may also be useful for evaluating other collaboration spaces, including meeting rooms and military situation rooms. The effective capacity of a facility is defined as the number of people in the facility who can be meaningfully engaged in its operations. A person is considered to be meaningfully engaged if the person can (1) see, hear, and communicate with everyone else present; (2) see the material under discussion (typically data on a piece of paper, computer monitor, or projection screen); and (3) provide input to the product under development by the group. The effective capacity of a facility is less than the number of people that can physically fit in the facility. For example, a typical office that contains a desktop computer has an effective capacity of .4, while a small conference room that contains a projection screen has an effective capacity of around 10. Little or no benefit would be derived from allowing the number of persons in an operational facility to exceed its effective capacity: At best, the operations staff would be underutilized

To call or not to call--that is the question (while driving).

PubMed

Tractinsky, Noam; Ram, Efrat Soffer; Shinar, David

2013-07-01

We studied whether decisions to engage in cell phone conversation while driving and the consequences of such decisions are related to the driver's age, to the road conditions (demands of the driving task), and to the driver's role in initiating the phone call (i.e. the driver as caller vs. as receiver). Two experiments were performed in a driving simulator in which driver age, road conditions and phone conversation, as a secondary task, were manipulated. Engagement in cell phone conversations, performance in the driving and the conversation tasks, and subjective effort assessment were recorded. In general, drivers were more willing to accept incoming calls than to initiate calls. In addition, older and younger drivers were more susceptible to the deleterious effects of phone conversations while driving than middle aged/experienced drivers. While older drivers were aware of this susceptibility by showing sensitivity to road conditions before deciding whether to engage in a call or not, young drivers showed no such sensitivity. The results can guide the development of young driver training programs and point at the need to develop context-aware management systems of in-vehicle cell phone conversations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Voltage and Current Thresholds Determined for Sustained Space Plasma Arcing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferguson, Dale C.; Galofaro, Joel T.; Vayner, Boris V.

2003-01-01

It has been known for many years, based partly on NASA Glenn Research Center testing, that high-voltage solar arrays arc into the space plasma environment. Solar arrays are composed of solar cells in series with each other (a string), and the strings may be connected in parallel to produce the entire solar array power. Arcs on solar arrays can damage or destroy solar cells, and in the extreme case of sustained arcing, entire solar array strings, in a flash. In the case of sustained arcing (discovered at Glenn and applied to the design and construction of solar arrays on Space Systems/Loral (SS/Loral, Palo Alto, CA) satellites, Deep-Space 1, and Terra), an arc on one solar array string can couple to an adjacent string and continue to be powered by the solar array output until a permanent electrical short is produced. In other words, sustained arcs produced by arcs into the plasma (so-called trigger arcs) may turn into disastrous sustained arcs by involving other array strings.

Sustaining complex interventions in long-term care: a qualitative study of direct care staff and managers.

PubMed

Colón-Emeric, Cathleen; Toles, Mark; Cary, Michael P; Batchelor-Murphy, Melissa; Yap, Tracey; Song, Yuting; Hall, Rasheeda; Anderson, Amber; Burd, Andrew; Anderson, Ruth A

2016-07-16

Little is known about the sustainability of behavioral change interventions in long-term care (LTC). Following a cluster randomized trial of an intervention to improve staff communication (CONNECT), we conducted focus groups of direct care staff and managers to elicit their perceptions of factors that enhance or reduce sustainability in the LTC setting. The overall aim was to generate hypotheses about how to sustain complex interventions in LTC. In eight facilities, we conducted 15 focus groups with 83 staff who had participated in at least one intervention session. Where possible, separate groups were conducted with direct care staff and managers. An interview guide probed for staff perceptions of intervention salience and sustainability. Framework analysis of coded transcripts was used to distill insights about sustainability related to intervention features, organizational context, and external supports. Staff described important factors for intervention sustainability that are particularly challenging in LTC. Because of the tremendous diversity in staff roles and education level, interventions should balance complexity and simplicity, use a variety of delivery methods and venues (e.g., group and individual sessions, role-play/storytelling), and be inclusive of many work positions. Intervention customizability and flexibility was particularly prized in this unpredictable and resource-strapped environment. Contextual features noted to be important include addressing the frequent lack of trust between direct care staff and managers and ensuring that direct care staff directly observe manager participation and support for the program. External supports suggested to be useful for sustainability include formalization of changes into facility routines, using "train the trainer" approaches and refresher sessions. High staff turnover is common in LTC, and providing materials for new staff orientation was reported to be important for sustainability. When designing or

CALL Essentials: Principles and Practice in CALL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Joy

2005-01-01

Computers and the Internet offer innovative teachers exciting ways to enhance their pedagogy and capture their students' attention. These technologies have created a growing field of inquiry, computer-assisted language learning (CALL). As new technologies have emerged, teaching professionals have adapted them to support teachers and learners in…

Callings and Organizational Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elangovan, A. R.; Pinder, Craig C.; McLean, Murdith

2010-01-01

Current literature on careers, social identity and meaning in work tends to understate the multiplicity, historical significance, and nuances of the concept of calling(s). In this article, we trace the evolution of the concept from its religious roots into secular realms and develop a typology of interpretations using occupation and religious…

FME Carpentry Shop Keeps Facility in Good Repair | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Peggy Pearl, Contributing Writer Did you know that what most people call the Carpentry Shop at Facilities Maintenance and Engineering (FME) is actually made up of the three crafts, woodcrafting, painting, and locksmithing?  On any given day, throughout the Frederick National Laboratory campus, you may find shop staff utilizing an assortment of tools and a wide range of

Uncertain call likelihood negatively affects sleep and next-day cognitive performance while on-call in a laboratory environment.

PubMed

Sprajcer, Madeline; Jay, Sarah M; Vincent, Grace E; Vakulin, Andrew; Lack, Leon; Ferguson, Sally A

2018-05-11

On-call working arrangements are employed in a number of industries to manage unpredictable events, and often involve tasks that are safety- or time-critical. This study investigated the effects of call likelihood during an overnight on-call shift on self-reported pre-bed anxiety, sleep and next-day cognitive performance. A four-night laboratory-based protocol was employed, with an adaptation, a control and two counterbalanced on-call nights. On one on-call night, participants were instructed that they would definitely be called during the night, while on the other on-call night they were told they may be called. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form x-1 was used to investigate pre-bed anxiety, and sleep was assessed using polysomnography and power spectral analysis of the sleep electroencephalographic analysis. Cognitive performance was assessed four times daily using a 10-min psychomotor vigilance task. Participants felt more anxious before bed when they were definitely going to be called, compared with the control and maybe conditions. Conversely, participants experienced significantly less non-rapid eye movement and stage two sleep and poorer cognitive performance when told they may be called. Further, participants had significantly more rapid eye movement sleep in the maybe condition, which may be an adaptive response to the stress associated with this on-call condition. It appears that self-reported anxiety may not be linked with sleep outcomes while on-call. However, this research indicates that it is important to take call likelihood into consideration when constructing rosters and risk-management systems for on-call workers.

Developing a community driven sustainable model of maternity waiting homes for rural Zambia.

PubMed

Lori, Jody R; Munro-Kramer, Michelle L; Mdluli, Eden Ahmed; Musonda Mrs, Gertrude K; Boyd, Carol J

2016-10-01

maternity waiting homes (MWHs) are residential dwellings located near health facilities where women in the late stages of pregnancy stay to await childbirth and receive immediate postpartum services. These shelters help overcome distance and transportation barriers that prevent women from receiving timely skilled obstetric care. the purpose of this study was to explore Zambian stakeholders' beliefs regarding the acceptability, feasibility, and sustainability of maternity waiting homes (MWHs) to inform a model for rural Zambia. a qualitative design using a semi-structured interview guide for data collection was used. two rural districts in the Eastern province of Zambia. individual interviews were conducted with community leaders (n=46). Focus groups were held with Safe Motherhood Action Groups, husbands, and women of childbearing age in two rural districts in Zambia (n=500). latent content analysis was used to analyze the data. participants were overwhelmingly in support of MWHs as a way to improve access to facility-based childbirth and address the barrier of distance. Data suggest that participants can describe features of high quality care, and the type of care they expect from a MWH. Stakeholders acknowledged the need to contribute to the maintenance of the MWH, and that community involvement was crucial to MWH sustainability. access to facility childbirth remains particularly challenging in rural Zambia and delays in seeking care exist. Maternity waiting homes offer a feasible and acceptable intervention to reduce delays in seeking care, thereby holding the potential to improve maternal outcomes. this study joins a growing literature on the acceptability, feasibility, and sustainability of MWHs. It is believed that MWHs, by addressing the distance and transportation barriers, will increase the use of skilled birth attendants, thereby reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in rural, low resource areas of Zambia. We recommend that any initiative

[Promoting Young Talents in Trauma Surgery through Students-On-Call].

PubMed

Spering, C; Tezval, M; Dresing, K; Burchhardt, H; Wachowski, M; August, F; Frosch, S; Walde, T A; Stürmer, K M; Lehmann, W; Sehmisch, S

2016-12-01

Due to restrictions on admission to medical school, changing claims to an optimized work-life balance and occupational perspectives, surgical professions in particular are struggling with strategies to motivate young academics. Surgical disziplines aim towards a profound transfer of knowledge and pique student's interest by ensuring a sustainable education at university. The goal of this study was to evaluate a Students-On-Call System (SOCS) and to identify a financial benefit. In this study the SOCS was compared pre-/postevaluation using questionnaires and the supporting X‑rays within a curricular teaching module of orthopedic trauma surgery, with students in the fourth semester of specialism and those in the practical semester at medical school. The students of SOCS showed significantly better results prior to the course and afterwards than the two other groups. By establishing SOCS medical students get involved into the treatment of emergency patients in the trauma resuscitation unit (TRU) and operating room (OR). Students get the chance to enhance their comprehension of diagnostics, therapy and decision making in surgical context. This highly valuable traineeship combines a minimized teaching effort with an effective motivation of young academcis for the surgical profession. A SOCS has reduced the workload of medical colleagues. Establishing SOCS spare the residents being on call and results in reduced costs of 23,659.86 Euro per year. The results presented show that the SOCS leads to an excellent cost-benefit balance, which has been established in multiple surgical departments at the medical school of the University of Göttingen. Apart from practice-oriented surgical teaching, the SOCS is a way of promoting successful young talent saving resources in the medical on-call services.

Mapping a Sustainable Future: Community Learning in Dialogue at the Science-Society Interface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Matthias; Lang, Daniel J.; Luthardt, Philip; Vilsmaier, Ulli

2017-01-01

In 2015, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced that the Science Year 2015 would focus on the "City of the Future". It called for innovative projects from cities and communities in Germany dedicated to exploring future options and scenarios for sustainable development. Among the successful respondents was…

Developing and sustaining adolescent-friendly health services: A multiple case study from Ecuador and Peru.

PubMed

Goicolea, Isabel; Coe, Anna-Britt; San Sebastián, Miguel; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2017-08-01

Adolescent-Friendly Health Services (AFHSs) are those that are accessible, acceptable, equitable, appropriate and effective for different youth sub-populations. This study investigated the process through which four clinics in two countries - Peru and Ecuador - introduced, developed and sustained AFHSs. A multiple case study design was chosen, and data from each clinic were collected through document review, observations and informant interviews. National level data were also collected. Data were analysed following thematic analysis. The findings showed that the process of introducing, developing and sustaining AFHSs was long term, and required a creative team effort and collaboration between donors, public institutions and health providers. The motivation and external support was crucial to initiating and sustaining the implementation of AFHSs. Health facilities' transformation into AFHSs was linked to the broader organisation of country health systems, and the evolution of national adolescent health policies. In Peru, the centralised approach to AFHSs introduction facilitated the dissemination of a comprehensive national model to health facilities, but dependency on national directives made it more difficult to systemise them when ideological and organisational changes occurred. In Ecuador, a less centralised approach to introducing AFHSs made for easier integration of the AFHSs model.

Implementing sustainable development programs in Chicago

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

Henderson, H.

1994-12-31

Achieving sustainable development requires a revision of the present view of the nature of the city as an environment, and its relation to a larger ecosystem of which it is an essential part. The environmental health of a wilderness area is inextricably related to the environmental, and economic, health of the great urban centers. The vitality of dense metropolitan areas, where population and economic activities are concentrated, is key to the preservation of productive farm lands, wildlife habitat, and open spaces. The social and economic crisis which grips many metropolitan centers, with attendant flight of industry and development to themore » so-called {open_quotes}greenfields,{close_quotes} fundamentally spreads a broader crisis to our common ecosystem. This crisis is marked by the obliteration of habitat necessary for biodiversity, loss of fertile farm land, and the contamination of air, water and land, as an unescapable effect of the sprawl created by flight from the urban centers. The removal of false conceptual distinctions between the city and nature, distinctions that are unfortunately at the heart of so much of American environmental philosophy, is key to the concept of `sustainable development.` This article sets forth how the City of Chicago is implementing this understanding of the nature of the urban environment, in pursuit of sustainable development within the city.« less

Current experiences and educational preferences of general practitioners and staff caring for people with dementia living in residential facilities.

PubMed

Beer, Christopher; Horner, Barbara; Almeida, Osvaldo P; Scherer, Samuel; Lautenschlager, Nicola T; Bretland, Nick; Flett, Penelope; Schaper, Frank; Flicker, Leon

2009-08-12

Residential care is important for older adults, particularly for those with advanced dementia and their families. Education interventions that achieve sustainable improvement in the care of older adults are critical to quality care. There are few systematic data available regarding the educational needs of Residential Care Facility (RCF) staff and General Practitioners (GPs) relating to dementia, or the sustainability of educational interventions. We sought to determine participation in dementia education, perceived levels of current knowledge regarding dementia, perceived unmet educational needs, current barriers, facilitators and preferences for dementia education. A mixed methods study design was utilised. A survey was distributed to a convenience sample of general practitioners, and staff in 223 consecutive residential care facilities in Perth, Western Australia. Responses were received from 102 RCF staff working in 10 facilities (out of 33 facilities who agreed to distribute the survey) and 202 GPs (19% of metropolitan GPs). Quantitative survey data were summarised descriptively and chi squared statistics were used to analyse the distribution of categorical variables. Qualitative data were collected from general practitioners, staff in residential care facilities and family carers of people with dementia utilizing individual interviews, surveys and focus groups. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Among RCF staff and GPs attending RCF, participation in dementia education was high, and knowledge levels generally perceived as good. The individual experiences and needs of people with dementia and their families were emphasised. Participants identified the need for a person centred philosophy to underpin educational interventions. Limited time was a frequently mentioned barrier, especially in relation to attending dementia care education. Perceived educational needs relating to behaviours of concern, communication, knowledge regarding dementia, aspects of

Test facility for investigation of heat transfer of promising coolants for the nuclear power industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belyaev, I. A.; Sviridov, V. G.; Batenin, V. M.; Biryukov, D. A.; Nikitina, I. S.; Manchkha, S. P.; Pyatnitskaya, N. Yu.; Razuvanov, N. G.; Sviridov, E. V.

2017-11-01

The results are presented of experimental investigations into liquid metal heat transfer performed by the joint research group consisting of specialist in heat transfer and hydrodynamics from NIU MPEI and JIHT RAS. The program of experiments has been prepared considering the concept of development of the nuclear power industry in Russia. This concept calls for, in addition to extensive application of water-cooled, water-moderated (VVER-type) power reactors and BN-type sodium cooled fast reactors, development of the new generation of BREST-type reactors, fusion power reactors, and thermonuclear neutron sources. The basic coolants for these nuclear power installations will be heavy liquid metals, such as lead and lithium-lead alloy. The team of specialists from NRU MPEI and JIHT RAS commissioned a new RK-3 mercury MHD-test facility. The major components of this test facility are a unique electrical magnet constructed at Budker Nuclear Physics Institute and a pressurized liquid metal circuit. The test facility is designed for investigating upward and downward liquid metal flows in channels of various cross-sections in a transverse magnetic field. A probe procedure will be used for experimental investigation into heat transfer and hydrodynamics as well as for measuring temperature, velocity, and flow parameter fluctuations. It is generally adopted that liquid metals are the best coolants for the Tokamak reactors. However, alternative coolants should be sought for. As an alternative to liquid metal coolants, molten salts, such as fluorides of lithium and beryllium (so-called FLiBes) or fluorides of alkali metals (so-called FLiNaK) doped with uranium fluoride, can be used. That is why the team of specialists from NRU MPEI and JIHT RAS, in parallel with development of a mercury MHD test facility, is designing a test facility for simulating molten salt heat transfer and hydrodynamics. Since development of this test facility requires numerical predictions and verification

Sustainable data policy for a data production facility: a work in (continual) progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketcham, R. A.

2017-12-01

The University of Texas High-Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography Facility (UTCT) has been producing volumetric data and data products of geological and other scientific specimens and engineering materials for over 20 years. Data volumes, both in terms of the size of individual data sets and overall facility production, have progressively grown and fluctuated near the upper boundary of what can be managed by contemporary workstations and lab-scale servers and network infrastructure, making data policy a preoccupation for our entire history. Although all projects have been archived since our first day of operation, policies on which data to keep (raw, reconstructed after corrections, processed) have varied, and been periodically revisited in consideration of the cost of curation and the likelihood of revisiting and reprocessing data when better techniques become available, such as improved artifact corrections or iterative tomographic reconstruction. Advances in instrumentation regularly make old data obsolete and more advantageous to reacquire, but the simple act of getting a sample to a scanning facility is a practical barrier that cannot be overlooked. In our experience, the main times that raw data have been revisited using improved processing to improve image quality were predictable, high-impact charismatic projects (e.g., Archaeopteryx, A. Afarensis "Lucy"). These cases actually provided the impetus for development of the new techniques (ring and beam hardening artifact reduction), which were subsequently incorporated into our data processing pipeline going forward but were rarely if ever retroactively applied to earlier data sets. The only other times raw data have been reprocessed were when reconstruction parameters were inappropriate, due to unnoticed sample features or human error, which are usually recognized fairly quickly. The optimal data retention policy thus remains an open question, although erring on the side of caution remains the default

Peculiarities of organizing the construction of nuclear medicine facilities and the transportation of radionuclide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Telichenko, Valeriy; Malykha, Galina; Dorogan, Igor

2017-10-01

The article is devoted to the organization of construction of nuclear medicine facilities in Russia. The article describes the main methods of nuclear medical diagnostics, as well as the peculiarities of nuclear medicine facilities that determine the need for application of specific methods for organizing and managing the construction, methods of requirements management in the organization of construction of nuclear medicine facilities. Sustainable development of the transport of radioactive isotopes from the place of production to places of consumption is very important for the safety of the population. The requirements management system is an important and necessary component in organizing the construction of complex facilities, such as nuclear medicine facilities. The author developed and proposed a requirements management system for the design, construction and operation of a nuclear medicine facility, which provides for a cyclic sequence of actions. This system allows reducing the consumption of resources including material and energy during construction and operation of complex objects.

