The Georgia Feasibility Study: The Development of Alternative Community Services for the Current Residents of Georgia Retardation Center and the Southwest Developmental Center at Bainbridge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Valerie J.; And Others

The report explores the feasibility of placing 565 severely mentally retarded residents of the Georgia Retardation Center and Southwestern Developmental Center at Bainbridge, Georgia, in alternative community living and daytime arrangements. The seven mental retardation service areas which had placed most of these residents were the focus of…

Local scale comparisons of biodiversity as a test for global protected area ecological performance: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Coetzee, Bernard W T; Gaston, Kevin J; Chown, Steven L

2014-01-01

Terrestrial protected areas (PAs) are cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation. Their efficacy in terms of maintaining biodiversity is, however, much debated. Studies to date have been unable to provide a general answer as to PA conservation efficacy because of their typically restricted geographic and/or taxonomic focus, or qualitative approaches focusing on proxies for biodiversity, such as deforestation. Given the rarity of historical data to enable comparisons of biodiversity before/after PA establishment, many smaller scale studies over the past 30 years have directly compared biodiversity inside PAs to that of surrounding areas, which provides one measure of PA ecological performance. Here we use a meta-analysis of such studies (N = 86) to test if PAs contain higher biodiversity values than surrounding areas, and so assess their contribution to determining PA efficacy. We find that PAs generally have higher abundances of individual species, higher assemblage abundances, and higher species richness values compared with alternative land uses. Local scale studies in combination thus show that PAs retain more biodiversity than alternative land use areas. Nonetheless, much variation is present in the effect sizes, which underscores the context-specificity of PA efficacy.

Vocational Education Grades 6-12. Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davitt, Bob; And Others

Vocational education programs were offered in 10 middle schools, 5 area high schools, 2 alternative high schools, and at the central campus of Des Moines Public Schools (Iowa). The major curricular focus at the middle school was career exploration. At the area high school level, the program was broad based to meet the needs of a high percentage of…

Hybrid poplars: fast-growing, disease-resistant species has multiple uses

Treesearch

Ronald S., Jr. Zalesny

2004-01-01

The production of alternative fuels as a source of energy is a focus of concern in the United States. Intensively cultured hybrid poplar plantations have been used to supplement industrial fiber supplies in several areas of the United States, and have therefore gained attention in the North Central region. Attention is focused on poplars because they are fast growing...

Focus on Senior Citizens: A Report of Funded Projects for 1976 and 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education (DHEW/OE), Washington, DC. Office of Consumers' Education.

In an effort to promote understanding of the elderly and to provide consumer awareness programs for them, the Office of Consumers' Education funded eight projects in 1976 and two in 1977 which focused on areas such as (1) education of older adults to make intelligent choices among alternative goods and services, (2) training of specialists to work…

Mobility match study in Prince George's County, Maryland

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-11-01

The primary focus of this study was to develop non-traditional transit : alternatives to better serve the residents of Prince George's County. The study : identified the transportation needs of the area, evaluated the applicabilty of : traditional an...

Computer-Based Instruction within Transportation Mobility Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

APT Lesson Plan .... 191 Appendix C: APT Workbook .... .............. . 209 Appendix D: Experiment Pretest and Posttest ..... .. 222 Appendix E : Test...Questions The following investigative questions are set forth to determine if CBI is an effective alternative to classroom training in the area of...Submotorpool covered too limited an area , focusing mainly on the dispatching and driving of vehicles. The Transportation Resources Control Center/Transportation

Identification of Alternatives to Reduce Shoaling in the Lower Matagorda Ship Channel, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

Sediment Related Challenges Identification of Alternatives to Reduce Shoaling in the Lower Matagorda Ship Channel , Texas by Eric Wood, Tricia...from previous field surveys and investigations. In 2013, SWG obtained sediment data for the entrance channel and study focus area of the MSC...Entrance channel sediment data were measured between Stations -9+000 and -20+000. Sediment for the entrance channel was measured to be composed of 41.8

Alternatives to antibiotics as growth promoters for use in swine production: a review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In the past two decades, an intensive amount of research has been focused on the development of alternatives to antibiotics to maintain swine health and performance. The most widely researched alternatives include probiotics, prebiotics, acidifiers, plant extracts and neutraceuticals such as copper and zinc. Since these additives have been more than adequately covered in previous reviews, the focus of this review will be on less traditional alternatives. The potential of antimicrobial peptides, clay minerals, egg yolk antibodies, essential oils, eucalyptus oil-medium chain fatty acids, rare earth elements and recombinant enzymes are discussed. Based on a thorough review of the literature, it is evident that a long and growing list of compounds exist which have been tested for their ability to replace antibiotics as feed additives in diets fed to swine. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these compounds produce inconsistent results and rarely equal antibiotics in their effectiveness. Therefore, it would appear that research is still needed in this area and that the perfect alternative to antibiotics does not yet exist. PMID:24034214

Special Focus Areas for Hazardous Waste Cleanups under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In order to manage the new and changing needs of the RCRA Corrective Action Program, EPA is constantly exploring program enhancements, alternate exposure pathways, and new technologies available to protect human health and environment.

Analysis of movable bus stop boarding and alighting areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

This study explored the feasibility of using movable and reusable boarding and alighting (B&A) pads at bus stops. : Potential design alternatives in terms of materials and structural support for these pads were evaluated. The review : focused on the ...

Lower- Versus Higher-Income Populations In The Alternative Quality Contract: Improved Quality And Similar Spending

PubMed Central

Song, Zirui; Rose, Sherri; Chernew, Michael E.; Safran, Dana Gelb

2018-01-01

As population-based payment models become increasingly common, it is crucial to understand how such payment models affect health disparities. We evaluated health care quality and spending among enrollees in areas with lower versus higher socioeconomic status in Massachusetts before and after providers entered into the Alternative Quality Contract, a two-sided population-based payment model with substantial incentives tied to quality. We compared changes in process measures, outcome measures, and spending between enrollees in areas with lower and higher socioeconomic status from 2006 to 2012 (outcome measures were measured after the intervention only). Quality improved for all enrollees in the Alternative Quality Contract after their provider organizations entered the contract. Process measures improved 1.2 percentage points per year more among enrollees in areas with lower socioeconomic status than among those in areas with higher socioeconomic status. Outcome measure improvement was no different between the subgroups; neither were changes in spending. Larger or comparable improvements in quality among enrollees in areas with lower socioeconomic status suggest a potential narrowing of disparities. Strong pay-for-performance incentives within a population-based payment model could encourage providers to focus on improving quality for more disadvantaged populations. PMID:28069849

Cobenefits of replacing car trips with alternative transportation: a review of evidence and methodological issues.

PubMed

Xia, Ting; Zhang, Ying; Crabb, Shona; Shah, Pushan

2013-01-01

It has been reported that motor vehicle emissions contribute nearly a quarter of world energy-related greenhouse gases and cause nonnegligible air pollution primarily in urban areas. Reducing car use and increasing ecofriendly alternative transport, such as public and active transport, are efficient approaches to mitigate harmful environmental impacts caused by a large amount of vehicle use. Besides the environmental benefits of promoting alternative transport, it can also induce other health and economic benefits. At present, a number of studies have been conducted to evaluate cobenefits from greenhouse gas mitigation policies. However, relatively few have focused specifically on the transport sector. A comprehensive understanding of the multiple benefits of alternative transport could assist with policy making in the areas of transport, health, and environment. However, there is no straightforward method which could estimate cobenefits effect at one time. In this paper, the links between vehicle emissions and air quality, as well as the health and economic benefits from alternative transport use, are considered, and methodological issues relating to the modelling of these cobenefits are discussed.

1st NASA Electronic Parts Packaging (NEPP) Program Electronic Technology Workshop (ETW)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Sampson, Michael J.

2010-01-01

NEPP supports all of NASA for >20 years - 7 NASA Centers and JPL actively participate The NEPP Program focuses on the reliability aspects of electronic devices - Three prime technical areas: Parts (die), Packaging, and Radiation Alternately, reliability may be viewed as: -

Reconsidering Formative Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Roy D.; Breivik, Einar; Wilcox, James B.

2007-01-01

The relationship between observable responses and the latent constructs they are purported to measure has received considerable attention recently, with particular focus on what has become known as formative measurement. This alternative to reflective measurement in the area of theory-testing research is examined in the context of the potential…

The Next Best Alternative to an Ideal Recruit: Attrition Characteristics of Recruits with Waivers and Low Educational Credentials in the U.S. Army

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

AND SCOPE ..........................................................................5 D . SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS...Standard Applications Across Services and Lack of Data ....21 D . FOCUS AREA OF OUR STUDY...31 d . Other Variables .......................................................................32 C. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

Unproven (questionable) cancer therapies.

PubMed Central

Brigden, M L

1995-01-01

More than half of all cancer patients use some form of alternative treatment during the course of their illness. Alternative therapies are often started early in patients' illness, and their use is frequently not acknowledged to health care professionals. Some alternative therapies are harmful, and their promoters may be fraudulent. Persons who try alternative cancer therapies may not be poorly educated but may ultimately abandon conventional treatment. Recent attention has focused on aspects of questionable therapies that make these treatments attractive to patients and that may be perceived as being deficient in the practice of conventional health care professionals. Physicians with patients with cancer should always make sure that unproven therapies are discussed early in the therapeutic relationship. They should also attempt to be aware of alternative therapies that are in vogue in their particular geographic area. PMID:8533410

A method for scenario-based risk assessment for robust aerospace systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Victoria Katherine

In years past, aircraft conceptual design centered around creating a feasible aircraft that could be built and could fly the required missions. More recently, aircraft viability entered into conceptual design, allowing that the product's potential to be profitable should also be examined early in the design process. While examining an aerospace system's feasibility and viability early in the design process is extremely important, it is also important to examine system risk. In traditional aerospace systems risk analysis, risk is examined from the perspective of performance, schedule, and cost. Recently, safety and reliability analysis have been brought forward in the design process to also be examined during late conceptual and early preliminary design. While these analyses work as designed, existing risk analysis methods and techniques are not designed to examine an aerospace system's external operating environment and the risks present there. A new method has been developed here to examine, during the early part of concept design, the risk associated with not meeting assumptions about the system's external operating environment. The risks are examined in five categories: employment, culture, government and politics, economics, and technology. The risks are examined over a long time-period, up to the system's entire life cycle. The method consists of eight steps over three focus areas. The first focus area is Problem Setup. During problem setup, the problem is defined and understood to the best of the decision maker's ability. There are four steps in this area, in the following order: Establish the Need, Scenario Development, Identify Solution Alternatives, and Uncertainty and Risk Identification. There is significant iteration between steps two through four. Focus area two is Modeling and Simulation. In this area the solution alternatives and risks are modeled, and a numerical value for risk is calculated. A risk mitigation model is also created. The four steps involved in completing the modeling and simulation are: Alternative Solution Modeling, Uncertainty Quantification, Risk Assessment, and Risk Mitigation. Focus area three consists of Decision Support. In this area a decision support interface is created that allows for game playing between solution alternatives and risk mitigation. A multi-attribute decision making process is also implemented to aid in decision making. A demonstration problem inspired by Airbus' mid 1980s decision to break into the widebody long-range market was developed to illustrate the use of this method. The results showed that the method is able to capture additional types of risk than previous analysis methods, particularly at the early stages of aircraft design. It was also shown that the method can be used to help create a system that is robust to external environmental factors. The addition of an external environment risk analysis in the early stages of conceptual design can add another dimension to the analysis of feasibility and viability. The ability to take risk into account during the early stages of the design process can allow for the elimination of potentially feasible and viable but too-risky alternatives. The addition of a scenario-based analysis instead of a traditional probabilistic analysis enabled uncertainty to be effectively bound and examined over a variety of potential futures instead of only a single future. There is also potential for a product to be groomed for a specific future that one believes is likely to happen, or for a product to be steered during design as the future unfolds.

Alternatives to allogeneic platelet transfusion.

PubMed

Desborough, Michael J R; Smethurst, Peter A; Estcourt, Lise J; Stanworth, Simon J

2016-11-01

Allogeneic platelet transfusions are widely used for the prevention and treatment of bleeding in thrombocytopenia. Recent evidence suggests platelet transfusions have limited efficacy and are associated with uncertain immunomodulatory risks and concerns about viral or bacterial transmission. Alternatives to transfusion are a well-recognised tenet of Patient Blood Management, but there has been less focus on different strategies to reduce bleeding risk by comparison to platelet transfusion. Direct alternatives to platelet transfusion include agents to stimulate endogenous platelet production (thrombopoietin mimetics), optimising platelet adhesion to endothelium by treating anaemia or increasing von Willebrand factor levels (desmopressin), increasing formation of cross-linked fibrinogen (activated recombinant factor VII, fibrinogen concentrate or recombinant factor XIII), decreasing fibrinolysis (tranexamic acid or epsilon aminocaproic acid) or using artificial or modified platelets (cryopreserved platelets, lyophilised platelets, haemostatic particles, liposomes, engineered nanoparticles or infusible platelet membranes). The evidence base to support the use of these alternatives is variable, but an area of active research. Much of the current randomised controlled trial focus is on evaluation of the use of thrombopoietin mimetics and anti-fibrinolytics. It is also recognised that one alternative strategy to platelet transfusion is choosing not to transfuse at all. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lower- Versus Higher-Income Populations In The Alternative Quality Contract: Improved Quality And Similar Spending.

PubMed

Song, Zirui; Rose, Sherri; Chernew, Michael E; Safran, Dana Gelb

2017-01-01

As population-based payment models become increasingly common, it is crucial to understand how such payment models affect health disparities. We evaluated health care quality and spending among enrollees in areas with lower versus higher socioeconomic status in Massachusetts before and after providers entered into the Alternative Quality Contract, a two-sided population-based payment model with substantial incentives tied to quality. We compared changes in process measures, outcome measures, and spending between enrollees in areas with lower and higher socioeconomic status from 2006 to 2012 (outcome measures were measured after the intervention only). Quality improved for all enrollees in the Alternative Quality Contract after their provider organizations entered the contract. Process measures improved 1.2 percentage points per year more among enrollees in areas with lower socioeconomic status than among those in areas with higher socioeconomic status. Outcome measure improvement was no different between the subgroups; neither were changes in spending. Larger or comparable improvements in quality among enrollees in areas with lower socioeconomic status suggest a potential narrowing of disparities. Strong pay-for-performance incentives within a population-based payment model could encourage providers to focus on improving quality for more disadvantaged populations. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

WE-G-12A-01: High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Surgery and Therapy

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

Farahani, K; O'Neill, B

More and more emphasis is being made on alternatives to invasive surgery and the use of ionizing radiation to treat various diseases including cancer. Novel screening, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of response to treatment are also hot areas of research and new clinical technologies. Ultrasound(US) has gained traction in all of the aforementioned areas of focus. Especially with recent advances in the use of ultrasound to noninvasively treat various diseases/organ systems. This session will focus on covering MR-guided focused ultrasound and the state of the art clinical applications, and the second speaker will survey the more cutting edge technologies e.g.more » Focused Ultrasound (FUS) mediated drug delivery, principles of cavitation and US guided FUS. Learning Objectives: Fundamental physics and physical limitations of US interaction with tissue and nanoparticles The alteration of tissue transport using focused ultrasound US control of nanoparticle drug carriers for targeted release The basic principles of MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) surgery and therapy the current state of the art clinical applications of MRgFUS requirements for quality assurance and treatment planning.« less

Activity in early visual areas predicts interindividual differences in binocular rivalry dynamics

PubMed Central

Yamashiro, Hiroyuki; Mano, Hiroaki; Umeda, Masahiro; Higuchi, Toshihiro; Saiki, Jun

2013-01-01

When dissimilar images are presented to the two eyes, binocular rivalry (BR) occurs, and perception alternates spontaneously between the images. Although neural correlates of the oscillating perception during BR have been found in multiple sites along the visual pathway, the source of BR dynamics is unclear. Psychophysical and modeling studies suggest that both low- and high-level cortical processes underlie BR dynamics. Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated the involvement of high-level regions by showing that frontal and parietal cortices responded time locked to spontaneous perceptual alternation in BR. However, a potential contribution of early visual areas to BR dynamics has been overlooked, because these areas also responded to the physical stimulus alternation mimicking BR. In the present study, instead of focusing on activity during perceptual switches, we highlighted brain activity during suppression periods to investigate a potential link between activity in human early visual areas and BR dynamics. We used a strong interocular suppression paradigm called continuous flash suppression to suppress and fluctuate the visibility of a probe stimulus and measured retinotopic responses to the onset of the invisible probe using functional MRI. There were ∼130-fold differences in the median suppression durations across 12 subjects. The individual differences in suppression durations could be predicted by the amplitudes of the retinotopic activity in extrastriate visual areas (V3 and V4v) evoked by the invisible probe. Weaker responses were associated with longer suppression durations. These results demonstrate that retinotopic representations in early visual areas play a role in the dynamics of perceptual alternations during BR. PMID:24353304

Fly-by-Wireless Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Studor, George

2010-01-01

The presentation reviews what is meant by the term 'fly-by-wireless', common problems and motivation, provides recent examples, and examines NASA's future and basis for collaboration. The vision is to minimize cables and connectors and increase functionality across the aerospace industry by providing reliable, lower cost, modular, and higher performance alternatives to wired data connectivity to benefit the entire vehicle/program life-cycle. Focus areas are system engineering and integration methods to reduce cables and connectors, vehicle provisions for modularity and accessibility, and a 'tool box' of alternatives to wired connectivity.

The Prehistory and Paleoenvironment of Hominy Creek Valley. 1979 Field Season,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

study of Hiominy Creek Valley (Henry, 1977a:1-5). The program focuses on the definition of adaptive strate- gies throughout the prehistoric occupation...area of the shelter is estimated 75m 2 with approximately one-fifth of this area covered by rockfall . The cellng is generally level with a height...greater rates of deposition than fewer numbers Gi occupants. These open floodplain sites may LW -98- well have represented alternative encampments to the

Future Energy Technology. A Basic Teaching Unit on Energy. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Hugh, Ed.; Scharmann, Larry, Ed.

Recommended for grades 7-12 language arts, science, and social studies classes, this 5-7 day unit encourages students to investigate alternative energy sources through research. Focusing on geothermal energy, tide and ocean, fusion, wind, biomass, and solar energy as possible areas of consideration, the unit attempts to create an awareness of the…

Alternative Scenarios of the American Future: 1980-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, Robert

This report is a summary of the findings of the societal trends survey completed at the National Forum on Learning and The American Future, which focused on factors influencing the future of adult learning. The survey questionnaire and results consist of 120 societal trend statements organized into sixteen different content areas: demography;…

Dynamic Assessment of Incidental Vocabularies: A Case of Iranian ESP Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanifi, Sepideh; Nasiri, Mahdi; Aliasin, Hesamuddin

2016-01-01

Dynamic assessment (DA), stemmed from both Vygotsky's (1978) learning theory and Feuerstein's (1979) theory of mediated learning experiences, is an alternative to static assessment. It focuses on both instruction and assessment aiming at promoting learning through mediation. DA has been widely researched in different linguistic areas, but there is…

Supporting research and technology for automotive Stirling engine development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomazic, W. A.

1980-01-01

The technology advancement topics described are a part of the supporting research and technology (SRT) program conducted to support the major Stirling engine development program. This support focuses on developing alternatives or backups to the engine development in critical areas. These areas are materials, seals control, combustors and system analysis. Specific objectives and planned milestone schedules for future activities as now envisioned are described. These planned SRT activities are related to the timeline of the engine development program that they must support.

Non-proliferation, safeguards, and security for the fissile materials disposition program immobilization alternatives

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

Duggan, R.A.; Jaeger, C.D.; Tolk, K.M.

1996-05-01

The Department of Energy is analyzing long-term storage and disposition alternatives for surplus weapons-usable fissile materials. A number of different disposition alternatives are being considered. These include facilities for storage, conversion and stabilization of fissile materials, immobilization in glass or ceramic material, fabrication of fissile material into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for reactors, use of reactor based technologies to convert material into spent fuel, and disposal of fissile material using geologic alternatives. This paper will focus on how the objectives of reducing security and proliferation risks are being considered, and the possible facility impacts. Some of the areas discussed inmore » this paper include: (1) domestic and international safeguards requirements, (2) non-proliferation criteria and measures, (3) the threats, and (4) potential proliferation, safeguards, and security issues and impacts on the facilities. Issues applicable to all of the possible disposition alternatives will be discussed in this paper. However, particular attention is given to the plutonium immobilization alternatives.« less

Information and Referral in Texas: A Plan To Improve Services. Report of the Texas Information and Referral Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention, Austin.

This Texas plan to improve information and referral services in the area of developmental disabilities recommends an approach which focuses on providing improvements incrementally, spacing benefits over time, and periodically reassessing direction, alternatives, and costs/benefits. The plan stresses building a network which provides greater public…

Exploring how alternative mapping approaches influence fireshed assessment and human community exposure to wildfire

Treesearch

Joe H. Scott; Matthew P. Thompson; Julie W. Gilbertson-Day

2015-01-01

Attaining fire-adapted human communities has become a key focus of collaborative planning on landscapes across the western United States and elsewhere. The coupling of fire simulation with GIS has expanded the analytical base to support such planning efforts, particularly through the "fireside" concept that identifies areas where wildfires could ignite and...

Imagined Communities, Contested Watersheds: Challenges to Integrated Water Resources Management in Agricultural Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferreyra, Cecilia; de Loe, Rob C.; Kreutzwiser, Reid D.

2008-01-01

Integrated water resources management is one of the major bottom-up alternatives that emerged during the 1980s in North America as part of the trend towards more holistic and participatory styles of environmental governance. It aims to protect surface and groundwater resources by focusing on the integrated and collaborative management of land and…

Feedback from the European Bioanalysis Forum: focus workshop on current analysis of immunogenicity: best practices and regulatory hurdles.

PubMed

Goodman, Joanne; Cowen, Simon; Devanarayan, Viswanath; Egging, David; Emrich, Thomas; Golob, Michaela; Kramer, Daniel; McNally, Jim; Munday, James; Nelson, Robert; Pedras-Vasconcelos, João A; Piironen, Timo; Sickert, Denise; Skibeli, Venke; Fjording, Marianne Scheel; Timmerman, Philip

2018-02-01

European Bioanalysis Forum Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2016: At the recent European Bioanalysis Forum Focus Workshop, 'current analysis of immunogenicity: best practices and regulatory hurdles', several important challenges facing the bioanalytical community in relation to immunogenicity assays were discussed through a mixture of presentations and panel sessions. The main areas of focus were the evolving regulatory landscape, challenges of assay interferences from either drug or target, cut-point setting and whether alternative assays can be used to replace neutralizing antibody assays. This workshop report captures discussions and potential solutions and/or recommendations made by the speakers and delegates.

Implications of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) during public health emergencies and on alternate sites of care.

PubMed

Roszak, Andrew R; Jensen, Frances R; Wild, Richard E; Yeskey, Kevin; Handrigan, Michael T

2009-12-01

Hospitals throughout the country are using innovative strategies to accommodate the surge of patients brought on by the novel H1N1 virus. One strategy has been to help decompress the amount of patients seeking care within emergency departments by using alternate sites of care, such as tents, parking lots, and community centers as triage, staging, and screening areas. As at any other time an individual presents on hospital property, hospitals and providers must be mindful of the requirements of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. In this article we review the act and its implications during public health emergencies, with a particular focus on its implications on alternative sites of care.

Alternatives to antibiotics: a symposium on the challenges and solutions for animal production.

PubMed

Seal, Bruce S; Lillehoj, Hyun S; Donovan, David M; Gay, Cyril G

2013-06-01

Antibiotics are one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century and will remain an essential tool for treating animal and human diseases in the 21st century. However, antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens and concerns over their extensive use in food animals has garnered global interest in limiting antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Yet, limiting the availability of medical interventions to prevent and control animal diseases on the farm will directly impact global food security and safety as well as animal and human health. Insufficient attention has been given to the scientific breakthroughs and novel technologies that provide alternatives to antibiotics. The objectives of the symposium 'Alternatives to Antibiotics' were to highlight promising research results and novel technologies that could potentially lead to alternatives to conventional antibiotics, and assess challenges associated with their commercialization, and provide actionable strategies to support development of alternative antimicrobials. The symposium focused on the latest scientific breakthroughs and technologies that could provide new options and alternative strategies for preventing and treating diseases of animals. Some of these new technologies have direct applications as medical interventions for human health, but the focus of the symposium was animal production, animal health and food safety during food-animal production. Five subject areas were explored in detail through scientific presentations and expert panel discussions, including: (1) alternatives to antibiotics, lessons from nature; (2) immune modulation approaches to enhance disease resistance and to treat animal diseases; (3) gut microbiome and immune development, health and diseases; (4) alternatives to antibiotics for animal production; and (5) regulatory pathways to enable the licensure of alternatives to antibiotics.

Alternative to Agricultural Drains in California's San Joaquin Valley: Results of a Regional-Scale Hydrogeologic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belitz, Kenneth; Phillips, Steven P.

1995-08-01

The occurrence of selenium in agricultural drainage water derived from the central part of the western San Joaquin Valley has focused concern on alternatives to agricultural drains for managing shallow, poor-quality groundwater. A transient, three-dimensional simulation model was developed to evaluate the response of the water table to alternatives that affect recharge to or discharge from the groundwater flow system. The modeled area is 551 mi2 (1 mi2 = 2.59 km2) and includes both the semiconfined and confined zones above and below the Corcoran Clay Member of the Tulare Formation of Pleistocene age. The simulation model was calibrated using hydrologic data from 1972 to 1988, and was extended to the year 2040 to forecast for various management alternatives, including maintenance of present practices, land retirement, reduced recharge, increased groundwater pumping, and combinations of these alternatives. Maintenance of present practices results in a worsening of the situation: the total area subject to bare-soil evaporation increases from 224 mi2 in 1990 to 344 mi2 in 2040, and drain flow increases from 25,000 ac ft/yr (1 ac ft = 1234 m3) to 28,000 ac ft/yr. Although land retirement results in elimination of bare-soil evaporation and drain flow in the areas retired, it has little to no effect in adjacent areas. In contrast, regional-scale changes in recharge and pumping are effective for regional management. The area subject to bare-soil evaporation can be reduced to 78 mi2, and drain flow to 8000 ac ft/yr if (1) recharge is reduced by 15% (26,000 ac ft/yr) in areas that currently use surface and groundwater (362 mi2); (2) recharge is reduced by 40% (28,000 ac ft/yr) in areas that currently use only surface water (137 mi2); and (3) pumping rates are uniformly incremented by 0.5 ft/yr (160,000 ac ft/yr) in both areas. If these water budget changes were to be implemented in the study area, and in adjacent areas with similiar Hydrogeologic characteristics, then approximately 400,000 ac ft/yr of surface water would be made available. Thus a shift in the hydrologic budget in the central part of the western San Joaquin Valley improves the prospects for sustaining agriculture in the area, and could provide substantial water resources for other uses.

Space telescope optical telescope assembly/scientific instruments. Phase B: Preliminary design and program definition study. Volume 2A. focal plane camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Trade studies were conducted to ensure the overall feasibility of the focal plane camera in a radial module. The primary variable in the trade studies was the location of the pickoff mirror, on axis versus off-axis. Two alternatives were: (1) the standard (electromagnetic focus) SECO submodule, and (2) the MOD 15 permanent magnet focus SECO submodule. The technical areas of concern were the packaging affected parameters of thermal dissipation, focal plane obscuration, and image quality.

Uncertainty and the Conceptual Site Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, V.; Nicholson, T. J.

2007-12-01

Our focus is on uncertainties in the underlying conceptual framework upon which all subsequent steps in numerical and/or analytical modeling efforts depend. Experienced environmental modelers recognize the value of selecting an optimal conceptual model from several competing site models, but usually do not formally explore possible alternative models, in part due to incomplete or missing site data, as well as relevant regional data for establishing boundary conditions. The value in and approach for developing alternative conceptual site models (CSM) is demonstrated by analysis of case histories. These studies are based on reported flow or transport modeling in which alternative site models are formulated using data that were not available to, or not used by, the original modelers. An important concept inherent to model abstraction of these alternative conceptual models is that it is "Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often vague, than the exact answer to the wrong question, which can always be made precise." (Tukey, 1962) The case histories discussed here illustrate the value of formulating alternative models and evaluating them using site-specific data: (1) Charleston Naval Site where seismic characterization data allowed significant revision of the CSM and subsequent contaminant transport modeling; (2) Hanford 300-Area where surface- and ground-water interactions affecting the unsaturated zone suggested an alternative component to the site model; (3) Savannah River C-Area where a characterization report for a waste site within the modeled area was not available to the modelers, but provided significant new information requiring changes to the underlying geologic and hydrogeologic CSM's used; (4) Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) where re-interpretation of resistivity sounding data and water-level data suggested an alternative geologic model. Simple 2-D spreadsheet modeling of the ADRS with the revised CSM provided an improved match to vapor-phase tritium migration. Site-specific monitoring coupled to these alternative CSM's greatly assists in conducting uncertainty assessments. (Work supported by USNRC contract NRC-04-03-061.)

Water Resources for our Cities. Resource Papers for College Geography No. 78-2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumann, Duane D.; Dworkin, Daniel

This paper argues that a re-examination of current goals and methodologies and modifications to management practices are necessary if urban water crises are to be minimized. Three problem areas are focused on: (1) the projection of demand and the estimation of supply; (2) the alternatives for balancing demand and supply; and (3) the management of…

Contact-Induced Language Alternation in Tanzanian Ngoni--An Empirical Study of Frequency and Patterns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosendal, Tove; Mapunda, Gastor

2017-01-01

The codeswitching pattern is different in rural Tanzania compared to urban agglomerations around the world. Even in very rural areas people in Tanzania are bilingual in Swahili, the national and local lingua franca, and their own first language. The result of this language contact is understudied and has only recently been focused on. This paper…

Alternative and Asset-Based Evaluation and Assessment in Language Teaching and Literacy: Resources for Research, Classroom Instruction and Evaluation of Language Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Sarah Elaine

2011-01-01

This annotated bibliography surveys key resources and research related specifically to language learning and literacy. It focuses on resources that will be valuable to teaching professionals and researchers who specialize in the areas of foreign and second language teaching, language arts and first and second language literacy. Significant…

Designing and Testing Evaluation Tools to Inform Foundation Education Reforms and Build Grantee Capacity. WCER Working Paper No. 2010-1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimball, Steven M.; Lander, Rachel; Thorn, Christopher A.

2010-01-01

Beginning in 2002, The Chicago Community Trust embarked on an ambitious grant- making strategy to improve education outcomes primarily in the city of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. Known as The Education Initiative, this effort focused on three priority grant areas: literacy, professional development, and alternative models of schools. In…

Hydrogeological Characterization of the Middle Magdalena Valley - Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arenas, Maria Cristina; Riva, Monica; Donado, Leonardo David; Guadagnini, Alberto

2017-04-01

We provide a detailed hydrogeological characterization of the complex aquifer system of the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia. The latter is comprised by 3 sub-basins within which 7 blocks have been identified for active exploration and potential production of oil and gas. As such, there is a critical need to establish modern water resources management practices in the area to accommodate the variety of social, environmental and industrial needs. We do so by starting from a detailed hydrogeological characterization of the system and focus on: (a) a detailed hydrogeological reconnaissance of the area leading to the definition of the main hydrogeological units; (b) the collection, organization and analysis of daily climatic data from 39 stations available in the region; and (c) the assessment of the groundwater flow circulation through the formulation of a conceptual and a mathematical model of the subsurface system. Groundwater flow is simulated in the SAM 1.1 aquifer located in the Middle Magdalena Valley with the objective of showing and evaluating alternative conceptual hydrogeological modeling alternatives. We focus here on modeling results at system equilibrium (i.e., under steady-state conditions) and assess the value of available information in the context of the candidate modeling strategies we consider. Results of our modeling effort are conducive to the characterization of the distributed hydrogeological budget and the assessment of critical areas as a function of the conceptualization of the system functioning and data avilability.

Milan Army Ammunition Plant focused feasibility study for the northern industrial area soil. Final report

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

Locandro, R.R.; Okusu, N.M.; Case, J.

1995-04-01

ICF Kaiser Engineers (ICF) and Environmental Resources Management (ERM) have been contracted by the US Army Environmental Center (USAEC) to perform a Focused Feasibility Study (FS) for contaminated soil within the northern industrial areas of Milan Army Ammunition Plant (MAAP), Tennessee. The purpose of the Focused FS is to develop and evaluate remedial alternatives such that an appropriate remedy can be selected for the site. The MAAP Remedial Investigation (RI) performed in 1989--1991 confirmed that the O-Line Ponds area, facility drainage ditches that received industrial wastewater, and manufacturing and disposal areas have been sources of groundwater contamination. One finding ofmore » the RI Report was that sufficient information was available concerning the O-Line Ponds area to proceed with a Focused FS. The O-Line Ponds area was further divided into two operable units (OUs): OU1 is the groundwater immediately downgradient of the O-Line Ponds area, and OU2 is the soil, surface water, and sediment at the O-Line Ponds area. A Proposed Plan and Record of Decision (ROD) for OU1 were finalized in 1992, which called for groundwater extraction, treatment, and reinjection of the treated water upgradient of the O-Line Ponds. The design of this system was completed in 1993, and construction of the system is currently underway. For OU2, the Proposed Plan and ROD (finalized in 1993) called for the extension of the existing multi-layered cap to cover the contaminated soil around the perimeter of the existing cap. The design of the cap extension was completed in 1994, and construction will begin in late 1994.« less

Alternative Fuels Data Center: North Carolina's Henderson County Focuses on

Science.gov Websites

Natural Gas North Carolina's Henderson County Focuses on Natural Gas to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: North Carolina's Henderson County Focuses on Natural Gas on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: North Carolina's Henderson County Focuses on Natural Gas on Twitter

Alternative use of space in slum settlements case study: Kampong Gandekan Kampung Baru in Kali Pepe river Surakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darmastuti, Amalia Ji; Wardana, Agustinus Wisnu; Eng, Ir. Maya Andria Nirawati M.

2018-02-01

Slum areas are heavily populated urban informal settlements characterized by substandard housing and illegal land usage (squatting). Surakarta is one of many Indonesian cities that are still entangled by this problem. One of the slum concentrations in Surakarta is the slum settlement (kampong) alongside Kali Pepe riverbank. Within these slum settlements, people survive in substandard housing by effectively using the limited space. This research aims to discover the typologies of the alternative use of space. This research takes a case study approach in a few kampongs alongside Kali Pepe riverbank, based on the types and sizes of small houses within this area, considering the number of occupants and the space required. The data for this research is categorized as primary data which was collected through a series of site observations and focus group discussions. The data will be analysed, compared, and classified to find out the typology of the alternative solutions of space requirements. This research uses mixed-method analysis to define how Kali Pepe's slum residents alternatively use the spaces within their kampongs. Based on the typologies found through multiple analyses, this research concludes that the use of space in substandard housing cannot be bound by limited spaces. Furthermore, the main strategy to solve the problem of limited space is by using alternative spaces.

Research in Science Education. Volume 14. Selections of Papers from the Annual Conference of the Australian Science Education Research Association (15th, Victoria, Australia, May 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tisher, Richard P., Ed.

1984-01-01

This publication contains studies which focus on students' science concepts and the alternative frameworks they use to interpret natural phenomena. Among the specific areas investigated are: conceptions held by Year 11 chemistry students about stoichiometry; how some 9-year-old students interpret the word "solid" to mean hard,…

An Interpretive Study of Yosemite National Park Visitors' Perspectives Toward Alternative Transportation in Yosemite Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Dave D.

2007-01-01

The National Park Service (NPS) is increasingly focusing on alternative transportation systems in national parks to address environmental and social problems arising from a historical reliance on personal automobiles as the primary means of visitor access. Despite the potential advantages, alternative transportation may require a reorientation in the way that Americans have experienced national parks since the advent of auto-tourism in the early twentieth century. Little research exists, however, on visitor perspectives towards alternative transportation or the rationale underlying their perspectives. It remains unclear how transportation systems affect visitors’ experiences of the park landscape or the factors influencing their travel behavior in the parks. This report presents an interpretive study of visitor perspectives toward transportation management in the Yosemite Valley area of Yosemite National Park, California. Qualitative analysis of 160 semi-structured interviews identified individual psychological factors as well as situational influences that affect visitors’ behavior and perspectives. Individual psychological factors include perceived freedom, environmental values and beliefs, prior experience with Yosemite National Park and other national parks, prior experience with alternative transportation in national parks, and sensitivity to subjective perceptions of crowding. Situational factors included convenience, access, and flexibility of travel modes, as well as type of visit, type of group, and park use level. Interpretive communication designed to encourage voluntary visitor use of alternative transportation should focus on these psychological and situational factors. Although challenges remain, the results of this study suggest approaches for shaping the way Americans visit and experience their national parks to encourage environmental sustainability.

An interpretive study of Yosemite National Park visitors' perspectives toward alternative transportation in Yosemite Valley.

PubMed

White, Dave D

2007-01-01

The National Park Service (NPS) is increasingly focusing on alternative transportation systems in national parks to address environmental and social problems arising from a historical reliance on personal automobiles as the primary means of visitor access. Despite the potential advantages, alternative transportation may require a reorientation in the way that Americans have experienced national parks since the advent of auto-tourism in the early twentieth century. Little research exists, however, on visitor perspectives towards alternative transportation or the rationale underlying their perspectives. It remains unclear how transportation systems affect visitors' experiences of the park landscape or the factors influencing their travel behavior in the parks. This report presents an interpretive study of visitor perspectives toward transportation management in the Yosemite Valley area of Yosemite National Park, California. Qualitative analysis of 160 semi-structured interviews identified individual psychological factors as well as situational influences that affect visitors' behavior and perspectives. Individual psychological factors include perceived freedom, environmental values and beliefs, prior experience with Yosemite National Park and other national parks, prior experience with alternative transportation in national parks, and sensitivity to subjective perceptions of crowding. Situational factors included convenience, access, and flexibility of travel modes, as well as type of visit, type of group, and park use level. Interpretive communication designed to encourage voluntary visitor use of alternative transportation should focus on these psychological and situational factors. Although challenges remain, the results of this study suggest approaches for shaping the way Americans visit and experience their national parks to encourage environmental sustainability.

Behavior-Focused Alternative Schools: Impact on Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkerson, Kimber; Afacan, Kemal; Perzigian, Aaron; Justin, Whitney; Lequia, Jenna

2016-01-01

Behavior-focused alternative schools serve students who have been unsuccessful in other school settings due to low academic achievement coupled with significant behavior challenges. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of secondary behavior-focused alternative schools on four different student outcome variables: (a) school attendance,…

Role of Contrastive and Noncontrastive Associates in the Interpretation of Focus Particles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gotzner, Nicole; Spalek, Katharina

2017-01-01

The present research examines the mechanisms underlying the comprehension of focus alternatives. In particular, we investigate whether listeners determine alternatives based on general semantic priming mechanisms or whether they only consider contrastive alternatives, elements that can replace the expression in focus. In a probe recognition…

Causes of Low Student Enrolment at the Zimbabwe Open University's Harare-Chitungwiza Region for the Period 2008-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishau, David; Samkange, Wellington

2015-01-01

The focus on Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has given people an alternative to acquiring and developing skills in areas of their choice especially those related to their jobs. While its introduction was met with different responses, it could be noted that in some cases ODL has been viewed with scepticism and in others it has been received with…

Mixed waste focus area alternative technologies workshop

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

Borduin, L.C.; Palmer, B.A.; Pendergrass, J.A.

1995-05-24

This report documents the Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA)-sponsored Alternative Technology Workshop held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 24--27, 1995. The primary workshop goal was identifying potential applications for emerging technologies within the Options Analysis Team (OAT) ``wise`` configuration. Consistent with the scope of the OAT analysis, the review was limited to the Mixed Low-Level Waste (MLLW) fraction of DOE`s mixed waste inventory. The Los Alamos team prepared workshop materials (databases and compilations) to be used as bases for participant review and recommendations. These materials derived from the Mixed Waste Inventory Report (MWIR) data base (May 1994), themore » Draft Site Treatment Plan (DSTP) data base, and the OAT treatment facility configuration of December 7, 1994. In reviewing workshop results, the reader should note several caveats regarding data limitations. Link-up of the MWIR and DSTP data bases, while representing the most comprehensive array of mixed waste information available at the time of the workshop, requires additional data to completely characterize all waste streams. A number of changes in waste identification (new and redefined streams) occurred during the interval from compilation of the data base to compilation of the DSTP data base with the end result that precise identification of radiological and contaminant characteristics was not possible for these streams. To a degree, these shortcomings compromise the workshop results; however, the preponderance of waste data was linked adequately, and therefore, these analyses should provide useful insight into potential applications of alternative technologies to DOE MLLW treatment facilities.« less

Integrated Hydrogeological Model of the General Separations Area, Vol. 2, Rev. 1

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

FLACH, GREGORYK.

1999-04-01

The 15 mi2 General Separations Area (GSA) contains more than 35 RCRA and CERCLA waste units, and is the focus of numerous ongoing and anticipated contaminant migration and remedial alternatives studies. To meet the analysis needs of GSA remediation programs, a groundwater flow model of the area based on the FACT code was developed. The model is consistent with detailed characterization and monitoring data through 1996. Model preprocessing has been automated so that future updates and modifications can be performed quickly and efficiently. Most remedial action scenarios can be explicitly simulated, including vertical recirculation wells, vertical barriers, surface caps, pumpingmore » wells at arbitrary locations, specified drawdown within well casings (instead of flowrate), and wetland impacts of remedial actions. The model has a fine scale vertical mesh and heterogeneous conductivity field, and includes the vadose zone. Therefore, the model is well suited to support subsequent contaminant transport simulations. the model can provide a common framework for analyzing groundwater flow, contaminant migration, and remedial alternatives across Environmental Restoration programs within the GSA.« less

CORRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR AREA 9 UXO LANDFILL, TONOPAH TEST RNGE, CAU 453, REVISION 0, MARCH 1998

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

none

1998-03-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD) has been prepared for the Area 9 Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Landfill (Corrective Action Unit [CAU] 453) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) of 1996. Corrective Action Unit 453 is located at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Nevada, and is comprised of three individual landfill cells located northwest of Area 9. The cells are listed as one Corrective Action Site (CAS) 09-55-001-0952. The landfill cells have been designated as: � Cell A9-1 � Cell A9-2 � Cell A9-3 The purpose of this CADD is to identify and provide a rationalemore » for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for CAU 453. The scope of this CADD consists of the following tasks: � Develop corrective action objectives. � Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. � Develop corrective action alternatives. � Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria. � Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for the CAU. In June and July 1997, a corrective action investigation was performed that consisted of activities set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) (DOE/NV, 1997). Subsurface investigation of the soils surrounding the cells revealed no contaminants of concern (COCs) above preliminary action levels. The cell contents were not investigated due to the potential for live UXO. Details concerning the analytical and investigation results can be found in Appendix A of this CADD. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for CAU 453: � Prevent or mitigate human exposure to subsurface soils containing COCs, solid waste, and/or UXO. � Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Based on the review of existing data, future land use, and current operations at the TTR, the following alternatives have been developed for consideration at the Area 9 UXO Landfill CAU: � Alternative 1 - No Further Action � Alternative 2 - Closure in Place by Administrative Controls � Alternative 3 - Closure in Place by Capping � Alternative 4 - Clean Closure by Removal The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, Alternative 2, Closure in Place by Administrative Controls, was selected as the preferred corrective action alternative. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on its technical merits, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated and to represent the most cost-effective corrective action. The alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contents of the landfill. During corrective action implementation, this alternative will present minimal potential threat to site workers. However, appropriate health and safety procedures will be developed and implemented.« less

Technical/ administrative options for managing tritium MCL exceedances in P-area groundwater and Steel Creek

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

Ross, J.

2017-04-01

This white paper was requested by the Core Team (United States Department of Energy [USDOE], United States Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA], and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control [SCDHEC]) at the P-Area Groundwater (PAGW) Operable Unit (OU) Scoping Meeting held in January 2017 to discuss recent data and potential alternatives in support of a focused Corrective Measures Study/Feasibility Study (CMS/FS). This white paper presents an overview of the problem, and a range of technical and administrative options for addressing the tritium contamination in groundwater and Steel Creek. As tritium cannot be treated practicably, alternatives are limited to mediamore » transfer, containment and natural attenuation principally relying on radioactive decay. Using other groundwater OU decisions involving tritium as precedent, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) recommends that final tritium alternatives be evaluated in a CMS/FS, understanding that the likely preferred remedy will include natural attenuation with land use controls (LUCs). This is based on the inability to significantly reduce tritium impact to Steel Creek using an engineered solution as compared to natural attenuation. The timing of this evaluation could be conducted concurrently with the final remedy evaluation for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).« less

Mold spoilage of bread and its biopreservation: A review of current strategies for bread shelf life extension.

PubMed

Axel, Claudia; Zannini, Emanuele; Arendt, Elke K

2017-11-02

Microbial spoilage of bread and the consequent waste problem causes large economic losses for both the bakery industry and the consumer. Furthermore the presence of mycotoxins due to fungal contamination in cereals and cereal products remains a significant issue. The use of conventional chemical preservatives has several drawbacks, necessitating the development of clean-label alternatives. In this review, we describe current research aiming to extend the shelf life of bread through the use of more consumer friendly and ecologically sustainable preservation techniques as alternatives to chemical additives. Studies on the in situ-production/-expression of antifungal compounds are presented, with special attention given to recent developments over the past decade. Sourdough fermented with antifungal strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is an area of increasing focus and serves as a high-potential biological ingredient to produce gluten-containing and gluten-free breads with improved nutritional value, quality and safety due to shelf-life extension, and is in-line with consumer's demands for more products containing less additives. Other alternative biopreservation techniques include the utilization of antifungal peptides, ethanol and plant extracts. These can be added to bread formulations or incorporated in antimicrobial films for active packaging (AP) of bread. This review outlines recent progress that has been made in the area of bread biopreservation and future perspectives in this important area.

Where to restore ecological connectivity? Detecting barriers and quantifying restoration benefits.

PubMed

McRae, Brad H; Hall, Sonia A; Beier, Paul; Theobald, David M

2012-01-01

Landscape connectivity is crucial for many ecological processes, including dispersal, gene flow, demographic rescue, and movement in response to climate change. As a result, governmental and non-governmental organizations are focusing efforts to map and conserve areas that facilitate movement to maintain population connectivity and promote climate adaptation. In contrast, little focus has been placed on identifying barriers-landscape features which impede movement between ecologically important areas-where restoration could most improve connectivity. Yet knowing where barriers most strongly reduce connectivity can complement traditional analyses aimed at mapping best movement routes. We introduce a novel method to detect important barriers and provide example applications. Our method uses GIS neighborhood analyses in conjunction with effective distance analyses to detect barriers that, if removed, would significantly improve connectivity. Applicable in least-cost, circuit-theoretic, and simulation modeling frameworks, the method detects both complete (impermeable) barriers and those that impede but do not completely block movement. Barrier mapping complements corridor mapping by broadening the range of connectivity conservation alternatives available to practitioners. The method can help practitioners move beyond maintaining currently important areas to restoring and enhancing connectivity through active barrier removal. It can inform decisions on trade-offs between restoration and protection; for example, purchasing an intact corridor may be substantially more costly than restoring a barrier that blocks an alternative corridor. And it extends the concept of centrality to barriers, highlighting areas that most diminish connectivity across broad networks. Identifying which modeled barriers have the greatest impact can also help prioritize error checking of land cover data and collection of field data to improve connectivity maps. Barrier detection provides a different way to view the landscape, broadening thinking about connectivity and fragmentation while increasing conservation options.

Water Quality and Quantity Modeling for Hydrologic and Policy Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubiano, J.; Giron, E.; Quintero, M.; O'Brien, R.

2004-12-01

This paper presents the results of a research project that elucidate the excesses of nitrogen and phosphorous using a spatial-temporal modeling approach. The project uses the approach of integrating biophysical and socio-economic knowledge to offer sound solution to multiple stakeholders within a watershed context. The aim is to promote rural development and solve environmental conflicts by focusing on the internalization of externalities derived from watershed management, triggering the transference of funding from urban to rural populations, making the city invest in environmental goods or services offered by rural environments. The integrated modeling is focused towards identifying causal relationships between land use and management on the one hand, and water quantity/quality and sedimentation downstream on the other. Estimation of the amount of contaminated sediments transported in the study area and its impact is also studied here. The soil runoff information within the study area is obtained considering the characteristics of erosion using a MUSLE model as a sub-model of SWAT model. Using regression analysis, mathematical relationships between rainfall and surface runoff and between land use or management practices and the measured nitrate and phosphate load are established. The methodology first integrates most of the key spatial information available for the site to facilitate envisioning different land use scenarios and their impacts upon water resources. Subsequently, selected alternatives scenarios regarding the identified externalities are analyzed using optimization models. Opportunities for and constraints to promoting co-operation among users are exposed with the aid of economic games in which more sustainable land use or management alternatives are suggested. Strategic alliances and collective action are promoted in order to implement those alternatives that are environmentally sound and economically feasible. Such options are supported by co-funding schemes designed with the private and public stakeholders having a role in the study area. The significance of this research is clearly depicted by the results of the different models applying here for the assessment of water quality parameters and for modeling upper catchments terrain surface change in the study area. Application of the methodology is presented for the Fuquene Lake Basin in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Additional research needs and limitations of the methodology are highlighted.

Automatic alternative phase-shift mask CAD layout tool for gate shrinkage of embedded DRAM in logic below 0.18 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnuma, Hidetoshi; Kawahira, Hiroichi

1998-09-01

An automatic alternative phase shift mask (PSM) pattern layout tool has been newly developed. This tool is dedicated for embedded DRAM in logic device to shrink gate line width with improving line width controllability in lithography process with a design rule below 0.18 micrometers by the KrF excimer laser exposure. The tool can crete Levenson type PSM used being coupled with a binary mask adopting a double exposure method for positive photo resist. By using graphs, this tool automatically creates alternative PSM patterns. Moreover, it does not give any phase conflicts. By adopting it to actual embedded DRAM in logic cells, we have provided 0.16 micrometers gate resist patterns at both random logic and DRAM areas. The patterns were fabricated using two masks with the double exposure method. Gate line width has been well controlled under a practical exposure-focus window.

Findings and Recommendations from the NIST Workshop on Alternative Fuels and Materials: Biocorrosion

PubMed Central

Mansfield, Elisabeth; Sowards, Jeffrey W.; Crookes-Goodson, Wendy J.

2015-01-01

In 2013, the Applied Chemicals and Materials Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted a workshop to identify and prioritize research needs in the area of biocorrosion. Materials used to store and distribute alternative fuels have experienced an increase in corrosion due to the unique conditions caused by the presence of microbes and the chemistry of biofuels and biofuel precursors. Participants in this workshop, including experts from the microbiological, fuel, and materials communities, delved into the unique materials and chemical challenges that occur with production, transport, and storage of alternative fuels. Discussions focused on specific problems including: a) the changing composition of “drop-in” fuels and the impact of that composition on materials; b) the influence of microbial populations on corrosion and fuel quality; and c) state-of-the-art measurement technologies for monitoring material degradation and biofilm formation. PMID:26958436

Reconsidering formative measurement.