Altai pika (Ochotona alpina) alarm calls: individual acoustic variation and the phenomenon of call-synchronous ear folding behavior.

PubMed

Volodin, Ilya A; Matrosova, Vera A; Frey, Roland; Kozhevnikova, Julia D; Isaeva, Inna L; Volodina, Elena V

2018-06-11

Non-hibernating pikas collect winter food reserves and store them in hay piles. Individualization of alarm calls might allow discrimination between colony members and conspecifics trying to steal food items from a colony pile. We investigated vocal posture, vocal tract length, and individual acoustic variation of alarm calls, emitted by wild-living Altai pikas Ochotona alpina toward a researcher. Recording started when a pika started calling and lasted as long as possible. The alarm call series of 442 individual callers from different colonies consisted of discrete short (0.073-0.157 s), high-frequency (7.31-15.46 kHz), and frequency-modulated calls separated by irregular intervals. Analysis of 442 discrete calls, the second of each series, revealed that 44.34% calls lacked nonlinear phenomena, in 7.02% nonlinear phenomena covered less than half of call duration, and in 48.64% nonlinear phenomena covered more than half of call duration. Peak frequencies varied among individuals but always fitted one of three maxima corresponding to the vocal tract resonance frequencies (formants) calculated for an estimated 45-mm oral vocal tract. Discriminant analysis using variables of 8 calls per series of 36 different callers, each from a different colony, correctly assigned over 90% of the calls to individuals. Consequently, Altai pika alarm calls are individualistic and nonlinear phenomena might further increase this acoustic individualization. Additionally, video analysis revealed a call-synchronous, very fast (0.13-0.23 s) folding, depression, and subsequent re-expansion of the pinna confirming an earlier report of this behavior that apparently contributes to protecting the hearing apparatus from damage by the self-generated high-intensity alarm calls.

Sustainability in a Hospital-Based Biobank and University-Based DNA Biorepository: Strategic Roadmaps

PubMed Central

Eschbacher, Jennifer; Bowser, Robert; LaBaer, Joshua

2015-01-01

Sustainability in the biobanking community has recently become an important and oft-discussed issue as biorepositories struggle to balance limited external funding and complex cost recovery models with high operating costs and the desire to provide the highest quality materials and services to the research community. A multi-faceted view of biobanking sustainability requires consideration of operational and social sustainability in addition to the historical focus exclusively on financial sustainability. Planning and implementing this three pillar model creates a well-rounded biorepository that meets the needs of all the major stakeholders: the funders, the patients/depositors, and the researcher recipients. Often the creation of a detailed business plan is the first step to develop goals and objectives that lead down a path towards sustainability. The definition of sustainability and the complexity of a sustainable business plan may differ for each biorepository. The DNASU Plasmid Repository at Arizona State University stores and distributes DNA plasmids to researchers worldwide, and the Biobank Core Facility at St. Joseph's Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute consents patients and collects, stores, and distributes human tissue and blood samples. We will discuss these two biorepositories, their similar and different approaches to sustainability and business planning, their challenges in creating and implementing their sustainability plan, and their responses to some of these challenges. From these experiences, the biobanks share lessons learned about planning for sustainability that are applicable to all biorepositories. PMID:26697909

Sustainability in a Hospital-Based Biobank and University-Based DNA Biorepository: Strategic Roadmaps.

PubMed

Seiler, Catherine Y; Eschbacher, Jennifer; Bowser, Robert; LaBaer, Joshua

2015-12-01

Sustainability in the biobanking community has recently become an important and oft-discussed issue as biorepositories struggle to balance limited external funding and complex cost recovery models with high operating costs and the desire to provide the highest quality materials and services to the research community. A multi-faceted view of biobanking sustainability requires consideration of operational and social sustainability in addition to the historical focus exclusively on financial sustainability. Planning and implementing this three pillar model creates a well-rounded biorepository that meets the needs of all the major stakeholders: the funders, the patients/depositors, and the researcher recipients. Often the creation of a detailed business plan is the first step to develop goals and objectives that lead down a path towards sustainability. The definition of sustainability and the complexity of a sustainable business plan may differ for each biorepository. The DNASU Plasmid Repository at Arizona State University stores and distributes DNA plasmids to researchers worldwide, and the Biobank Core Facility at St. Joseph's Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute consents patients and collects, stores, and distributes human tissue and blood samples. We will discuss these two biorepositories, their similar and different approaches to sustainability and business planning, their challenges in creating and implementing their sustainability plan, and their responses to some of these challenges. From these experiences, the biobanks share lessons learned about planning for sustainability that are applicable to all biorepositories.

Circus: A Replicated Procedure Call Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-01

Computer Science Laboratory, Xerox PARC, July 1082 . [24) Bruce Ja.y Nelson. Remote Procedure Ctdl. Ph.D. dissertation, Computer Science Department...t. Ph.D. dissertation, Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley, Xerox PARC report number CSIF 82-7, December 1082 . [30...Tandem Computers Inc. GUARDIAN Opet’ating Sy•tem Programming Mt~nulll, Volumu 1 11nd 2. C upertino, California, 1082 . [31) R. H. Thoma.s. A majority

A Methodological Framework to Analyze Stakeholder Preferences and Propose Strategic Pathways for a Sustainable University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turan, Fikret Korhan; Cetinkaya, Saadet; Ustun, Ceyda

2016-01-01

Building sustainable universities calls for participative management and collaboration among stakeholders. Combining analytic hierarchy and network processes (AHP/ANP) with statistical analysis, this research proposes a framework that can be used in higher education institutions for integrating stakeholder preferences into strategic decisions. The…

Bat echolocation calls facilitate social communication

PubMed Central

Knörnschild, Mirjam; Jung, Kirsten; Nagy, Martina; Metz, Markus; Kalko, Elisabeth

2012-01-01

Bat echolocation is primarily used for orientation and foraging but also holds great potential for social communication. The communicative function of echolocation calls is still largely unstudied, especially in the wild. Eavesdropping on vocal signatures encoding social information in echolocation calls has not, to our knowledge, been studied in free-living bats so far. We analysed echolocation calls of the polygynous bat Saccopteryx bilineata and found pronounced vocal signatures encoding sex and individual identity. We showed experimentally that free-living males discriminate approaching male and female conspecifics solely based on their echolocation calls. Males always produced aggressive vocalizations when hearing male echolocation calls and courtship vocalizations when hearing female echolocation calls; hence, they responded with complex social vocalizations in the appropriate social context. Our study demonstrates that social information encoded in bat echolocation calls plays a crucial and hitherto underestimated role for eavesdropping conspecifics and thus facilitates social communication in a highly mobile nocturnal mammal. PMID:23034703

Bat echolocation calls facilitate social communication.

PubMed

Knörnschild, Mirjam; Jung, Kirsten; Nagy, Martina; Metz, Markus; Kalko, Elisabeth

2012-12-07

Bat echolocation is primarily used for orientation and foraging but also holds great potential for social communication. The communicative function of echolocation calls is still largely unstudied, especially in the wild. Eavesdropping on vocal signatures encoding social information in echolocation calls has not, to our knowledge, been studied in free-living bats so far. We analysed echolocation calls of the polygynous bat Saccopteryx bilineata and found pronounced vocal signatures encoding sex and individual identity. We showed experimentally that free-living males discriminate approaching male and female conspecifics solely based on their echolocation calls. Males always produced aggressive vocalizations when hearing male echolocation calls and courtship vocalizations when hearing female echolocation calls; hence, they responded with complex social vocalizations in the appropriate social context. Our study demonstrates that social information encoded in bat echolocation calls plays a crucial and hitherto underestimated role for eavesdropping conspecifics and thus facilitates social communication in a highly mobile nocturnal mammal.

Avoiding Decline: Fostering Resilience and Sustainability in ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Eighty-five percent of United States citizens live in urban areas. However, research surrounding the resilience and sustainability of complex urban systems focuses largely on coastal megacities (>1 million people). Midsize cities differ from their larger counterparts due to tight urban-rural feedbacks with their immediate natural environments that result from heavy reliance and close management of local ecosystem services. They also may be less path-dependent than larger cities due to shorter average connection length among system components, contributing to higher responsiveness among social, infrastructural, and ecological feedbacks. These distinct midsize city features call for a framework that organizes information and concepts concerning the sustainability of midsize cities specifically. We argue that an integrative approach is necessary to capture properties emergent from the complex interactions of the social, infrastructural, and ecological subsystems that comprise a city system. We suggest approaches to estimate the relative resilience of midsize cities, and include an example assessment to illustrate one such estimation approach. Resilience assessments of a midsize city can be used to examine why some cities end up on sustainable paths while others diverge to unsustainable paths, and which feedbacks may be partially responsible. They also provide insight into how city planners and decision makers can use information about the resilience of midsize citi

Stewards for Sustainability at Harper College, Green Initiatives Are a Cost-Benefit Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanning, J. Mark

2013-01-01

For the past decade, academic institutions have made significant strides toward sustainability--creating greener facilities, and educating and engaging their students in the process. With budgets tight, any green initiatives need to be backed, first and foremost, by a compelling economic argument. Harper College in Palatine, Illinois is a 180-acre…

HISCAT: A proposed new scatter facility in Northern Scandinavia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bostrom, R.; Thide, B.

1986-01-01

It is proposed that a new versatile ionospheric and atmospheric scatter radar be constructed in northern Scandavia through a multinational collaborative effort. The new facility tentatively named HISCAT (High frequency, High power, High latitude, Heating and Ionospheric Scatter facility), should be used for scientific investigations of: the physics of the neutral (middle) atmosphere; fundamental plasma phenomena, natural or artificially induced in the ionosphere; electrodynamic conditions at high altitudes above the auroral region and in the polar cap ionosphere; plasma waves in the solar atmosphere. The system should thus be able to operate as a mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radar, a so-called ionospheric modification facility, incoherent-scatter radar, coherent-scatter radar, and solar radar. Basically, the new facility should be a device that can operate simultaneously on several frequencies in the frequency range 5 to 50 MHz not covered by other instruments. It should comprise: powerful transmitters, capable of delivering a total average power of several megawatts; an advanced phased antenna array of high gain forming one or two steerable and well collimated beams; and an advanced data collection and analysis system.

Sustainability assessment for the transportation environment of Darjeeling, India.

PubMed

Nag, Dipanjan; Paul, Subrata Kr; Saha, Swati; Goswami, Arkopal K

2018-05-01

Darjeeling is an important tourist hill town of West Bengal, India. It suffers from an acute problem of transportation, particularly during its peak tourist seasons due to limited road space, inadequate public transport facilities and indiscriminate use of automobiles. This hill town was originally designed for a population of 10,000, but over the years, it has come face-to-face with rapid urbanization, a rising population of both tourists and residents and intensifying motor vehicle usage. These factors together are posing a threat to its transport environment. This study identifies the Sustainable Transport Indicators (STIs) available in the existing literature to identify the critical stretches using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on experts' consensus. It was found that the experts placed emphasis on the mobility of the town, talking about vehicular impact on air pollution and encroachment of roads as the main issues affecting the sustainability of the transport environment. Thereafter, policy-level interventions have been suggested in accordance with the identified sustainability issues. We trust that other tourist hill towns with issues similar to Darjeeling could easily emulate the study methodology to assess their transport environment sustainability, or replicate on the lines of the recommended policy interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrating Sustainable Development in Higher Education through Experience-Based Learning: Insights from Experts in Team (EiT) for Developing a Combined Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otte, Pia Piroschka

2016-01-01

Universities are understood to play an essential role in the promotion of sustainable development. However, the recognition of sustainable development in higher education poses multiple challenges to the traditional higher education system. This article introduces a course concept called "Experts in Teams" (EiT) as a new platform of…

Sustainability of Our Planet and All Species as the Organizing Principle for SLCE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kecskes, Kevin; Joyalle, Jennifer; Elliott, Erin; Sherman, Jacob D. B.

2017-01-01

We may define and prioritize them differently, but few would deny that our human community is facing intractable problems at local, national, and global scales. The authors call on higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world to work collectively and with strategic intent and action to use sustainability as an organizing principle to…

Sustaining innovations in complex healthcare environments: A multiple-case study of rapid response teams

PubMed Central

Stolldorf, Deonni P; Havens, Donna S.; Jones, Cheryl B

2015-01-01

Objectives Rapid response teams are one innovation previously deployed in U.S. hospitals with the goal to improve the quality of care. Sustaining rapid response teams is important to achieve the desired implementation outcomes, reduce the risk of program investments losses, and prevent employee disillusionment and dissatisfaction. This study sought to examine factors that do and do not support the sustainability of Rapid Response Teams. Methods The study was conceptually guided by an adapted version of the Planning Model of Sustainability. A multiple-case study was conducted using a purposive sample of two hospitals with high RRT sustainability scores and two hospitals with low RRT sustainability scores. Data collection methods included: (a) a hospital questionnaire that was completed by a nurse administrator at each hospital; (b) semi-structured interviews with leaders, RRT members, and those activating RRT calls; and, (c) review of internal documents. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Few descriptive differences were found between hospitals. However, there were notable differences in the operationalization of certain factors between high- and low-sustainability hospitals. Additional sustainability factors other than those captured by the Planning Model of Sustainability were also identified. Conclusions The sustainability of rapid response teams is optimized through effective operationalization of organizational and project design and implementation factors. Two additional factors—individual and team characteristics—should be included in the Planning Model of Sustainability and considered as potential facilitators (or inhibitors) of RRT sustainability. PMID:26756725

Approach to sustainable e-Infrastructures - The case of the Latin American Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbera, Roberto; Diacovo, Ramon; Brasileiro, Francisco; Carvalho, Diego; Dutra, Inês; Faerman, Marcio; Gavillet, Philippe; Hoeger, Herbert; Lopez Pourailly, Maria Jose; Marechal, Bernard; Garcia, Rafael Mayo; Neumann Ciuffo, Leandro; Ramos Pollan, Paul; Scardaci, Diego; Stanton, Michael

2010-05-01

The EELA (E-Infrastructure shared between Europe and Latin America) and EELA-2 (E-science grid facility for Europe and Latin America) projects, co-funded by the European Commission under FP6 and FP7, respectively, have been successful in building a high capacity, production-quality, scalable Grid Facility for a wide spectrum of applications (e.g. Earth & Life Sciences, High energy physics, etc.) from several European and Latin American User Communities. This paper presents the 4-year experience of EELA and EELA-2 in: • Providing each Member Institution the unique opportunity to benefit of a huge distributed computing platform for its research activities, in particular through initiatives such as OurGrid which proposes a so-called Opportunistic Grid Computing well adapted to small and medium Research Laboratories such as most of those of Latin America and Africa; • Developing a realistic strategy to ensure the long-term continuity of the e-Infrastructure in the Latin American continent, beyond the term of the EELA-2 project, in association with CLARA and collaborating with EGI. Previous interactions between EELA and African Grid members at events such as the IST Africa'07, 08 and 09, the International Conference on Open Access'08 and EuroAfriCa-ICT'08, to which EELA and EELA-2 contributed, have shown that the e-Infrastructure situation in Africa compares well with the Latin American one. This means that African Grids are likely to face the same problems that EELA and EELA-2 experienced, especially in getting the necessary User and Decision Makers support to create NGIs and, later, a possible continent-wide African Grid Initiative (AGI). The hope is that the EELA-2 endeavour towards sustainability as described in this presentation could help the progress of African Grids.

Effects of noise levels and call types on the source levels of killer whale calls.

PubMed

Holt, Marla M; Noren, Dawn P; Emmons, Candice K

2011-11-01

Accurate parameter estimates relevant to the vocal behavior of marine mammals are needed to assess potential effects of anthropogenic sound exposure including how masking noise reduces the active space of sounds used for communication. Information about how these animals modify their vocal behavior in response to noise exposure is also needed for such assessment. Prior studies have reported variations in the source levels of killer whale sounds, and a more recent study reported that killer whales compensate for vessel masking noise by increasing their call amplitude. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the source levels of a variety of call types in southern resident killer whales while also considering background noise level as a likely factor related to call source level variability. The source levels of 763 discrete calls along with corresponding background noise were measured over three summer field seasons in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands, WA. Both noise level and call type were significant factors on call source levels (1-40 kHz band, range of 135.0-175.7 dB(rms) re 1 [micro sign]Pa at 1 m). These factors should be considered in models that predict how anthropogenic masking noise reduces vocal communication space in marine mammals.

Medical facility statistics in Japan

PubMed Central

Hamajima, Nobuyuki; Sugimoto, Takuya; Hasebe, Ryo; Myat Cho, Su; Khaing, Moe; Kariya, Tetsuyoshi; Mon Saw, Yu; Yamamoto, Eiko

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Medical facility statistics provide essential information to policymakers, administrators, academics, and practitioners in the field of health services. In Japan, the Health Statistics Office of the Director-General for Statistics and Information Policy at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is generating these statistics. Although the statistics are widely available in both Japanese and English, the methodology described in the technical reports are primarily in Japanese, and are not fully described in English. This article aimed to describe these processes for readers in the English-speaking world. The Health Statistics Office routinely conduct two surveys called the Hospital Report and the Survey of Medical Institutions. The subjects of the former are all the hospitals and clinics with long-term care beds in Japan. It comprises a Patient Questionnaire focusing on the numbers of inpatients, admissions, discharges, and outpatients in one month, and an Employee Questionnaire, which asks about the number of employees as of October 1. The Survey of Medical Institutions consists of the Dynamic Survey, which focuses on the opening and closing of facilities every month, and the Static Survey, which focuses on staff, facilities, and services as of October 1, as well as the number of inpatients as of September 30 and the total number of outpatients during September. All hospitals, clinics, and dental clinics are requested to submit the Static Survey questionnaire every three years. These surveys are useful tools for collecting essential information, as well as providing occasions to implicitly inform facilities of the movements of government policy. PMID:29238108

Medical facility statistics in Japan.

PubMed

Hamajima, Nobuyuki; Sugimoto, Takuya; Hasebe, Ryo; Myat Cho, Su; Khaing, Moe; Kariya, Tetsuyoshi; Mon Saw, Yu; Yamamoto, Eiko

2017-11-01

Medical facility statistics provide essential information to policymakers, administrators, academics, and practitioners in the field of health services. In Japan, the Health Statistics Office of the Director-General for Statistics and Information Policy at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is generating these statistics. Although the statistics are widely available in both Japanese and English, the methodology described in the technical reports are primarily in Japanese, and are not fully described in English. This article aimed to describe these processes for readers in the English-speaking world. The Health Statistics Office routinely conduct two surveys called the Hospital Report and the Survey of Medical Institutions. The subjects of the former are all the hospitals and clinics with long-term care beds in Japan. It comprises a Patient Questionnaire focusing on the numbers of inpatients, admissions, discharges, and outpatients in one month, and an Employee Questionnaire, which asks about the number of employees as of October 1. The Survey of Medical Institutions consists of the Dynamic Survey, which focuses on the opening and closing of facilities every month, and the Static Survey, which focuses on staff, facilities, and services as of October 1, as well as the number of inpatients as of September 30 and the total number of outpatients during September. All hospitals, clinics, and dental clinics are requested to submit the Static Survey questionnaire every three years. These surveys are useful tools for collecting essential information, as well as providing occasions to implicitly inform facilities of the movements of government policy.