PubMed

Howell, Roy D; Breivik, Einar; Wilcox, James B

2007-06-01

The relationship between observable responses and the latent constructs they are purported to measure has received considerable attention recently, with particular focus on what has become known as formative measurement. This alternative to reflective measurement in the area of theory-testing research is examined in the context of the potential for interpretational confounding and a construct's ability to function as a point variable within a larger model. Although these issues have been addressed in the traditional reflective measurement context, the authors suggest that they are particularly relevant in evaluating formative measurement models. On the basis of this analysis, the authors conclude that formative measurement is not an equally attractive alternative to reflective measurement and that whenever possible, in developing new measures or choosing among alternative existing measures, researchers should opt for reflective measurement. In addition, the authors provide guidelines for researchers dealing with existing formative measures. Copyright 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Alternatively activated macrophages (M2 macrophages) in the skin of patient with localized scleroderma.

PubMed

Higashi-Kuwata, Nobuyo; Makino, Takamitsu; Inoue, Yuji; Takeya, Motohiro; Ihn, Hironobu

2009-08-01

Localized scleroderma is a connective tissue disorder that is limited to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Macrophages have been reported to be particularly activated in patients with skin disease including systemic sclerosis and are potentially important sources for fibrosis-inducing cytokines, such as transforming growth factor beta. To clarify the features of immunohistochemical characterization of the immune cell infiltrates in localized scleroderma focusing on macrophages, skin biopsy specimens were analysed by immunohistochemistry. The number of cells stained with monoclonal antibodies, CD68, CD163 and CD204, was calculated. An evident macrophage infiltrate and increased number of alternatively activated macrophages (M2 macrophages) in their fibrotic areas were observed along with their severity of inflammation. This study revealed that alternatively activated macrophages (M2 macrophages) may be a potential source of fibrosis-inducing cytokines in localized scleroderma, and may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of localized scleroderma.

Findings and Recommendations from the NIST Workshop on Alternative Fuels and Materials: Biocorrosion.

PubMed

Mansfield, Elisabeth; Sowards, Jeffrey W; Crookes-Goodson, Wendy J

2015-01-01

In 2013, the Applied Chemicals and Materials Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted a workshop to identify and prioritize research needs in the area of biocorrosion. Materials used to store and distribute alternative fuels have experienced an increase in corrosion due to the unique conditions caused by the presence of microbes and the chemistry of biofuels and biofuel precursors. Participants in this workshop, including experts from the microbiological, fuel, and materials communities, delved into the unique materials and chemical challenges that occur with production, transport, and storage of alternative fuels. Discussions focused on specific problems including: a) the changing composition of "drop-in" fuels and the impact of that composition on materials; b) the influence of microbial populations on corrosion and fuel quality; and c) state-of-the-art measurement technologies for monitoring material degradation and biofilm formation.

42 CFR § 414.1465 - Physician-focused payment models.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2017-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2017-10-01 2017-10-01 false Physician-focused payment models. § 414.1465... Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Model Incentive § 414.1465 Physician-focused payment models. (a) Definition. A physician-focused payment model (PFPM) is an Alternative Payment...

Incorporating future change into current conservation planning: Evaluating tidal saline wetland migration along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios

USGS Publications Warehouse

Enwright, Nicholas M.; Griffith, Kereen T.; Osland, Michael J.

2015-11-02

In this study, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, quantified the potential for landward migration of tidal saline wetlands along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative future sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. Our analyses focused exclusively on tidal saline wetlands (that is, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and salt flats), and we combined these diverse tidal saline wetland ecosystems into a single grouping, “tidal saline wetland.” Collectively, our approach and findings can provide useful information for scientists and environmental planners working to develop future-focused adaptation strategies for conserving coastal landscapes and the ecosystem goods and services provided by tidal saline wetlands. The primary product of this work is a public dataset that identifies locations where landward migration of tidal saline wetlands is expected to occur under alternative future sea-level rise and urbanization scenarios. In addition to identifying areas where landward migration of tidal saline wetlands is possible because of the absence of barriers, these data also identify locations where landward migration of these wetlands could be prevented by barriers associated with current urbanization, future urbanization, and levees.

The "I" in us, or the eye on us? Regulatory focus, commitment and derogation of an attractive alternative person.

PubMed

Rodrigues, David; Lopes, Diniz; Kumashiro, Madoka

2017-01-01

When individuals are highly committed to their romantic relationship, they are more likely to engage in pro-relationship maintenance mechanisms. The present research expanded on the notion that commitment redirects self-oriented goals to consider broader relational goals and examined whether commitment interacts with a promotion and prevention focus to activate derogation of attractive alternatives. Three studies used cross-sectional and experimental approaches. Study 1 showed that romantically involved individuals predominantly focused on promotion, but not prevention, reported less initial attraction to an attractive target than single individuals, especially when highly committed to their relationship. Study 2 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in a promotion focus, compared to those in prevention focus, reported less initial attraction, but only when more committed to their relationship. Regardless of regulatory focus manipulation, more committed individuals were also less likely to perceive quality among alternative scenarios and to be attentive to alternative others in general. Finally, Study 3 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in promotion focus and primed with high commitment reported less initial attraction, than those primed with low commitment, or than those induced in prevention focus. Once again, for these latter no differences occurred according to commitment prime. Together, the findings suggest that highly committed promotion focused individuals consider broader relationship goals and activate relationship maintenance behaviors such as derogation of attractive alternatives to promote their relationship.

Preliminary Analysis of Helicopter Options to Support Tunisian Counterterrorism Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-27

locations along roads and tracks in border areas, and small settlements in complex terrain (Figure 1, right; examples shown in Figure 2). Analysis For...political implications. In this preliminary analysis , we focus on the question of cost-effectiveness in the UH-60M’s primary role: Which alternative...platforms could perform the assault mission, and at what cost? The core of our analysis is detailed modeling of key “mission tasks” on a sortie-by-sortie

Dual Career Couple Relationships. An Annotated Bibliography, for Conference Presented by The Women's Resources and Research Center (University of California, Davis, April 11-12, 1980). UCD-Women's Resources and Research Center Working Paper Series No. 20.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowles, Em Claire

This annotated bibliography of readings related to dual career couple relationships is divided into eleven areas of focus. Sections included are (1) Alternatives to Rigid Work Imperatives; (2) Child Rearing in Dual Career Families; (3) Collaboration Strategies for Coping; (4) Definition, Trend, and Historical Perspective of Dual Career Couples;…

Rethinking the role of the rTPJ in attention and social cognition in light of the opposing domains hypothesis: findings from an ALE-based meta-analysis and resting-state functional connectivity

PubMed Central

Kubit, Benjamin; Jack, Anthony I.

2013-01-01

The right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) has been associated with two apparently disparate functional roles: in attention and in social cognition. According to one account, the rTPJ initiates a “circuit-breaking” signal that interrupts ongoing attentional processes, effectively reorienting attention. It is argued this primary function of the rTPJ has been extended beyond attention, through a process of evolutionarily cooption, to play a role in social cognition. We propose an alternative account, according to which the capacity for social cognition depends on a network which is both distinct from and in tension with brain areas involved in focused attention and target detection: the default mode network (DMN). Theory characterizing the rTPJ based on the area's purported role in reorienting may be falsely guided by the co-occurrence of two distinct effects in contiguous regions: activation of the supramarginal gyrus (SMG), associated with its functional role in target detection; and the transient release, during spatial reorienting, of suppression of the angular gyrus (AG) associated with focused attention. Findings based on meta-analysis and resting functional connectivity are presented which support this alternative account. We find distinct regions, possessing anti-correlated patterns of resting connectivity, associated with social reasoning (AG) and target detection (SMG) at the rTPJ. The locus for reorienting was spatially intermediate between the AG and SMG and showed a pattern of connectivity with similarities to social reasoning and target detection seeds. These findings highlight a general methodological concern for brain imaging. Given evidence that certain tasks not only activate some areas but also suppress activity in other areas, it is suggested that researchers need to distinguish two distinct putative mechanisms, either of which may produce an increase in activity in a brain area: functional engagement in the task vs. release of suppression. PMID:23847497

Treatment of Insomnia, Insomnia Symptoms, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea During and After Menopause: Therapeutic Approaches

PubMed Central

Tal, Joshua Z.; Suh, Sooyeon A.; Dowdle, Claire L.; Nowakowski, Sara

2015-01-01

Understanding sleep complaints among menopausal women is an emerging area of clinical and research interest. Several recent reviews have focused on mechanisms of menopausal insomnia and symptoms. In this review, we present a discussion on the most relevant and recent publications on the treatment of sleep disorders for menopausal women, with a focus on menopause-related insomnia, insomnia symptoms, and obstructive sleep apnea. We discuss both nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatments, including cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), complementary and alternative medicine, hormone replacement therapy, sedative hypnotics, antidepressants, and continuous positive airway pressure. In addition, we briefly discuss methods and considerations of assessment of sleep disorders in menopausal women. PMID:26478725

Design alternatives for wavelength routing networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miliotis, K.; Papadimitriou, G. I.; Pomportsis, A. S.

2003-03-01

This paper attempts to provide a high level overview of many of the technologies employed in optical networks with a focus on wavelength-routing networks. Optical networks involve a number of technologies from the physics of light through protocols and networks architectures. In fact there is so much technology and know-how that most people involved with optical networks only have a full understanding of the narrow area they deal with. We start first examining the principles that govern light and its use as a wave guide, and then turn our focus to the various components that constitute an optical network and conclude with the description of all optical networks and wavelength-routed networks in greater detail.

CORRRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION UNIT 427: AREA 3 SEPTIC WASTE SYSTEMS 2 AND 6, TONOPAH TEST RANGE, NEVADA, REVISION 0, JUNE 1998

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

ITLV.

1998-06-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document has been prepared for the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 2 and 6 (Corrective Action Unit 427) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996 (FFACO, 1996). Corrective Action Unit 427 is located at the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, and is comprised of the following Corrective Action Sites, each an individual septic waste system (DOE/NV, 1996a): Septic Waste System 2 is Corrective Action Site Number 03-05-002-SW02. Septic Waste System 6 is Corrective Action Site Number 03-05-002-SW06. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide a rationalemore » for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for each Corrective Action Site. The scope of this Correction Action Decision Document consists of the following tasks: Develop corrective action objectives. Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. Develop corrective action alternatives. Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria. Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for each CAS. From November 1997 through January 1998, a corrective action investigation was performed as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit No. 427: Area 3 Septic Waste System Numbers 2 and 6, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada (DOE/NV, 1997b). Details can be found in Appendix A of this document. The results indicated that contamination is present in some portions of the CAU and not in others as described in Table ES-1 and shown in Figure A.2-2 of Appendix A. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for Corrective Action Unit 427: Prevent or mitigate human exposure to subsurface soils containing TPH at concentrations greater than 100 milligrams per kilogram (NAC, 1996b). Close Septic Tank 33-5 in accordance with Nevada Administrative Code 459 (NAC, 1996c). Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Based on the review of existing data, future land use, and current operations at the Tonopah Test Range, the following alternatives were developed for consideration at the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 2 and 6: Alternative 1 - No Further Action Alternative 2 - Closure of Septic Tank 33-5 and Administrative Controls Alternative 3 - Closure of Septic Tank 33-5, Excavation, and Disposal The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, the preferred alternative for Corrective Action Unit 427 is Alternative 2, Closure of Septic Tank 33-5 and Administrative Controls. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on technical merit, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated. The alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soils. During corrective action implementation, this alternative will present minimal potential threat to site workers who come in contact with the waste. However, procedures will be developed and implemented to ensure worker health and safety.« less

Disaggregate demand for conventional and alternative fuelled vehicles in the Census Metropolitan Area of Hamilton, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potoglou, Dimitrios

The focus of this thesis is twofold. First, it offers insight on how households' car-ownership behaviour is affected by urban form and availability of local-transit at the place of residence, after controlling for socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Second, it addresses the importance of vehicle attributes, household and individual characteristics as well as economic incentives and urban form to potential demand for alternative fuelled vehicles. Data for the empirical analyses of the aforementioned research activities were obtained through an innovative Internet survey, which is also documented in this thesis, conducted in the Census Metropolitan Area of Hamilton. The survey included a retrospective questionnaire of households' number and type of vehicles and a stated choices experiment for assessing the potential demand for alternative fuelled vehicles. Established approaches and emerging trends in automobile demand modelling identified early on in this thesis suggest a disaggregate approach and specifically, the estimation of discrete choice models both for explaining car ownership and vehicle-type choice behaviour. It is shown that mixed and diverse land uses as well as short distances between home and work are likely to decrease the probability of households to own a large number of cars. Regarding the demand for alternative fuelled vehicles, while vehicle attributes are particularly important, incentives such as free parking and access to high occupancy vehicle lanes will not influence the choice of hybrids or alternative fuelled vehicles. An improved understating of households' behaviour regarding the number of cars as well as the factors and trade-offs for choosing cleaner vehicles can be used to inform policy designed to reduce car ownership levels and encourage adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies in urban areas. Finally, the Internet survey sets the ground for further research on implementation and evaluation of this data collection method.

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

Dillon, Heather E.; Antonopoulos, Chrissi A.; Solana, Amy E.

As the model energy codes are improved to reach efficiency levels 50 percent greater than current codes, use of on-site renewable energy generation is likely to become a code requirement. This requirement will be needed because traditional mechanisms for code improvement, including envelope, mechanical and lighting, have been pressed to the end of reasonable limits. Research has been conducted to determine the mechanism for implementing this requirement (Kaufman 2011). Kaufmann et al. determined that the most appropriate way to structure an on-site renewable requirement for commercial buildings is to define the requirement in terms of an installed power density permore » unit of roof area. This provides a mechanism that is suitable for the installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems on future buildings to offset electricity and reduce the total building energy load. Kaufmann et al. suggested that an appropriate maximum for the requirement in the commercial sector would be 4 W/ft{sup 2} of roof area or 0.5 W/ft{sup 2} of conditioned floor area. As with all code requirements, there must be an alternative compliance path for buildings that may not reasonably meet the renewables requirement. This might include conditions like shading (which makes rooftop PV arrays less effective), unusual architecture, undesirable roof pitch, unsuitable building orientation, or other issues. In the short term, alternative compliance paths including high performance mechanical equipment, dramatic envelope changes, or controls changes may be feasible. These options may be less expensive than many renewable systems, which will require careful balance of energy measures when setting the code requirement levels. As the stringency of the code continues to increase however, efficiency trade-offs will be maximized, requiring alternative compliance options to be focused solely on renewable electricity trade-offs or equivalent programs. One alternate compliance path includes purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Each REC represents a specified amount of renewable electricity production and provides an offset of environmental externalities associated with non-renewable electricity production. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible issues with RECs and comparable alternative compliance options. Existing codes have been examined to determine energy equivalence between the energy generation requirement and the RECs alternative over the life of the building. The price equivalence of the requirement and the alternative are determined to consider the economic drivers for a market decision. This research includes case studies that review how the few existing codes have incorporated RECs and some of the issues inherent with REC markets. Section 1 of the report reviews compliance options including RECs, green energy purchase programs, shared solar agreements and leases, and other options. Section 2 provides detailed case studies on codes that include RECs and community based alternative compliance methods. The methods the existing code requirements structure alternative compliance options like RECs are the focus of the case studies. Section 3 explores the possible structure of the renewable energy generation requirement in the context of energy and price equivalence. The price of RECs have shown high variation by market and over time which makes it critical to for code language to be updated frequently for a renewable energy generation requirement or the requirement will not remain price-equivalent over time. Section 4 of the report provides a maximum case estimate for impact to the PV market and the REC market based on the Kaufmann et al. proposed requirement levels. If all new buildings in the commercial sector complied with the requirement to install rooftop PV arrays, nearly 4,700 MW of solar would be installed in 2012, a major increase from EIA estimates of 640 MW of solar generation capacity installed in 2009. The residential sector could contribute roughly an additional 2,300 MW based on the same code requirement levels of 4 W/ft{sup 2} of roof area. Section 5 of the report provides a basic framework for draft code language recommendations based on the analysis of the alternative compliance levels.« less

Cost-benefit analysis as a part of sustainability assessment of remediation alternatives for contaminated land.

PubMed

Söderqvist, Tore; Brinkhoff, Petra; Norberg, Tommy; Rosén, Lars; Back, Pär-Erik; Norrman, Jenny

2015-07-01

There is an increasing demand amongst decision-makers and stakeholders for identifying sustainable remediation alternatives at contaminated sites, taking into account that remediation typically results in both positive and negative consequences. Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) is increasingly used for sustainability appraisal, and the Excel-based MCA tool Sustainable Choice Of REmediation (SCORE) has been developed to provide a relevant and transparent assessment of the sustainability of remediation alternatives relative to a reference alternative, considering key criteria in the economic, environmental and social sustainability domains, and taking uncertainty into explicit account through simulation. The focus of this paper is the use of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) as a part of SCORE for assessing the economic sustainability of remediation alternatives. An economic model is used for deriving a cost-benefit rule, which in turn motivates cost and benefit items in a CBA of remediation alternatives. The empirical part of the paper is a CBA application on remediation alternatives for the Hexion site, a former chemical industry area close to the city of Göteborg in SW Sweden. The impact of uncertainties in and correlations across benefit and cost items on CBA results is illustrated. For the Hexion site, the traditional excavation-and-disposal remediation alternative had the lowest expected net present value, which illustrates the importance of also considering other alternatives before deciding upon how a remediation should be carried out. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perspectives and strategies of alternative methods used in the risk assessment of personal care products.

PubMed

Quantin, P; Thélu, A; Catoire, S; Ficheux, H

2015-11-01

Risk assessment for personal care products requires the use of alternative methods since animal testing is now totally banned. Some of these methods are effective and have been validated by the "European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing"; but there is still a need for development and implementation of methods for specific endpoints. In this review, we have focused on dermal risk assessment because it is the prime route of absorption and main target organ for personal care products. Within this field, various areas must be assessed: irritation, sensitisation and toxicokinetic. Personal care product behaviour after use by the consumer and potential effects on the environment are also discussed. The purpose of this review is to show evolution and the prospects of alternative methods for safety dermal assessment. Assessment strategies must be adapted to the different chemical classes of substances studied but also to the way in which they are used. Finally, experimental and theoretical technical parameters that may impact on measured effects have been identified and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The “I” in us, or the eye on us? Regulatory focus, commitment and derogation of an attractive alternative person

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

When individuals are highly committed to their romantic relationship, they are more likely to engage in pro-relationship maintenance mechanisms. The present research expanded on the notion that commitment redirects self-oriented goals to consider broader relational goals and examined whether commitment interacts with a promotion and prevention focus to activate derogation of attractive alternatives. Three studies used cross-sectional and experimental approaches. Study 1 showed that romantically involved individuals predominantly focused on promotion, but not prevention, reported less initial attraction to an attractive target than single individuals, especially when highly committed to their relationship. Study 2 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in a promotion focus, compared to those in prevention focus, reported less initial attraction, but only when more committed to their relationship. Regardless of regulatory focus manipulation, more committed individuals were also less likely to perceive quality among alternative scenarios and to be attentive to alternative others in general. Finally, Study 3 showed that romantically involved individuals induced in promotion focus and primed with high commitment reported less initial attraction, than those primed with low commitment, or than those induced in prevention focus. Once again, for these latter no differences occurred according to commitment prime. Together, the findings suggest that highly committed promotion focused individuals consider broader relationship goals and activate relationship maintenance behaviors such as derogation of attractive alternatives to promote their relationship. PMID:28319147

Turbulent drag reduction for external flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, D. M.

1985-01-01

A summary of turbulent drag reduction approaches applicable to external flows is given. Because relatively recent and exhaustive reviews exist for laminar flow control and polymer (hydrodynamic) drag reduction, the focus here is upon the emerging areas of nonplanar geometry and large-eddy alteration. Turbulent control techniques for air generally result in modest (but technologically significant) drag reductions (order of 20 percent or less), whereas hydrodynamic approaches can yield drag reductions the order of 70 percent. Suggestions are included for alternative concepts and optimization of existing approaches.

Turbulent drag reduction for external flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, D. M.

1983-01-01

Paper presents a review and summary of turbulent drag reduction approaches applicable to external flows. Because relatively recent and exhaustive reviews exist for laminar flow control and polymer (hydrodynamic) drag reduction, the paper focuses upon the emerging areas of nonplanar geometry and large eddy alteration. Turbulent control techniques for air generally result in modest (but technologically significant) drag reductions (order of 20 percent or less) whereas hydrodynamic approaches can yield drag reductions the order of 70 percent. Paper also includes suggestions for alternative concepts and optimization of existing approaches.

Control of free-flying space robot manipulator systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannon, Robert H., Jr.

1988-01-01

The focus of the work is to develop and perform a set of research projects using laboratory models of satellite robots. These devices use air cushion technology to simulate in two dimensions the drag-free, zero-g conditions of space. Five research areas are examined: cooperative manipulation on a fixed base; cooperative manipulation on a free-floating base; global navigation and control of a free-floating robot; an alternative transport mode call Locomotion Enhancement via Arm Push-Off (LEAP), and adaptive control of LEAP.

SEA Usage of Alternative Assessment: The Connecticut Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baron, Joan Boykoff

This paper focuses on the use of alternative assessments at the state level with a focus on the Connecticut experience. Judging from the size of audiences attending sessions on alternative assessments at national conferences and the numbers of articles appearing on performance assessment in recent educational journals, it is obvious that there is…

Antimicrobial Polymers in the Nano-World

PubMed Central

Álvarez-Paino, Marta; Muñoz-Bonilla, Alexandra; Fernández-García, Marta

2017-01-01

Infections are one of the main concerns of our era due to antibiotic-resistant infections and the increasing costs in the health-care sector. Within this context, antimicrobial polymers present a great alternative to combat these problems since their mechanisms of action differ from those of antibiotics. Therefore, the microorganisms’ resistance to these polymeric materials is avoided. Antimicrobial polymers are not only applied in the health-care sector, they are also used in many other areas. This review presents different strategies that combine nanoscience and nanotechnology in the polymer world to combat contaminations from bacteria, fungi or algae. It focuses on the most relevant areas of application of these materials, viz. health, food, agriculture, and textiles. PMID:28336882

Antimicrobial Polymers in the Nano-World.

PubMed

Álvarez-Paino, Marta; Muñoz-Bonilla, Alexandra; Fernández-García, Marta

2017-02-22

Infections are one of the main concerns of our era due to antibiotic-resistant infections and the increasing costs in the health-care sector. Within this context, antimicrobial polymers present a great alternative to combat these problems since their mechanisms of action differ from those of antibiotics. Therefore, the microorganisms' resistance to these polymeric materials is avoided. Antimicrobial polymers are not only applied in the health-care sector, they are also used in many other areas. This review presents different strategies that combine nanoscience and nanotechnology in the polymer world to combat contaminations from bacteria, fungi or algae. It focuses on the most relevant areas of application of these materials, viz. health, food, agriculture, and textiles.

Relocating alcohol advertising research: examining socially mediated relationships with alcohol.

PubMed

Cherrington, Jane; Chamberlain, Kerry; Grixti, Joe

2006-03-01

This article reviews, critiques and politicises the positivist approaches that presently dominate alcohol advertising health research, and considers the benefits of a culturalist alternative. Positivist research in this area is identified as: (1) atheoretical and methods-driven; (2) restricted in focus, leaving critical issues unconsidered; and (3) inappropriately conceptualizing the 'normal' drinking person as rational and safe. The culturist alternative proposed is argued to present a more adequate framework, which can include and address problematic issues that are presently excluded, including: the pleasures associated with alcohol use, the involvements of 'normal' people in problem drinking, the inadequacy of present risk categories and the complexities of wider mediatory processes about alcohol in society. We argue for the adoption of more informed, culturalist approaches to alcohol advertising research.

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Leasing Areas for the BOEM Massachusetts Wind Energy Area

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

Musial, W.; Parker, Z.; Fields, M.

2013-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), under an interagency agreement with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is providing technical assistance to identify and delineate leasing areas for offshore wind energy development within the Atlantic Coast Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) established by BOEM. This report focuses on NREL's development of three delineated leasing area options for the Massachusetts (MA) WEA and the technical evaluation of these leasing areas. The overarching objective of this study is to develop a logical process by which the MA WEA can be subdivided into non-overlapping leasing areas for BOEM'smore » use in developing an auction process in a renewable energy lease sale. NREL worked with BOEM to identify an appropriate number of leasing areas and proposed three delineation alternatives within the MA WEA based on the boundaries announced in May 2012. A primary output of the interagency agreement is this report, which documents the methodology, including key variables and assumptions, by which the leasing areas were identified and delineated.« less

Analyzing the research in Integrative & Complementary Medicine by means of science mapping.

PubMed

Moral-Muñoz, J A; Cobo, M J; Peis, E; Arroyo-Morales, M; Herrera-Viedma, E

2014-04-01

The research in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) field is analyzed according to the journals indexed in ISI Web of Science. Science Mapping Analysis (SMA) is used to provide and overview of the conceptual evolution of the CAM field. The software SciMAT is used to detect and visualize the hidden themes and their evolution over a consecutive span of years. It combines SMA and performance analysis. Twenty one journals related to CAM were analyzed, in four consecutive periods from 1974 to 2011. Strategic diagrams and the thematic evolution of CAM, together with performance indicators (h-index), were obtained. The results show that CAM research has focused on seven main thematic areas: MEDICINAL-PLANTS, CHIROPRACTIC-AND-LOW-BACK-PAIN, ACUPUNCTURE-AND-PAIN, CELL-PROCESSES-AND-DISEASES, LIPID-PEROXIDATION and DIABETES-AND-INSULIN. The research output could be used by the scientific community to identify thematic areas on which interest is focused. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Where to Restore Ecological Connectivity? Detecting Barriers and Quantifying Restoration Benefits

PubMed Central

McRae, Brad H.; Hall, Sonia A.; Beier, Paul; Theobald, David M.

2012-01-01

Landscape connectivity is crucial for many ecological processes, including dispersal, gene flow, demographic rescue, and movement in response to climate change. As a result, governmental and non-governmental organizations are focusing efforts to map and conserve areas that facilitate movement to maintain population connectivity and promote climate adaptation. In contrast, little focus has been placed on identifying barriers—landscape features which impede movement between ecologically important areas—where restoration could most improve connectivity. Yet knowing where barriers most strongly reduce connectivity can complement traditional analyses aimed at mapping best movement routes. We introduce a novel method to detect important barriers and provide example applications. Our method uses GIS neighborhood analyses in conjunction with effective distance analyses to detect barriers that, if removed, would significantly improve connectivity. Applicable in least-cost, circuit-theoretic, and simulation modeling frameworks, the method detects both complete (impermeable) barriers and those that impede but do not completely block movement. Barrier mapping complements corridor mapping by broadening the range of connectivity conservation alternatives available to practitioners. The method can help practitioners move beyond maintaining currently important areas to restoring and enhancing connectivity through active barrier removal. It can inform decisions on trade-offs between restoration and protection; for example, purchasing an intact corridor may be substantially more costly than restoring a barrier that blocks an alternative corridor. And it extends the concept of centrality to barriers, highlighting areas that most diminish connectivity across broad networks. Identifying which modeled barriers have the greatest impact can also help prioritize error checking of land cover data and collection of field data to improve connectivity maps. Barrier detection provides a different way to view the landscape, broadening thinking about connectivity and fragmentation while increasing conservation options. PMID:23300719

Microbial fuel cells as an alternative energy source: current status.

PubMed

Javed, Muhammad Mohsin; Nisar, Muhammad Azhar; Ahmad, Muhammad Usman; Yasmeen, Nighat; Zahoor, Sana

2018-06-22

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is an emerging area for alternative renewable energy generation and it offers additional opportunities for environmental bioremediation. Recent scientific studies have focused on MFC reactor design as well as reactor operations to increase energy output. The advancement in alternative MFC models and their performance in recent years reflect the interests of scientific community to exploit this technology for wider practical applications and environmental benefit. This is reflected in the diversity of the substrates available for use in MFCs at an economically viable level. This review provides an overview of the commonly used MFC designs and materials along with the basic operating parameters that have been developed in recent years. Still, many limitations and challenges exist for MFC development that needs to be further addressed to make them economically feasible for general use. These include continued improvements in fuel cell design and efficiency as well scale-up with economically practical applications tailored to local needs.

Alternative Zoning Scenarios for Regional Sustainable Land Use Controls in China: A Knowledge-Based Multiobjective Optimisation Model

PubMed Central

Xia, Yin; Liu, Dianfeng; Liu, Yaolin; He, Jianhua; Hong, Xiaofeng

2014-01-01

Alternative land use zoning scenarios provide guidance for sustainable land use controls. This study focused on an ecologically vulnerable catchment on the Loess Plateau in China, proposed a novel land use zoning model, and generated alternative zoning solutions to satisfy the various requirements of land use stakeholders and managers. This model combined multiple zoning objectives, i.e., maximum zoning suitability, maximum planning compatibility and maximum spatial compactness, with land use constraints by using goal programming technique, and employed a modified simulated annealing algorithm to search for the optimal zoning solutions. The land use zoning knowledge was incorporated into the initialisation operator and neighbourhood selection strategy of the simulated annealing algorithm to improve its efficiency. The case study indicates that the model is both effective and robust. Five optimal zoning scenarios of the study area were helpful for satisfying the requirements of land use controls in loess hilly regions, e.g., land use intensification, agricultural protection and environmental conservation. PMID:25170679

Cost-Benefit Analysis For Alternative Low-Emission Surface Preparation/ Depainting Technologies for Structural Steel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie

2007-01-01

Stennis Space Center (SSC), Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) identified particulate emissions and waste generated from the depainting process of steel structures as hazardous materials to be eliminated or reduced. A Potential Alternatives Report, Potential Alternatives Report for Validation of Alternative Low Emission Surface Preparation/Depainting Technologies for Structural Steel, provided a technical analyses of identified alternatives to the current coating removal processes, criteria used to select alternatives for further analysis, and a list of those alternatives recommended for testing. The initial coating removal alternatives list was compiled using literature searches and stakeholder recommendations. The involved project participants initially considered approximately 13 alternatives. In late 2003, core project members selected the following depainting processes to be further evaluated: (1) Plastic Blast Media-Quickstrip(R)-A. (2) Hard Abrasive-Steel-Magic(R). (3) Sponge Blasting-Sponge-Jet(R). (4) Liquid Nitrogen-NItroJet(R). (5) Mechanical Removal with Vacuum Attachment-DESCO and OCM Clean-Air (6) Laser Coating Removal Alternatives were tested in accordance with the Joint Test Protocol for Validation of Alternative Low-Emission Surface Preparation/Depainting Technologies for Structural Steel, and the Field Evaluation Test Plan for Validation of Alternative Low-Emission Surface Preparation/Depainting Technologies for Structural Steel. Results of the testing are documented in the Joint Test Report. This Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) focuses on the three alternatives (Quickstrip(R)-A, SteelMagic (R), and Sponge-Jet(R)) that were considered viable alternatives for large area operations based on the results of the field demonstration and lab testing. This CBA was created to help participants determine if implementation of the candidate alternatives is economically justified. Each of the alternatives examined reduced Environmental Activity (EA) Costs-those costs associated with complying with environmental regulations. One alternative, Steel-Magic(R), also showed reduced Direct Costs and reduced total costs.

Proteomic Analysis of Parkin Isoforms Expression in Different Rat Brain Areas.

PubMed

D'Amico, Agata Grazia; Maugeri, Grazia; Reitano, Rita; Cavallaro, Sebastiano; D'Agata, Velia

2016-10-01

PARK2 gene's mutations are related to the familial form of juvenile Parkinsonism, also known as the autosomic recessive juvenile Parkinsonism. This gene encodes for parkin, a 465-amino acid protein. To date, a large number of parkin isoforms, generated by an alternative splicing mechanism, have been described. Currently, Gene Bank lists 27 rat PARK2 transcripts, which matches to 20 exclusive parkin alternative splice variants. Despite the existence of these isoforms, most of the studies carried out so far, have been focused only on the originally cloned parkin. In this work we have analyzed the expression profile of parkin isoforms in some rat brain areas including prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, substantia nigra and cerebellum. To discriminate among these isoforms, we detected their localization through the use of two antibodies that are able to identify different domains of the parkin canonical sequence. Our analysis has revealed that at least fourteen parkin isoforms are expressed in rat brain with a various distribution in the regions analyzed. Our study might help to elucidate the pathophysiological role of these proteins in the central nervous system.

This corrosion: A systematic review of the association between alternative subcultures and the risk of self-harm and suicide.

PubMed

Hughes, Mairead Ann; Knowles, Susan Frances; Dhingra, Katie; Nicholson, Hannah Louise; Taylor, Peter James

2018-03-25

Rates of self-harm and suicide are increasing in young people. The literature suggests that individuals who identify with alternative subcultures (e.g., Goth) may be at a greater risk. To explore the prevalence of self-harm and suicide in alternative subcultures and the factors that might contribute to this increased risk. Using a systematic strategy, the databases PsycINFO, Scopus, MEDLINE and Web of Science, and the E-Thesis online service (ETHOS) were searched for English language only papers, with no restrictions in terms of date of publication. Papers were selected that included data on the relationship between either alternative subculture identity (e.g., Goth) or preference for alternative music (e.g., Heavy Metal) and self-harm or suicide. Ten quantitative papers were included: seven cross-sectional, two longitudinal and one cross-sectional state-level comparison study. Two qualitative papers were also included. Studies were assessed by two reviewers for risk of bias. The findings indicated that individuals who associated with alternative subcultures were at a greater risk of self-harm and suicide. Whilst qualitative papers identified potential mechanisms (e.g., exposure to self-harm and the way self-harm is presented or normalized), there remains limited support for these mechanisms. More research is required to understand the association between self-harm, suicide and alternative subculture affiliation, and the factors underlying it. Longitudinal studies and studies focusing on mechanism are particularly important. The review supports the suggestion that those who identify as belonging to an alternative subculture may be at a higher risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviour. It also presents preliminary evidence that alternative affiliation predicts self-harm over time, and that this effect holds whilst adjusting for a number of likely confounders. The findings highlight the importance of increasing the awareness of the victimization and potential risk that these groups hold and suggests areas for intervention in health, educational, and social services. The review does not, however, indicate specifically what it is about alternative subculture affiliation (or alternative music preference) that could contribute to the risk of self-harm. Consequently, studies with a greater focus on mechanisms are needed. Methodological limitations (e.g., cross-sectional studies, small sample of 'alternative' participants, westernized samples) restricted the reliability and validity of the results which impacted on the extent to which the findings could be generalized more widely. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Alternative fuelds in urban fleets

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

Lindsay, T.

1994-12-31

In this presentation the author addresses four main objectives. They are to: discuss programs that are driving the introduction of alternative fuels into fleet operations in urban areas around the country; define alternative fuels; quantify the present use and future projections on alternative fuel vehicles (AVFs) in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area; and discuss benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in urban areas. Factors which touch on these points include: present domestic dependence on petroleum for autos, with usage exceeding production; the large populations in urban areas which do not meet Clean Air Standards; recent legislative initiatives which givemore » guidance and aid in the adoption of such strategies.« less

The role of health information technology on critical care services in Thailand.

PubMed

Wacharasint, Petch

2014-01-01

Health information technology (IT) has become an important part of current medical practice, especially in critical care services. One significant advance is the use of telemedicine which was initiated in Thailand nearly two decades ago. Telemedicine is also used in the intensive care unit or what has been termed the "Tele-ICU". It has evolved as an alternate paradigm linking the intensivist and critical care specialists to critically ill patients in remote areas. In this article, the author has reviewed the evidence of health IT on critical care services in Thailand, focusing on telemedicine, as well as the concept of the 'Tele-ICU' and its challenges. These factors may assist intensivists to reach more critically ill patients in remote areas.

Wildfire Risk Management: Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, M.; Calkin, D. E.; Hand, M. S.; Kreitler, J.

2014-12-01

In this presentation we address federal wildfire risk management largely through the lens of economics, targeting questions related to costs, effectiveness, efficiency, and tradeoffs. Beyond risks to resources and assets such as wildlife habitat, watersheds, and homes, wildfires present financial risk and budgetary instability for federal wildfire management agencies due to highly variable annual suppression costs. Despite its variability, the costs of wildfire management have continued to escalate and account for an ever-growing share of overall agency budgets, compromising abilities to attain other objectives related to forest health, recreation, timber management, etc. Trends associated with a changing climate and human expansion into fire-prone areas could lead to additional suppression costs in the future, only further highlighting the need for an ability to evaluate economic tradeoffs in investments across the wildfire management spectrum. Critically, these economic analyses need to accurately capture the complex spatial and stochastic aspects of wildfire, the inherent uncertainty associated with monetizing environmental impacts of wildfire, the costs and effectiveness of alternative management policies, and linkages between pre-fire investments and active incident management. Investing in hazardous fuels reduction and forest restoration in particular is a major policy lever for pre-fire risk mitigation, and will be a primary focus of our presentation. Evaluating alternative fuel management and suppression policies could provide opportunities for significant efficiency improvements in the development of risk-informed management fire management strategies. Better understanding tradeoffs of fire impacts and costs can help inform policy questions such as how much of the landscape to treat and how to balance investments in treating new areas versus maintaining previous investments. We will summarize current data needs, knowledge gaps, and other factors influencing research and development on this critically important topic. Specifically we will focus on how to embed simulation models within an economic framework, how to link fire models with models of wildfire management expenditures, how to evaluate alternative management policies, and how to measure cost-effectiveness.

Avoiding Pitfalls and Realising Opportunities: Reflecting on Issues of Sampling and Recruitment for Online Focus Groups

PubMed Central

Boydell, Nicola; Fergie, Gillian; McDaid, Lisa; Hilton, Shona

2017-01-01

The increasing prominence of the Internet in everyday life has prompted methodological innovations in qualitative research, particularly the adaptation of established methods of data collection for use online. The alternative online context brings with it both opportunities and challenges. To date the literature on online focus groups has focused mainly on the suitability of the method for qualitative data collection, and the development of approaches to facilitation that maximise interaction. By reflecting on our experiences of designing and attempting to recruit participants to online focus groups for two exploratory research projects, we aim to contribute some novel reflections around the less articulated issues of sampling and recruitment for online focus groups. In particular, we highlight potentially problematic issues around offline recruitment for an online method of data collection; the potential of using social media for recruitment; and the uncertainties around offering incentives in online recruitment, issues which have received little attention in the growing literature around online focus groups. More broadly, we recommend continued examination of online social practices and the social media environment to develop appropriate and timely online recruitment strategies and suggest further areas for future research and innovation. PMID:28127272

Avoiding Pitfalls and Realising Opportunities: Reflecting on Issues of Sampling and Recruitment for Online Focus Groups.

PubMed

Boydell, Nicola; Fergie, Gillian; McDaid, Lisa; Hilton, Shona

2014-02-01

The increasing prominence of the Internet in everyday life has prompted methodological innovations in qualitative research, particularly the adaptation of established methods of data collection for use online. The alternative online context brings with it both opportunities and challenges. To date the literature on online focus groups has focused mainly on the suitability of the method for qualitative data collection, and the development of approaches to facilitation that maximise interaction. By reflecting on our experiences of designing and attempting to recruit participants to online focus groups for two exploratory research projects, we aim to contribute some novel reflections around the less articulated issues of sampling and recruitment for online focus groups. In particular, we highlight potentially problematic issues around offline recruitment for an online method of data collection; the potential of using social media for recruitment; and the uncertainties around offering incentives in online recruitment, issues which have received little attention in the growing literature around online focus groups. More broadly, we recommend continued examination of online social practices and the social media environment to develop appropriate and timely online recruitment strategies and suggest further areas for future research and innovation.

How to Support and Engage Students in Alternative Forms of Education and Training? A Qualitative Study of School Staff Members in Flanders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Praag, Lore; Van Caudenberg, Rut; Nouwen, Ward; Clycq, Noel; Timmerman, Christiane

2017-01-01

This study focuses on how students, who for a variety of reasons struggle in mainstream secondary schools, can be supported and engaged by alternative forms of education and training to attain a (formal) qualification. Interviews and focus groups are carried out with school staff members of distinct types of alternative learning arenas in Flanders…

The evaluation of alternate methodologies for land cover classification in an urbanizing area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smekofski, R. M.

1981-01-01

The usefulness of LANDSAT in classifying land cover and in identifying and classifying land use change was investigated using an urbanizing area as the study area. The question of what was the best technique for classification was the primary focus of the study. The many computer-assisted techniques available to analyze LANDSAT data were evaluated. Techniques of statistical training (polygons from CRT, unsupervised clustering, polygons from digitizer and binary masks) were tested with minimum distance to the mean, maximum likelihood and canonical analysis with minimum distance to the mean classifiers. The twelve output images were compared to photointerpreted samples, ground verified samples and a current land use data base. Results indicate that for a reconnaissance inventory, the unsupervised training with canonical analysis-minimum distance classifier is the most efficient. If more detailed ground truth and ground verification is available, the polygons from the digitizer training with the canonical analysis minimum distance is more accurate.

Health economics in developing countries.

PubMed

Abel-Smith, B

1989-08-01

The interpretation of health economics chosen for this paper is broad. It includes the relation between economic and other factors in health development. This interpretation has been chosen lest the acceptance of a disciplinary approach in the commissioning of papers should have the unintended effect of excluding some key areas of research which require the consideration of crucial interrelationships between disciplines. The only justification for covering this area in a paper on economics rather than, for example, epidemiology is that increasingly there is and indeed has to be a heavy focus on costs in considering alternative paths to health development. The word 'research' is loosely interpreted and not restricted to the type of activity which could lead to the award of a PhD. The compilation of experience in many areas is, in the view of the author, a priority need, to plan where further research and experiment is needed.

Academic Programs in Alternative Education: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruzzi, Betsy Brown; Kraemer, Jacqueline

2006-01-01

This paper, second in a series of papers on alternative education, examines the academic programming in alternative education programs by reviewing the literature specifically focused on the academic programs in alternative education and summarizing a survey of fifteen alternative education programs. It suggests options for further research on…

Rice crop growth monitoring using ENVISAT-1/ASAR AP mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Tomohisa; Suga, Yuzo; Omatu, Shigeru; Takeuchi, Shoji; Asonuma, Kazuyoshi

2007-10-01

Hiroshima Institute of Technology (HIT) is operating the direct down-links of microwave and optical earth observation satellite data in Japan. This study focuses on the validation for rice crop monitoring using microwave remotely sensed image data acquired by ENIVISAT-1 referring to ground truth data such as height of rice crop, vegetation cover rate and leaf area index in the test sites of Hiroshima district, the western part of Japan. ENVISAT-1/ASAR data has the capabilities for the monitoring of the rice crop growing cycle by using alternating cross polarization mode images. However, ASAR data is influenced by several parameters such as land cover structure, direction and alignment of rice crop fields in the test sites. In this study, the validation was carried out to be combined with microwave image data and ground truth data regarding rice crop fields to investigate the above parameters. Multi-temporal, multi-direction (descending and ascending) and multi-angle ASAR alternating cross polarization mode images were used to investigate during the rice crop growing cycle. On the other hand, LANDSAT-7/ETM+ data were used to detect land cover structure, direction and alignment of rice crop fields corresponding to the backscatter of ASAR. Finally, the extraction of rice planted area was attempted by using multi-temporal ASAR AP mode data such as VV/VH and HH/HV. As the result of this study, it is clear that the estimated rice planted area coincides with the existing statistical data for area of the rice crop field. In addition, HH/HV is more effective than VV/VH in the rice planted area extraction.

Allele-Specific Alternative mRNA processing (ASARP) | Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR)

Cancer.gov

A software pipeline for prediction of allele-specific alternative RNA processing events using single RNA-seq data. The current version focuses on prediction of alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation modulated by genetic variants.

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

Bischoff, Lothar, E-mail: l.bischoff@hzdr.de; Mazarov, Paul, E-mail: Paul.Mazarov@raith.de; Bruchhaus, Lars, E-mail: Lars.Bruchhaus@raith.de

Today, Focused Ion Beam (FIB) processing is nearly exclusively based on gallium Liquid Metal Ion Sources (LMIS). But, many applications in the μm- or nm range could benefit from ion species other than gallium: local ion implantation, ion beam mixing, ion beam synthesis, or Focused Ion Beam Lithography (IBL). Therefore, Liquid Metal Alloy Ion Sources (LMAIS) represent a promising alternative to expand the remarkable application fields for FIB. Especially, the IBL process shows potential advantages over, e.g., electron beam or other lithography techniques: direct, resistless, and three-dimensional patterning, enabling a simultaneous in-situ process control by cross-sectioning and inspection. Taking additionallymore » into account that the used ion species influences significantly the physical and chemical nature of the resulting nanostructures—in particular, the electrical, optical, magnetic, and mechanic properties leading to a large potential application area which can be tuned by choosing a well suited LMAIS. Nearly half of the elements of the periodic table are recently available in the FIB technology as a result of continuous research in this area during the last forty years. Key features of a LMAIS are long life-time, high brightness, and stable ion current. Recent developments could make these sources feasible for nano patterning issues as an alternative technology more in research than in industry. The authors will review existing LMAIS, LMIS other than Ga, and binary and ternary alloys. These physical properties as well as the fabrication technology and prospective domains for modern FIB applications will similarly be reviewed. Other emerging ion sources will be also presented and their performances discussed.« less

Tandem concentrator photovoltaic array applied to Space Station Freedom evolutionary power requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Edward M., Jr.

1991-01-01

Additional power is required to support Space Station Freedom (SSF) evolution. Boeing Defense and Space Group, LeRC, and Entech Corporation have participated in the development of efficiency gallium arsenide and gallium antimonide solar cells make up the solar array tandem cell stacks. Entech's Mini-Dome Fresnel Lens Concentrators focus solar energy onto the active area of the solar cells at 50 times one solar energy flux. Development testing for a flight array, to be launched in Nov. 1992 is under way with support from LeRC. The tandem cells, interconnect wiring, concentrator lenses, and structure were integrated into arrays subjected to environmental testing. A tandem concentrator array can provide high mass and area specific power and can provide equal power with significantly less array area and weight than the baseline array design. Alternatively, for SSF growth, an array of twice the baseline power can be designed which still has a smaller drag area than the baseline.

77 FR 40030 - Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Sierra Vista...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-06

... proposed action and alternatives for development of a large-scale, mixed-use, mixed-density master- planned... applicant group's preferred alternative; (c) Reduced Footprint/Increased Density Alternative; (d) Reduced Footprint/Same Density Alternative; (e) Focused Avoidance Alternative; and (f) Southwest Site, an off site...

Scale-dependent complementarity of climatic velocity and environmental diversity for identifying priority areas for conservation under climate change.

PubMed

Carroll, Carlos; Roberts, David R; Michalak, Julia L; Lawler, Joshua J; Nielsen, Scott E; Stralberg, Diana; Hamann, Andreas; Mcrae, Brad H; Wang, Tongli

2017-11-01

As most regions of the earth transition to altered climatic conditions, new methods are needed to identify refugia and other areas whose conservation would facilitate persistence of biodiversity under climate change. We compared several common approaches to conservation planning focused on climate resilience over a broad range of ecological settings across North America and evaluated how commonalities in the priority areas identified by different methods varied with regional context and spatial scale. Our results indicate that priority areas based on different environmental diversity metrics differed substantially from each other and from priorities based on spatiotemporal metrics such as climatic velocity. Refugia identified by diversity or velocity metrics were not strongly associated with the current protected area system, suggesting the need for additional conservation measures including protection of refugia. Despite the inherent uncertainties in predicting future climate, we found that variation among climatic velocities derived from different general circulation models and emissions pathways was less than the variation among the suite of environmental diversity metrics. To address uncertainty created by this variation, planners can combine priorities identified by alternative metrics at a single resolution and downweight areas of high variation between metrics. Alternately, coarse-resolution velocity metrics can be combined with fine-resolution diversity metrics in order to leverage the respective strengths of the two groups of metrics as tools for identification of potential macro- and microrefugia that in combination maximize both transient and long-term resilience to climate change. Planners should compare and integrate approaches that span a range of model complexity and spatial scale to match the range of ecological and physical processes influencing persistence of biodiversity and identify a conservation network resilient to threats operating at multiple scales. © 2017 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Alternative medicines for AIDS in resource-poor settings: insights from exploratory anthropological studies in Asia and Africa.

PubMed

Hardon, Anita; Desclaux, Alice; Egrot, Marc; Simon, Emmanuelle; Micollier, Evelyne; Kyakuwa, Margaret

2008-07-10

The emergence of alternative medicines for AIDS in Asia and Africa was discussed at a satellite symposium and the parallel session on alternative and traditional treatments of the AIDSImpact meeting, held in Marseille, in July 2007. These medicines are heterogeneous, both in their presentation and in their geographic and cultural origin. The sessions focused on the role of these medications in selected resource poor settings in Africa and Asia now that access to anti-retroviral therapy is increasing. The aims of the sessions were to (1) identify the actors involved in the diffusion of these alternative medicines for HIV/AIDS, (2) explore uses and forms, and the way these medicines are given legitimacy, (3) reflect on underlying processes of globalisation and cultural differentiation, and (4) define priority questions for future research in this area. This article presents the insights generated at the meeting, illustrated with some findings from the case studies (Uganda, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, China and Indonesia) that were presented. These case studies reveal the wide range of actors who are involved in the marketing and supply of alternative medicines. Regulatory mechanisms are weak. The efficacy claims of alternative medicines often reinforce a biomedical paradigm for HIV/AIDS, and fit with a healthy living ideology promoted by AIDS care programs and support groups. The AIDSImpact session concluded that more interdisciplinary research is needed on the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS with these alternative medicines, and on the ways in which these products interact (or not) with anti-retroviral therapy at pharmacological as well as psychosocial levels.

Community Perspectives on Access to and Availability of Healthy Food in Rural, Low-Resource, Latino Communities

PubMed Central

Ramírez, A. Susana; Estrada, Erendira; Grassi, Kathleen; Nathan, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Introduction Attention has focused on the food environment as a result of the growing concern with obesity rates among Latinos in rural areas. Researchers have observed associations between a lack of physical access to affordable produce in areas where supermarkets and grocery stores are limited and poor dietary intake and obesity; these associations are high in rural, low-resource neighborhoods with a high population of Latino residents. We aimed to engage residents of low-resource, Latino-majority neighborhoods in discussions of food access in a rural yet agricultural community setting, which is typically described as a “food desert.” Methods We used a mixed-methods approach and conducted 3 focus groups (n = 20) and in-depth interviews (n = 59) and surveys (n = 79) with residents of a rural yet agricultural community. We used thematic analysis to explore residents’ perceptions of access to healthy foods. Results Residents (n = 79; mean age, 41.6 y; 72% female; 79% Latino; 53% Spanish-speaking) reported that dollar and discount stores in this agricultural area provided access to produce; however, produce at retail stores was less affordable than produce at nonretail outlets such as fruit and vegetable stands. Gifts and trades of fruits and vegetables from neighbors and community organizations supplied no-cost or low-cost healthy foods. Residents’ suggestions to improve food access centered on lowering the cost of produce in existing retail outlets and seeking out nonretail outlets. Conclusion Our findings contribute to understanding of the food environment in low-resource, rural yet agricultural areas. Although such areas are characterized as “food deserts,” residents identified nonretail outlets as a viable source of affordable produce, while indicating that the cost of retail produce was a concern. Innovative policy solutions to increase healthy food consumption must focus on affordability as well as accessibility, and consider alternate, nonretail food outlets in agricultural areas. PMID:27978407

Community Perspectives on Access to and Availability of Healthy Food in Rural, Low-Resource, Latino Communities.