Skylab Shroud in the Space Power Facility

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-12-21

The 56-foot tall, 24,400-pound Skylab shroud installed in the Space Power Facility’s vacuum chamber at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station. The Space Power Facility, which began operations in 1969, is the largest high vacuum chamber ever built. The chamber is 100 feet in diameter and 120 feet high. It can produce a vacuum deep enough to simulate the conditions at 300 miles altitude. The Space Power Facility was originally designed to test nuclear-power sources for spacecraft during long durations in a space atmosphere, but it was never used for that purpose. Payload shrouds are aerodynamic fairings to protect the payload during launch and ascent to orbit. The Skylab mission utilized the largest shroud ever attempted. Unlike previous launches, the shroud would not be jettisoned until the spacecraft reached orbit. NASA engineers designed these tests to verify the dynamics of the jettison motion in a simulated space environment. Fifty-four runs and three full-scale jettison tests were conducted from mid-September 1970 to June 1971. The shroud behaved as its designers intended, the detonators all fired, and early design issues were remedied by the final test. The Space Power Facility continues to operate today. The facility can sustain a high vacuum; simulate solar radiation via a 4-megawatt quartz heat lamp array, solar spectrum by a 400-kilowatt arc lamp, and cold environments. Test programs at the facility include high-energy experiments, shroud separation tests, Mars Lander system tests, deployable Solar Sail tests and International Space Station hardware tests.

The Role of Sustained Attention in the Production of Conjoined Noun Phrases: An Individual Differences Study.

PubMed

Jongman, Suzanne R; Meyer, Antje S; Roelofs, Ardi

2015-01-01

It has previously been shown that language production, performed simultaneously with a nonlinguistic task, involves sustained attention. Sustained attention concerns the ability to maintain alertness over time. Here, we aimed to replicate the previous finding by showing that individuals call upon sustained attention when they plan single noun phrases (e.g., "the carrot") and perform a manual arrow categorization task. In addition, we investigated whether speakers also recruit sustained attention when they produce conjoined noun phrases (e.g., "the carrot and the bucket") describing two pictures, that is, when both the first and second task are linguistic. We found that sustained attention correlated with the proportion of abnormally slow phrase-production responses. Individuals with poor sustained attention displayed a greater number of very slow responses than individuals with better sustained attention. Importantly, this relationship was obtained both for the production of single phrases while performing a nonlinguistic manual task, and the production of noun phrase conjunctions in referring to two spatially separated objects. Inhibition and updating abilities were also measured. These scores did not correlate with our measure of sustained attention, suggesting that sustained attention and executive control are distinct. Overall, the results suggest that planning conjoined noun phrases involves sustained attention, and that language production happens less automatically than has often been assumed.

Exploring the relationship between patient call-light use rate and nurse call-light response time in acute care settings.

PubMed

Tzeng, Huey-Ming; Larson, Janet L

2011-03-01

Patient call-light usage and nurse responsiveness to call lights are two intertwined concepts that could affect patients' safety during hospital stays. Little is known about the relationship between call-light usage and call-light response time. Consequently, this exploratory study examined the relationship between the patient-initiated call-light use rate and the nursing staff's average call-light response time in a Michigan community hospital. It used hospital archived data retrieved from the call-light tracking system for the period from February 2007 through June 2008. Curve estimation regression and multiple regression analyses were conducted. The results showed that the call-light response time was not affected by the total nursing hours or RN hours. The nurse call-light response time was longer when the patient call-light use rate was higher and the average length of stay was shorter. It is likely that a shorter length of stay contributes to the nursing care activity level on the unit because it is associated with a higher frequency of patient admissions/discharges and treatment per patient-day. This suggests that the nursing care activity level on the unit and number of call-light alarms could affect nurse call-light response time, independently of the number of nurses available to respond.

Ecosystem service information to benefit sustainability standards for commodity supply chains.

PubMed

Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca; Jonell, Malin; Guerry, Anne; Lambin, Eric F; Morgan, Alexis J; Pennington, Derric; Smith, Nathan; Franch, Jane Atkins; Polasky, Stephen

2015-10-01

The growing base of information about ecosystem services generated by ecologists, economists, and other scientists could improve the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of commodity-sourcing standards being adopted by corporations to mitigate risk in their supply chains and achieve sustainability goals. This review examines various ways that information about ecosystem services could facilitate compliance with and auditing of commodity-sourcing standards. We also identify gaps in the current state of knowledge on the ecological effectiveness of sustainability standards and demonstrate how ecosystem-service information could complement existing monitoring efforts to build credible evidence. This paper is a call to the ecosystem-service scientists to engage in this decision context and tailor the information they are generating to the needs of the standards community, which we argue would offer greater efficiency of standards implementation for producers and enhanced effectiveness for standard scheme owners and corporations, and should thus lead to more sustainable outcomes for people and nature. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

Sustainability of recurrent expenditure on public social welfare programmes: expenditure analysis of the free maternal care programme of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme.

PubMed

Ankrah Odame, Emmanuel; Akweongo, Patricia; Yankah, Ben; Asenso-Boadi, Francis; Agyepong, Irene

2014-05-01

Sustainability of public social welfare programmes has long been of concern in development circles. An important aspect of sustainability is the ability to sustain the recurrent financial costs of programmes. A free maternal care programme (FMCP) was launched under the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2008 with a start-up grant from the British Government. This article examines claims expenditure under the programme and the implications for the financial sustainability of the programme, and the lessons for donor and public financing of social welfare programmes. Records of reimbursement claims for services and medicines by women benefitting from the policy in participating facilities in one sub-metropolis in Ghana were analysed to gain an understanding of the expenditure on this programme at facility level. National level financial inflow and outflow (expenditure) data of the NHIS, related to implementation of this policy for 2008 and 2009, were reviewed to put the facility-based data in the national perspective. A total of US$936 450.94 was spent in 2009 by the scheme on FMCP in the sub-metropolis. The NHIS expenditure on the programme for the entire country in 2009 was US$49.25 million, exceeding the British grant of US$10.00 million given for that year. Subsequently, the programme has been entirely financed by the National Health Insurance Fund. The rapidly increasing, recurrent demands on this fund from the maternal delivery exemption programme-without a commensurate growth on the amounts generated annually-is an increasing threat to the sustainability of the fund. Provision of donor start-up funding for programmes with high recurrent expenditures, under the expectation that government will take over and sustain the programme, must be accompanied by clear long-term analysis and planning as to how government will sustain the programme.

Conceptual design for the Space Station Freedom fluid physics/dynamics facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Robert L.; Chucksa, Ronald J.; Omalley, Terence F.; Oeftering, Richard C.

1993-01-01

A study team at NASA's Lewis Research Center has been working on a definition study and conceptual design for a fluid physics and dynamics science facility that will be located in the Space Station Freedom's baseline U.S. Laboratory module. This modular, user-friendly facility, called the Fluid Physics/Dynamics Facility, will be available for use by industry, academic, and government research communities in the late 1990's. The Facility will support research experiments dealing with the study of fluid physics and dynamics phenomena. Because of the lack of gravity-induced convection, research into the mechanisms of fluids in the absence of gravity will help to provide a better understanding of the fundamentals of fluid processes. This document has been prepared as a final version of the handout for reviewers at the Fluid Physics/Dynamics Facility Assessment Workshop held at Lewis on January 24 and 25, 1990. It covers the background, current status, and future activities of the Lewis Project Study Team effort. It is a revised and updated version of a document entitled 'Status Report on the Conceptual Design for the Space Station Fluid Physics/Dynamics Facility', dated January 1990.

Space Power Facility at NASA’s Plum Brook Station

NASA Image and Video Library

1969-02-21

Exterior view of the Space Power Facility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The $28.4-million facility, which began operations in 1969, is the largest high vacuum chamber ever built. The chamber is 100 feet in diameter and 120 feet high. It produces a vacuum deep enough to simulate the conditions at 300 miles altitude. The facility can sustain a high vacuum; simulate solar radiation via a 4-megawatt quartz heat lamp array, solar spectrum by a 400-kilowatt arc lamp, and cold environments. The Space Power Facility was originally designed to test nuclear power sources for spacecraft during long durations in a space atmosphere, but it was never used for that purpose. The facility’s first test in 1970 involved a 15 to 20-kilowatt Brayton Cycle Power System for space applications. Three different methods of simulating solar heat were employed during the Brayton tests. The facility was also used for jettison tests of the Centaur Standard Shroud. The shroud was designed for the new Titan-Centaur rocket that was scheduled to launch the Viking spacecraft to Mars. The new shroud was tested under conditions that simulated the time from launch to the separation of the stages. Test programs at the facility include high-energy experiments, shroud separation tests, Mars Lander system tests, deployable Solar Sail tests and International Space Station hardware tests.

A Sustained Proximity Network for Multi-Mission Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soloff, Jason A.; Noreen, Gary; Deutsch, Leslie; Israel, David

2005-01-01

Tbe Vision for Space Exploration calls for an aggressive sequence of robotic missions beginning in 2008 to prepare for a human return to the Moon by 2020, with the goal of establishing a sustained human presence beyond low Earth orbit. A key enabler of exploration is reliable, available communication and navigation capabilities to support both human and robotic missions. An adaptable, sustainable communication and navigation architecture has been developed by Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to support human and robotic lunar exploration through the next two decades. A key component of the architecture is scalable deployment, with the infrastructure evolving as needs emerge, allowing NASA and its partner agencies to deploy an interoperable communication and navigation system in an evolutionary way, enabling cost effective, highly adaptable systems throughout the lunar exploration program.

Evidence for a Cognitive Control Network for Goal-Directed Attention in Simple Sustained Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilti, Caroline C.; Jann, Kay; Heinemann, Doerthe; Federspiel, Andrea; Dierks, Thomas; Seifritz, Erich; Cattapan-Ludewig, Katja

2013-01-01

The deterioration of performance over time is characteristic for sustained attention tasks. This so-called "performance decrement" is measured by the increase of reaction time (RT) over time. Some behavioural and neurobiological mechanisms of this phenomenon are not yet fully understood. Behaviourally, we examined the increase of RT over time and…

Mitigating Handoff Call Dropping in Wireless Cellular Networks: A Call Admission Control Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekpenyong, Moses Effiong; Udoh, Victoria Idia; Bassey, Udoma James

2016-06-01

Handoff management has been an important but challenging issue in the field of wireless communication. It seeks to maintain seamless connectivity of mobile users changing their points of attachment from one base station to another. This paper derives a call admission control model and establishes an optimal step-size coefficient (k) that regulates the admission probability of handoff calls. An operational CDMA network carrier was investigated through the analysis of empirical data collected over a period of 1 month, to verify the performance of the network. Our findings revealed that approximately 23 % of calls in the existing system were lost, while 40 % of the calls (on the average) were successfully admitted. A simulation of the proposed model was then carried out under ideal network conditions to study the relationship between the various network parameters and validate our claim. Simulation results showed that increasing the step-size coefficient degrades the network performance. Even at optimum step-size (k), the network could still be compromised in the presence of severe network crises, but our model was able to recover from these problems and still functions normally.

Lessons learned from the Siting Process of an Interim Storage Facility in Spain - 12024

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

Lamolla, Meritxell Martell

2012-07-01

On 29 December 2009, the Spanish government launched a site selection process to host a centralised interim storage facility for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste. It was an unprecedented call for voluntarism among Spanish municipalities to site a controversial facility. Two nuclear municipalities, amongst a total of thirteen municipalities from five different regions, presented their candidatures to host the facility in their territories. For two years the government did not make a decision. Only in November 30, 2011, the new government elected on 20 November 2011 officially selected a non-nuclear municipality, Villar de Canas, for hosting this facility. Thismore » paper focuses on analysing the factors facilitating and hindering the siting of controversial facilities, in particular the interim storage facility in Spain. It demonstrates that involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process should not be underestimated. In the case of Spain, all regional governments where there were candidate municipalities willing to host the centralised interim storage facility, publicly opposed to the siting of the facility. (author)« less

78 FR 68858 - Federal Property Suitable as Facilities To Assist the Homeless

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-15

... speech-impaired (202) 708-2565, (these telephone numbers are not toll- free), or call the toll-free Title... Facilities To Assist the Homeless AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and... surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless. FOR...

Nitrogen sustainability and beef cattle feedyards: introduction and influence of pen surface conditions and diet

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Greater public awareness of the potential effects of agriculture on the environment calls for beef production systems that are sustainable with regard to the environment, society, and the economy. Reactive nitrogen (N) from feedyards could negatively influence air and water quality in the event of v...

Assessment of Colorado Department of Transportation rest areas for sustainability improvements and highway corridors and facilities for alternative energy use

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

The research project focused on two sustainability based elements associated with the Colorado Department of Transportation : (CDOT) Maintenance operations, namely rest areas and right-of-way (ROW) utilization. For the first element, a sustainability...

Sustainable development of process facilities: state-of-the-art review of pollution prevention frameworks.

PubMed

Hossain, Khandoker A; Khan, Faisal I; Hawboldt, Kelly

2008-01-15

Pollution prevention (P2) strategy is receiving significant attention in industries all over the world, over end-of-pipe pollution control and management strategy. This paper is a review of the existing pollution prevention frameworks. The reviewed frameworks contributed significantly to bring the P2 approach into practice and gradually improved it towards a sustainable solution; nevertheless, some objectives are yet to be achieved. In this context, the paper has proposed a P2 framework 'IP2M' addressing the limitations for systematic implementation of the P2 program in industries at design as well as retrofit stages. The main features of the proposed framework are that, firstly, it has integrated cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) tool with other adequate P2 opportunity analysis tools in P2 opportunity analysis phase and secondly, it has re-used the risk-based cradle-to-gate LCA during the environmental evaluation of different P2 options. Furthermore, in multi-objective optimization phase, it simultaneously considers the P2 options with available end-of-pipe control options in order to select the sustainable environmental management option.

Sustainability assessment of tertiary wastewater treatment technologies: a multi-criteria analysis.

PubMed

Plakas, K V; Georgiadis, A A; Karabelas, A J

2016-01-01

The multi-criteria analysis gives the opportunity to researchers, designers and decision-makers to examine decision options in a multi-dimensional fashion. On this basis, four tertiary wastewater treatment (WWT) technologies were assessed regarding their sustainability performance in producing recycled wastewater, considering a 'triple bottom line' approach (i.e. economic, environmental, and social). These are powdered activated carbon adsorption coupled with ultrafiltration membrane separation (PAC-UF), reverse osmosis, ozone/ultraviolet-light oxidation and heterogeneous photo-catalysis coupled with low-pressure membrane separation (photocatalytic membrane reactor, PMR). The participatory method called simple multi-attribute rating technique exploiting ranks was employed for assigning weights to selected sustainability indicators. This sustainability assessment approach resulted in the development of a composite index as a final metric, for each WWT technology evaluated. The PAC-UF technology appears to be the most appropriate technology, attaining the highest composite value regarding the sustainability performance. A scenario analysis confirmed the results of the original scenario in five out of seven cases. In parallel, the PMR was highlighted as the technology with the least variability in its performance. Nevertheless, additional actions and approaches are proposed to strengthen the objectivity of the final results.

Calling in Work: Secular or Sacred?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steger, Michael F.; Pickering, N. K.; Shin, J. Y.; Dik, B. J.

2010-01-01

Recent scholarship indicates that people who view their work as a calling are more satisfied with their work and their lives. Historically, calling has been regarded as a religious experience, although modern researchers frequently have adopted a more expansive and secular conceptualization of calling, emphasizing meaning and personal fulfillment…

The Uplands after Neoliberalism?--The Role of the Small Farm in Rural Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shucksmith, Mark; Ronningen, Katrina

2011-01-01

The modernist project foresaw no role for small farms, but this can no longer be regarded as axiomatic as neoliberalism enters what Peck et al. call its "zombie phase". This paper asks what contribution small farms in the uplands can make to societies' goals, what role they might play in the sustainability of rural communities in such…

Antimicrobial stewardship in long term care facilities: what is effective?

PubMed

Nicolle, Lindsay E

2014-02-12

Intense antimicrobial use in long term care facilities promotes the emergence and persistence of antimicrobial resistant organisms and leads to adverse effects such as C. difficile colitis. Guidelines recommend development of antimicrobial stewardship programs for these facilities to promote optimal antimicrobial use. However, the effectiveness of these programs or the contribution of any specific program component is not known. For this review, publications describing evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship programs for long term care facilities were identified through a systematic literature search. Interventions included education, guidelines development, feedback to practitioners, and infectious disease consultation. The studies reviewed varied in types of facilities, interventions used, implementation, and evaluation. Comprehensive programs addressing all infections were reported to have improved antimicrobial use for at least some outcomes. Targeted programs for treatment of pneumonia were minimally effective, and only for indicators of uncertain relevance for stewardship. Programs focusing on specific aspects of treatment of urinary infection - limiting treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria or prophylaxis of urinary infection - were reported to be effective. There were no reports of cost-effectiveness, and the sustainability of most of the programs is unclear. There is a need for further evaluation to characterize effective antimicrobial stewardship for long term care facilities.

Planning of public healthcare facility using a location allocation modelling: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shariff, S. Sarifah Radiah; Moin, Noor Hasnah; Omar, Mohd

2014-09-01

Finding the correct location of any facility and determining the demands which are to be assigned to it is very crucial in public health service. This is to ensure that the public gain maximum benefits. This article analyzes the previous location decisions of public primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in the district of Kuala Langat, Malaysia. With total population of 220214 (in 2010), the PHC in the district is currently served by 28 facilities. The percentages of total population covered (in 2007) within the maximum allowable distance of 3km and 5km are 69.7 percent and 77.8 percent respectively. This is very low compared to the Malaysian National Health Policy of Health for All or 100 percent coverage. The determination of health facility location should be planned carefully to further increase effective primary health service to the nation that is required for economic sustainability.

Collecting various sustainability metrics of observatory operations on Maunakea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo Tiong, Blaise C.; Bauman, Steven E.; Benedict, Romilly; Draughn, John Wesley; Probasco, Quinn

2016-07-01

By collecting metrics in fleet operations, data center usage, employee air travel and facilities consumption at the Canada France Hawaii Telescope, the collective impact of CFHT and other observatories on the Maunakea Astronomy Precinct can be estimated. An audit of carbon emissions in these aspects as well as specific efficiency metrics such as data center Power Use Efficiency gives a general scale of environmental and social alterations. Applications of the audit would be for such things as crafting sustainability strategies.