PubMed

Valdez, Zulema; Ramírez, A Susana; Estrada, Erendira; Grassi, Kathleen; Nathan, Stephanie

2016-12-15

Attention has focused on the food environment as a result of the growing concern with obesity rates among Latinos in rural areas. Researchers have observed associations between a lack of physical access to affordable produce in areas where supermarkets and grocery stores are limited and poor dietary intake and obesity; these associations are high in rural, low-resource neighborhoods with a high population of Latino residents. We aimed to engage residents of low-resource, Latino-majority neighborhoods in discussions of food access in a rural yet agricultural community setting, which is typically described as a "food desert." We used a mixed-methods approach and conducted 3 focus groups (n = 20) and in-depth interviews (n = 59) and surveys (n = 79) with residents of a rural yet agricultural community. We used thematic analysis to explore residents' perceptions of access to healthy foods. Residents (n = 79; mean age, 41.6 y; 72% female; 79% Latino; 53% Spanish-speaking) reported that dollar and discount stores in this agricultural area provided access to produce; however, produce at retail stores was less affordable than produce at nonretail outlets such as fruit and vegetable stands. Gifts and trades of fruits and vegetables from neighbors and community organizations supplied no-cost or low-cost healthy foods. Residents' suggestions to improve food access centered on lowering the cost of produce in existing retail outlets and seeking out nonretail outlets. Our findings contribute to understanding of the food environment in low-resource, rural yet agricultural areas. Although such areas are characterized as "food deserts," residents identified nonretail outlets as a viable source of affordable produce, while indicating that the cost of retail produce was a concern. Innovative policy solutions to increase healthy food consumption must focus on affordability as well as accessibility, and consider alternate, nonretail food outlets in agricultural areas.

"Fly-by-Wireless" Vehicles and Evaluations of ISA 100 Applications to Space-Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Studor, George F.

2009-01-01

"Fly-by-Wireless" (What is it?) Vision: To minimize cables and connectors and increase functionality across the aerospace industry by providing reliable, lower cost, modular, and higher performance alternatives to wired data connectivity to benefit the entire vehicle/program life-cycle. Focus Areas: 1. System Engineering and Integration to reduce cables and connectors. 2. Provisions for modularity and accessibility in the vehicle architecture. 3. Develop Alternatives to wired connectivity (the "tool box").NASA and Aerospace depend more and more on cost-effective solutions that can meet our requirements. ISA-100.11 a is a promising new standard and NASA wants to evaluate it. NASA should be involved in understanding and contributing to other ISA-100 efforts that contribute to "Fly-by-Wireless" and it's objectives. ISA can engage other aerospace groups that are working on similar goals and obtain more aerospace industry perspective.

[Regional electro-hyperthermia--technical principles, clinical results and health insurance aspects].

PubMed

Heyll, Uwe

2012-06-01

The method of electro-hyperthermia is based on the production of alternating currents from capacitive coupled electrodes. Because of the associated heating of body tissues, the electro-hyperthermia is promoted as an alternative to the more sophisticated methods of scientific hyperthermia, which find use in oncologic diseases. The analysis of technical data, however, reveals that the electro-hyperthermia is not qualified for a focused, effective and therapeutically useful heating of circumscribed target areas. Data from clinical studies demonstrating efficacy for defined indications are not available. The application of electro-hyperthermia is excluded form the German system of public health insurance. As proof of medical necessity cannot be provided, there is also no claim for reimbursement from private health insurance. According to legal regulations in Germany, an invoice as hyperthermia treatment is usually not possible. Rather, an item from the electrotherapy section of the official provision of medical fees (GOA) has to be chosen.

Multi-objective game-theory models for conflict analysis in reservoir watershed management.

PubMed

Lee, Chih-Sheng

2012-05-01

This study focuses on the development of a multi-objective game-theory model (MOGM) for balancing economic and environmental concerns in reservoir watershed management and for assistance in decision. Game theory is used as an alternative tool for analyzing strategic interaction between economic development (land use and development) and environmental protection (water-quality protection and eutrophication control). Geographic information system is used to concisely illustrate and calculate the areas of various land use types. The MOGM methodology is illustrated in a case study of multi-objective watershed management in the Tseng-Wen reservoir, Taiwan. The innovation and advantages of MOGM can be seen in the results, which balance economic and environmental concerns in watershed management and which can be interpreted easily by decision makers. For comparison, the decision-making process using conventional multi-objective method to produce many alternatives was found to be more difficult. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serrated pathway: Alternative route to colorectal cancer

PubMed Central

Patai, Árpád V; Molnár, Béla; Tulassay, Zsolt; Sipos, Ferenc

2013-01-01

Serrated polyps have been an area of intense focus for gastroenterologists over the past several years. Contrary to what was thought before, a growing body of literature indicates that these polyps can be precursors of colorectal cancer (CRC). Most of these lesions, particularly those in the proximal colon, have so far been under-recognized and missed during colonoscopy, qualifying these lesions to be the main cause of interval cancers. It is estimated that 10%-20% of CRCs evolve through this alternative, serrated pathway, with a distinct genetic and epigenetic profile. Aberrant DNA methylation plays a central role in the development of this CRC subtype. This characteristic molecular background is reflected in a unique pathological and clinical manifestation different from cancers arising via the traditional pathway. In this review we would like to highlight morphological, molecular and clinical features of this emerging pathway that are essential for gastroenterologists and may influence their everyday practice. PMID:23431044

The reconstruction of narrative identity during mental health recovery: a complex adaptive systems perspective.

PubMed

Kerr, Douglas J R; Crowe, Trevor P; Oades, Lindsay G

2013-06-01

1) to understand the reconstruction of narrative identity during mental health recovery using a complex adaptive systems perspective, 2) to address the need for alternative approaches that embrace the complexities of health care. A narrative review of published literature was conducted. A complex adaptive systems perspective offers a framework and language that can assist individuals to make sense of their experiences and reconstruct their narratives during an often erratic and uncertain life transition. It is a novel research direction focused on a critical area of recovery and addresses the need for alternative approaches that embrace the complexities of health care. A complexity research approach to narrative identity reconstruction is valuable. It is an accessible model for addressing the complexities of recovery and may underpin the development of simple, practical recovery coaching tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Acquisition of Real-Time Operation Analytics for an Automated Serial Sectioning System

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

Madison, Jonathan D.; Underwood, O. D.; Poulter, Gregory A.

Mechanical serial sectioning is a highly repetitive technique employed in metallography for the rendering of 3D reconstructions of microstructure. While alternate techniques such as ultrasonic detection, micro-computed tomography, and focused ion beam milling have progressed much in recent years, few alternatives provide equivalent opportunities for comparatively high resolutions over significantly sized cross-sectional areas and volumes. To that end, the introduction of automated serial sectioning systems has greatly heightened repeatability and increased data collection rates while diminishing opportunity for mishandling and other user-introduced errors. Unfortunately, even among current, state-of-the-art automated serial sectioning systems, challenges in data collection have not been fullymore » eradicated. Therefore, this paper highlights two specific advances to assist in this area; a non-contact laser triangulation method for assessment of material removal rates and a newly developed graphical user interface providing real-time monitoring of experimental progress. Furthermore, both are shown to be helpful in the rapid identification of anomalies and interruptions, while also providing comparable and less error-prone measures of removal rate over the course of these long-term, challenging, and innately destructive characterization experiments.« less

Acquisition of Real-Time Operation Analytics for an Automated Serial Sectioning System

DOE PAGES

Madison, Jonathan D.; Underwood, O. D.; Poulter, Gregory A.; ...

2017-03-22

Mechanical serial sectioning is a highly repetitive technique employed in metallography for the rendering of 3D reconstructions of microstructure. While alternate techniques such as ultrasonic detection, micro-computed tomography, and focused ion beam milling have progressed much in recent years, few alternatives provide equivalent opportunities for comparatively high resolutions over significantly sized cross-sectional areas and volumes. To that end, the introduction of automated serial sectioning systems has greatly heightened repeatability and increased data collection rates while diminishing opportunity for mishandling and other user-introduced errors. Unfortunately, even among current, state-of-the-art automated serial sectioning systems, challenges in data collection have not been fullymore » eradicated. Therefore, this paper highlights two specific advances to assist in this area; a non-contact laser triangulation method for assessment of material removal rates and a newly developed graphical user interface providing real-time monitoring of experimental progress. Furthermore, both are shown to be helpful in the rapid identification of anomalies and interruptions, while also providing comparable and less error-prone measures of removal rate over the course of these long-term, challenging, and innately destructive characterization experiments.« less

FOCUSED FEASIBILITY STUDY OF PHYTOREMEDIATION ALTERNATIVE FOR THE INDUSTRIAL EXCESS LANDFILL SITE IN STARK COUNTY, OHIO.

EPA Science Inventory

Focused feasibility study of phytoremediation alternative for the Industrial Excess Landfill site in Stark County, Ohio. More information can be found on the NPL Fact Sheet for this site at www.epa.gov/region5/superfund/npl/ohio/OHD000377971.htm

Chicano Alternative Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galicia, H. Homero; Almaguer, Clementina

Alternative schooling is challenging some basic notions of curriculum, operation, and structure of traditional schools; it is not challenging the basic concept of schooling. Chicano alternative education, an elusive concept, lacks a precise definition. Chicano alternative schools reflect a vast diversity in structure, focus, and goals. The Chicano…

Niche conservatism as an emerging principle in ecology and conservation biology.

PubMed

Wiens, John J; Ackerly, David D; Allen, Andrew P; Anacker, Brian L; Buckley, Lauren B; Cornell, Howard V; Damschen, Ellen I; Jonathan Davies, T; Grytnes, John-Arvid; Harrison, Susan P; Hawkins, Bradford A; Holt, Robert D; McCain, Christy M; Stephens, Patrick R

2010-10-01

The diversity of life is ultimately generated by evolution, and much attention has focused on the rapid evolution of ecological traits. Yet, the tendency for many ecological traits to instead remain similar over time [niche conservatism (NC)] has many consequences for the fundamental patterns and processes studied in ecology and conservation biology. Here, we describe the mounting evidence for the importance of NC to major topics in ecology (e.g. species richness, ecosystem function) and conservation (e.g. climate change, invasive species). We also review other areas where it may be important but has generally been overlooked, in both ecology (e.g. food webs, disease ecology, mutualistic interactions) and conservation (e.g. habitat modification). We summarize methods for testing for NC, and suggest that a commonly used and advocated method (involving a test for phylogenetic signal) is potentially problematic, and describe alternative approaches. We suggest that considering NC: (1) focuses attention on the within-species processes that cause traits to be conserved over time, (2) emphasizes connections between questions and research areas that are not obviously related (e.g. invasives, global warming, tropical richness), and (3) suggests new areas for research (e.g. why are some clades largely nocturnal? why do related species share diseases?). 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

Alternative Endpoints and Approaches Selected for the Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater at Complex Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeb, R. A.; Hawley, E.

2011-12-01

This presentation will focus on findings, statistics, and case studies from a recently-completed report for the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) (Project ER-0832) on alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies for groundwater remediation under a variety of Federal and state cleanup programs, including technical impracticability (TI) and other Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirement (ARAR) waivers, state and local designations such as groundwater management zones, Alternate Concentration Limits (ACLs), use of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) over long timeframes, and more. The primary objective of the project was to provide environmental managers and regulators with tools, metrics, and information needed to evaluate alternative endpoints for groundwater remediation at complex sites. A statistical analysis of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) sites receiving TI waivers will be presented as well as case studies of other types of alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies to illustrate the variety of approaches used at complex sites and the technical analyses used to predict and document cost, timeframe, and potential remedial effectiveness. Case studies provide examples of the flexible, site-specific, application of alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies that have been used in the past to manage and remediate groundwater contamination at complex sites. For example, at least 13 states consider some designation for groundwater containment in their corrective action policies, such as groundwater management zones, containment zones, and groundwater classification exemption areas. These designations typically indicate that groundwater contamination is present above permissible levels. Soil and groundwater within these zones are managed to protect human health and the environment. Lesson learned for the analyses conducted and the case studies evaluated allow for a more careful consideration of alternative, beneficial, and cost-effective cleanup objectives and metrics that can be achieved over the short-term (while eventually meeting long-term cleanup objectives or demonstrating the applicability of alternative endpoints), thus improving the site cleanup process at complex sites where appropriate.

Sustainable Design Approach: A case study of BIM use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelhameed, Wael

2017-11-01

Achieving sustainable design in areas such as energy-efficient design depends largely on the accuracy of the analysis performed after the design is completed with all its components and material details. There are different analysis approaches and methods that predict relevant values and metrics such as U value, energy use and energy savings. Although certain differences in the accuracy of these approaches and methods have been recorded, this research paper does not focus on such matter, where determining the reason for discrepancies between those approaches and methods is difficult, because all error sources act simultaneously. The research paper rather introduces an approach through which BIM, building information modelling, can be utilised during the initial phases of the designing process, by analysing the values and metrics of sustainable design before going into the design details of a building. Managing all of the project drawings in a single file, BIM -building information modelling- is well known as one digital platform that offers a multidisciplinary detailed design -AEC model (Barison and Santos, 2010, Welle et.al., 2011). The paper presents in general BIM use in the early phases of the design process, in order to achieve certain required areas of sustainable design. The paper proceeds to introduce BIM use in specific areas such as site selection, wind velocity and building orientation, in terms of reaching the farther possible sustainable solution. In the initial phases of designing, material details and building components are not fully specified or selected yet. The designer usually focuses on zoning, topology, circulations, and other design requirements. The proposed approach employs the strategies and analysis of BIM use during those initial design phases in order to have the analysis and results of each solution or alternative design. The stakeholders and designers would have a better effective decision making process with a full clarity of each alternative's consequences. The architect would settle down and proceed in the alternative design of the best sustainable analysis. In later design stages, using the sustainable types of materials such as insulation, cladding, etc., and applying sustainable building components such as doors, windows, etc. would add more improvements and enhancements in reaching better values and metrics. The paper describes the methodology of this design approach through BIM strategies adopted in design creation. Case studies of architectural designs are used to highlight the details and benefits of this proposed approach.

Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii: Ecological resources

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

Trettin, C.C.; Tolbert, V.R.; Jones, A.T.

1995-03-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on ecological resources during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The background scientific data and related information presented in this report focus on several areas of Hawaii County. In this report, reference ismore » made to these areas as study areas rather than as areas where proposed or alternative facilities of the HGP would be located. The resource areas addressed herein include terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, and marine ecology. The scientific background data and related information that were obtained from review of the (1) scientific literature, (2) government and private sector reports, (3) studies done under DOE interagency agreements with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and with the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and (4) observations made during site visits are being made available for future research in these areas.« less

Value Co-creation from the Consumer Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baron, Steve; Warnaby, Gary

The paper provides the basis for a classification of organizational operant resources as seen from a customer perspective. It facilitates, particularly, research and further understanding of Foundational Premise 9 (FP9) of the service-dominant logic of marketing (i.e. all social and economic actors are resource integrators), and suggests areas for more focused research on other foundational premises relating to value co-creation. It is based on research undertaken for, and with, the British Library, and offers an alternative research approach to the more conventional ­customer satisfaction survey in order to ascertain value from a ­consumer perspective.

2D spatially controlled polymer micro patterning for cellular behavior studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinca, V.; Palla-Papavlu, A.; Paraico, I.; Lippert, T.; Wokaun, A.; Dinescu, M.

2011-04-01

A simple and effective method to functionalize glass surfaces that enable polymer micropatterning and subsequent spatially controlled adhesion of cells is reported in this paper. The method involves the application of laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) to achieve polymer patterning in a single step onto cell repellent substrates (i.e. polyethyleneglycol (PEG)). This approach was used to produce micron-size polyethyleneimine (PEI)-patterns alternating with cell-repellent areas. The focus of this work is the ability of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells to orient, migrate, and produce organized cellular arrangements on laser generated PEI patterns.

The science of trail surveys: Recreation ecology provides new tools for managing wilderness trails

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marion, Jeffrey L.; Wimpey, Jeremy F.; Park, Logan O.

2011-01-01

Recreation ecology examines the effects of recreation on protected area ecosystems. One core focus of recreation ecology research is trail science, including the development of efficient protocols to assess and monitor the type and severity of resource impacts, analyses to improve knowledge of factors that influence trail conditions, and studies to assist land managers in improving trail design, maintenance, and visitor management. This article reviews alternative trail survey methodologies most useful for the management of wilderness and backcountry trail networks. Illustrations and implications from survey data for trail planning, design, and management are included.

Evaluation of solar cells for potential space satellite power applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The evaluation focused on the following subjects: (1) the relative merits of alternative solar cell materials, based on performance and availability, (2) the best manufacturing methods for various solar cell options and the effects of extremely large production volumes on their ultimate costs and operational characteristics, (3) the areas of uncertainty in achieving large solar cell production volumes, (4) the effects of concentration ratios on solar array mass and system performance, (5) the factors influencing solar cell life in the radiation environment during transport to and in geosynchronous orbit, and (6) the merits of conducting solar cell manufacturing operations in space.

Continuing Development of Alternative High-Throughput Screens to Determine Endocrine Disruption, Focusing on Androgen Receptor, Steroidogenesis, and Thyroid Pathways

EPA Science Inventory

The focus of this meeting is the SAP's review and comment on the Agency's proposed high-throughput computational model of androgen receptor pathway activity as an alternative to the current Tier 1 androgen receptor assay (OCSPP 890.1150: Androgen Receptor Binding Rat Prostate Cyt...

Beyond imperviousness: A statistical approach to identifying functional differences between development morphologies on variable source area-type response in urbanized watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, T. C.

2016-12-01

Empirical evidence has shown linkages between urbanization, hydrological regime change, and degradation of water quality and aquatic habitat. Percent imperviousness, has long been suggested as the dominant source of these negative changes. However, recent research identifying alternative pathways of runoff production at the watershed scale have called into question percent impervious surface area's primacy in urban runoff production compared to other aspects of urbanization including change in vegetative cover, imported water and water leakages, and the presence of drainage infrastructure. In this research I show how a robust statistical methodology can detect evidence of variable source area (VSA)-type hydrologic response associated with incremental hydraulic connectivity in watersheds. I then use logistic regression to explore how evidence of VSA-type response relates to the physical and meterological characteristics of the watershed. I find that impervious surface area is highly correlated with development, but does not add significant explanatory power beyond percent developed in predicting VSA-type response. Other aspects of development morphology, including percent developed open space and type of drainage infrastructure also do not add to the explanatory power of undeveloped land in predicting VSA-type response. Within only developed areas, the effect of developed open space was found to be more similar to that of total impervious area than to undeveloped land. These findings were consistent when tested across a national cross-section of urbanized watersheds, a higher resolution dataset of Baltimore Metropolitan Area watersheds, and a subsample of watersheds confirmed not to be served by combined sewer systems. These findings suggest that land development policies that focus on lot coverage should be revisited, and more focus should be placed on preserving native vegetation and soil conditions alongside development.

Attention moderates the fearlessness of psychopathic offenders

PubMed Central

Newman, Joseph P.; Curtin, John J.; Bertsch, Jeremy D.; Baskin-Sommers, Arielle R.

2009-01-01

Background Psychopathic behavior is generally attributed to a fundamental, amygdala-mediated deficit in fearlessness that undermines social conformity. An alternative view is that psychopathy involves an attention-related deficit that undermines the processing of peripheral information including fear stimuli. Methods We evaluated these alternative hypotheses by measuring fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in a group of 125 prisoners under experimental conditions that (a) focused attention directly on fear-relevant information or (b) established an alternative attentional focus. Psychopathy was assessed using Hare’s (1) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Results Psychopathic individuals displayed normal FPS under threat-focused conditions but manifested a significant deficit in FPS under alternative-focus conditions. Moreover, these findings were essentially unchanged when analyses employed the interpersonal-affective factor of the PCL-R instead of PCL-R total scores. Conclusions The results provide unprecedented evidence that higher-order cognitive processes moderate the fear deficits of psychopathic individuals. These findings suggest that psychopaths’ diminished reactivity to fear stimuli, and emotion-related cues more generally, reflect idiosyncrasies in attention that limit their processing of peripheral information. Although psychopathic individuals are commonly described as cold-blooded predators who are unmotivated to change, the attentional dysfunction identified in this study supports an alternative interpretation of their chronic disinhibition and insensitive interpersonal style. PMID:19793581

Processing Stages Underlying Word Recognition in the Anteroventral Temporal Lobe

PubMed Central

Halgren, Eric; Wang, Chunmao; Schomer, Donald L.; Knake, Susanne; Marinkovic, Ksenija; Wu, Julian; Ulbert, Istvan

2006-01-01

The anteroventral temporal lobe integrates visual, lexical, semantic and mnestic aspects of word-processing, through its reciprocal connections with the ventral visual stream, language areas, and the hippocampal formation. We used linear microelectrode arrays to probe population synaptic currents and neuronal firing in different cortical layers of the anteroventral temporal lobe, during semantic judgments with implicit priming, and overt word recognition. Since different extrinsic and associative inputs preferentially target different cortical layers, this method can help reveal the sequence and nature of local processing stages at a higher resolution than was previously possible. The initial response in inferotemporal and perirhinal cortices is a brief current sink beginning at ~120ms, and peaking at ~170ms. Localization of this initial sink to middle layers suggests that it represents feedforward input from lower visual areas, and simultaneously increased firing implies that it represents excitatory synaptic currents. Until ~800ms, the main focus of transmembrane current sinks alternates between middle and superficial layers, with the superficial focus becoming increasingly dominant after ~550ms. Since superficial layers are the target of local and feedback associative inputs, this suggests an alternation in predominant synaptic input between feedforward and feedback modes. Word repetition does not affect the initial perirhinal and inferotemporal middle layer sink, but does decrease later activity. Entorhinal activity begins later (~200ms), with greater apparent excitatory postsynaptic currents and multiunit activity in neocortically-projecting than hippocampal-projecting layers. In contrast to perirhinal and entorhinal responses, entorhinal responses are larger to repeated words during memory retrieval. These results identify a sequence of physiological activation, beginning with a sharp activation from lower level visual areas carrying specific information to middle layers. This is followed by feedback and associative interactions involving upper cortical layers, which are abbreviated to repeated words. Following bottom-up and associative stages, top-down recollective processes may be driven by entorhinal cortex. Word processing involves a systematic sequence of fast feedforward information transfer from visual areas to anteroventral temporal cortex, followed by prolonged interactions of this feedforward information with local associations, and feedback mnestic information from the medial temporal lobe. PMID:16488158

Improved alternating gradient transport and focusing of neutral molecules

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

Kalnins, Juris; Lambertson, Glen; Gould, Harvey

2001-12-02

Polar molecules, in strong-field seeking states, can be transported and focused by an alternating sequence of electric field gradients that focus in one transverse direction while defocusing in the other. We show by calculation and numerical simulation, how one may greatly improve the alternating gradient transport and focusing of molecules. We use a new optimized multipole lens design, a FODO lattice beam transport line, and lenses to match the beam transport line to the beam source and the final focus. We derive analytic expressions for the potentials, fields, and gradients that may be used to design these lenses. We describemore » a simple lens optimization procedure and derive the equations of motion for tracking molecules through a beam transport line. As an example, we model a straight beamline that transports a 560 m/s jet-source beam of methyl fluoride molecules 15 m from its source and focuses it to 2 mm diameter. We calculate the beam transport line acceptance and transmission, for a beam with velocity spread, and estimate the transmitted intensity for specified source conditions. Possible applications are discussed.« less

Children's views on microneedle use as an alternative to blood sampling for patient monitoring.

PubMed

Mooney, Karen; McElnay, James C; Donnelly, Ryan F

2014-10-01

To explore children's views on microneedle use for this population, particularly as an alternative approach to blood sampling, in monitoring applications, and so, examine the acceptability of this approach to children. Focus groups were conducted with children (aged 10-14 years) in a range of schools across Northern Ireland. Convenience sampling was employed, i.e. children involved in a university-directed community-outreach project (Pharmacists in Schools) were recruited. A total of 86 children participated in 13 focus groups across seven schools in Northern Ireland. A widespread disapproval for blood sampling was evident, with pain, blood and traditional needle visualisation particularly unpopular aspects. In general, microneedles had greater visual acceptability and caused less fear. A patch-based design enabled minimal patient awareness of the monitoring procedure, with personalised designs, e.g. cartoon themes, favoured. Children's concerns included possible allergy and potential inaccuracies with this novel approach; however, many had confidence in the judgement of healthcare professionals if deeming this technique appropriate. They considered paediatric patient education critical for acceptance of this new approach and called for an alternative name, without any reference to 'needles'. The findings presented here support the development of blood-free, minimally invasive techniques and provide an initial indication of microneedle acceptability in children, particularly for monitoring purposes. A proactive response to these unique insights should enable microneedle array design to better meet the needs of this end-user group. Further work in this area is recommended to ascertain the perspectives of a purposive sample of children with chronic conditions who require regular monitoring. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Variables Affecting the Success of Alternative School Programs in Mississippi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haley, Sherlyn Williams

2009-01-01

This study focused on examining the effect of two alternative school types on student success in Mississippi. To determine alternative school type, alternative program directors self-reported program design, and schools were divided into two groups. Type I schools were defined as "punitive-based" programs in which students receive…

Treating Youths with Selective Mutism with an Alternating Design of Exposure-Based Practice and Contingency Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vecchio, Jennifer; Kearney, Christopher A.

2009-01-01

Selective mutism is a severe childhood disorder involving failure to speak in public situations in which speaking is expected. The present study examined 9 youths with selective mutism treated with child-focused, exposure-based practices and parent-focused contingency management via an alternating treatments design. Broadband measures of…

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

Henzlova, Daniela; Kouzes, R.; McElroy, R.

International safeguards inspectorates (e.g., International Atomic Energy Agency {IAEA}, or Euratom) rely heavily on neutron assay techniques, and in particular, on coincidence counters for the verification of declared nuclear materials under safeguards and for monitoring purposes. While 3He was readily available, the reliability, safety, ease of use, gamma-ray insensitivity, and high intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of 3He-based detectors obviated the need for alternative detector technologies. However, the recent decline of the 3He gas supply has triggered international efforts to develop and field neutron detectors that make use of alternative materials. In response to this global effort, the U.S. Departmentmore » of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Euratom launched a joint effort aimed at bringing together international experts, technology users and developers in the field of nuclear safeguards to discuss and evaluate the proposed 3He alternative materials and technologies. The effort involved a series of two workshops focused on detailed overviews and viability assessments of various 3He alternative technologies for use in nuclear safeguards applications. The key objective was to provide a platform for collaborative discussions and technical presentations organized in a compact, workshop-like format to stimulate interactions among the participants. The meetings culminated in a benchmark exercise providing a unique opportunity for the first inter-comparison of several available alternative technologies. This report provides an overview of the alternative technology efforts presented during the two workshops along with a summary of the benchmarking activities and results. The workshop recommendations and key consensus observations are discussed in the report, and used to outline a proposed path forward and future needs foreseeable in the area of 3He-alternative technologies.« less

Mixed Waste Focus Area alternative oxidation technologies development and demonstration program

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

Borduin, L.C.; Fewell, T.; Gombert, D.

1998-07-01

The Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA) is currently supporting the development and demonstration of several alternative oxidation technology (AOT) processes for treatment of combustible mixed low-level wastes. The impetus for this support derives from regulatory and political hurdles frequently encountered by traditional thermal techniques, primarily incinerators. AOTs have been defined as technologies that destroy organic material without using open-flame reactions. Whether thermal or nonthermal, the processes have the potential advantages of relatively low-volume gaseous emissions, generation of few or no dioxin/furan compounds, and operation at low enough temperatures that metals (except mercury) and most radionuclides are not volatilized. Technology developmentmore » and demonstration are needed to confirm and realize the potential of AOTs and to compare them on an equal basis with their fully demonstrated thermal counterparts. AOTs include both thermal and nonthermal processes that oxidize organic wastes but operate under significantly different physical and chemical conditions than incinerators. Nonthermal processes currently being studied include Delphi DETOX and acid digestion at the Savannah River Site, and direct chemical oxidation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. All three technologies are at advanced stages of development or are entering the demonstration phase. Nonflame thermal processes include catalytic chemical oxidation, which is being developed and deployed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and team reforming, a commercial process being supported by Department of Energy. Related technologies include two low-flow, secondary oxidation processes (Phoenix and Thermatrix units) that have been tested at MSE, Inc., in Butte, Montana. Although testing is complete on some AOT technologies, most require additional support to complete some or all of the identified development objectives. Brief descriptions, status, and planned paths forward for each of the technologies are presented.« less

Assessing societal impacts when planning restoration of large alluvial rivers: a case study of the Sacramento River project, California.

PubMed

Golet, Gregory H; Roberts, Michael D; Larsen, Eric W; Luster, Ryan A; Unger, Ron; Werner, Gregg; White, Gregory G

2006-06-01

Studies have shown that ecological restoration projects are more likely to gain public support if they simultaneously increase important human services that natural resources provide to people. River restoration projects have the potential to influence many of the societal functions (e.g., flood control, water quality) that rivers provide, yet most projects fail to consider this in a comprehensive manner. Most river restoration projects also fail to take into account opportunities for revitalization of large-scale river processes, focusing instead on opportunities presented at individual parcels. In an effort to avoid these pitfalls while planning restoration of the Sacramento River, we conducted a set of coordinated studies to evaluate societal impacts of alternative restoration actions over a large geographic area. Our studies were designed to identify restoration actions that offer benefits to both society and the ecosystem and to meet the information needs of agency planning teams focusing on the area. We worked with local partners and public stakeholders to design and implement studies that assessed the effects of alternative restoration actions on flooding and erosion patterns, socioeconomics, cultural resources, and public access and recreation. We found that by explicitly and scientifically melding societal and ecosystem perspectives, it was possible to identify restoration actions that simultaneously improve both ecosystem health and the services (e.g., flood protection and recreation) that the Sacramento River and its floodplain provide to people. Further, we found that by directly engaging with local stakeholders to formulate, implement, and interpret the studies, we were able to develop a high level of trust that ultimately translated into widespread support for the project.

Alternative Schools and Area Learning Centers. 1998 Minnesota Student Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Harrison, Patricia A.; Hedger, Scott A.

This report highlights findings from the 1998 Minnesota Student Survey, administered to 3,791 voluntary participants, comparing students in alternative school settings with those in public schools. Alternative schools and area learning centers are high school diploma granting programs designed for students who are behind in their work, have…

The European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA): promoting alternative methods in Europe and beyond.

PubMed

Cozigou, Gwenole; Crozier, Jonathan; Hendriksen, Coenraad; Manou, Irene; Ramirez-Hernandez, Tzutzuy; Weissenhorn, Renate

2015-03-01

Here in we introduce the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) and its activities, which are focused on international cooperation toward alternative methods. The EPAA is one of the leading organizations in Europe for the promotion of alternative approaches to animal testing. Its innovative public-private partnership structure enables a consensus-driven dialogue across 7 industry sectors to facilitate interaction between regulators and regulated stakeholders. Through a brief description of EPAA's activities and organizational structure, we first articulate the value of this collaboration; we then focus on 2 key projects driven by EPAA. The first project aims to address research gaps on stem cells for safety testing, whereas the second project strives for an approach toward demonstration of consistency in vaccine batch release testing. We highlight the growing need for harmonization of international acceptance and implementation of alternative approaches and for increased international collaboration to foster progress on nonanimal alternatives.

Feasibility study for hydrocarbon complex in southern seaboard. Petroleum Authority of Thailand

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

NONE

This study, conducted by Fluor Daniel, was funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, on behalf of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the economic viability of the related facilities and determine how each could help to industrialize and build up the Southern Seaboard area of Thailand. The focus of the report is in three areas including; Crude Oil Transportation System, Refinery, and Petrochemical Complex. Another objective of the study was to offer an alternative for large crude carrier traffic by proposing the completion of a crude oil pipeline. The reportmore » is divided into the following sections: (1) Executive Summary; (2) Introduction; (3) Crude Oil Transportation System; (4) Refinery Project; (5) Petrochemical Complex; (6) Key Issues & Considerations; (7) Financial Evaluations; (8) Summary & Conclusions.« less

Urban Growth Scenarios of a Future MEGA City: Case Study Ahmedabad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehner, A.; Kraus, V.; Steinnocher, K.

2016-06-01

The study of urban areas and their development focuses on cities, their physical and demographic expansion and the tensions and impacts that go along with urban growth. Especially in developing countries and emerging national economies like India, consistent and up to date information or other planning relevant data all too often is not available. With its Smart Cities Mission, the Indian government places great importance on the future developments of Indian urban areas and pays tribute to the large-scale rural to urban migration. The potentials of urban remote sensing and its contribution to urban planning are discussed and related to the Indian Smart Cities Mission. A case study is presented showing urban remote sensing based information products for the city of Ahmedabad. Resulting urban growth scenarios are presented, hotspots identified and future action alternatives proposed.

New developments in epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of fascioliasis.

PubMed

Cabada, Miguel M; White, A Clinton

2012-10-01

This review focuses on the recent developments in the epidemiology, burden of disease, diagnostic tests, and treatment of fascioliasis. Recent epidemiologic data suggest that either the endemic areas are expanding or disease is being recognized in areas where it was not previously observed. In addition, recent data highlight the effects of fascioliasis on childhood anemia and nutrition. Diagnosis remains problematic, but newer diagnostic tests including antibody, antigen, and DNA detection tests may facilitate earlier diagnosis. Recent studies suggest that point-of-care testing may soon be possible. Treatment with triclabendazole is effective, but resistance is emerging in livestock and may pose a threat for patients. Fascioliasis continues to emerge as an important neglected disease, with new studies highlighting the under-recognized burden of disease. Further studies are needed on burden of disease, improved diagnosis, and alternative to triclabendazole treatment.

SASD: the Synthetic Alternative Splicing Database for identifying novel isoform from proteomics

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Alternative splicing is an important and widespread mechanism for generating protein diversity and regulating protein expression. High-throughput identification and analysis of alternative splicing in the protein level has more advantages than in the mRNA level. The combination of alternative splicing database and tandem mass spectrometry provides a powerful technique for identification, analysis and characterization of potential novel alternative splicing protein isoforms from proteomics. Therefore, based on the peptidomic database of human protein isoforms for proteomics experiments, our objective is to design a new alternative splicing database to 1) provide more coverage of genes, transcripts and alternative splicing, 2) exclusively focus on the alternative splicing, and 3) perform context-specific alternative splicing analysis. Results We used a three-step pipeline to create a synthetic alternative splicing database (SASD) to identify novel alternative splicing isoforms and interpret them at the context of pathway, disease, drug and organ specificity or custom gene set with maximum coverage and exclusive focus on alternative splicing. First, we extracted information on gene structures of all genes in the Ensembl Genes 71 database and incorporated the Integrated Pathway Analysis Database. Then, we compiled artificial splicing transcripts. Lastly, we translated the artificial transcripts into alternative splicing peptides. The SASD is a comprehensive database containing 56,630 genes (Ensembl gene IDs), 95,260 transcripts (Ensembl transcript IDs), and 11,919,779 Alternative Splicing peptides, and also covering about 1,956 pathways, 6,704 diseases, 5,615 drugs, and 52 organs. The database has a web-based user interface that allows users to search, display and download a single gene/transcript/protein, custom gene set, pathway, disease, drug, organ related alternative splicing. Moreover, the quality of the database was validated with comparison to other known databases and two case studies: 1) in liver cancer and 2) in breast cancer. Conclusions The SASD provides the scientific community with an efficient means to identify, analyze, and characterize novel Exon Skipping and Intron Retention protein isoforms from mass spectrometry and interpret them at the context of pathway, disease, drug and organ specificity or custom gene set with maximum coverage and exclusive focus on alternative splicing. PMID:24267658

Chinese and Indian women's experience with alternative medications for menopause related symptoms: A qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Ohn Mar, Saw; Malhi, Fatehpal Singh; Syed Rahim, Syed Hamid; Soe, Myint Myint

2017-09-15

To explore women's rationalization for using alternative medications, their experience and view on safety of long-term use. Two focus group discussions, involving 5 participants each for Chinese and Indian groups, were conducted separately. Participant's personal information was collected anonymously. The discussion covered 5 areas: determinants for taking medications; reason for choosing alternative medications rather than hormone replacement therapy (HRT); how these medications help them; their view on cost-effectiveness and concerns over long-term use. The discussions were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed. Chinese participants took supplements for controlling symptoms while Indian participants used herbs as a preventive measure during menopause according to their tradition. Women of both groups mentioned that they did not take HRT because of fear of side effects. Chinese group mentioned that medications remarkably improved their symptoms whereas Indian participants appreciated their herbals more for improvement in general wellbeing than for specific symptoms. All members agreed that using alternative medication was cost-effective. Both Chinese and Indian participants were quite confident in saying that long-term use will not be associated with any side effects. However, Indian group emphasized that proper preparation of herbal compound using different types of leaves, is essential in order to avoid untoward effects. Chinese and Indian women used alternative medicine in prevention and treatment of menopause-related problems even as they were avoiding HRT because of the fear of side effects. They believed that their supplements were effective, safe and cost-beneficial even with long-term use.

Sorbent Structural Impacts Due to Humidity on Carbon Dioxide Removal Sorbents for Advanced Exploration Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, David; Knox, James C.; West, Phillip; Stanley, Christine M.; Bush, Richard

2015-01-01

The Life Support Systems Project (LSSP) under the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program builds upon the work performed under the AES Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) project focusing on the numerous technology development areas. The CO2 removal and associated air drying development efforts are focused on improving the current state-of-the-art system on the International Space Station (ISS) utilizing fixed beds of sorbent pellets by seeking more robust pelletized sorbents, evaluating structured sorbents, and examining alternate bed configurations to improve system efficiency and reliability. A component of the CO2 removal effort encompasses structural stability testing of existing and emerging sorbents. Testing will be performed on dry sorbents and sorbents that have been conditioned to three humidity levels. This paper describes the sorbent structural stability screening efforts in support of the LSS Project within the AES Program.

Benzimidazoles: an ideal privileged drug scaffold for the design of multitargeted anti-inflammatory ligands.

PubMed

Kaur, Gaganpreet; Kaur, Maninder; Silakari, Om

2014-01-01

The recent research area endeavors to discover ultimate multi-target ligands, an increasingly feasible and attractive alternative to existing mono-targeted drugs for treatment of complex, multi-factorial inflammation process which underlays plethora of debilitated health conditions. In order to improvise this option, exploration of relevant chemical core scaffold will be an utmost need. Privileged benzimidazole scaffold being historically versatile structural motif could offer a viable starting point in the search for novel multi-target ligands against multi-factorial inflammation process since, when appropriately substituted, it can selectively modulate diverse receptors, pathways and enzymes associated with the pathogenesis of inflammation. Despite this remarkable capability, the multi-target capacity of the benzimidazole scaffold remains largely unexploited. With this in focus, the present review article attempts to provide synopsis of published research to exemplify the valuable use of benzimidazole nucleus and focus on their suitability as starting scaffold to develop multi-targeted anti-inflammatory ligands.

Advanced Chemical Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Leslie, Jr.

2006-01-01

Advanced Chemical Propulsion (ACP) provides near-term incremental improvements in propulsion system performance and/or cost. It is an evolutionary approach to technology development that produces useful products along the way to meet increasingly more demanding mission requirements while focusing on improving payload mass fraction to yield greater science capability. Current activities are focused on two areas: chemical propulsion component, subsystem, and manufacturing technologies that offer measurable system level benefits; and the evaluation of high-energy storable propellants with enhanced performance for in-space application. To prioritize candidate propulsion technology alternatives, a variety of propulsion/mission analyses and trades have been conducted for SMD missions to yield sufficient data for investment planning. They include: the Advanced Chemical Propulsion Assessment; an Advanced Chemical Propulsion System Model; a LOx-LH2 small pumps conceptual design; a space storables propellant study; a spacecraft cryogenic propulsion study; an advanced pressurization and mixture ratio control study; and a pump-fed vs. pressure-fed study.

Thermoelectricity for future sustainable energy technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weidenkaff, Anke

2017-07-01

Thermoelectricity is a general term for a number of effects describing the direct interconversion of heat and electricity. Thermoelectric devices are therefore promising, environmental-friendly alternatives to conventional power generators or cooling units. Since the mid-90s, research on thermoelectric properties and their applications has steadily increased. In the course of years, the development of high-temperature resistant TE materials and devices has emerged as one of the main areas of interest focusing both on basic research and practical applications. A wide range of innovative and cost-efficient material classes has been studied and their properties improved. This has also led to advances in synthesis and metrology. The paper starts out with thermoelectric history, basic effects underlying thermoelectric conversion and selected examples of application. The main part focuses on thermoelectric materials including an outline of the design rules, a review on the most common materials and the feasibility of improved future high-temperature thermoelectric converters.

Nonthermal food processing alternatives and their effects on taste and flavor compounds of beverages.

PubMed

Ortega-Rivas, Enrique; Salmerón-Ochoa, Iván

2014-01-01

Food drinks are normally processed to increase their shelf-life and facilitate distribution before consumption. Thermal pasteurization is quite efficient in preventing microbial spoilage of many types of beverages, but the applied heat may also cause undesirable biochemical and nutritious changes that may affect sensory attributes of the final product. Alternative methods of pasteurization that do not include direct heat have been investigated in order to obtain products safe for consumption, but with sensory attributes maintained as unchanged as possible. Food scientists interested in nonthermal food preservation technologies have claimed that such methods of preserving foods are equally efficient in microbial inactivation as compared with conventional thermal means of food processing. Researchers in the nonthermal food preservation area also affirm that alternative preservation technologies will not affect, as much as thermal processes, nutritional and sensory attributes of processed foods. This article reviews research in nonthermal food preservation, focusing on effects of processing of food drinks such as fruit juices and dairy products. Analytical techniques used to identify volatile flavor-aroma compounds will be reviewed and comparative effects for both thermal and nonthermal preservation technologies will be discussed.

Algae-Based Jet Fuel: The Renewable Alternative to the Air Force’s Focus On Coal-To-Liquid Synthetic Fuel

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-19

20 Analysis of Results ........................................................................................................... 25...Process in a Conceptual Fischer-Tropsch Plant ......................... 8 Figure 2. Algae cultivation methods: PBR and open racetrack ponds (left to...proceeds to the results of the evaluation and the analysis of results. The argument focuses on each alternative fuel and how well it meets the

Things Fall Apart and Come Together: Using the Visual for Reflection in Alternative Teacher Education Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Claudia; Dillon, David; Strong-Wilson, Teresa; Pithouse, Kathleen; Islam, Faisal; O'Connor, Kevin; Rudd, Christina; Staniforth, Patricia; Cole, Amy

2010-01-01

In this article, we focus on the use of the visual for reflection in "alternative" pre-service teacher education and, in particular, we address the question: "How and what can we learn about teacher education using the visual?" By way of illustration, we focus on the use of pre-service teachers' photographs in a public…

Brain stimulation used as biofeedback in neuronal activation of the temporal lobe area in autistic children.

PubMed

Silva, Vernon Furtado da; Calomeni, Mauricio Rocha; Nunes, Rodolfo Alkmim Moreira; Pimentel, Carlos Elias; Martins, Gabriela Paes; Oliveira, Patrícia da Cruz Araruna; Silva, Patrícia Bagno; Silva, Alair Pedro Ribeiro de Souza E

2016-08-01

This study focused upon the functional capacity of mirror neurons in autistic children. 30 individuals, 10 carriers of the autistic syndrome (GCA), 10 with intellectual impairments (GDI), and 10 non-autistics (GCN) had registered eletroencephalogram from the brain area theoretically related to mirror neurons. Data collection procedure occurred prior to brain stimulation and after the stimulation session. During the second session, participants had to alternately process figures evoking neutral, happy, and/or sorrowful feelings. Results proved that, for all groups, the stimulation process in fact produced additional activation in the neural area under study. The level of activation was related to the format of emotional stimuli and the likelihood of boosting such stimuli. Since the increase of activation occurred in a model similar to the one observed for the control group, we may suggest that the difficulty people with autism have at expressing emotions is not due to nonexistence of mirror neurons.

Development of whole sporozoite malaria vaccines.

PubMed

Hollingdale, Michael R; Sedegah, Martha

2017-01-01

Despite recent advances, malaria remains a major health threat both to populations in endemic areas as well travelers, including military personnel, to these areas. Subunit vaccines have not yet achieved sufficient efficacy needed for use in any of these at risk populations. Areas covered: This review discusses the current status of various whole sporozoite vaccine approaches and is mainly focused on current clinical trials. Expert commentary: Nearly 100% efficacy was achieved by administering multiple bites of radiation-attenuated sporozoite (RAS) Plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes; this is impractical for widespread use. Now, this high level efficacy has been reproduced using purified, metabolically active RAS (PfSPZ Sanaria® Vaccine), which is undergoing extensive clinical testing. Alternative whole sporozoite vaccines include immunization with fully infectious sporozoites under chloroquine prophylaxis (CPS) or as genetically-attenuated parasites (GAP). By also manufacturing purified infectious sporozoites, it is now possible to combine these with CPS and GAP, as well as perform challenge studies using controlled doses of sporozoites.

Does prenatal care increase access to child immunization? Gender bias among children in India.

PubMed

Choi, Jin Young; Lee, Sang-Hyop

2006-07-01

Prenatal care appears to serve as a trigger in increasing the chances for access to subsequent health care services. Although several previous studies have investigated this connection, none have focused specifically on how parents' behavior differs before and after learning the gender of their babies. Investigating parents' behavioral changes after the child's birth provides a quasi-natural experiment with which to test the gender discrimination hypothesis. This issue was examined here, using a rich family health survey data set from India. We find evidence for the triggering effect of prenatal care on immunization only among rural boys, but we find no compelling evidence for this effect among other sub-samples. This finding suggests two things, which are not mutually exclusive. One is that the information spillover from prenatal care has a much larger impact in rural areas, where alternative sources of information are scarce, compared with urban areas. The other is that the sex of a child is a critical factor in producing different levels of health care behavior in rural areas, where sons are favored and more valued than in urban areas.

Feedback, the various tasks of the doctor, and the feedforward alternative.

PubMed

Kluger, Avraham N; Van Dijk, Dina

2010-12-01

This study aims to alert users of feedback to its dangers, explain some of its complexities and offer the feedforward alternative. We review the damage that feedback may cause to both motivation and performance. We provide an initial solution to the puzzle of the feedback sign (positive versus negative) using the concepts of promotion focus and prevention focus. We discuss additional open questions pertaining to feedback sign and consider implications for health care systems. Feedback that threatens the self is likely to debilitate recipients and, on average, positive and negative feedback are similar in their effects on performance. Positive feedback contributes to motivation and performance under promotion focus, but the same is true for negative feedback under prevention focus. We offer an alternative to feedback--the feedforward interview--and describe a brief protocol and suggestions on how it might be used in medical education. Feedback is a double-edged sword; its effective application includes careful consideration of regulatory focus and of threats to the self. Feedforward may be a good substitute for feedback in many settings. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010.

Development of a Novel, Low-Cost, Disposable Wooden Pencil Graphite Electrode for Use in the Determination of Antioxidants and Other Biological Compounds.

PubMed

Kariuki, James; Ervin, Emily; Olafson, Carly

2015-07-31

The development of portable sensors that can be used outside the lab is an active area of research in the electroanalytical field. A major focus of such research is the development of low-cost electrodes for use in these sensors. Current electrodes, such as glassy-carbon electrodes (GCEs), are costly and require time-consuming preparation. Alternatives have been proposed, including mechanical pencil-lead electrodes (MPEs). However, MPEs themselves possess numerous drawbacks, particularly structural fragility. In this paper, we present a novel pencil-graphite electrode (PGE) fabricated from a regular HB#2 pencil. This PGE is a simple, disposable, extremely low-cost alternative to GCEs ($0.30 per PGE, vs. $190 + per GCE), and possesses the structural stability that MPEs lack. PGEs were characterized by square-wave voltammetry of ferricyanide, gallic acid, uric acid, dopamine, and several foodstuffs. In all cases, PGEs demonstrated sensitivities comparable or superior to those of the GCE and MPE (LOD = 5.62 × 10(-4) M PGE, 4.80 × 10(-4) M GCE, 2.93 × 10(-4) M MPE). Signal areas and peak heights were typically four to ten times larger for the PGE relative to the GCE.

Next Generation Life Support Project: Development of Advanced Technologies for Human Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barta, Daniel J.

2012-01-01

Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) is one of several technology development projects sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Game Changing Development Program. NGLS is developing life support technologies (including water recovery, and space suit life support technologies) needed for humans to live and work productively in space. NGLS has three project tasks: Variable Oxygen Regulator (VOR), Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swing bed, and Alternative Water Processing. The selected technologies within each of these areas are focused on increasing affordability, reliability, and vehicle self sufficiency while decreasing mass and enabling long duration exploration. The RCA and VOR tasks are directed at key technology needs for the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) for an Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), with focus on prototyping and integrated testing. The focus of the Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swing-bed ventilation task is to provide integrated carbon dioxide removal and humidity control that can be regenerated in real time during an EVA. The Variable Oxygen Regulator technology will significantly increase the number of pressure settings available to the space suit. Current spacesuit pressure regulators are limited to only two settings while the adjustability of the advanced regulator will be nearly continuous. The Alternative Water Processor efforts will result in the development of a system capable of recycling wastewater from sources expected in future exploration missions, including hygiene and laundry water, based on natural biological processes and membrane-based post treatment. The technologies will support a capability-driven architecture for extending human presence beyond low Earth orbit to potential destinations such as the Moon, near Earth asteroids and Mars.

State recommendations on approaches to LANDSAT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bay, S. M.; Wubker, P.

1977-01-01

The feasibility of continuing the LANDSAT program is contingent upon the success of the technology transfer process to state and local governments. The focus of these concerns can be generally expressed in terms of these issue areas: (1) user needs, in terms of awareness, technical capabilities, and training; (2) product availability and pricing; and (3) roles and communication links, in terms of federal and state governments, the private sector, and the universities. The perspective of the states on these issues are classified. Where possible, alternative strategies for accomplishing the satellite technology transfer for effective state implementation are suggested. Those suggestions are based on the recommendations offered by the state and local user community.

Integrating autonomous distributed control into a human-centric C4ISR environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straub, Jeremy

2017-05-01

This paper considers incorporating autonomy into human-centric Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) environments. Specifically, it focuses on identifying ways that current autonomy technologies can augment human control and the challenges presented by additive autonomy. Three approaches to this challenge are considered, stemming from prior work in two converging areas. In the first, the problem is approached as augmenting what humans currently do with automation. In the alternate approach, the problem is approached as treating humans as actors within a cyber-physical system-of-systems (stemming from robotic distributed computing). A third approach, combines elements of both of the aforementioned.

Human reliability in petrochemical industry: an action research.