Hornbills can distinguish between primate alarm calls.

PubMed Central

Rainey, Hugo J.; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Slater, Peter J. B.

2004-01-01

Some mammals distinguish between and respond appropriately to the alarm calls of other mammal and bird species. However, the ability of birds to distinguish between mammal alarm calls has not been investigated. Diana monkeys (Cercopithecus diana) produce different alarm calls to two predators: crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) and leopards (Panthera pardus). Yellow-casqued hornbills (Ceratogymna elata) are vulnerable to predation by crowned eagles but are not preyed on by leopards and might therefore be expected to respond to the Diana monkey eagle alarm call but not to the leopard alarm call. We compared responses of hornbills to playback of eagle shrieks, leopard growls, Diana monkey eagle alarm calls and Diana monkey leopard alarm calls and found that they distinguished appropriately between the two predator vocalizations as well as between the two Diana monkey alarm calls. We discuss possible mechanisms leading to these responses. PMID:15209110

Calling behavior of spotted owls in Northern Arizona

Treesearch

Jospeh L. Ganey

1990-01-01

I studied the calling behavior of radio-tagged Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in northern Arizona. Owls used a variety of calls, with three call types (Four-note Location Call, Contact Call, and Bark Series) accounting for 86% of calling bouts heard. These calls were used by both sexes, but in significantly different proportions....

Sustainability study of domestic communal wastewater treatment plant in Surabaya City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahar, E.; Sudarno; Zaman, B.

2017-06-01

Sanitation is one of the critical infrastructure sectors in order to improve community health status. The Ministry of Public Works of the Republic of Indonesia to define that word sanitation include: domestic waste water management, solid waste management, rain water management (drainage management) as well as the provision of clean water. Surabaya city as the capital of East Java province and Indonesia’s second largest city with a population of 2,853,661 inhabitants in 2014 (the second largest after Jakarta), but the people who have been served by the sanitation infrastructure systems were expected at 176,105 families or about 26.95 % of the population of the city is already using sanitation facilities. In the White Book Sanitation of Surabaya City in 2010, Surabaya City sanitation development mission is to realize the wastewater management of settlements in a sustainable and affordable by the community. This study aims to assess the sustainability of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) domestic communal in the city of Surabaya. The method in this research is quantitative method through observation, structured interviews and laboratory testing of the variables analyzed. Analyses were performed using a technique Multidisciplinary rapid appraisal (Rap-fish) to determine the level of sustainability of the management of communal WWTP based on a number of attributes that easy scored. Attributes of each dimension includes the technical, environmental quality, institutional, economic, and social. The results of this study are sustainability index of environmental quality dimension at 84.32 with highly sustainable status, technical dimension at 62.61 with fairly sustainable status, social dimension at 57.98 with fairly sustainable status, economic dimension at 43.24 with less sustainable status, and institutional dimension at 39.67 with less sustainable status.

Conference calls.

PubMed

2002-07-01

Last minute places were still available as Emergency Nurse went to press at an RCN A&E Nursing Association symposium on July 2 to examine the impact of the Department of Health's Reforming Emergency Care strategy. For details of the event, to be held at Cheadle, Cheshire, call Grant Williams on 07771 740243.

FME Carpentry Shop Keeps Facility in Good Repair | Poster

Cancer.gov

By Peggy Pearl, Contributing Writer Did you know that what most people call the Carpentry Shop at Facilities Maintenance and Engineering (FME) is actually made up of the three crafts, woodcrafting, painting, and locksmithing?  On any given day, throughout the Frederick National Laboratory campus, you may find shop staff utilizing an assortment of tools and a wide range of skills on projects ranging from simple maintenance to complete renovations.

Designing Tiban island as tourist destination and sustainable coastal in Bleder village

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuwanti, Sri; Setiawan, Agung

2018-05-01

This study is on tourism development process, which involves the function of local potential tourist attraction confronted to the needs for area natural conservation. The study location is a village called Bleder, or Kartika Jaya, in Patebon sub district, Kendal regency CentralJjava. The research unit is the management of a sandy island called “pulau tiban”or ‘suddenly appears island’, and village’s surrounding area. Qualitative methods approach is utilized in order to understand the village situation, community social economy activities toward the sandy island, and the meaning of thatt sandy island for the village sustainability. The study result shows that some problems have evident in the exploitation of natural potential for tourist attraction as confronted to environment conservation. Conflict of interests have also emerged among groups of people and group to group regarding the management of turism attraction. To deal with the problems, comprehensive program is proposed especially to increase community’s awareness on sustainable tourism, marine and coastal conservation, and the benefit and risk of ecotourism. For Bleder tourism development, the community need to concern to their village environmental safety more than on economic benefit purpose only. Introduction

Grassland Sustainability

Treesearch

Deborah U. Potter; Paulette L. Ford

2004-01-01

In this chapter we discuss grassland sustainability in the Southwest, grassland management for sustainability, national and local criteria and indicators of sustainable grassland ecosystems, and monitoring for sustainability at various scales. Ecological sustainability is defined as: [T]he maintenance or restoration of the composition, structure, and processes of...

Army Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPC) Program for Facilities and Infrastructure

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

FY2009 - 2011 • Benefits: Reduced corrosion due to elimination of metallic rebar , reduced weight equates to reduced dead load and increased dynamic...Decks as Replacement for Steel Reinforced Concrete Decks F09AR04: Corrosion Resistant Roofs with Integrated Sustainable PV Power Systems • Where...Army Corrosion Prevention and Control (CPC) Program for Facilities and Infrastructure Dr. Craig E. College Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for

Women's questions about medicines in pregnancy - An analysis of calls to an Australian national medicines call centre.

PubMed

Pijpers, Eva L; Kreijkamp-Kaspers, Sanne; McGuire, Treasure M; Deckx, Laura; Brodribb, Wendy; van Driel, Mieke L

2017-06-01

For many medicines, safe use during pregnancy is not established and adherence is often poor due to safety concerns. Therefore, it is important to identify consumers' medicines information needs during pregnancy. A retrospective, mixed methods analysis was conducted on eight years of pregnancy-related calls to an Australian national medicines call centre. The call profile of pregnancy and non-pregnancy-related questions were compared. Medicines involved in pregnancy calls were categorised by class (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)3 level), and Therapeutic Goods Administration pregnancy category. Questions in these calls were also themed by pregnancy stage. We identified 4573 pregnancy-related and 118 547 non-pregnancy-related calls. The caller profile for pregnancy-related calls was female (93.7%), asking for herself (83.0%), and while 70.1% of questions involved one medicine, 9.6% involved three or more medicines. Pregnancy enquiries were prompted more often by conflicting information, inadequate information or desire for a second opinion. For 1166 calls, where the stage of pregnancy was available, most questions concerned safety. Medication classified as 'safe' during pregnancy accounted for 34% of these questions. After antidepressants, most calls were made about over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (paracetamol, dexchlorpheniramine, codeine). Safe treatment for everyday conditions was of increasing concern as the pregnancy progressed. Pregnant women are concerned about the safety of medication use in pregnancy and a significant proportion overestimate risk. Psychotropic medication and fertility are strong drivers to seek information during preconception. Everyday illnesses and self-medication with OTC medication are a common concern throughout pregnancy, even though many medicines are safe to use. © 2016 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

From nestling calls to fledgling silence: adaptive timing of change in response to aerial alarm calls.

PubMed

Magrath, Robert D; Platzen, Dirk; Kondo, Junko

2006-09-22

Young birds and mammals are extremely vulnerable to predators and so should benefit from responding to parental alarm calls warning of danger. However, young often respond differently from adults. This difference may reflect: (i) an imperfect stage in the gradual development of adult behaviour or (ii) an adaptation to different vulnerability. Altricial birds provide an excellent model to test for adaptive changes with age in response to alarm calls, because fledglings are vulnerable to a different range of predators than nestlings. For example, a flying hawk is irrelevant to a nestling in a enclosed nest, but is dangerous to that individual once it has left the nest, so we predict that young develop a response to aerial alarm calls to coincide with fledging. Supporting our prediction, recently fledged white-browed scrubwrens, Sericornis frontalis, fell silent immediately after playback of their parents' aerial alarm call, whereas nestlings continued to calling despite hearing the playback. Young scrubwrens are therefore exquisitely adapted to the changing risks faced during development.

ICALL's Relevance to CALL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Monica

2017-01-01

The term Intelligent Computer Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) covers many different aspects of CALL that add something extra to a CALL resource. This could be with the use of computational linguistics or Artificial Intelligence (AI). ICALL tends to be not very well understood within the CALL community. There may also be the slight fear factor…

Electromagnetic Test-Facility characterization: an identification approach

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

Zicker, J.E.; Candy, J.V.

The response of an object subjected to high energy, transient electromagnetic (EM) fields sometimes called electromagnetic pulses (EMP), is an important issue in the survivability of electronic systems (e.g., aircraft), especially when the field has been generated by a high altitude nuclear burst. The characterization of transient response information is a matter of national concern. In this report we discuss techniques to: (1) improve signal processing at a test facility; and (2) parameterize a particular object response. First, we discuss the application of identification-based signal processing techniques to improve signal levels at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) EM Transientmore » Test Facility. We identify models of test equipment and then use these models to deconvolve the input/output sequences for the object under test. A parametric model of the object is identified from this data. The model can be used to extrapolate the response to these threat level EMP. Also discussed is the development of a facility simulator (EMSIM) useful for experimental design and calibration and a deconvolution algorithm (DECONV) useful for removing probe effects from the measured data.« less

Green Open Space: Awareness for Health or Sustainability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi, O. C.; Chairunnisa, I.; Hidayat, T.; Anggraini, M.; Napitupulu, A.

2018-03-01

Universitas Indonesia in cooperation with American Red Cross and Indonesian Red Cross have been assisting green open space revitalisation program in 7 locations in Bogor Regency (2016-2017). The program was held under The Urban Disaster Risk Reduction Greater Jakarta Project; an initiative program from American Red Cross Indonesia. This project was not only improving the existing green open space quality, but also creating one adapted from public land. The revitalization project figures what happened on daily basis on the existing land, proposing new programming facilities, community-based construction, monitoring and handing over. This paper discovers the meaning of a green space for the community, whether the community aware of its benefit on human health or environmental sustainability. The research question is does the community aware of green open space benefit for human health or environmental sustainability? Or both? The original data from the community was gathered and grouped based on its relevance with environmental quality and public health.

Multi-species call-broadcast improved detection of endangered Yuma clapper rail compared to single-species call-broadcast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nadeau, Christopher P.; Conway, Courtney J.; Piest, Linden; Burger, William P.

2013-01-01

Broadcasting calls of marsh birds during point-count surveys increases their detection probability and decreases variation in the number of birds detected across replicate surveys. However, multi-species monitoring using call-broadcast may reduce these benefits if birds are reluctant to call once they hear broadcasted calls of other species. We compared a protocol that uses call-broadcast for only one species (Yuma clapper rail [Rallus longirostris yumanensis]) to a protocol that uses call-broadcast for multiple species. We detected more of each of the following species using the multi-species protocol: 25 % more pied-billed grebes, 160 % more American bitterns, 52 % more least bitterns, 388 % more California black rails, 12 % more Yuma clapper rails, 156 % more Virginia rails, 214 % more soras, and 19 % more common gallinules. Moreover, the coefficient of variation was smaller when using the multi-species protocol: 10 % smaller for pied-billed grebes, 38 % smaller for American bitterns, 19 % smaller for least bitterns, 55 % smaller for California black rails, 5 % smaller for Yuma clapper rails, 38 % smaller for Virginia rails, 44 % smaller for soras, and 8 % smaller for common gallinules. Our results suggest that multi-species monitoring approaches may be more effective and more efficient than single-species approaches even when using call-broadcast.

The Role of Sustained Attention in the Production of Conjoined Noun Phrases: An Individual Differences Study

PubMed Central

Jongman, Suzanne R.; Meyer, Antje S.; Roelofs, Ardi

2015-01-01

It has previously been shown that language production, performed simultaneously with a nonlinguistic task, involves sustained attention. Sustained attention concerns the ability to maintain alertness over time. Here, we aimed to replicate the previous finding by showing that individuals call upon sustained attention when they plan single noun phrases (e.g., "the carrot") and perform a manual arrow categorization task. In addition, we investigated whether speakers also recruit sustained attention when they produce conjoined noun phrases (e.g., "the carrot and the bucket") describing two pictures, that is, when both the first and second task are linguistic. We found that sustained attention correlated with the proportion of abnormally slow phrase-production responses. Individuals with poor sustained attention displayed a greater number of very slow responses than individuals with better sustained attention. Importantly, this relationship was obtained both for the production of single phrases while performing a nonlinguistic manual task, and the production of noun phrase conjunctions in referring to two spatially separated objects. Inhibition and updating abilities were also measured. These scores did not correlate with our measure of sustained attention, suggesting that sustained attention and executive control are distinct. Overall, the results suggest that planning conjoined noun phrases involves sustained attention, and that language production happens less automatically than has often been assumed. PMID:26335441

Design of the opacity spectrometer for opacity measurements at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Ross, P. W.; Heeter, R. F.; Ahmed, M. F.; ...

2016-10-03

Recent experiments at the Sandia National Laboratory Z facility have called into question models used in calculating opacity, of importance for modeling stellar interiors. An effort is being made to reproduce these results at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These experiments require a new X-ray opacity spectrometer (OpSpec) spanning 540 eV–2100 eV with a resolving power E/ΔE > 700. The design of the OpSpec is presented. Photometric calculations based on expected opacity data are also presented in this paper. First use on NIF is expected in September 2016.

Design of the opacity spectrometer for opacity measurements at the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Ross, P W; Heeter, R F; Ahmed, M F; Dodd, E; Huffman, E J; Liedahl, D A; King, J A; Opachich, Y P; Schneider, M B; Perry, T S

2016-11-01

Recent experiments at the Sandia National Laboratory Z facility have called into question models used in calculating opacity, of importance for modeling stellar interiors. An effort is being made to reproduce these results at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These experiments require a new X-ray opacity spectrometer (OpSpec) spanning 540 eV-2100 eV with a resolving power E/ΔE > 700. The design of the OpSpec is presented. Photometric calculations based on expected opacity data are also presented. First use on NIF is expected in September 2016.

Towards a Strength-Based Juvenile Correctional Facility: Sustainability and Effects of an Institutional Transformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, William H.; Mackin, Juliette R.

2012-01-01

In 2006, the administration of a state-run, secure juvenile correctional facility initiated an attempt to transform its institutional culture using a strength-based approach to assessment and case planning. This resulted in a rapid improvement in institutional climate. The current study revisits this setting several years later to see if those…

Microdosimetric investigation at the therapeutic proton beam facility of CATANA.

PubMed

De Nardo, L; Moro, D; Colautti, P; Conte, V; Tornielli, G; Cuttone, G

2004-01-01

Proton beams (62 Mev) are used by the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics to treat eye melanoma tumours at the therapeutic facility called CATANA. A cylindrical slim tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) of 2.7 mm external diameter has been used to compare the radiation quality of two spread-out Bragg peaks (SOBP) at the CATANA proton beam.

Assessing impact and sustainability of health, water, and sanitation interventions in Bolivia six years post-project.

PubMed

Eder, Clara; Schooley, Janine; Fullerton, Judith; Murguia, Jose

2012-07-01

To assess the impact and sustainability of health, water, and sanitation interventions in Bolivia six years post-project. A mixed-method (qualitative-quantitative) study was conducted in 14 rural intervention and control communities in Bolivia in November 2008, six years after the completion of interventions designed to improve knowledge and practices related to maternal and child health and nutrition, community water systems, and household water and sanitation facilities. The degree to which participants had sustained the community and household practices promoted by the interventions was a particular focus. Community site visits were made to evaluate the status (functional condition) and sustainability (state of maintenance and repair) of community and household water and sanitation infrastructure. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to assess knowledge and practices, and perceptions about the value of the interventions to the community. Six years post-project, participants remained committed to sustaining the practices promoted in the interventions. The average rating for the functional condition of community water systems was 42% higher than the average rating in control communities. In addition, more than two-thirds of households continued to practice selected maternal and child health behaviors promoted by the interventions (compared to less than half of the households in the control communities). Communities that received integrated investments (development and health) seemed to sustain the practices promoted in the interventions better than communities that received assistance in only one of the two sectors. Infrastructure for community water systems and household water and sanitation facilities was better built and maintained, and selected maternal and child health behaviors practiced more frequently, in intervention communities versus control communities.

Identification of core objectives for teaching sustainable healthcare education.

PubMed

Teherani, Arianne; Nishimura, Holly; Apatira, Latifat; Newman, Thomas; Ryan, Susan

2017-01-01

Physicians will be called upon to care for patients who bear the burden of disease from the impact of climate change and ecologically irresponsible practices which harm ecosystems and contribute to climate change. However, physicians must recognize the connection between the climate, ecosystems, sustainability, and health and their responsibility and capacity in changing the status quo. Sustainable healthcare education (SHE), defined as education about the impact of climate change and ecosystem alterations on health and the impact of the healthcare industry on the aforementioned, is vital to prevention of adverse health outcomes due to the changing climate and environment. To systematically determine which and when a set of SHE objectives should be included in the medical education continuum. Fifty-two SHE experts participated in a two-part modified-Delphi study. A survey was developed based on 21 SHE objectives. Respondents rated the importance of each objective and when each objective should be taught. Descriptive statistics and an item-level content validity index (CVI) were used to analyze data. Fifteen of the objectives achieved a content validity index of 78% or greater. The remaining objectives had content validity indices between 58% and 77%. The preclinical years of medical school were rated as the optimal time for introducing 13 and the clinical years for introducing six of the objectives. Respondents noted the definition of environmental sustainability should be learned prior to medical school and identifying ways to improve the environmental sustainability of health systems in post-graduate training. This study proposes SHE objectives for the continuum of medical education. These objectives ensure the identity of the physician includes the requisite awareness and competence to care for patients who experience the impact of climate and environment on health and advocate for sustainability of the health systems in which they work. CVI: Content validity

Spacelab Life Sciences 3 biomedical research using the Rhesus Research Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, R. W.; Searby, N. D.; Stone, L. S.; Hogan, R. P.; Viso, M.; Venet, M.

1992-01-01

In 1985, a letter of agreement was signed between the French space agency, CNES, and NASA, formally initiating a joint venture called the RHESUS Project. The goal of this project is to provide a facility to fly rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to support spaceflight experiments which are applicable but not practical to carry out on human subjects. Biomedical investigations in behavior/performance, immunology/microbiology, muscle physiology, cardiopulmonary physiology, bone/calcium physiology, regulatory physiology, and neurophysiology disciplines will be performed. The Rhesus Research Facility, hardware capable of supporting two adult rhesus monkeys in a microgravity environment, is being developed for a first flight on Spacelab Life Sciences in early 1996.

Wakeup Call

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Corey

2007-01-01

Tornados damage and destroy schools every year, but many school designers and planners continue to propose new facilities that do not incorporate storm safety techniques. They often subscribe to the "it can't happen here" idea or argue that making schools safe is too expensive. On the heels of two violent storms that damaged schools in…

Recent Upgrades at the Safety and Tritium Applied Research Facility

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

Cadwallader, Lee Charles; Merrill, Brad Johnson; Stewart, Dean Andrew

This paper gives a brief overview of the Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility operated by the Fusion Safety Program (FSP) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). FSP researchers use the STAR facility to carry out experiments in tritium permeation and retention in various fusion materials, including wall armor tile materials. FSP researchers also perform other experimentation as well to support safety assessment in fusion development. This lab, in its present two-building configuration, has been in operation for over ten years. The main experiments at STAR are briefly described. This paper discusses recent work to enhance personnel safety atmore » the facility. The STAR facility is a Department of Energy less than hazard category 3 facility; the personnel safety approach calls for ventilation and tritium monitoring for radiation protection. The tritium areas of STAR have about 4 to 12 air changes per hour, with air flow being once through and then routed to the facility vent stack. Additional radiation monitoring has been installed to read the laboratory room air where experiments with tritium are conducted. These ion chambers and bubblers are used to verify that no significant tritium concentrations are present in the experiment rooms. Standby electrical power has been added to the facility exhaust blower so that proper ventilation will now operate during commercial power outages as well as the real-time tritium air monitors.« less

The Influence of Team Functioning and Workload on Sustainability of Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapies.

PubMed

Mohr, David C; Rosen, Craig S; Schnurr, Paula P; Orazem, Robert J; Noorbaloochi, Siamak; Clothier, Barbara A; Eftekhari, Afsoon; Bernardy, Nancy C; Chard, Kathleen M; Crowley, Jill J; Cook, Joan M; Kehle-Forbes, Shannon M; Ruzek, Josef I; Sayer, Nina A

2018-05-25

It has been over a decade since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began formal dissemination and implementation of two trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBPs). The objective of this study was to examine the sustainability of the TF-EBPs and determine whether team functioning and workload were associated with TF-EBP sustainability. This observational study used VA administrative data for 6,251 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and surveys from 78 providers from 10 purposefully selected PTSD clinical teams located in nine VA medical centers. The outcome was sustainability of TF-EBPs, which was based on British National Health System Sustainability Index scores (possible scores range from 0 to 100.90). Primary predictors included team functioning, workload, and TB-EBP reach to patients with PTSD. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the influence of team functioning and workload on TF-EBP sustainability after adjustment for covariates that were significantly associated with sustainability. Sustainability Index scores ranged from 53.15 to 100.90 across the 10 teams. Regression models showed that after adjustment for patient and facility characteristics, team functioning was positively associated (B=9.16, p<.001) and workload was negatively associated (B=-.28, p<.05) with TF-EBP sustainability. There was considerable variation across teams in TF-EBP sustainability. The contribution of team functioning and workload to the sustainability of evidence-based mental health care warrants further study.

Laser systems for the combustion research facility - Diana

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

Miller, C.K.; Lavasek, J.W.; Jones, E.D.

1982-03-01

A 5-Joule/pulse, 1.8-..mu..s-pulse-width, 10-ppS flashlamp-pumped tunable-dye-laser system, called Diana, has been built for use in experiments to be performed at the Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore. Design specifications for the system and details of construction are described, and it is noted that performance of the laser meets or exceeds all design criteria. Areas for further performance improvements are discussed, and updates are suggested to enhance system usefulness.

Globalization and sustainable development an E7 point of view

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

Strassburg, W.

1998-07-01

The energy sector is a crucial feedstock to economic development. One example of this industry sector's contribution towards sustainable development is the so-called E7 initiative on sustainable energy development of some of the biggest electric utilities. E7 members from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US are demonstrating the functioning of the requested globally synchronized approach between developed and developing countries. E7 members focus their activities on (1) the efficient use of primary energy resources, (2) maximizing the use of renewable energy resources, (3) maximizing efficiency in the generation, delivery, and use of electricity, (4) minimizing environmental impacts ofmore » energy production and use and, (5) implementing innovative options to promote win-win benefits for the environment and the economy through their network of expertise on a pro bono basis. A main emphasis lies in the consistent Joint Implementation given the fact that innovative and efficient Green House Gas reduction measures will be the core of future E7 activities. Especially commercial projects will provide valuable contributions to Green House Gas reductions as well as to economic development of the recipient country. Other instruments, such Emission Trading and Clean Development Mechanism will have to be investigated appropriately in terms of their practicability for Green House Gas reductions so that their will be a notification by the international climate protection regime. Therefore Emission Trading and Clean Development Mechanism are of importance for E7 members' future operations, too. With respect to Sustainable Development industry, energy and environmental policy in leading industry countries must be more closely aligned to a global approach than has so far been the case. The electricity sector is called on to make a major contribution.« less

An analysis of decommissioning costs for the AFRRI TRIGA reactor facility

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

Forsbacka, Matt

1990-07-01

A decommissioning cost analysis for the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility was made. AFRRI is not at this time suggesting that the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility be decommissioned. This report was prepared to be in compliance with paragraph 50.33 of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations which requires the assurance of availability of future decommissioning funding. The planned method of decommissioning is the immediate decontamination of the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor site to allow for restoration of the site to full public access - this is called DECON. The cost of DECON for the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility in 1990 dollars ismore » estimated to be $3,200,000. The anticipated ancillary costs of facility site demobilization and spent fuel shipment is an additional $600,000. Thus the total cost of terminating reactor operations at AFRRI will be about $3,800,000. The primary basis for this cost estimate is a study of the decommissioning costs of a similar reactor facility that was performed by Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) as provided in USNRC publication NUREG/CR-1756. The data in this study were adapted to reflect the decommissioning requirements of the AFRRI TRIGA. (author)« less

Sustainable gold mining management waste policy in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tudor, Elena; Filipciuc, Constantina

2016-04-01

Sustainable mining practices and consistent implementation of the mining for the closure planning approach, within an improved legislative framework, create conditions for the development of creative, profitable, environmentally-sound and socially-responsible management and reuse of mine lands. According to the World Commission on Environment and Development definition, sustainable development is the type of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Romania has the largest gold reserves in Europe (760 million tons of gold-silver ores, of which 40 million tons in 68 gold deposits in the Apuseni Mountains. New mining projects draw particular attention regarding the environmental risks they cause. Rehabilitation is an ongoing consideration throughout the mine's lifecycle, both from a technical and a financial standpoint. The costs of land rehabilitation are classified as the mine's operating costs. According to Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability, the prevention and remedying of environmental damage should be implemented by applying the "polluter pays" principle, in line with the principle of sustainable development. Directive on the management of waste from extractive industries and amending Directive obliges operators to provide (and periodically adjust in size) a financial guarantee for waste facility maintenance and post-closure site restoration, including land rehabilitation. According to the Romanian Mining Law, the license holder has the following obligations related to land use and protection: to provide environmental agreements as one of the prerequisites for a building permit; to regularly update the mine closure plan; to set up and maintain the financial guarantee for environmental rehabilitation; and to execute and finalize the environmental rehabilitation of affected land in the mining site, according to the mine closure plan, including the post

Development of echolocation calls and neural selectivity for echolocation calls in the pallid bat.

PubMed

Razak, Khaleel A; Fuzessery, Zoltan M

2015-10-01

Studies of birdsongs and neural selectivity for songs have provided important insights into principles of concurrent behavioral and auditory system development. Relatively little is known about mammalian auditory system development in terms of vocalizations or other behaviorally relevant sounds. This review suggests echolocating bats are suitable mammalian model systems to understand development of auditory behaviors. The simplicity of echolocation calls with known behavioral relevance and strong neural selectivity provides a platform to address how natural experience shapes cortical receptive field (RF) mechanisms. We summarize recent studies in the pallid bat that followed development of echolocation calls and cortical processing of such calls. We also discuss similar studies in the mustached bat for comparison. These studies suggest: (1) there are different developmental sensitive periods for different acoustic features of the same vocalization. The underlying basis is the capacity for some components of the RF to be modified independent of others. Some RF computations and maps involved in call processing are present even before the cochlea is mature and well before use of echolocation in flight. Others develop over a much longer time course. (2) Normal experience is required not just for refinement, but also for maintenance, of response properties that develop in an experience independent manner. (3) Experience utilizes millisecond range changes in timing of inhibitory and excitatory RF components as substrates to shape vocalization selectivity. We suggest that bat species and call diversity provide a unique opportunity to address developmental constraints in the evolution of neural mechanisms of vocalization processing. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of echolocation calls and neural selectivity for echolocation calls in the pallid bat

PubMed Central

Razak, Khaleel A.; Fuzessery, Zoltan M.

2014-01-01

Studies of birdsongs and neural selectivity for songs have provided important insights into principles of concurrent behavioral and auditory system development. Relatively little is known about mammalian auditory system development in terms of vocalizations, or other behaviorally relevant sounds. This review suggests echolocating bats are suitable mammalian model systems to understand development of auditory behaviors. The simplicity of echolocation calls with known behavioral relevance and strong neural selectivity provides a platform to address how natural experience shapes cortical receptive field (RF) mechanisms. We summarize recent studies in the pallid bat that followed development of echolocation calls and cortical processing of such calls. We also discuss similar studies in the mustached bat for comparison. These studies suggest: (1) there are different developmental sensitive periods for different acoustic features of the same vocalization. The underlying basis is the capacity for some components of the RF to be modified independent of others. Some RF computations and maps involved in call processing are present even before the cochlea is mature and well before use of echolocation in flight. Others develop over a much longer time course. (2) Normal experience is required not just for refinement, but also for maintenance, of response properties that develop in an experience independent manner. (3) Experience utilizes millisecond range changes in timing of inhibitory and excitatory RF components as substrates to shape vocalization selectivity. We suggest that bat species and call diversity provide a unique opportunity to address developmental constraints in the evolution of neural mechanisms of vocalization processing. PMID:25142131

Facility for orbital material processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starodubov, D.; McCormick, K.; Dellosa, M.; Erdelyi, E.; Volfson, L.

2018-05-01

The sustainable orbital manufacturing with commercially viable and profitable operation has tremendous potential for driving the space exploration industry and human expansion into outer space. This highly challenging task has never been accomplished before. The current relatively high delivery cost of materials represents the business challenge of value proposition for making products in space. FOMS Inc. team identified an opportunity of fluoride optical fiber manufacturing in space that can lead to the first commercial production on orbit. To address continued cost effective International Space Station (ISS) operations FOMS Inc. has developed and demonstrated for the first time a fully operational space facility for orbital remote manufacturing with up to 50 km fiber fabrication capability and strong commercial potential for manufacturing operations on board the ISS.

Sustainable Campus: Engaging the Community in Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Too, Linda; Bajracharya, Bhishna

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the major factors necessary for engaging university campus community in sustainability. While general awareness in sustainability issues has improved in recent years through mass media coverage, this knowledge is not always translated into actual sustainable practice. Studies have indicated that…

Assessment System for Junior High Schools in Taiwan to Select Environmental Education Facilities and Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Shyue-Yung; Chen, Wen-Te; Hsu, Wei-Ling

2017-01-01

Environmental education is essential for people to pursue sustainable development. In Taiwan, environmental education is taught to students until they graduate from junior high school. This study was conducted to establish an assessment system for junior high schools to select appropriate environmental education facilities and sites. A mix of…

Sharing programming resources between Bio* projects through remote procedure call and native call stack strategies.

PubMed

Prins, Pjotr; Goto, Naohisa; Yates, Andrew; Gautier, Laurent; Willis, Scooter; Fields, Christopher; Katayama, Toshiaki

2012-01-01

Open-source software (OSS) encourages computer programmers to reuse software components written by others. In evolutionary bioinformatics, OSS comes in a broad range of programming languages, including C/C++, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, and R. To avoid writing the same functionality multiple times for different languages, it is possible to share components by bridging computer languages and Bio* projects, such as BioPerl, Biopython, BioRuby, BioJava, and R/Bioconductor. In this chapter, we compare the two principal approaches for sharing software between different programming languages: either by remote procedure call (RPC) or by sharing a local call stack. RPC provides a language-independent protocol over a network interface; examples are RSOAP and Rserve. The local call stack provides a between-language mapping not over the network interface, but directly in computer memory; examples are R bindings, RPy, and languages sharing the Java Virtual Machine stack. This functionality provides strategies for sharing of software between Bio* projects, which can be exploited more often. Here, we present cross-language examples for sequence translation, and measure throughput of the different options. We compare calling into R through native R, RSOAP, Rserve, and RPy interfaces, with the performance of native BioPerl, Biopython, BioJava, and BioRuby implementations, and with call stack bindings to BioJava and the European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite. In general, call stack approaches outperform native Bio* implementations and these, in turn, outperform RPC-based approaches. To test and compare strategies, we provide a downloadable BioNode image with all examples, tools, and libraries included. The BioNode image can be run on VirtualBox-supported operating systems, including Windows, OSX, and Linux.

Green Net Value Added as a Sustainability Metric Based on ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Sustainability measurement in economics involves evaluation of environmental and economic impact in an integrated manner. In this study, system level economic data are combined with environmental impact from a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a common product. We are exploring a costing approach that captures traditional costs but also incorporates externality costs to provide a convenient, easily interpretable metric. Green Net Value Added (GNVA) is a type of full cost accounting that incorporates total revenue, the cost of materials and services, depreciation, and environmental externalities. Two, but not all, of the potential environmental impacts calculated by the standard LCIA method (TRACI) could be converted to externality cost values. We compute externality costs disaggregated by upstream sectors, full cost, and GNVA to evaluate the relative sustainability of Bounty® paper towels manufactured at two production facilities. We found that the longer running, more established line had a higher GNVA than the newer line. The dominant factors contributing to externality costs are calculated to come from the stationary sources in the supply chain: electricity generation (27-35%), refineries (20-21%), pulp and paper making (15-23%). Health related externalities from Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions appear largely driven by electricity usage and emissions by the facilities, followed by pulp processing and transport. Supply

An ARM Mobile Facility Designed for Marine Deployments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiscombe, W. J.

2007-05-01

The U.S. Dept. of Energy's ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurements) Program is designing a Mobile Facility exclusively for marine deployments. This marine facility is patterned after ARM's land Mobile Facility, which had its inaugural deployment at Point Reyes, California, in 2005, followed by deployments to Niger in 2006 and Germany in 2007 (ongoing), and a planned deployment to China in 2008. These facilities are primarily intended for the study of clouds, radiation, aerosols, and surface processes with a goal to include these processes accurately in climate models. They are preferably embedded within larger field campaigns which provide context. They carry extensive instrumentation (in several large containers) including: cloud radar, lidar, microwave radiometers, infrared spectrometers, broadband and narrowband radiometers, sonde-launching facilities, extensive surface aerosol measurements, sky imagers, and surface latent and sensible heat flux devices. ARM's Mobile Facilities are designed for 6-10 month deployments in order to capture climatically-relevant datasets. They are available to any scientist, U.S. or international, who wishes to submit a proposal during the annual Spring call. The marine facility will be adapted to, and ruggedized for, the harsh marine environment and will add a scanning two-frequency radar, a boundary-layer wind profiler, a shortwave spectrometer, and aerosol instrumentation adapted to typical marine aerosols like sea salt. Plans also include the use of roving small UAVs, automated small boats, and undersea autonomous vehicles in order to address the point-to-area-average problem which is so crucial for informing climate models. Initial deployments are planned for small islands in climatically- interesting cloud regimes, followed by deployments on oceanic platforms (like decommissioned oil rigs and the quasi-permanent platform of this session's title) and eventually on large ships like car carriers plying routine routes.

The sustainability and performance measurement on supply chain in services industry: A literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leksono, Eko Budi; Suparno, Vanany, Iwan

2017-11-01

The services industry growth has been significant relation with economic growth. A new paradigm is needed for services sector development. The supply chain and performance measurement able to sustain of services industry growth. The supply chain implementation in the services industry called service supply chain (SSC). The globalization and stakeholder pressure makes operation of SSC should more attention to sustainability issue which consists of economic, social and environment simultaneously on SSC. Furthermore, services industry can develop by implementation of the sustainable SSC and its performance measurement. The sustainable SSC implementation can minimize of negative operation effect to environment and social, and maximize of profit. Sustainable service supply chain performance measurements (SSSCPM) are still less explored. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature in the field SSC, SSSC, SSC performance measurement (SSCPM) and SSSCPM for identification of the SSSCPM frameworks and indicators. Beside, the result of review able to look opportunities for develop a new framework for SSSCPM at the operational level, tactical and strategic, multiplayer and close loop, the effectiveness of the integration and development of modeling and simulation for evaluation in the future.

Segmental structure in banded mongoose calls.

PubMed

Fitch, W Tecumseh

2012-12-03

In complex animal vocalizations, such as bird or whale song, a great variety of songs can be produced via rearrangements of a smaller set of 'syllables', known as 'phonological syntax' or 'phonocoding' However, food or alarm calls, which function as referential signals, were previously thought to lack such combinatorial structure. A new study of calls in the banded mongoose Mungos mungo provides the first evidence of phonocoding at the level of single calls. The first portion of the call provides cues to the identity of the caller, and the second part encodes its current activity. This provides the first example known in animals of something akin to the consonants and vowels of human speech.

The Mothball, Sustainment, and Proposed Reactivation of the Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) at NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Scott R.; Lee, Jinho; Stephens, John W.; Hostler, Robert W., Jr.; VonKamp, William D.

2010-01-01

The Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) located at the NASA Glenn Research Center s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, is the nation s only large-scale, non-vitiated, hypersonic propulsion test facility. The HTF, with its 4-story graphite induction heater, is capable of duplicating Mach 5, 6, and 7 flight conditions. This unique propulsion system test facility has experienced several standby and reactivation cycles. The intent of the paper is to overview the HTF capabilities to the propulsion community, present the current status of HTF, and share the lessons learned from putting a large-scale facility into mothball status for a later restart

ARM Best Estimate Data (ARMBE) Products for Climate Science for a Sustainable Energy Future (CSSEF)

DOE Data Explorer

Riihimaki, Laura; Gaustad, Krista; McFarlane, Sally

2014-06-12

This data set was created for the Climate Science for a Sustainable Energy Future (CSSEF) model testbed project and is an extension of the hourly average ARMBE dataset to other extended facility sites and to include uncertainty estimates. Uncertainty estimates were needed in order to use uncertainty quantification (UQ) techniques with the data.