PubMed

Silva, João Alexandre Pinheiro; Camarotto, João Alberto

2012-01-01

This paper aims to identify conflicts and gaps between the operators' strategies and actions and the organizational managerial approach for human reliability. In order to achieve these goals, the research approach adopted encompasses literature review, mixing action research methodology and Ergonomic Workplace Analysis in field research. The result suggests that the studied company has a classical and mechanistic point of view focusing on error identification and building barriers through procedures, checklists and other prescription alternatives to improve performance in reliability area. However, it was evident the fundamental role of the worker as an agent of maintenance and construction of system reliability during the action research cycle.

78 FR 19523 - General Management Plan, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Meredith National Recreation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-01

... Management Plan, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Alibates... Management Plan, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Texas... management alternatives for Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and three management alternatives for...

Evaluation of alternative nonflame technologies for destruction of hazardous organic waste

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

Schwinkendorf, W.E.; Musgrave, B.C.; Drake, R.N.

1997-04-01

The US Department of Energy`s Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA) commissioned an evaluation of mixed waste treatment technologies that are alternatives to incineration for destruction of hazardous organic wastes. The purpose of this effort is to evaluate technologies that are alternatives to open-flame, free-oxygen combustion (as exemplified by incinerators), and recommend to the Waste Type Managers and the MWFA which technologies should be considered for further development. Alternative technologies were defined as those that have the potential to: destroy organic material without use of open-flame reactions with free gas-phase oxygen as the reaction mechanism; reduce the offgas volume and associatedmore » contaminants (metals, radionuclides, and particulates) emitted under normal operating conditions; eliminate or reduce the production of dioxins and furans; and reduce the potential for excursions in the process that can lead to accidental release of harmful levels of chemical or radioactive materials. Twenty-three technologies were identified that have the potential for meeting these requirements. These technologies were rated against the categories of performance, readiness for deployment, and environment safety, and health. The top ten technologies that resulted from this evaluation are Steam Reforming, Electron Beam, UV Photo-Oxidation, Ultrasonics, Eco Logic reduction process, Supercritical Water oxidation, Cerium Mediated Electrochemical Oxidation, DETOX{sup SM}, Direct Chemical Oxidation (peroxydisulfate), and Neutralization/Hydrolysis.« less

Accuracy and suitability of selected sampling methods within conifer dominated riparian zones

Treesearch

Theresa Marquardt; Hailemariam Temesgen; Paul D. Anderson

2010-01-01

Sixteen sampling alternatives were examined for their performance to quantify selected attributes of overstory conifers in riparian areas of western Oregon. Each alternative was examined at eight headwater forest locations based on 0.52 ha square stem maps. The alternatives were evaluated for selected stand attributes (tree per hectare, basal area per hectare, and...

Regulation of thermogenesis in plants: the interaction of alternative oxidase and plant uncoupling mitochondrial protein.

PubMed

Zhu, Yan; Lu, Jianfei; Wang, Jing; Chen, Fu; Leng, Feifan; Li, Hongyu

2011-01-01

Thermogenesis is a process of heat production in living organisms. It is rare in plants, but it does occur in some species of angiosperm. The heat is generated via plant mitochondrial respiration. As possible involvement in thermogenesis of mitochondrial factors, alternative oxidases (AOXs) and plant uncoupling mitochondrial proteins (PUMPs) have been well studied. AOXs and PUMPs are ubiquitously present in the inner membrane of plant mitochondria. They serve as two major energy dissipation systems that balance mitochondrial respiration and uncoupled phosphorylation by dissipating the H+ redox energy and proton electrochemical gradient (ΔμH+) as heat, respectively. AOXs and PUMPs exert similar physiological functions during homeothermic heat production in thermogenic plants. AOXs have five isoforms, while PUMPs have six. Both AOXs and PUMPs are encoded by small nuclear multigene families. Multiple isoforms are expressed in different tissues or organs. Extensive studies have been done in the area of thermogenesis in higher plants. In this review, we focus on the involvement and regulation of AOXs and PUMPs in thermogenesis.

Multifunctional Inorganic Nanoparticles: Recent Progress in Thermal Therapy and Imaging

PubMed Central

Cherukula, Kondareddy; Manickavasagam Lekshmi, Kamali; Uthaman, Saji; Cho, Kihyun; Cho, Chong-Su; Park, In-Kyu

2016-01-01

Nanotechnology has enabled the development of many alternative anti-cancer approaches, such as thermal therapies, which cause minimal damage to healthy cells. Current challenges in cancer treatment are the identification of the diseased area and its efficient treatment without generating many side effects. Image-guided therapies can be a useful tool to diagnose and treat the diseased tissue and they offer therapy and imaging using a single nanostructure. The present review mainly focuses on recent advances in the field of thermal therapy and imaging integrated with multifunctional inorganic nanoparticles. The main heating sources for heat-induced therapies are the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the near infrared region and alternating magnetic fields (AMFs). The different families of inorganic nanoparticles employed for SPR- and AMF-based thermal therapies and imaging are described. Furthermore, inorganic nanomaterials developed for multimodal therapies with different and multi-imaging modalities are presented in detail. Finally, relevant clinical perspectives and the future scope of inorganic nanoparticles in image-guided therapies are discussed. PMID:28335204

NASA TEERM Hexavalent Chrome Alternatives Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothgeb, Matt

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the NASA/DOD projects to select an alternative to hexavalent chrome in the aerospace industry. The Phase I process of the project performed: (1) Evaluation and testing of non-chromated coating systems as replacements for hexavalent chrome coatings in aircraft and aerospace applications. (2) Testing of coating systems to DoD and NASA specifications for corrosion resistance and adhesion. (3) Bare corrosion resistance and atmospheric exposure will be focus areas of Phase II Testing. The description includes a chart that summarizes the 3000 hour salt fog test results. The second phase of the project includes (1) Evaluation and testing of coating systems that do not contain hexavalent chrome as replacements for aerospace applications. (2) Evaluation of coatings at Beach Test Site and Launch Complex 39B (3) Evaluation of non-chrome coatings for electronic housings (bare corrosion resistance and electrical impedance) is a part of this round of testing. This project was performed for the Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM)

Spot auto-focusing and spot auto-stigmation methods with high-definition auto-correlation function in high-resolution TEM.

PubMed

Isakozawa, Shigeto; Fuse, Taishi; Amano, Junpei; Baba, Norio

2018-04-01

As alternatives to the diffractogram-based method in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, a spot auto-focusing (AF) method and a spot auto-stigmation (AS) method are presented with a unique high-definition auto-correlation function (HD-ACF). The HD-ACF clearly resolves the ACF central peak region in small amorphous-thin-film images, reflecting the phase contrast transfer function. At a 300-k magnification for a 120-kV transmission electron microscope, the smallest areas used are 64 × 64 pixels (~3 nm2) for the AF and 256 × 256 pixels for the AS. A useful advantage of these methods is that the AF function has an allowable accuracy even for a low s/n (~1.0) image. A reference database on the defocus dependency of the HD-ACF by the pre-acquisition of through-focus amorphous-thin-film images must be prepared to use these methods. This can be very beneficial because the specimens are not limited to approximations of weak phase objects but can be extended to objects outside such approximations.

Enhancing mutual accountability to promote quality, safety, and nurses' recovery from substance use disorders.

PubMed

Horton-Deutsch, Sara; McNelis, Angela; O'Haver Day, Pamela

2011-12-01

Year after year, the public view nurses at the top of the list of the most honest and ethical professionals. However, nurses impaired with substance use disorders are subject to the tremendous stigma associated with addiction. Successful treatment programs protect public safety and support nurses' recovery and reentry into practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses' experience in an alternative-to-discipline treatment program, the Indiana State Nurses Assistance Program (ISNAP), administered by the Indiana State Nurses Association. For this study, focus groups were used to capture nurses' experience with the ISNAP, a nurse-monitoring program for substance use. Three focus groups were conducted with 25 participants. The overall theme of the focus groups was enhancing mutual accountability. Nurses' views were grouped into four major areas of importance, including accountability, clear expectations, addressing individual concerns, and educating others about substance use disorders. Nurses described how each of these factors supported and impeded their recovery. The findings support the need for further education and research on how to best promote and sustain recovery. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geographic classification of hospitals: Alternative labor market areas

PubMed Central

De Lew, Nancy

1992-01-01

Medicare hospital payments are adjusted to reflect variation in hospital wages across geographic areas by grouping hospitals into labor market areas. By only recognizing the average wage in an area, Medicare encourages hospitals to contain costs. Labor market area definitions have recently received renewed attention because of their impact on hospital payments. Alternative labor market areas were evaluated using several criteria, including ability to explain wage variation and impact on payment equity. Rural labor market areas can be improved using county population size; however, further research on urban labor market areas is needed. PMID:10127453

Alternatively Activated Macrophages Play an Important Role in Vascular Remodeling and Hemorrhaging in Patients with Brain Arteriovenous Malformation.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yukihiko; Sugita, Yasuo; Nakashima, Shinji; Okada, Yousuke; Yoshitomi, Munetake; Kimura, Yoshizou; Miyoshi, Hiroaki; Morioka, Motohiro; Ohshima, Koichi

2016-03-01

Angiogenic and immunoactive lesions in brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM) contribute to hemorrhagic events and the growth of BAVMs. However, the detailed mechanism is unclear. Our objective is to clarify the relationship between hemorrhagic events of BAVM and alternatively activated macrophages in the perinidal dilated capillary network (PDCN). We examined microsurgical specimens of BVMs (n = 29) and focused on the PDCN area. Ten autopsied brains without intracranial disease were the controls. We performed immunostaining of the inflammatory and endothelial cell markers, macrophage markers (CD163 and CD68), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). We evaluated each cell's density and the vessel density in the PDCN and analyzed the relationship to hemorrhagic events of BAVM. The PDCN was involved in all the resected arteriovenous malformations, and these vessels showed a high rate of CD105 expression (72.0 ± 10.64%), indicating newly proliferating vessels. Alternatively activated macrophages were found, with a high rate (85.6%) for all macrophages (controls, 56.6%). In the hemorrhagic cases, the cell density was significantly higher than that in the nonhemorrhagic cases and controls (hemorrhagic group, 290 ± 44 cells/mm(2); nonhemorrhagic group, 180 ± 59 cells/mm(2); and control, 19 ± 8 cells/mm(2)). The cell density of alternatively activated macrophages showed a positive correlation with the vessel density of the PDCN. Double immunostaining showed that VEGF-A was secreted by alternatively activated macrophages. Our data suggest that alternatively activated macrophages may have some relationships with angiogenesis of PDCN and hemorrhagic event of BAVM. Copyright © 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Process Observation to Teach Alternative Dispute Resolution: Alternatives to Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Robert A. Barush

1987-01-01

A method of teaching alternative dispute resolution (ADR) involves sending students to observe actual ADR sessions, by agreement with the agencies conducting them, and then analyzing the students' observations in focused discussions to improve student insight and understanding of the processes involved. (MSE)

Landscape establishment of woody ornamentals grown in alternative wood-based container substrates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Due to concerns over future pine bark (PB) availability for container plant production, recent research has focused on evaluating suitable alternatives. For alternatives to be considered suitable substrate replacements, they must not only have desirable characteristics as a container substrate (e.g....

Nanotechnology in dentistry: prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.

PubMed

Abou Neel, Ensanya Ali; Bozec, Laurent; Perez, Roman A; Kim, Hae-Won; Knowles, Jonathan C

2015-01-01

Nanotechnology has rapidly expanded into all areas of science; it offers significant alternative ways to solve scientific and medical questions and problems. In dentistry, nanotechnology has been exploited in the development of restorative materials with some significant success. This review discusses nanointerfaces that could compromise the longevity of dental restorations, and how nanotechnolgy has been employed to modify them for providing long-term successful restorations. It also focuses on some challenging areas in dentistry, eg, oral biofilm and cancers, and how nanotechnology overcomes these challenges. The recent advances in nanodentistry and innovations in oral health-related diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic methods required to maintain and obtain perfect oral health, have been discussed. The recent advances in nanotechnology could hold promise in bringing a paradigm shift in dental field. Although there are numerous complex therapies being developed to treat many diseases, their clinical use requires careful consideration of the expense of synthesis and implementation.

Nanotechnology in dentistry: prevention, diagnosis, and therapy

PubMed Central

Abou Neel, Ensanya Ali; Bozec, Laurent; Perez, Roman A; Kim, Hae-Won; Knowles, Jonathan C

2015-01-01

Nanotechnology has rapidly expanded into all areas of science; it offers significant alternative ways to solve scientific and medical questions and problems. In dentistry, nanotechnology has been exploited in the development of restorative materials with some significant success. This review discusses nanointerfaces that could compromise the longevity of dental restorations, and how nanotechnolgy has been employed to modify them for providing long-term successful restorations. It also focuses on some challenging areas in dentistry, eg, oral biofilm and cancers, and how nanotechnology overcomes these challenges. The recent advances in nanodentistry and innovations in oral health-related diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic methods required to maintain and obtain perfect oral health, have been discussed. The recent advances in nanotechnology could hold promise in bringing a paradigm shift in dental field. Although there are numerous complex therapies being developed to treat many diseases, their clinical use requires careful consideration of the expense of synthesis and implementation. PMID:26504385

Viscoelastic reciprocating contacts in presence of finite rough interfaces: A numerical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putignano, Carmine; Carbone, Giuseppe

2018-05-01

Viscoelastic reciprocating contacts are crucial in a number of systems, ranging from sealing components to viscoelastic dampers. Roughness plays in these conditions a central role, but no exhaustive assessment in terms of influence on area, separation and friction has been drawn so far. This is due to the huge number of time and space scales involved in the problem. By means of an innovative Boundary Element methodology, which treats the time as a parameter and then requires only to discretize the space domain, we investigate the viscoelastic reciprocating contact mechanics between rough solids. In particular, we consider the alternate contact of a rigid finite-size rough punch over a viscoelastic layer: the importance of the domain finiteness in the determination of the contact area and the contact solution anisotropy is enlightened. Implications on real system may be drawn on this basis. Finally, we focus on the hysteretic cycle related to the viscoelastic tangential forces.

A visual resource management study of alternative dams, reservoirs and highway and transmission line corridors near Copper Creek, Washington

Treesearch

John Ady; Brian A. Gray; Grant R. Jones

1979-01-01

Three alternative dams have been considered by Seattle City Light for the Skagit River Narrows in the North Cascades National Recreation Area, Washington. The authors assessed the area's existing visual resources, identified three alternative highway and transmission line realignments, evaluated changes in visual character and quality for 13 different combinations...

Income and Employment Generation in Rural Areas in Relation to Alternative Farm Programs (with Special Emphasis on the North Central Region).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heady, Earl O.; Sonka, Steven T.

Four alternative government farm policies were analyzed to determine their effect upon farm income and employment generation in rural areas and agriculturally related industries. A linear programming model of interregional competition was used to determine the impact of alternative farm policies on the quantity of major commodities produced, the…

Evaluating Landscape Options for Corridor Restoration between Giant Panda Reserves

PubMed Central

Wang, Fang; McShea, William J.; Wang, Dajun; Li, Sheng; Zhao, Qing; Wang, Hao; Lu, Zhi

2014-01-01

The establishment of corridors can offset the negative effects of habitat fragmentation by connecting isolated habitat patches. However, the practical value of corridor planning is minimal if corridor identification is not based on reliable quantitative information about species-environment relationships. An example of this need for quantitative information is planning for giant panda conservation. Although the species has been the focus of intense conservation efforts for decades, most corridor projects remain hypothetical due to the lack of reliable quantitative researches at an appropriate spatial scale. In this paper, we evaluated a framework for giant panda forest corridor planning. We linked our field survey data with satellite imagery, and conducted species occupancy modelling to examine the habitat use of giant panda within the potential corridor area. We then conducted least-cost and circuit models to identify potential paths of dispersal across the landscape, and compared the predicted cost under current conditions and alternative conservation management options considered during corridor planning. We found that due to giant panda's association with areas of low elevation and flat terrain, human infrastructures in the same area have resulted in corridor fragmentation. We then identified areas with high potential to function as movement corridors, and our analysis of alternative conservation scenarios showed that both forest/bamboo restoration and automobile tunnel construction would significantly improve the effectiveness of corridor, while residence relocation would not significantly improve corridor effectiveness in comparison with the current condition. The framework has general value in any conservation activities that anticipate improving habitat connectivity in human modified landscapes. Specifically, our study suggested that, in this landscape, automobile tunnels are the best means to remove current barriers to giant panda movements caused by anthropogenic interferences. PMID:25133757

Evaluating landscape options for corridor restoration between giant panda reserves.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; McShea, William J; Wang, Dajun; Li, Sheng; Zhao, Qing; Wang, Hao; Lu, Zhi

2014-01-01

The establishment of corridors can offset the negative effects of habitat fragmentation by connecting isolated habitat patches. However, the practical value of corridor planning is minimal if corridor identification is not based on reliable quantitative information about species-environment relationships. An example of this need for quantitative information is planning for giant panda conservation. Although the species has been the focus of intense conservation efforts for decades, most corridor projects remain hypothetical due to the lack of reliable quantitative researches at an appropriate spatial scale. In this paper, we evaluated a framework for giant panda forest corridor planning. We linked our field survey data with satellite imagery, and conducted species occupancy modelling to examine the habitat use of giant panda within the potential corridor area. We then conducted least-cost and circuit models to identify potential paths of dispersal across the landscape, and compared the predicted cost under current conditions and alternative conservation management options considered during corridor planning. We found that due to giant panda's association with areas of low elevation and flat terrain, human infrastructures in the same area have resulted in corridor fragmentation. We then identified areas with high potential to function as movement corridors, and our analysis of alternative conservation scenarios showed that both forest/bamboo restoration and automobile tunnel construction would significantly improve the effectiveness of corridor, while residence relocation would not significantly improve corridor effectiveness in comparison with the current condition. The framework has general value in any conservation activities that anticipate improving habitat connectivity in human modified landscapes. Specifically, our study suggested that, in this landscape, automobile tunnels are the best means to remove current barriers to giant panda movements caused by anthropogenic interferences.

Gender differences in creative thinking: behavioral and fMRI findings.

PubMed

Abraham, Anna; Thybusch, Kristin; Pieritz, Karoline; Hermann, Christiane

2014-03-01

Gender differences in creativity have been widely studied in behavioral investigations, but this topic has rarely been the focus of neuroscientific research. The current paper presents follow-up analyses of a previous fMRI study (Abraham et al., Neuropsychologia 50(8):1906-1917, 2012b), in which behavioral and brain function during creative conceptual expansion as well as general divergent thinking were explored. Here, we focus on gender differences within the same sample. Conceptual expansion was assessed with the alternate uses task relative to the object location task, whereas divergent thinking was assessed in terms of responses across both the alternate uses and object location tasks relative to n-back working memory tasks. While men and women were indistinguishable in terms of behavioral performance across all tasks, the pattern of brain activity while engaged in the tasks in question was indicative of strategy differences between the genders. Brain areas related to semantic cognition, rule learning and decision making were preferentially engaged in men during conceptual expansion, whereas women displayed higher activity in regions related to speech processing and social perception. During divergent thinking, declarative memory related regions were strongly activated in men, while regions involved in theory of mind and self-referential processing were more engaged in women. The implications of gender differences in adopted strategies or cognitive style when faced with generative tasks are discussed.

Decision Analysis Using Value-Focused Thinking to Select Renewable Alternative Fuels

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

39 3-9. Ground or Water Contaminant SDVF ................................................................42 3-10. Particulate...13. Ground or Water Contaminant SDVF ................................................................91 A-14. Renewable/Alternative SDVF...conventional fuels and other alternative fuels. Under optimal conditions, hydrogen would be produced from the electrolysis of water (Bechtold, 1997:32

Alternative Format Preferences among Secondary School Visually Impaired Students in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adetoro, 'Niran

2012-01-01

Persons with visual impairment have consistently shown a preference for one alternative reading format over another, often because of factors outside their control. This study adopted survey research design to investigate alternative format preferences among secondary school visually impaired students, focusing on Southwestern Nigeria. Using total…

Using paired visual and passive acoustic surveys to estimate passive acoustic detection parameters for harbor porpoise abundance estimates.

PubMed

Jacobson, Eiren K; Forney, Karin A; Barlow, Jay

2017-01-01

Passive acoustic monitoring is a promising approach for monitoring long-term trends in harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) abundance. Before passive acoustic monitoring can be implemented to estimate harbor porpoise abundance, information about the detectability of harbor porpoise is needed to convert recorded numbers of echolocation clicks to harbor porpoise densities. In the present study, paired data from a grid of nine passive acoustic click detectors (C-PODs, Chelonia Ltd., United Kingdom) and three days of simultaneous aerial line-transect visual surveys were collected over a 370 km 2 study area. The focus of the study was estimating the effective detection area of the passive acoustic sensors, which was defined as the product of the sound production rate of individual animals and the area within which those sounds are detected by the passive acoustic sensors. Visually estimated porpoise densities were used as informative priors in a Bayesian model to solve for the effective detection area for individual harbor porpoises. This model-based approach resulted in a posterior distribution of the effective detection area of individual harbor porpoises consistent with previously published values. This technique is a viable alternative for estimating the effective detection area of passive acoustic sensors when other experimental approaches are not feasible.

Backcountry as an alternative to wilderness?

Treesearch

John H. Schomaker; Thomas R. Glassford

1982-01-01

Backcountry areas have been suggested as recreation alternatives to wilderness. A problem with the concept is that areas which could be managed as backcountry are already used by recreationists. Visitors to a wilderness in Oregon and to a nondesignated roadless area in northern Idaho held many of the same values and sought the same kind of experiences. Therefore....

78 FR 24734 - Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction and Operation of an Infantry Platoon...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-26

... Construction and Operation of an Infantry Platoon Battle Course at P[omacr]hakuloa Training Area, Hawai`i... requirements at P[omacr]hakuloa Training Area (PTA), Hawai`i. The proposed IPBC would support the live- fire... Western Range Area Alternative (preferred) and the Charlie Circle Alternative. Both proposed IPBC...

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

Assessing Wide Area Multilateration and ADS-B as alternative surveillance technology

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-26

The Helicopter In-Flight Tracking System (HITS) program evaluated both Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) as alternative surveillance technologies for both the terminal and en route domains in t...

Cadmium Alternatives for High-Strength Steel JTP. Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-24

Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 U.S. AIR FORCE Project Overview Objective Assess DoD- selected cadmium alternatives in...focused) – Phase III (fatigue testing focused) • Down- selection of candidates for further testing after each phase of testing is complete (Phases I...Laboratories – Mr. John Marshall U.S. AIR FORCE Phase I Overview and Selection Process – Traditional plating (primary coatings): • Sputtered Aluminum

Alternative mRNA polyadenylation in eukaryotes: an effective regulator of gene expression

PubMed Central

Lutz, Carol S.; Moreira, Alexandra

2010-01-01

Alternative RNA processing mechanisms, including alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation, are increasingly recognized as important regulators of gene expression. This article will focus on what has recently been described about alternative polyadenylation in development, differentiation, and disease in higher eukaryotes. We will also describe how the evolving global methodologies for examining the cellular transcriptome, both experimental and bioinformatic, are revealing new details about the complex nature of alternative 3′ end formation, as well as interactions with other RNA-mediated and RNA processing mechanisms. PMID:21278855

Inclusion of Alternative and Complementary Therapies in CACREP Training Programs: A Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumadue, Christine A.; Munk, Melanie; Wooten, H. Ray

2005-01-01

Given a heightened focus within the mental health profession on creative, complementary, and alternative practices, the authors surveyed CACREP programs with respect to their inclusion of such approaches in counselor training. For the purpose of this study, these approaches were designated as complementary and alternative methods (CAM) and defined…

What Is the Difference between a Calorie and a Carbohydrate?--Exploring Nutrition Education Opportunities in Alternative School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norquest, Michele; Phelps, Josh; Hermann, Janice; Kennedy, Tay

2015-01-01

Extension-based nutrition educators have indicated current curricula do not engage alternative school students' interests. The study reported here explored nutrition education opportunities at alternative schools in Oklahoma. Data collection involved focus groups gathering student perspectives regarding preferred teaching and learning styles, and…

Developing Student Creativity in Geography Classes: Four "How to Do It" Papers for Classroom Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wragg, Paul H.; Allen, Rodney F.

Four lessons for secondary school geography instruction focus on creative thinking through generating alternatives, imagining consequences, generating analogies, and creating products. In lesson 1 students lay out alternatives to solving a problem and decide the best course of action. Suggested activities include consideration of alternatives in…

Categorization of Alternative Conceptions in Electricity and Magnetism: The Case of Ethiopian Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dega, Bekele Gashe; Kriek, Jeanne; Mogese, Temesgen Fereja

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to categorize 35 Ethiopian undergraduate physics students' alternative conceptions in the concepts of electric potential and energy. A descriptive qualitative research design was used to categorize the students' alternative conceptions. Four independently homogeneous ability focus groups were formed to elicit the…

Comparison of a fully mapped plot design to three alternative designs for volume and area estimates using Maine inventory data

Treesearch

Stanford L. Arner

1998-01-01

A fully mapped plot design is compared to three alternative designs using data collected for the recent inventory of Maine's forest resources. Like the fully mapped design, one alternative eliminates the bias of previous procedures, and should be less costly and more consistent. There was little difference in volume and area estimates or in sampling errors among...

Primary healthcare provider knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding alternative tobacco products and marijuana: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Bascombe, Ta Misha S.; Scott, Kimberly N.; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A.; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J.