Avoiding decline: Fostering resilience and sustainability in midsize cities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, Craig R.; Birge, Hannah E.; Bartelt-Hunt, Shannon; Bevans, Rebecca A.; Burnett, Jessica L.; Cosens, Barbara; Cai, Ximing; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Linkov, Igor; Scott, Elizabeth A.; Solomon, Mark D.; Uden, Daniel R.

2016-01-01

Eighty-five percent of United States citizens live in urban areas. However, research surrounding the resilience and sustainability of complex urban systems focuses largely on coastal megacities (>1 million people). Midsize cities differ from their larger counterparts due to tight urban-rural feedbacks with their immediate natural environments that result from heavy reliance and close management of local ecosystem services. They also may be less path-dependent than larger cities due to shorter average connection length among system components, contributing to higher responsiveness among social, infrastructural, and ecological feedbacks. These distinct midsize city features call for a framework that organizes information and concepts concerning the sustainability of midsize cities specifically. We argue that an integrative approach is necessary to capture properties emergent from the complex interactions of the social, infrastructural, and ecological subsystems that comprise a city system. We suggest approaches to estimate the relative resilience of midsize cities, and include an example assessment to illustrate one such estimation approach. Resilience assessments of a midsize city can be used to examine why some cities end up on sustainable paths while others diverge to unsustainable paths, and which feedbacks may be partially responsible. They also provide insight into how city planners and decision makers can use information about the resilience of midsize cities undergoing growth or shrinkage relative to their larger and smaller counterparts, to transform them into long-term, sustainable social-ecological systems.

Socioeconomic indicators for sustainable design and commercial development of algal biofuel systems

DOE PAGES

Efroymson, Rebecca Ann; Dale, Virginia H.; Langholtz, Matthew H.

2016-05-10

Socio-economic sustainability indicators that have been proposed previously for terrestrial bioenergy were evaluated for applicability to algal biofuels. Indicators developed for terrestrial bioenergy were found to be appropriate and sufficient for algae biofuels, meeting the selection criteria of practicality, wide applicability, predictability in response to management, anticipation of future changes, adaptability to multiple scales where possible, ability to integrate multiple dimensions, and non-redundancy. The 16 indicators fall into the categories of social well-being, energy security, external trade, profitability, resource conservation, and social acceptability. None of the indicators have yet been measured in published sustainability assessments for commercial facilities. Indicators estimatedmore » for various scenarios in the scientific literature include the profitability indicators return on investment and net present value, and the resource conservation indicator, fossil energy return on investment. The food security indicator, percent change in food price volatility, is easy to estimate at zero if agricultural lands are not used. Some indicators, such as the energy security indicators energy security premium and fuel price volatility and the external trade indicators terms of trade and trade volume cannot be projected into the future with accuracy, so they will not be measured prior to significant commercialization of algal biofuels. Furthermore, the list of proposed sustainability indicators may be adjusted to particular purposes and contexts. Together with environmental sustainability indicators, these socioeconomic sustainability indicators should contribute to sustainability assessments for algal biofuels.« less

Socioeconomic indicators for sustainable design and commercial development of algal biofuel systems

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

Efroymson, Rebecca Ann; Dale, Virginia H.; Langholtz, Matthew H.

Socio-economic sustainability indicators that have been proposed previously for terrestrial bioenergy were evaluated for applicability to algal biofuels. Indicators developed for terrestrial bioenergy were found to be appropriate and sufficient for algae biofuels, meeting the selection criteria of practicality, wide applicability, predictability in response to management, anticipation of future changes, adaptability to multiple scales where possible, ability to integrate multiple dimensions, and non-redundancy. The 16 indicators fall into the categories of social well-being, energy security, external trade, profitability, resource conservation, and social acceptability. None of the indicators have yet been measured in published sustainability assessments for commercial facilities. Indicators estimatedmore » for various scenarios in the scientific literature include the profitability indicators return on investment and net present value, and the resource conservation indicator, fossil energy return on investment. The food security indicator, percent change in food price volatility, is easy to estimate at zero if agricultural lands are not used. Some indicators, such as the energy security indicators energy security premium and fuel price volatility and the external trade indicators terms of trade and trade volume cannot be projected into the future with accuracy, so they will not be measured prior to significant commercialization of algal biofuels. Furthermore, the list of proposed sustainability indicators may be adjusted to particular purposes and contexts. Together with environmental sustainability indicators, these socioeconomic sustainability indicators should contribute to sustainability assessments for algal biofuels.« less

Sustainable Procurement: Integrating Classroom Learning with University Sustainability Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldschmidt, Kyle; Harrison, Terry; Holtry, Matthew; Reeh, Jeremy

2013-01-01

Organizations are facing increased pressure from various stakeholders to address issues of sustainability, resulting in a growing demand for sustainability education and training. Procurement groups remain the key drivers of many sustainability-related strategies, placing pressure on universities to integrate sustainability concepts into the…

Quantum Leap in Cartography as a requirement of Sustainable Development of the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tikunov, Vladimir S.; Tikunova, Iryna N.; Eremchenko, Eugene N.

2018-05-01

Sustainable development is one of the most important challenges for humanity and one of the priorities of the United Nations. Achieving sustainability of the whole World is a main goal of management at all levels - from personal to local to global. Therefore, decision making should be supported by relevant geospatial information system. Nevertheless, classical geospatial products, maps and GIS, violate fundamental demand of `situational awareness' concept, well-known philosophy of decision-making - same representation of situation within a same volume of time and space for all decision-makers. Basic mapping principles like generalization and projections split the universal single model of situation on number of different separate and inconsistent replicas. It leads to wrong understanding of situation and, after all - to incorrect decisions. In another words, quality of the sustainable development depends on effective decision-making support based on universal global scale-independent and projection-independent model. This new way for interacting with geospatial information is a quantum leap in cartography method. It is implemented in the so-called `Digital Earth' paradigm and geospatial services like Google Earth. Com-paring of both methods, as well as possibilities of implementation of Digital Earth in the sustain-able development activities, are discussed.

New concept of aging care architecture landscape design based on sustainable development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ying

2017-05-01

As the aging problem becoming serious in China, Aging care is now one of the top issuer in front of all of us. Lots of private and public aging care architecture and facilities have been built. At present, we only pay attention to the architecture design and interior design scientific, ecological and sustainable design on aged care architecture landscape. Based on the social economy, population resources, mutual coordination and development of the environment, taking the elderly as the special group, this paper follows the principles of the sustainable development, conducts the comprehensive design planning of aged care landscape architecture and makes a deeper understanding and exploration through changing the form of architectural space, ecological landscape planting, new materials and technology, ecological energy utilization.

Quality of the delivery services in health facilities in Northern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Fisseha, Girmatsion; Berhane, Yemane; Worku, Alemayehu; Terefe, Wondwossen

2017-03-09

Substantial improvements have been observed in the coverage of and access to maternal health service, especially in skilled birth attendants, in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. Therefore, this study investigated the status of the quality of delivery services in Northern Ethiopia. A facility based survey was conducted from December 2014 to February 2015 in Northern Ethiopia. The quality of delivery service was assessed in 32 health facilities using a facility audit checklist, by reviewing delivery, by conducting in-depth interview and observation, and by conducting exit interviews with eligible mothers. Facilities were considered as 'good quality' if they scored positively on 75% of the quality indicators set in the national guidelines for all the three components; input (materials, infrastructure, and human resource), process (adherence to standard care procedures during intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods) and output (the mothers' satisfaction and utilization of lifesaving procedures). Overall 2 of 32 (6.3%) of the study facilities fulfilled all the three quality components; input, process and output. Two of the three components were assessed as good in 11 of the 32 (34.4%) health facilities. The input quality was the better of the other quality components; which was good in 21 out of the 32 (65.6%) health facilities. The process and output quality was good in only 10 of the 32 (31.3%) facilities. Only 6.3% of the studied health facilities had good quality in all three dimensions of quality measures that was done in accordance to the national delivery service guidelines. The most compromised quality component was the process. Systematic and sustained efforts need to be strengthened to improve all dimensions of quality in order to achieve the desired quality of delivery services and increase the proportion of births occurring in health facilities.

Rare disease registries: a call to action.

PubMed

Lacaze, Paul; Millis, Nicole; Fookes, Megan; Zurynski, Yvonne; Jaffe, Adam; Bellgard, Matthew; Winship, Ingrid; McNeil, John; Bittles, Alan H

2017-09-01

When registries collect accurate clinical data over time, they can act as fundamental support structures for patients and their families and powerful cost-effective instruments to support clinical trials and translational research to improve quality of care, quality of life and survival. Registries are critical for rare diseases (RD) with low prevalence and propensity for variation in treatment and outcomes. Rare Voices Australia is leading a call for action to the research and clinical community to prioritise RD data collection and develop an integrated RD Registry strategy for Australia. Financial, operational and governance challenges exist for establishing and maintaining RD registries. As a multidisciplinary team whose interests converge on RD, we highlight the need for the establishment of an Australian RD Registry Alliance. This 'umbrella' organisation will: (i) bring together existing RD registries across Australia; (ii) establish National RD Registry Standards to support interoperability and cohesion across registries; (iii) develop strategies to attract sustainable funding from government and other sources to maximise the utility of existing RD registries and support the development of new RD registries. The most important role for the Alliance would be to use the RD registries for translational research to address current knowledge gaps about RD and to improve the care for the over 1.4 million Australians estimated to live with RD. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Calling under pressure: short-finned pilot whales make social calls during deep foraging dives

PubMed Central

Jensen, Frants H.; Perez, Jacobo Marrero; Johnson, Mark; Soto, Natacha Aguilar; Madsen, Peter T.

2011-01-01

Toothed whales rely on sound to echolocate prey and communicate with conspecifics, but little is known about how extreme pressure affects pneumatic sound production in deep-diving species with a limited air supply. The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a highly social species among the deep-diving toothed whales, in which individuals socialize at the surface but leave their social group in pursuit of prey at depths of up to 1000 m. To investigate if these animals communicate acoustically at depth and test whether hydrostatic pressure affects communication signals, acoustic DTAGs logging sound, depth and orientation were attached to 12 pilot whales. Tagged whales produced tonal calls during deep foraging dives at depths of up to 800 m. Mean call output and duration decreased with depth despite the increased distance to conspecifics at the surface. This shows that the energy content of calls is lower at depths where lungs are collapsed and where the air volume available for sound generation is limited by ambient pressure. Frequency content was unaffected, providing a possible cue for group or species identification of diving whales. Social calls may be important to maintain social ties for foraging animals, but may be impacted adversely by vessel noise. PMID:21345867

Calling under pressure: short-finned pilot whales make social calls during deep foraging dives.

PubMed

Jensen, Frants H; Perez, Jacobo Marrero; Johnson, Mark; Soto, Natacha Aguilar; Madsen, Peter T

2011-10-22

Toothed whales rely on sound to echolocate prey and communicate with conspecifics, but little is known about how extreme pressure affects pneumatic sound production in deep-diving species with a limited air supply. The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a highly social species among the deep-diving toothed whales, in which individuals socialize at the surface but leave their social group in pursuit of prey at depths of up to 1000 m. To investigate if these animals communicate acoustically at depth and test whether hydrostatic pressure affects communication signals, acoustic DTAGs logging sound, depth and orientation were attached to 12 pilot whales. Tagged whales produced tonal calls during deep foraging dives at depths of up to 800 m. Mean call output and duration decreased with depth despite the increased distance to conspecifics at the surface. This shows that the energy content of calls is lower at depths where lungs are collapsed and where the air volume available for sound generation is limited by ambient pressure. Frequency content was unaffected, providing a possible cue for group or species identification of diving whales. Social calls may be important to maintain social ties for foraging animals, but may be impacted adversely by vessel noise.

Safe and sustainable increases in day case emergency surgery.

PubMed

Hotchen, Andrew J; Coleman, Grant; O'Callaghan, John M; McWhinnie, Doug

2016-03-01

Selected patients referred to emergency general surgery departments are suitable for day case emergency surgery with no overnight hospital stay. There are no well-described sustainable pathways for these expedited operations and in many hospitals patients undergo unnecessary admissions and experience long waiting times. The authors proposed a new, sustainable, day case emergency surgery pathway which was implemented to streamline the assessment, treatment and discharge of acute surgical referrals. It requires rapid assessment of the patient by a senior clinician, and ready availability of diagnostic services and operating facilities. To assess this pathway, the authors conducted a prospective audit of general surgical referrals to a district general hospital in the UK. During the inclusion period 746 emergency referrals were assessed, 281 (37%) of these underwent an operation. Over a 5-month investigation period, the audit found that approximately 27% of all emergency general surgery patients requiring an operation could be managed with day case emergency surgery. This figure was maintained throughout the duration of the study. Operations included incision and drainage of abscesses, incarcerated hernia repairs and appendicectomies. The average length of stay of all surgical admissions decreased from 5 days to less than 3 days and the median time to senior review was 30 minutes. The authors have developed a pathway involving permanent members of the surgical assessment team that is sustainable over a 5-month period. The pathway has allowed rapid assessment of patients and reduced unnecessary inpatient stay in a sustainable and reproducible manner.

Segmental structure in banded mongoose calls

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

In complex animal vocalizations, such as bird or whale song, a great variety of songs can be produced via rearrangements of a smaller set of 'syllables', known as 'phonological syntax' or 'phonocoding' However, food or alarm calls, which function as referential signals, were previously thought to lack such combinatorial structure. A new study of calls in the banded mongoose Mungos mungo provides the first evidence of phonocoding at the level of single calls. The first portion of the call provides cues to the identity of the caller, and the second part encodes its current activity. This provides the first example known in animals of something akin to the consonants and vowels of human speech. See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/97 PMID:23206277

It Takes Two to Tango: Studying How Students Constitute Political Subjects in Discourses on Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundegard, Iann; Wickman, Per-Olof

2012-01-01

A great deal of the ongoing discussion about environmental education and education for sustainable development has to do with democracy and deliberation. Here, for example, the normative approach has been challenged. As an alternative, there is sometimes a call for a curriculum and education that is characterized by democracy, participation, and…

Medical directors of long-term care facilities

PubMed Central

Frank, C.; Seguin, R.; Haber, Shelly; Godwin, Marshall; Stewart, G.I.

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE The long-term care (LTC) sector in Canada is expanding, but little attention has been given to medical human resources in this area. Our objective was to seek LTC medical directors’ opinions about medical services in LTC and about strategies for recruitment and retention. DESIGN Mailed survey. SETTING Long-term care facilities and nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS Seven hundred five medical directors of LTC facilities across Canada were identified from the Canadian Healthcare Association database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Responses to open- and closed-ended questions and to Likert-type scales. RESULTS The response rate was 55%. The average age of medical directors was 54 years. Most had started work in LTC because of a vacant position, as opposed to self-perceived skills or training. Most (75.3%) reported satisfaction with their role as medical directors, but 82.7% believed that there was a significant shortage of physicians working in LTC, and 42% had seriously considered leaving their positions. Major sources of satisfaction identified were clinical, especially working with older patients and improving care. Important sources of dissatisfaction were remuneration for LTC work, on-call coverage, and excessive paperwork. Directors suggested increases to fee schedules as the main recruitment and retention strategy, and many believed that increasing exposure to LTC during residency would increase recruitment. Development of larger on-call groups for coverage and alternative methods of remuneration were not cited as important factors. Most did not believe that working in a teaching nursing home would increase their satisfaction. Directors did not think the use of nurse practitioners would alleviate concerns about shortages of physicians. CONCLUSION Medical directors of LTC facilities are aging, and many are considering leaving their work in LTC. Without an increase in the number of physicians willing to work in LTC institutions, the current shortage of LTC

The Nature of Scatter at the DARHT Facility and Suggestions for Improved Modeling of DARHT Facility

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

Morneau, Rachel Anne; Klasky, Marc Louis

The U.S. Stockpile Stewardship Program [1] is designed to sustain and evaluate the nuclear weapons stockpile while foregoing underground nuclear tests. The maintenance of a smaller, aging U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without underground testing requires complex computer calculations [14]. These calculations in turn need to be verified and benchmarked [14]. A wide range of research facilities have been used to test and evaluate nuclear weapons while respecting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) [2]. Some of these facilities include the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories, and the Dual Axismore » Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This research will focus largely on DARHT (although some information from Cygnus and the Los Alamos Microtron may be used in this research) by modeling it and comparing to experimental data. DARHT is an electron accelerator that employs high-energy flash x-ray sources for imaging hydro-tests. This research proposes to address some of the issues crucial to understanding DARHT Axis II and the analysis of the radiographic images produced. Primarily, the nature of scatter at DARHT will be modeled and verified with experimental data. It will then be shown that certain design decisions can be made to optimize the scatter field for hydrotest experiments. Spectral effects will be briefly explored to determine if there is any considerable effect on the density reconstruction caused by changes in the energy spectrum caused by target changes. Finally, a generalized scatter model will be made using results from MCNP that can be convolved with the direct transmission of an object to simulate the scatter of that object at the detector plane. The region in which with this scatter model is appropriate will be explored.« less

A retrospective review of 911 calls to a regional poison control center.

PubMed

Bosak, Adam; Brooks, Daniel E; Welch, Sharyn; Padilla-Jones, Angie; Gerkin, Richard D

2015-01-01

There is little data as to what extent national Emergency Medical Services (EMS; 911) utilize poison control centers (PCCs). A review of data from our PCC was done to better understand this relationship and to identify potential improvements in patient care and health care savings. Retrospective chart review of a single PCC to identify calls originating from 911 sources over a 4-year study period (1/1/08-12/31/11). Recorded variables included the origin of call to the PCC, intent of exposure, symptoms, management site, hospital admission, and death. Odds ratios (OR) were developed using multiple logistic regressions to identify risk factors for EMS dispatch, management site, and the need for hospital admission. A total of 7556 charts were identified; 4382 (58%) met inclusion criteria. Most calls (63.3%) involved accidental exposures and 31% were self-harm or misuse. A total of 2517 (57.4%) patients had symptoms and 2044 (50.8%) were transported to an Emergency Department (ED). Over 38% of calls (n = 1696) were handled primarily by the PCC and did not result in EMS dispatch; only 6.5% of cases (n = 287) with initial PCC involvement resulted in crew dispatch. There were 955 (21.8%) cases that resulted in admission, and five deaths. The OR for being transported to an ED was 45.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.2-68.4) when the crew was dispatched by the PCC. Hospital admission was predicted by intent for self-harm (OR 5.0; 95% CI: 4.1-6.2) and the presence of symptoms (OR 2.43; 95% CI: 1.9-3.0). The ORs for several other predictive variables are also reported. When 911 providers contact a PCC about poisoning-related emergencies, a history of intentional exposure and the presence of symptoms each predicted EMS dispatch by the PCC, patient transport to an ED, and hospital admission. Early involvement of a PCC may prevent the need for EMS activation or patient transfer to a health care facility.

Telephone calls by individuals with cancer.

PubMed

Flannery, Marie; McAndrews, Leanne; Stein, Karen F

2013-09-01

To describe symptom type and reporting patterns found in spontaneously initiated telephone calls placed to an ambulatory cancer center practice. Retrospective, descriptive. Adult hematology oncology cancer center. 563 individuals with a wide range of oncology diagnoses who initiated 1,229 telephone calls to report symptoms. Raw data were extracted from telephone forms using a data collection sheet with 23 variables obtained for each phone call, using pre-established coding criteria. A literature-based, investigator-developed instrument was used for the coding criteria and selection of which variables to extract. Symptom reporting, telephone calls, pain, and symptoms. A total of 2,378 symptoms were reported by telephone during the four months. At least 10% of the sample reported pain (38%), fatigue (16%), nausea (16%), swelling (12%), diarrhea (12%), dyspnea (10%), and anorexia (10%). The modal response was to call only one time and to report only one symptom (55%). Pain emerged as the symptom that most often prompted an individual to pick up the telephone and call. Although variation was seen in symptom reporting, an interesting pattern emerged with an individual reporting on a solitary symptom in a single telephone call. The emergence of pain as the primary symptom reported by telephone prompted educational efforts for both in-person clinic visit management of pain and prioritizing nursing education and protocol management of pain reported by telephone. Report of symptoms by telephone can provide nurses unique insight into patient-centered needs. Although pain has been an important focus of education and research for decades, it remains a priority for individuals with cancer. A wide range in symptom reporting by telephone was evident.

A New Large Vibration Test Facility Concept for the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Brian P.; Johnson, Eric L.; Hoksbergen, Joel; Lund, Doug

2014-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope consists of three main components, the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) Element, the Optical Telescope Element (OTE), and the Spacecraft Element. The ISIM and OTE are being assembled at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC). The combined OTE and ISIM Elements, called OTIS, will undergo sine vibration testing before leaving Goddard. OTIS is the largest payload ever tested at Goddard and the existing GSFC vibration facilities are incapable of performing a sine vibration test of the OTIS payload. As a result, a new large vibration test facility is being designed. The new facility will consist of a vertical system with a guided head expander and a horizontal system with a hydrostatic slip table. The project is currently in the final design phase with installation to begin in early 2015 and the facility is expected to be operational by late 2015. This paper will describe the unique requirements for a new large vibration test facility and present the selected final design concepts.

FEANICS: A Multi-User Facility For Conducting Solid Fuel Combustion Experiments On ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frate, David T.; Tofil, Todd A.

2001-01-01

The Destiny Module on the International Space Station (ISS) will soon be home for the Fluids and Combustion Facility's (FCF) Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), which is being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The CIR will be the platform for future microgravity combustion experiments. A multi-user mini-facility called FEANICS (Flow Enclosure Accommodating Novel Investigations in Combustion of Solids) will also be built at NASA Glenn. This mini-facility will be the primary means for conducting solid fuel combustion experiments in the CIR on ISS. The main focus of many of these solid combustion experiments will be to conduct basic and applied scientific investigations in fire-safety to support NASA's Bioastronautics Initiative. The FEANICS project team will work in conjunction with the CIR project team to develop upgradeable and reusable hardware to meet the science requirements of current and future investigators. Currently, there are six experiments that are candidates to use the FEANICS mini-facility. This paper will describe the capabilities of this mini-facility and the type of solid combustion testing and diagnostics that can be performed.

Limitations of carbon footprint as indicator of environmental sustainability.

PubMed

Laurent, Alexis; Olsen, Stig I; Hauschild, Michael Z

2012-04-03

Greenhouse gas accountings, commonly referred to with the popular term carbon footprints (CFP), are a widely used metric of climate change impacts and the main focus of many sustainability policies among companies and authorities. However, environmental sustainability concerns not just climate change but also other environmental problems, like chemical pollution or depletion of natural resources, and the focus on CFP brings the risk of problem shifting when reductions in CFP are obtained at the expense of increase in other environmental impacts. But how real is this risk? Here, we model and analyze the life cycle impacts from about 4000 different products, technologies, and services taken from several sectors, including energy generation, transportation, material production, infrastructure, and waste management. By investigating the correlations between the CFP and 13 other impact scores, we show that some environmental impacts, notably those related to emissions of toxic substances, often do not covary with climate change impacts. In such situations, carbon footprint is a poor representative of the environmental burden of products, and environmental management focused exclusively on CFP runs the risk of inadvertently shifting the problem to other environmental impacts when products are optimized to become more "green". These findings call for the use of more broadly encompassing tools to assess and manage environmental sustainability.

Calling to Nursing: Concept Analysis.

PubMed

Emerson, Christie

The aims of this article are (a) to analyze the concept of a calling as it relates nursing and (b) to develop a definition of calling to nursing with the detail and clarity needed to guide reliable and valid research. The classic steps described by Walker and Avant are used for the analysis. Literature from several disciplines is reviewed including vocational psychology, Christian career counseling, sociology, organizational management, and nursing. The analysis provides an operational definition of a calling to nursing and establishes 3 defining attributes of the concept: (a) a passionate intrinsic motivation or desire (perhaps with a religious component), (b) an aspiration to engage in nursing practice, as a means of fulfilling one's purpose in life, and (c) the desire to help others as one's purpose in life. Antecedents to the concept are personal introspection and cognitive awareness. Positive consequences to the concept are improved work meaningfulness, work engagement, career commitment, personal well-being, and satisfaction. Negative consequences of having a calling might include willingness to sacrifice well-being for work and problems with work-life balance. Following the concept analysis, philosophical assumptions, contextual factors, interdisciplinary work, research opportunities, and practice implications are discussed.

Pre-Employment Skills Training Module for Adult Male Inmates at Riker's Island Correctional Facility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Janice K.

An instructional program called "Passport to a Job" provided prerelease training for inmates at Riker's Island Correctional Facility. The inmates were taught the important steps in preparing for employment; how to identify and cope with discriminatory employment; and how to demonstrate the interview techniques of opening the interview…

Bioenergy Sustainability in China: Potential and Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Jie; Gentry, Randall W.; Yu, Gui-Rui; Sayler, Gary S.; Bickham, John W.

2010-10-01

The sustainability implications of bioenergy development strategies are large and complex. Unlike conventional agriculture, bioenergy production provides an opportunity to design systems for improving eco-environmental services. Different places have different goals and solutions for bioenergy development, but they all should adhere to the sustainability requirements of the environment, economy, and society. This article serves as a brief overview of China’s bioenergy development and as an introduction to this special issue on the impacts of bioenergy development in China. The eleven articles in this special issue present a range of perspectives and scenario analyses on bioenergy production and its impacts as well as potential barriers to its development. Five general themes are covered: status and goals, biomass resources, energy plants, environmental impacts, and economic and social impacts. The potential for bioenergy production in China is huge, particularly in the central north and northwest. China plans to develop a bioenergy capacity of 30GW by 2020. However, realization of this goal will require breakthroughs in bioenergy landscape design, energy plant biotechnology, legislation, incentive policy, and conversion facilities. Our analyses suggest that (1) the linkage between bioenergy, environment, and economy are often circular rather than linear in nature; (2) sustainability is a core concept in bioenergy design and the ultimate goal of bioenergy development; and (3) each bioenergy development scheme must be region-specific and designed to solve local environmental and agricultural problems.

Press Calls | NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration

Science.gov Websites

Projects Near You Strategic Frameworks Monitoring and Adaptive Management Restoration Areas Alabama Florida Archive Home Press Calls Press Calls Gulf Spill Restoration Menu Home Restoration Areas About Us Data How

Integrated Component-based Data Acquisition Systems for Aerospace Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Richard W.

2001-01-01

The Multi-Instrument Integrated Data Acquisition System (MIIDAS), developed by the NASA Langley Research Center, uses commercial off the shelf (COTS) products, integrated with custom software, to provide a broad range of capabilities at a low cost throughout the system s entire life cycle. MIIDAS combines data acquisition capabilities with online and post-test data reduction computations. COTS products lower purchase and maintenance costs by reducing the level of effort required to meet system requirements. Object-oriented methods are used to enhance modularity, encourage reusability, and to promote adaptability, reducing software development costs. Using only COTS products and custom software supported on multiple platforms reduces the cost of porting the system to other platforms. The post-test data reduction capabilities of MIIDAS have been installed at four aerospace testing facilities at NASA Langley Research Center. The systems installed at these facilities provide a common user interface, reducing the training time required for personnel that work across multiple facilities. The techniques employed by MIIDAS enable NASA to build a system with a lower initial purchase price and reduced sustaining maintenance costs. With MIIDAS, NASA has built a highly flexible next generation data acquisition and reduction system for aerospace test facilities that meets customer expectations.

Caribbean small-island tourism styles and sustainable strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Albuquerque, Klaus; McElroy, Jerome L.

1992-09-01

This article focuses on developing a sustainable tourism in small Caribbean islands, defined here as those that have populations of fewer than 500,000. Such islands share a very fragile ecology and a high dependence on tourism. They differ in their degree of tourist penetration and visitor density and the related degree of environmental degradation. To explain the link between tourism intensity and ecological vulnerability, the so-called “destination life-cycle model” is presented. This suggests that islands pass through three primary stages of tourist development low-density exploration, rapid growth and consolidation, and high-density maturation involving the substitution of man-made for natural attractions. A broad empirical test of the model is performed through a quantitative examination of the tourism characteristics and visitor densities of a cross section of 23 small Caribbean islands. The three basic stages or tourism styles are identified: low-impact emerging areas, high-density mass-market mature destinations, and rapidly growing intermediate islands in between. Some broad strategies consistent with the systems framework for a sustainable tourism with moderate densitites are briefly explored.

Downgrading Nuclear Facilities to Radiological Facilities

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

Jarry, Jeffrey F.; Farr, Jesse Oscar; Duran, Leroy

2015-08-01

Based on inventory reductions and the use of alternate storage facilities, the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) downgraded 4 SNL Hazard Category 3 (HC-3) nuclear facilities to less-than-HC-3 radiological facilities. SNL’s Waste Management and Pollution Prevention Department (WMPPD) managed the HC-3 nuclear facilities and implemented the downgrade. This paper will examine the downgrade process,

TPMG Northern California appointments and advice call center.

PubMed

Conolly, Patricia; Levine, Leslie; Amaral, Debra J; Fireman, Bruce H; Driscoll, Tom

2005-08-01

Kaiser Permanente (KP) has been developing its use of call centers as a way to provide an expansive set of healthcare services to KP members efficiently and cost effectively. Since 1995, when The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) began to consolidate primary care phone services into three physical call centers, the TPMG Appointments and Advice Call Center (AACC) has become the "front office" for primary care services across approximately 89% of Northern California. The AACC provides primary care phone service for approximately 3 million Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members in Northern California and responds to approximately 1 million calls per month across the three AACC sites. A database records each caller's identity as well as the day, time, and duration of each call; reason for calling; services provided to callers as a result of calls; and clinical outcomes of calls. We here summarize this information for the period 2000 through 2003.

Evolution of advertisement calls in African clawed frogs

PubMed Central

Tobias, Martha L.; Evans, Ben J.; Kelley, Darcy B.

2014-01-01

Summary For most frogs, advertisement calls are essential for reproductive success, conveying information on species identity, male quality, sexual state and location. While the evolutionary divergence of call characters has been examined in a number of species, the relative impacts of genetic drift or natural and sexual selection remain unclear. Insights into the evolutionary trajectory of vocal signals can be gained by examining how advertisement calls vary in a phylogenetic context. Evolution by genetic drift would be supported if more closely related species express more similar songs. Conversely, a poor correlation between evolutionary history and song expression would suggest evolution shaped by natural or sexual selection. Here, we measure seven song characters in 20 described and two undescribed species of African clawed frogs (genera Xenopus and Silurana) and four populations of X. laevis. We identify three call types — click, burst and trill — that can be distinguished by click number, call rate and intensity modulation. A fourth type is biphasic, consisting of two of the above. Call types vary in complexity from the simplest, a click, to the most complex, a biphasic call. Maximum parsimony analysis of variation in call type suggests that the ancestral type was of intermediate complexity. Each call type evolved independently more than once and call type is typically not shared by closely related species. These results indicate that call type is homoplasious and has low phylogenetic signal. We conclude that the evolution of call type is not due to genetic drift, but is under selective pressure. PMID:24723737

Declining trends in injuries and ambulance calls for road traffic crashes in Bahrain post new traffic laws of 2015.

PubMed

Awadhalla, Muyssar Sabri; Asokan, Govindaraj Vaithinathan; Matooq, Amina; Kirubakaran, Richard

2016-06-01

Road traffic crashes (RTC) are of serious global health concern. To identify whether the number of ambulance calls, injuries, and deaths has declined after the implementation of the new traffic law (NTL) 2015 in Bahrain, de-identified administrative RTC data obtained from the tertiary care center, and the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT) of Bahrain were used. A quasi-experimental design was employed to trend the impact of the NTL on RTC and associated healthcare events. Bahrainis and non-Bahrainis who met with RTC, either in a vehicle or as a pedestrian, between February 8 and May 8 in 2013, 2014 (pre NTL), and 2015 (post NTL) were included in the study. Our results show a reduction in the number of ambulance calls from vehicular and pedestrian RTC victims. The ambulance calls from pedestrian RTC victims were <10% compared to the number of ambulance calls from vehicular RTC victims. There was a significant reduction in minor injuries post 2015, whereas no obvious difference was seen for serious injuries and deaths. A longer follow-up study to confirm the sustained decline in RTC, enforcing a zero tolerance policy toward traffic transgressions, and raising public awareness on the "critical four minutes" and "golden hour" is recommended. Copyright © 2016 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Australian High School Represents the Future of Education Facility Design: Kingston High School, Tasmania, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deni, Adriano

2012-01-01

The brief from local government called for an environmentally sustainable school that establishes new models for excellence in curriculum, teaching, and learning. With its visionary sine wave design concept, flexible learning areas, shared community spaces and "extensive" green roof system--a first for an Australian school--the new $33…

46 CFR 169.750 - Radio call sign.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radio call sign. 169.750 Section 169.750 Shipping COAST... Control, Miscellaneous Systems, and Equipment Markings § 169.750 Radio call sign. Each vessel certificated for exposed or partially protected water service must have its radio call sign permanently displayed...

Building a Sustained School Facilities Remedy: Arizona's Innovative Blueprint for Capital Funding. Education, Equity, and the Law. No. 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Molly A.

2010-01-01

For over ten years, the State of Arizona has implemented an innovative statewide process for financing and building school facilities and purchasing other capital items for its schools. Spawned by an education quality lawsuit, the 1998 Students FIRST Act established the School Facilities Board, which succeeded in helping rural, suburban, and urban…

Smart Sustainable Islands VS Smart Sustainable Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantazis, D. N.; Moussas, V. C.; Murgante, B.; Daverona, A. C.; Stratakis, P.; Vlissidis, N.; Kavadias, A.; Economou, D.; Santimpantakis, K.; Karathanasis, B.; Kyriakopoulou, V.; Gadolou, E.

2017-09-01

This paper has several aims: a) the presentation of a critical analysis of the terms "smart sustainable cities" and "smart sustainable islands" b) the presentation of a number of principles towards to the development methodological framework of concepts and actions, in a form of a manual and actions guide, for the smartification and sustainability of islands. This kind of master plan is divided in thematic sectors (key factors) which concern the insular municipalities c) the creation of an island's smartification and sustainability index d) the first steps towards the creation of a portal for the presentation of our smartification actions manual, together with relative resources, smart applications examples, and, in the near future the first results of our index application in a number of Greek islands and e) the presentation of some proposals of possible actions towards their sustainable development and smartification for the municipalities - islands of Paros and Antiparos in Greece, as case studies.

Infection control challenges in deployed US military treatment facilities.

PubMed

Hospenthal, Duane R; Crouch, Helen K

2009-04-01

Personnel sustaining combat-related injuries in current overseas conflicts continue to have their care complicated by infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms, including Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas. Although presumed to be due to multiple factors both within and outside of the combat theater, concern has been raised about the difficulties in establishing and maintaining standard infection control (IC) practices in deployed medical treatment facilities and in the evacuation of the injured back to the United States. Level III facilities (hospitals capable of holding patients >72 hours) in Iraq and Afghanistan and the evacuation system from Iraq to the continental US were reviewed by an expert IC-infectious disease team. All reviewed facilities had established IC programs, but these were staffed by personnel with limited IC experience, often without perceived adequate time dedicated to perform their duties, and without uniform levels of command emphasis or support. Proper hand hygiene between patients was not always ideal. Isolation and cohorting of patients to decrease multidrug-resistant organism colonization and infection varied among facilities. Review of standard operating procedures found variability among institutions and in quality of these documents. Application of US national and theater-specific guidelines and of antimicrobial control measures also varied among facilities. Effective IC practices are often difficult to maintain in modern US hospitals. In the deployed setting, with ever-changing personnel in a less than optimal practice environment, IC is even more challenging. Standardization of practice with emphasis on the basics of IC practice (e.g., hand hygiene and isolation procedures) needs to be emplaced and maintained in the deployed setting.

Correalism and Equipoise: Kiesler and Giedion on the sustainable

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

Braham, W.W.

1997-12-31

This paper inquires about standards for the sustainable that are not strictly bound to the principles of conservation or scarcity. In particular, two earlier contributions to this discussion offer alternate views of sustainability: the architect Frederick Kiesler and the critic-historian Siegfried Giedion both explored the human and social consequences of technological constructions. Their work participates in the long, nineteenth- and twentieth-century discourse about mechanization, that examined the many consequences of industrialization. In a sequence of published and unpublished works in the 1930`s Kieler evolved a theory about the relationship between buildings and nature that he called Correalism. While at themore » end Mechanization Takes Command of 1948, Giedion examined the loss of public and regenerative bathing habits and the rise of the private, forms of cleansing still largely practiced today. He concluded that work with a plea for a dynamic balance that he called Equipoise. Both works develop from ideas of interconnection that he now associates with systems theory and which are properly integral to modern ecology. Their critical questions revolve around the social dimensions of everyday constructions like buildings and bathtubs. The distinction between instrumental criteria and social ones is everywhere present in modern environmentalism, which can be traced to fundamental concerns about either resource use or about health. These two issues are wholly intertwined in most environmental practices, but the assumptions on which they rest are themselves historically changeable. The complex interaction between measurable environmental features and human concerns or desires is the subject of Kiesler`s Correalism.« less

A paradigm analysis of ecological sustainability: The emerging polycentric climate change publics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taminiau, Job B.

Climate change poses significant complications to the development model employed by modern societies. Using paradigm analysis, the dissertation explains why, after 21 years, policy failure haunts the field: a key impediment is the unquestioned assumption that policy must adhere to an economic optimality principle. This results in policy models which fail to uphold sustainability, justice, and equality due to an emphasis on economic growth, technology, and technical and bureaucratic expertise. Unable to build consensus among low- and high-carbon economies, and searching for what one economist has called an oxymoron -- "sustainable growth" (Daly, 1997) -- the policy process has foundered with its only international convention (the Kyoto Protocol) having lost relevance. In the midst of this policy failure, the dissertation offers and defends the premise that alternative strategies have emerged which signal the prospect of a paradigm shift to ecological sustainability -- a paradigm in which social change takes places through commons-based management and community authorship in the form of network governance and where sustainability serves as governor of growth -- something unavailable in an optimality-guided world. Especially, a strategy of polycentricity is discussed in detail in order to elucidate the potential for a paradigm shift. This discussion is followed by an evaluation of two innovative concepts -- the Sustainable Energy Utility and the Solar City -- that might fit the polycentricity strategy and bring forth transformative change. The dissertation finds considerable potential rests in these two concepts and argues the critical importance of further development of innovative approaches to implement the ecological sustainability paradigm.

Wake-Up Call.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sartorius, Tara Cady

2002-01-01

Focuses on the artist, Laquita Thomson, whose inspiration are the stars and space. Discusses her series called, "Celestial Happenings: Stars Fell on Alabama." Describes one event that inspired an art work when a meteor crashed into an Alabama home. Includes lessons for various subject areas. (CMK)

29 CFR 785.17 - On-call time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false On-call time. 785.17 Section 785.17 Labor Regulations... INTERPRETATION NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO REGULATIONS HOURS WORKED Application of Principles Waiting Time § 785.17 On-call time. An employee who is required to remain on call on the employer's premises or so close...

29 CFR 785.17 - On-call time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false On-call time. 785.17 Section 785.17 Labor Regulations... INTERPRETATION NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO REGULATIONS HOURS WORKED Application of Principles Waiting Time § 785.17 On-call time. An employee who is required to remain on call on the employer's premises or so close...

29 CFR 1912.25 - Call of meetings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Call of meetings. 1912.25 Section 1912.25 Labor Regulations...) ADVISORY COMMITTEES ON STANDARDS Operation of Advisory Committees § 1912.25 Call of meetings. No advisory committee shall hold any meeting except at the call of, or with the advance approval, of the Assistant...

Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales

PubMed Central

Rekdahl, Melinda L.; Dunlop, Rebecca A.; Goldizen, Anne W.; Garland, Ellen C.; Biassoni, Nicoletta; Miller, Patrick; Noad, Michael J.

2015-01-01

The use of stereotyped calls within structured bouts has been described for a number of species and may increase the information potential of call repertoires. Humpback whales produce a repertoire of social calls, although little is known about the complexity or function of these calls. In this study, digital acoustic tag recordings were used to investigate social call use within bouts, the use of bouts across different social contexts, and whether particular call type combinations were favored. Call order within bouts was investigated using call transition frequencies and information theory techniques. Call bouts were defined through analysis of inter-call intervals, as any calls within 3.9 s of each other. Bouts were produced significantly more when new whales joined a group compared to groups that did not change membership, and in groups containing multiple adults escorting a female and calf compared to adult only groups. Although social calls tended to be produced in bouts, there were few repeated bout types. However, the order in which most call types were produced within bouts was non-random and dependent on the preceding call type. These bouts appear to be at least partially governed by rules for how individual components are combined. PMID:26093396

Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales.

PubMed

Rekdahl, Melinda L; Dunlop, Rebecca A; Goldizen, Anne W; Garland, Ellen C; Biassoni, Nicoletta; Miller, Patrick; Noad, Michael J

2015-06-01

The use of stereotyped calls within structured bouts has been described for a number of species and may increase the information potential of call repertoires. Humpback whales produce a repertoire of social calls, although little is known about the complexity or function of these calls. In this study, digital acoustic tag recordings were used to investigate social call use within bouts, the use of bouts across different social contexts, and whether particular call type combinations were favored. Call order within bouts was investigated using call transition frequencies and information theory techniques. Call bouts were defined through analysis of inter-call intervals, as any calls within 3.9 s of each other. Bouts were produced significantly more when new whales joined a group compared to groups that did not change membership, and in groups containing multiple adults escorting a female and calf compared to adult only groups. Although social calls tended to be produced in bouts, there were few repeated bout types. However, the order in which most call types were produced within bouts was non-random and dependent on the preceding call type. These bouts appear to be at least partially governed by rules for how individual components are combined.

Highlights of the recommendations of the President`s Council on Sustainable Development

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

Zwally, K.D.

1996-12-31

After three years of investigation, listening and learning, the President`s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) reached unanimous agreement and delivered its report to President Clinton in March, 1996. The 186-page document--a mixture of fundamental beliefs, goals, as well as scores of recommendations and implementation actions--is designed to define sustainability and guide the nation toward achieving it. The recommendations are directed toward government, industry, citizen groups and individuals. The report calls for wide-ranging action that would fundamentally alter the way problems are solved in the US. At the heart of the Council`s recommendations is the conviction that economic, environmental and socialmore » equity issues are inextricably linked and must be considered together. Decision makers in government, the private sector, community organizations, and the home must reflect this thinking in their daily choices. Another core belief is that to encourage sustainable development some things must grow--jobs, productivity, wages, capital, savings, information, and education--and others--pollution, waste and poverty--must not.« less

Defense Facility Condition: Revised Guidance Needed to Improve Oversight of Assessments and Ratings

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

are to implement the standardized process in part by assessing the condition of buildings, pavement , and rail using the same set of software tools...facility to current standards; costs for labor, equipment, materials, and currency exchange rates overseas; costs for project planning and design ...example, the services are to assess the condition of buildings, pavement , and rail using Sustainment Management System software tools developed by the

Assessing the land resource-food price nexus of the Sustainable Development Goals.

PubMed

Obersteiner, Michael; Walsh, Brian; Frank, Stefan; Havlík, Petr; Cantele, Matthew; Liu, Junguo; Palazzo, Amanda; Herrero, Mario; Lu, Yonglong; Mosnier, Aline; Valin, Hugo; Riahi, Keywan; Kraxner, Florian; Fritz, Steffen; van Vuuren, Detlef

2016-09-01

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for a comprehensive new approach to development rooted in planetary boundaries, equity, and inclusivity. The wide scope of the SDGs will necessitate unprecedented integration of siloed policy portfolios to work at international, regional, and national levels toward multiple goals and mitigate the conflicts that arise from competing resource demands. In this analysis, we adopt a comprehensive modeling approach to understand how coherent policy combinations can manage trade-offs among environmental conservation initiatives and food prices. Our scenario results indicate that SDG strategies constructed around Sustainable Consumption and Production policies can minimize problem-shifting, which has long placed global development and conservation agendas at odds. We conclude that Sustainable Consumption and Production policies (goal 12) are most effective at minimizing trade-offs and argue for their centrality to the formulation of coherent SDG strategies. We also find that alternative socioeconomic futures-mainly, population and economic growth pathways-generate smaller impacts on the eventual achievement of land resource-related SDGs than do resource-use and management policies. We expect that this and future systems analyses will allow policy-makers to negotiate trade-offs and exploit synergies as they assemble sustainable development strategies equal in scope to the ambition of the SDGs.

Assessing the land resource–food price nexus of the Sustainable Development Goals

PubMed Central

Obersteiner, Michael; Walsh, Brian; Frank, Stefan; Havlík, Petr; Cantele, Matthew; Liu, Junguo; Palazzo, Amanda; Herrero, Mario; Lu, Yonglong; Mosnier, Aline; Valin, Hugo; Riahi, Keywan; Kraxner, Florian; Fritz, Steffen; van Vuuren, Detlef

2016-01-01

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for a comprehensive new approach to development rooted in planetary boundaries, equity, and inclusivity. The wide scope of the SDGs will necessitate unprecedented integration of siloed policy portfolios to work at international, regional, and national levels toward multiple goals and mitigate the conflicts that arise from competing resource demands. In this analysis, we adopt a comprehensive modeling approach to understand how coherent policy combinations can manage trade-offs among environmental conservation initiatives and food prices. Our scenario results indicate that SDG strategies constructed around Sustainable Consumption and Production policies can minimize problem-shifting, which has long placed global development and conservation agendas at odds. We conclude that Sustainable Consumption and Production policies (goal 12) are most effective at minimizing trade-offs and argue for their centrality to the formulation of coherent SDG strategies. We also find that alternative socioeconomic futures—mainly, population and economic growth pathways—generate smaller impacts on the eventual achievement of land resource–related SDGs than do resource-use and management policies. We expect that this and future systems analyses will allow policy-makers to negotiate trade-offs and exploit synergies as they assemble sustainable development strategies equal in scope to the ambition of the SDGs. PMID:27652336

Passive acoustic monitoring, development of disturbance calls and differentiation of disturbance and advertisement calls in the Argentine croaker Umbrina canosai (Sciaenidae).

PubMed

Tellechea, J S; Fine, M L; Norbis, W

2017-04-01

Disturbance and advertisement calls of the Argentine croaker Umbrina canosai were recorded from coastal Uruguayan waters. Dissections indicate typical sciaenid extrinsic swimbladder muscles present exclusively in males. Disturbance calls were produced when captive U. canosai were startled, chased with a net or grabbed by the tail. Calls were unusual for sciaenids because each pulse consisted of multiple cycles. The number of cycles per pulse and dominant frequency did not change with U. canosai size, but pulse duration and interpulse interval increased. Advertisement calls were recorded from unseen choruses in the field and confirmed with captive individuals in a large tank. Advertisement calls were recorded throughout the known range of the species in Uruguay indicating a continuous belt of spawning populations. Tank recordings of the same individuals permitted explicit comparisons between the two calls. Advertisement call pulses averaged 2·4 more cycles (11·0-8·6) although pulses of both calls were basically similar as were durations and dominant frequencies. Pulse number, however, differed markedly, averaging 13·6 and 3·4 pulses for disturbance and advertisement calls respectively. Furthermore, disturbance calls were produced as a rapid series with an interpulse interval of 26-31 ms whereas advertisement call patterns were less stereotyped and ranged from <100 to 450 ms. Multicycle pulses distinguished U. canosai from other sympatric sciaenids. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Campbell's monkeys use affixation to alter call meaning.

PubMed

Ouattara, Karim; Lemasson, Alban; Zuberbühler, Klaus

2009-11-12

Human language has evolved on a biological substrate with phylogenetic roots deep in the primate lineage. Here, we describe a functional analogy to a common morphological process in human speech, affixation, in the alarm calls of free-ranging adult Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli campbelli). We found that male alarm calls are composed of an acoustically variable stem, which can be followed by an acoustically invariable suffix. Using long-term observations and predator simulation experiments, we show that suffixation in this species functions to broaden the calls' meaning by transforming a highly specific eagle alarm to a general arboreal disturbance call or by transforming a highly specific leopard alarm call to a general alert call. We concluded that, when referring to specific external events, non-human primates can generate meaningful acoustic variation during call production that is functionally equivalent to suffixation in human language.

40 CFR 155.48 - Data Call-In.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Data Call-In. 155.48 Section 155.48... STANDARDS AND REGISTRATION REVIEW Registration Review Procedures § 155.48 Data Call-In. The Agency may issue a Data Call-In notice under FIFRA section 3(c)(2)(B) at any time if the Agency believes that the...

Calling 911! What role does the pediatrician play?

PubMed

Grossman, Devin; Kunkov, Sergey; Kaplan, Carl; Crain, Ellen F

2013-06-01

The objective of this study was to compare admission rates and medical interventions among children whose caregivers called their child's primary care provider (PCP) before taking an ambulance to the pediatric emergency department (PED) versus those who did not. This was a prospective cohort study of patients brought to an urban, public hospital PED via emergency medical system (EMS). Children were included if the caregiver called 911 to have them transported via EMS and was present in the PED. The main variable was whether the child's PCP was called before EMS utilization. Study outcomes were medical interventions, such as intravenous line insertion or laboratory tests, and hospital admission. χ Test and logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationship of the main variable to the study outcomes. Six hundred fourteen patients met inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Five hundred eighty-five patients (95.3%) were reported to have a PCP. Seventy-four caregivers (12.1%) called their child's PCP before calling EMS. Two hundred seventy-seven patients (45.1%) had medical interventions performed; of these, 42 (15.2%) called their PCP (P = 0.03). Forty-two patients (6.8%) were admitted; among these, 14 (33.3%) called their PCP (P < 0.01). Adjusting for triage level, patients whose caregiver called the PCP before calling EMS were 3.2 times (95% confidence interval, 1.9-5.2 times) more likely to be admitted and 1.7 times (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.9 times) more likely to have a medical intervention compared with patients whose caregivers did not call their child's PCP. Children were more likely to be admitted or require a medical intervention if their caregiver called their PCP before calling EMS. The availability of a PCP for telephone triage may help to optimize EMS utilization.

Energy poverty in healthcare facilities: a "silent barrier" to improved healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Ouedraogo, Nadia S; Schimanski, Caroline

2018-06-27

This paper addresses an important topic, energy poverty in healthcare facilities. We try to provide an interesting perspective on bringing together two SDGs. The SDG 7, which seeks to ensure access to affordable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, is interlinked with Goal 3 on Health. The literature studies as well as data on the subject are sparse. Nevertheless, a systematic documentation of the levels and variation in access to energy at the health-facility level is important for designing effective policies to improve the quality of healthcare and the ultimate health of the population. Using the 2012-2013 Senegal Service Provision Assessment (SCSPA), we assessed energy access in health facilities and health systems' performance. Data were also geocoded using ArcGIS 10.3 to give a snapshot of the situation.

Optically-based Sensor System for Critical Nuclear Facilities Post-Event Seismic Structural Assessment

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

McCallen, David; Petrone, Floriana; Buckle, Ian

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has ownership and operational responsibility for a large enterprise of nuclear facilities that provide essential functions to DOE missions ranging from national security to discovery science and energy research. These facilities support a number of DOE programs and offices including the National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Science, and Office of Environmental Management. With many unique and “one of a kind” functions, these facilities represent a tremendous national investment, and assuring their safety and integrity is fundamental to the success of a breadth of DOE programs. Many DOE critical facilities are located in regionsmore » with significant natural phenomenon hazards including major earthquakes and DOE has been a leader in developing standards for the seismic analysis of nuclear facilities. Attaining and sustaining excellence in nuclear facility design and management must be a core competency of the DOE. An important part of nuclear facility management is the ability to monitor facilities and rapidly assess the response and integrity of the facilities after any major upset event. Experience in the western U.S. has shown that understanding facility integrity after a major earthquake is a significant challenge which, lacking key data, can require extensive effort and significant time. In the work described in the attached report, a transformational approach to earthquake monitoring of facilities is described and demonstrated. An entirely new type of optically-based sensor that can directly and accurately measure the earthquake-induced deformations of a critical facility has been developed and tested. This report summarizes large-scale shake table testing of the sensor concept on a representative steel frame building structure, and provides quantitative data on the accuracy of the sensor measurements.« less

The work is never ending: uncovering teamwork sustainability using realistic evaluation.

PubMed

Frykman, Mandus; von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Muntlin Athlin, Åsa; Hasson, Henna; Mazzocato, Pamela

2017-03-20

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover the mechanisms influencing the sustainability of behavior changes following the implementation of teamwork. Design/methodology/approach Realistic evaluation was combined with a framework (DCOM®) based on applied behavior analysis to study the sustainability of behavior changes two and a half years after the initial implementation of teamwork at an emergency department. The DCOM® framework was used to categorize the mechanisms of behavior change interventions (BCIs) into the four categories of direction, competence, opportunity, and motivation. Non-participant observation and interview data were used. Findings The teamwork behaviors were not sustained. A substantial fallback in managerial activities in combination with a complex context contributed to reduced direction, opportunity, and motivation. Reduced direction made staff members unclear about how and why they should work in teams. Deterioration of opportunity was evident from the lack of problem-solving resources resulting in accumulated barriers to teamwork. Motivation in terms of management support and feedback was reduced. Practical implications The implementation of complex organizational changes in complex healthcare contexts requires continuous adaption and managerial activities well beyond the initial implementation period. Originality/value By integrating the DCOM® framework with realistic evaluation, this study responds to the call for theoretically based research on behavioral mechanisms that can explain how BCIs interact with context and how this interaction influences sustainability.

Making health care more sustainable: the case of the English NHS.

PubMed

Pencheon, David

2015-10-01

The NHS is the most revered organisation in Britain: 'the proudest achievement of our modern society'. It is certainly the largest, although since its inception in 1948 it has operated in a government-funded environment of restricted resources. Nevertheless, it has also benefitted from a generally effective model of intervention centred on a hospital care system integrating specialist and emergency care and a primary care system which functions as both a source of treatment and a gatekeeper to specialist care. New circumstances, including environmentally-generated risk and a shifting disease reality, challenges the adequacy of this model. This paper argues that these new circumstances, some of which have seen a legislative response by government, mean that the NHS has to apply sustainable development thinking programmatically throughout its management and operations. It is also argued that the organisation needs to refocus towards prevention particularly in order to stem the rising tide of non-communicable disease. This paper sets out the thinking and actions of the Sustainable Development Unit, which has the task of developing and implanting sustainability concepts in the NHS. It is argued that the cause of sustainable development calls for a mix of cultural and technological shifts, new incentives and a rolling programme of innovative change. Some examples of success are presented. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of the call in beach volleyball attacking play.

PubMed

Künzell, Stefan; Schweikart, Florian; Köhn, Daniel; Schläppi-Lienhard, Olivia

2014-12-09

In beach volleyball the setter has the opportunity to give her or his hitter a "call". The call intends that the setter suggests to her or his partner where to place the attack in the opponent's court. The effectiveness of a call is still unknown. We investigated the women's and men's Swiss National Beach Volleyball Championships in 2011 and analyzed 2185 attacks. We found large differences between female and male players. While men called in only 38.4% of attacks, women used calls in 85.5% of attacks. If the male players followed a given call, 63% of the attacks were successful. The success rate of attacks without any call was 55.8% and 47.6% when the call was ignored. These differences were not significant (χ(2)(2) = 4.55, p = 0.103). In women's beach volleyball, the rate of successful attacks was 61.5% when a call was followed, 35% for attacks without a call, and 42.6% when a call was ignored. The differences were highly significant (χ(2)(2) = 23.42, p < 0.0005). Taking into account the findings of the present study, we suggested that the call was effective in women's beach volleyball, while its effect in men's game was unclear. Considering the quality of calls we indicate that there is a significant potential to increase the effectiveness of a call.