2016-01-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This qualitative study explored knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding traditional and alternative tobacco products (cigar-like products, smokeless tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes) and marijuana among rural and urban Georgia primary healthcare providers. The sample comprised 20 healthcare providers in primary care settings located in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and rural southern Georgia who participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated a lack of knowledge about these products, with some believing that some products were less harmful than traditional cigarettes or that they may be effective in promoting cessation or harm reduction. Few reported explicitly assessing use of these various products in clinic. In addition, healthcare providers reported a need for empirical evidence to inform their clinical practice. Healthcare providers must systematically assess use of the range of tobacco products and marijuana. Evidence-based recommendations or information sources are needed to inform clinical practice and help providers navigate conversations with patients using or inquiring about these products. PMID:26802106

A Spatially-Explicit Technique for Evaluation of Alternative ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ecosystems contribute to maintaining human well-being directly through provision of goods and indirectly through provision of services that support clean water, clean air, flood protection and atmospheric stability. Transparently accounting for biophysical attributes from which humans derive benefit is essential to support dialog among the public, resource managers, decision makers, and scientists. We analyzed the potential ecosystem goods and services production from alternative future land use scenarios in the US Tampa Bay region. Ecosystem goods and service metrics included carbon sequestration, nitrogen removal, air pollutant removal, and stormwater retention. Each scenario was compared to a 2006 baseline land use. Estimated production of denitrification services changed by 28% and carbon sequestration by 20% between 2006 and the “business as usual” scenario. An alternative scenario focused on “natural resource protection” resulted in an estimated 9% loss in air pollution removal. Stormwater retention was estimated to change 18% from 2006 to 2060 projections. Cost effective areas for conservation, almost 1588 ha, beyond current conservation lands, were identified by comparing ecosystem goods and services production to assessed land values. Our ecosystem goods and services approach provides a simple and quantitative way to examine a more complete set of potential outcomes from land use decisions. This study demonstrates an approach for spatially expli

Socio-cultural acceptability of urine diverted composting toilets: A review of literature for possible adoption in peri-urban areas as a sustainable sanitation solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Sk. Kabir; Ahmed, Sarder Shakil

2017-12-01

The improvements of strategies and treatment options adapted to conditions prevailing in developing countries have long been neglected as regards faecal sludge (FS) - the by-products of on-site sanitation installations. In recent years, an encouraging number of initiatives towards improved FS management, including appropriate FS treatment schemes, have been developed, particularly in Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh. These initiatives assist urban and peri-urban dwellers and authorities to overcome the challenges of undifferentiating and uncontrolled disposal of faecal sludge into drains, canals and onto open spaces, thus producing a "faecal film" in urban areas that impair public health and cause pollution. Though people around the world are buying, or being offered with, pit latrines, shared toilets, or other enhanced sanitation solutions, this is vital to reduce transmission of diseases; questions arise about how to deal with the fecal sludge management. Sanitation is the hygienic way of upholding health through avoidance of human contact with the hazards of wastes as well as the treatment and proper disposal of sewage or wastewater. Waterborne diseases are the single most vital cause of death and illness in developing countries. The understanding of social issues is paramount introducing an alternative sanitation system. Although treating excreta is a universal aspect of human existence, the topic has not been rigorously investigated by social scientists identifying three cultural influences that affect the acceptance (or rejection) of an alternative sanitation system: psychology, religion and gender. Composting literature review focuses on increasing awareness and developing good understanding of composting toilets as an alternative urban sanitation technology.

Partially dissociable roles of OFC and ACC in stimulus-guided and action-guided decision making.

PubMed

Khani, Abbas

2014-05-01

Recently, the functional specialization of prefrontal areas of the brain, and, specifically, the functional dissociation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), during decision making have become a particular focus of research. A number of neuropsychological and lesion studies have shown that the OFC and ACC have dissociable functions in various dimensions of decision making, which are supported by their different anatomical connections. A recent single-neuron study, however, described a more complex picture of the functional dissociation between these two frontal regions during decision making. Here, I discuss the results of that study and consider alternative interpretations in connection with other findings.

The Berlin Brain–Computer Interface: Non-Medical Uses of BCI Technology

PubMed Central

Blankertz, Benjamin; Tangermann, Michael; Vidaurre, Carmen; Fazli, Siamac; Sannelli, Claudia; Haufe, Stefan; Maeder, Cecilia; Ramsey, Lenny; Sturm, Irene; Curio, Gabriel; Müller, Klaus-Robert

2010-01-01

Brain–computer interfacing (BCI) is a steadily growing area of research. While initially BCI research was focused on applications for paralyzed patients, increasingly more alternative applications in healthy human subjects are proposed and investigated. In particular, monitoring of mental states and decoding of covert user states have seen a strong rise of interest. Here, we present some examples of such novel applications which provide evidence for the promising potential of BCI technology for non-medical uses. Furthermore, we discuss distinct methodological improvements required to bring non-medical applications of BCI technology to a diversity of layperson target groups, e.g., ease of use, minimal training, general usability, short control latencies. PMID:21165175

Aerogels in Chemical Engineering: Strategies Toward Tailor-Made Aerogels.

PubMed

Smirnova, Irina; Gurikov, Pavel

2017-06-07

The present review deals with recent advances in the rapidly growing field of aerogel research and technology. The major focus of the review lies in approaches that allow tailoring of aerogel properties to meet application-driven requirements. The decisive properties of aerogels are discussed with regard to existing and potential application areas. Various tailoring strategies, such as modulation of the pore structure, coating, surface modification, and post-treatment, are illustrated by results of the last decade. In view of commercialization of aerogel-based products, a panorama of current industrial aerogel suppliers is given, along with a discussion of possible alternative sources for raw materials and precursors. Finally, growing points and perspectives of the aerogel field are summarized.

Recent Developments in Instrumentation for Capillary Electrophoresis and Microchip-Capillary Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Felhofer, Jessica L.; Blanes, Lucas; Garcia, Carlos D.

2010-01-01

Over the last years there has been an explosion in the number of developments and applications of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microchip-CE. In part, this growth has been the direct consequence of recent developments in instrumentation associated with CE. This review, which is focused on contributions published in the last five years, is intended to complement the papers presented in this special issue dedicated to Instrumentation and to provide an overview on the general trend and some of the most remarkable developments published in the areas of high voltage power supplies, detectors, auxiliary components, and compact systems. It also includes few examples of alternative uses of and modifications to traditional CE instruments. PMID:20665910

Transforming ex-small scale mining land as farming areas for sustainable development and poverty alleviation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nampa, I. W.; Markus, J. E. R.; Mudita, I. W.; Natonis, R. L.; Bunga, W.; Kaho, N. R.

2018-03-01

When the price of manganese ores in 2012, mining activities declined or even terminated. Ex-miners lose an important source of income, but they did not have any other alternative except going back to slash and burn cultivation, producing enough only for their own food. Their hope for a better live was gone and at the same time they faced stigmatisation as causing environmental degradation from the rest of the community. We carried out this case study to followex-miners in the Tubuhue village who organised themselves to do post-mining rehabilitation by turning the former mining site into an area of productive farming. In-depth interview, field observation and focus group discussion were conducted from 2015 to 2017. We found that during the period of mining boom, slash and burn cultivation decrease significantly but began to increase after no mining activities. Various social transformations took place along with this land use change, but the most important was the miners’ decision to do mining as an organised activity. A strong leader of this organization played a pivotal role in turning the former mining site into an area of productive sedentary farming. This was carried out by organizing the ex-miners into farmers groups and together, constructing drip and sprinkler irrigation networks to water their crops using rain water collected in the mining holes that they had turned into small check-dams. The leader expected that this farming could provide an alternative for ex-miners to obtain cash income to limit them going back doing swidden farming.

Alternatives to the public funding and operation of Colorado's rest areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

Due to budget challenges, Colorado is looking for alternative funding sources for the operation and : maintenance of its interstate safety rest areas (SRAs). Federal Code 23 U.S.C. 111 prohibits : commercial establishments for serving motor veh...

76 FR 60587 - Environmental Impact Statement; North Corridor Transit Project, Seattle (WA) Metropolitan Area...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-29

... alternatives identified through an Alternatives Analysis study completed by the project. Early scoping for the alternatives analysis phase was previously announced in the Federal Register on September 27, 2010. Results of the alternatives analysis are described below. DATES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives...

Community Business in Scotland: An Alternative Vision of 'Enterprise Culture', 1979-97.

PubMed

Murray, Gillian

2018-06-09

The force and coherency with which Margaret Thatcher and her inner circle outlined their vision for 'enterprise culture', like so many aspects of Thatcherism, have masked the complexity of its origins and the histories of alternative responses. This article provides a history of an alternative vision for enterprise culture by examining the community business movement in Scotland, the largest experiment of its kind in the UK in the 1980s and a forerunner of social enterprise. Working across Scotland, but with a hub of activity in the Strathclyde region, practitioners worked with local people to find ways to develop their neighbourhood economy while improving their environment, creating jobs, and developing services needed in their area. This article outlines the origins of the movement, the shared values of its founding members, and how their training in community development informed the community business model. It analyses how practitioners put their ideas into practice and the reasons behind the fragmentation of the movement in the 1990s. It argues that although at face value the concept of community business may appear to chime with the dominant political rhetoric of Thatcher's 'enterprise culture', the history of the movement provides a signpost to an alternative, if unrealised, vision for Scotland's recovery from social and economic depression. Where previous historical research has focused on the political consequences of Thatcher's policies in Scotland, this research connects this discussion to the transformation of Scotland's civic society in the wake of deindustrialization.

Culinary alternatives for common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): sensory characteristics of immature seeds.

PubMed

Romero del Castillo, Roser; Ferreira, Juan José; Pérez-Vega, Elena; Almirall, Antoni; Casañas, Francesc

2010-08-15

Immature bean seeds feature in several dishes in southern Europe; however, they are not used in all traditional areas of dry beans cultivation. To determine whether differences in the use of immature seeds are due to cultural reasons or intrinsic properties of the seeds, the prestigious varieties of beans cultivated in three areas of Spain with different traditions regarding the use of immature seeds in bean dishes were studied. We found differences in the culinary and sensory traits between beans harvested when mature and those harvested when immature in the three areas. However, the degree and direction of these differences varied according to the area. Moreover, the different varieties tested within each area responded differently. The sum of the genetic, environmental and interaction effects results in complex alternatives to the mature beans; the gastronomic tradition has taken advantage of only some of these alternatives. A lack of traditional dishes using immature beans does not mean that the local beans harvested when immature lack suitable sensory traits. Specific trials in each area of cultivation can reveal alternative textures and bean flavour intensities in immature seeds. Copyright (c) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

The quest for a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity–ecosystem services relationships

PubMed Central

Duncan, Clare; Thompson, Julian R.; Pettorelli, Nathalie

2015-01-01

Ecosystem services (ES) approaches to biodiversity conservation are currently high on the ecological research and policy agendas. However, despite a wealth of studies into biodiversity's role in maintaining ES (B–ES relationships) across landscapes, we still lack generalities in the nature and strengths of these linkages. Reasons for this are manifold, but can largely be attributed to (i) a lack of adherence to definitions and thus a confusion between final ES and the ecosystem functions (EFs) underpinning them, (ii) a focus on uninformative biodiversity indices and singular hypotheses and (iii) top-down analyses across large spatial scales and overlooking of context-dependency. The biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (B–EF) field provides an alternate context for examining biodiversity's mechanistic role in shaping ES, focusing on species' characteristics that may drive EFs via multiple mechanisms across contexts. Despite acknowledgements of a need for B–ES research to look towards underlying B–EF linkages, the connections between these areas of research remains weak. With this review, we pull together recent B–EF findings to identify key areas for future developments in B–ES research. We highlight a means by which B–ES research may begin to identify how and when multiple underlying B–EF relationships may scale to final ES delivery and trade-offs. PMID:26468240

The quest for a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem services relationships.

PubMed

Duncan, Clare; Thompson, Julian R; Pettorelli, Nathalie

2015-10-22

Ecosystem services (ES) approaches to biodiversity conservation are currently high on the ecological research and policy agendas. However, despite a wealth of studies into biodiversity's role in maintaining ES (B-ES relationships) across landscapes, we still lack generalities in the nature and strengths of these linkages. Reasons for this are manifold, but can largely be attributed to (i) a lack of adherence to definitions and thus a confusion between final ES and the ecosystem functions (EFs) underpinning them, (ii) a focus on uninformative biodiversity indices and singular hypotheses and (iii) top-down analyses across large spatial scales and overlooking of context-dependency. The biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (B-EF) field provides an alternate context for examining biodiversity's mechanistic role in shaping ES, focusing on species' characteristics that may drive EFs via multiple mechanisms across contexts. Despite acknowledgements of a need for B-ES research to look towards underlying B-EF linkages, the connections between these areas of research remains weak. With this review, we pull together recent B-EF findings to identify key areas for future developments in B-ES research. We highlight a means by which B-ES research may begin to identify how and when multiple underlying B-EF relationships may scale to final ES delivery and trade-offs. © 2015 The Author(s).

Listening to the Patient: Women Veterans' Insights About Health Care Needs, Access, and Quality in Rural Areas.

PubMed

Brooks, Elizabeth; Dailey, Nancy K; Bair, Byron D; Shore, Jay H

2016-09-01

Many work to ensure that women veterans receive appropriate and timely health care, yet the needs of those living in rural areas are often ignored. This is a critical oversight given the multitude of reports documenting rural access problems and health disparities. Lacking this, we are unable to plan for and evaluate appropriate care for this specific group. In this project, we spoke with rural women veterans to document service needs and quality of care from their perspective. Rural women veterans' views about health care access and quality were ascertained in a series of five, semistructured focus groups (n = 35) and completion of a demographic questionnaire. Content analysis documented focus-group themes. Participants said that local dental, mental health, and gender-specific care options were needed, as well as alternative healing options. Community-based support for women veterans and interaction with female peers were absent. Participants' support for telehealth was mixed, as were requests for gender-specific care. Personal experiences in the military impacted participants' current service utilization. Action by both Veterans Affairs and the local community is vital to improving the health of women veterans. Service planning should consider additional Veterans Affairs contracts, mobile health vans, peer support, and enhanced outreach. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

The Sparta aquifer in Arkansas' critical ground-water areas: Response of the aquifer to supplying future water needs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hays, Phillip D.; Fugitt, D. Todd

1999-01-01

The Sparta aquifer is a confined aquifer of great regional importance that comprises a sequence of unconsolidated sand, silt, and clay units extending across much of eastern and southeastern Arkansas and into adjoining States. Water use from the aquifer has doubled since 1975 and continues to increase, and large water-level declines are occurring in many areas of the aquifer. To focus State attention and resources on the growing problem and to provide a mechanism for locally based education and management, the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission has designated Critical Ground-Water Areas in some counties (see page 6, ?What is a Critical Ground-Water Area??). Ground-water modeling study results show that the aquifer cannot continue to meet growing water-use demands. Dewatering of the primary producing sands is predicted to occur within 10 years in some areas if current trends continue. The predicted dewatering will cause reduced yields and damage the aquifer. Modeling also shows that a concerted ground-water conservation management plan could enable sustainable use of the aquifer. Water-conservation measures and use of alternative sources that water managers in Union County (an area of high demand and growth in Arkansas' initial five-county Critical Ground-Water Area) think to be realistic options result in considerable recovery in water levels in the aquifer during a 30-year model simulation.

Economic Analysis of Local Area Augmentation System and Alternative Architectures

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The objective of this study has been to perform an economic comparison by conducting a cost-benefit analsyis (CBA) of the five Local Area Augementation System (LAAS) and alternative architectures. The five architectures chosen by the FAA for the stud...

Camels, Cormorants, and Kangaroo Rats: Integration and Synthesis in Organismal Biology After World War II.

PubMed

Hagen, Joel B

2015-01-01

During the decades following World War II diverse groups of American biologists established a variety of distinctive approaches to organismal biology. Rhetorically, organismal biology could be used defensively to distinguish established research traditions from perceived threats from newly emerging fields such as molecular biology. But, organismal biologists were also interested in integrating biological disciplines and using a focus on organisms to synthesize levels of organization from molecules and cells to populations and communities. Part of this broad movement was the development of an area of research variously referred to as physiological ecology, environmental physiology, or ecophysiology. This area of research was distinctive in its self-conscious blend of field and laboratory practices and its explicit integration with other areas of biology such as ecology, animal behavior, and evolution in order to study adaptation. Comparing the intersecting careers of Knut Schmidt-Nielsen and George Bartholomew highlights two strikingly different approaches to physiological ecology. These alternative approaches to studying the interactions of organisms and environments also differed in important ways from the organismal biology championed by leading figures in the modern synthesis.

Deep Brain Stimulation: A Paradigm Shifting Approach to Treat Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Hickey, Patrick; Stacy, Mark

2016-01-01

Parkinson disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive movement disorder classically characterized by slowed voluntary movements, resting tremor, muscle rigidity, and impaired gait and balance. Medical treatment is highly successful early on, though the majority of people experience significant complications in later stages. In advanced PD, when medications no longer adequately control motor symptoms, deep brain stimulation (DBS) offers a powerful therapeutic alternative. DBS involves the surgical implantation of one or more electrodes into specific areas of the brain, which modulate or disrupt abnormal patterns of neural signaling within the targeted region. Outcomes are often dramatic following DBS, with improvements in motor function and reductions motor complications having been repeatedly demonstrated. Given such robust responses, emerging indications for DBS are being investigated. In parallel with expansions of therapeutic scope, advancements within the areas of neurosurgical technique and the precision of stimulation delivery have recently broadened as well. This review focuses on the revolutionary addition of DBS to the therapeutic armamentarium for PD, and summarizes the technological advancements in the areas of neuroimaging and biomedical engineering intended to improve targeting, programming, and overall management.

Alternative, complementary and traditional medicine in Malaysia.

PubMed

Talib, N

2006-09-01

This paper sets out the practice of traditional, alternative and/or complementary medicine in Malaysia. It gives an overview of the types of alternative medicine available, and the legal regulation, or lack of it within the current setting. The relevant policies and governmental action in this area are highlighted. Relevant case law decisions in this area are also included. The practice of spiritual healing as one form of traditional medicine, and its role within the spectrum of alternative medicine is dealt with briefly. The significant question of integration of alternative medicine within the existing allopathic system is addressed. The paper concludes that as interest in, and usage of alternative medicine is not likely to decrease, certain measures must be taken by the relevant authorities to ensure among others, the safety and efficacy of these medicines.

Implications of alternate revenue sources for transportation planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

This report focuses on selected issues associated with alternative sources of : transportation funding. In particular, this report: presents a list of funding options, : discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each option, explores public attit...

Environmental Assessment: Clear Zone and Accident Potential Zone Selective Tree Removal

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-25

PROPOSED ACTION The Proposed Action would occur within the CZ and APZs north and south of the runway. The overall area is undeveloped wetland and...existing runway. Therefore, there is no practicable alternative to conducting the action in floodplain/ wetland areas. Three technical alternatives for...or removal would be required. Alternative 3 was eliminated because leaving woody debris in wetlands would not meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

32 CFR 1656.1 - Purpose; definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Service Office (ASO). An office to administer the Alternative Service Program in a specified geographical area. (3) Alternative Service Office Manager (ASOM). The head of the ASO. (4) Alternative Service Work...

32 CFR 1656.1 - Purpose; definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Service Office (ASO). An office to administer the Alternative Service Program in a specified geographical area. (3) Alternative Service Office Manager (ASOM). The head of the ASO. (4) Alternative Service Work...

32 CFR 1656.1 - Purpose; definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Service Office (ASO). An office to administer the Alternative Service Program in a specified geographical area. (3) Alternative Service Office Manager (ASOM). The head of the ASO. (4) Alternative Service Work...

32 CFR 1656.1 - Purpose; definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Service Office (ASO). An office to administer the Alternative Service Program in a specified geographical area. (3) Alternative Service Office Manager (ASOM). The head of the ASO. (4) Alternative Service Work...

32 CFR 1656.1 - Purpose; definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Service Office (ASO). An office to administer the Alternative Service Program in a specified geographical area. (3) Alternative Service Office Manager (ASOM). The head of the ASO. (4) Alternative Service Work...

Wet soil cover applicability and design

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

Hunter, F.; Feenstra, S.; Hwang, D.

1996-12-31

As part of a focused feasibility study for the Tyson Superfund site, Daekyoo Hwang, then with ERM, developed a flooding/flushing option. It was not considered a viable option due to concerns over contaminated groundwater control. The concept, however, had several attractive features: control of VOC emissions; the downward movement of water prevents contamination of the overlying clean soil by the upward movement of contaminated soil vapor; and some natural attenuation of the contaminated lagoon area soils. The new concept employs a near saturated soil layer to prevent VOC emission and the downward movement of water to prevent contamination of surfacemore » soil. The wet soil cover became one of five alternatives submitted as part of the focused feasibility study. It was selected as the remedial option for the site by the USEPA. The study was reviewed by the public and they also were positive as to the use of a wet soil cover to control VOC emissions at the site. The wet soil cover is currently being designed by Smith Environmental.« less

Review on the conversion of thermoacoustic power into electricity.

PubMed

Timmer, Michael A G; de Blok, Kees; van der Meer, Theo H

2018-02-01

Thermoacoustic engines convert heat energy into high amplitude acoustic waves and subsequently into electric power. This article provides a review of the four main methods to convert the (thermo)acoustic power into electricity. First, loudspeakers and linear alternators are discussed in a section on electromagnetic devices. This is followed by sections on piezoelectric transducers, magnetohydrodynamic generators, and bidirectional turbines. Each segment provides a literature review of the given technology for the field of thermoacoustics, focusing on possible configurations, operating characteristics, output performance, and analytical and numerical methods to study the devices. This information is used as an input to discuss the performance and feasibility of each method, and to identify challenges that should be overcome for a more successful implementation in thermoacoustic engines. The work is concluded by a comparison of the four technologies, concentrating on the possible areas of application, the conversion efficiency, maximum electrical power output and more generally the suggested focus for future work in the field.

Alternating phase focused linacs

DOEpatents

Swenson, Donald A.

1980-01-01

A heavy particle linear accelerator employing rf fields for transverse and ongitudinal focusing as well as acceleration. Drift tube length and gap positions in a standing wave drift tube loaded structure are arranged so that particles are subject to acceleration and succession of focusing and defocusing forces which contain the beam without additional magnetic or electric focusing fields.

Teacher Evaluation: Alternate Measures of Student Growth. Q&A with Brian Gill. REL Mid-Atlantic Webinar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, 2013

2013-01-01

This webinar described the findings of our literature review on alternative measures of student growth that are used in teacher evaluation. The review focused on two types of alternative growth measures: statistical growth/value-added models and teacher-developed student learning objectives. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had…

A Mixed-Methods Study of Alternate-Route Teachers' Effect on Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spearman, Cassandra Faye

2017-01-01

Due to teacher shortages at the study site, teaching positions in the state that is the focus of this study are filled by alternate route (AR) teachers, who earned bachelor degrees in the fields that were not related to education and received teacher certification through alternative teacher education programs. Because there is limited information…

A Study of Alternatives in American Education, Vol. II: The Role of the Principal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Margaret A.

This report is the second of a series documenting a study of alternative schools in American education. The report focuses on the role of the school principals in managing diverse educational programs in their schools. Its purpose is to provide helpful information to school districts considering the implementation of alternatives and to assist…

Alternative Food in the Global South: Reflections on a Direct Marketing Initiative in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freidberg, Susanne; Goldstein, Lissa

2011-01-01

Amidst booming scholarship on alternative food networks (AFNs) in the global North, research on AFN in the global South remains scarce. Partly this is because explicitly alternative initiatives are themselves scarce, except for those focused on export markets. Yet in countries such as Kenya, urban consumers and rural smallholders have good reason…

Evaluating alternative fuel treatment strategies to reduce wildfire losses in a Mediterranean area

Treesearch

Michele Salis; Maurizio Laconi; Alan A. Ager; Fermin J. Alcasena; Bachisio Arca; Olga Lozano; Ana Fernandes de Oliveira; Donatella Spano

2016-01-01

The goal of this work is to evaluate by a modeling approach the effectiveness of alternative fuel treatment strategies to reduce potential losses from wildfires in Mediterranean areas. We compared strategic fuel treatments located near specific human values vs random locations, and treated 3, 9 and 15% of a 68,000 ha study area located in Sardinia, Italy. The...

High-intensity focused ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology: the birth of a new era of noninvasive surgery?

PubMed

Griffiths, A; terHaar, G; Rivens, I; Giussani, D; Lees, C

2012-12-01

Although ultrasound is an essential investigative modality in obstetrics and gynecology, the potential for therapeutic high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) (also referred to as focused ultrasound surgery, FUS) to offer an alternative to invasive surgery is less well known. The ability of HIFU to create discrete regions of tissue necrosis only in precisely targeted positions by careful placement of the focus, without the need for any surgical intervention, has made HIFU of interest to those seeking noninvasive alternatives to conventional abdominal surgery. This article reviews the current experimental and clinical experience with HIFU in obstetrics and gynecology, and outlines potential future applications in fetal medicine and the challenges faced in their development. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

An integrated approach for facilities planning by ELECTRE method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elbishari, E. M. Y.; Hazza, M. H. F. Al; Adesta, E. Y. T.; Rahman, Nur Salihah Binti Abdul

2018-01-01

Facility planning is concerned with the design, layout, and accommodation of people, machines and activities of a system. Most of the researchers try to investigate the production area layout and the related facilities. However, few of them try to investigate the relationship between the production space and its relationship with service departments. The aim of this research to is to integrate different approaches in order to evaluate, analyse and select the best facilities planning method that able to explain the relationship between the production area and other supporting departments and its effect on human efforts. To achieve the objective of this research two different approaches have been integrated: Apple’s layout procedure as one of the effective tools in planning factories, ELECTRE method as one of the Multi Criteria Decision Making methods (MCDM) to minimize the risk of getting poor facilities planning. Dalia industries have been selected as a case study to implement our integration the factory have been divided two main different area: the whole facility (layout A), and the manufacturing area (layout B). This article will be concerned with the manufacturing area layout (Layout B). After analysing the data gathered, the manufacturing area was divided into 10 activities. There are five factors that the alternative were compared upon which are: Inter department satisfactory level, total distance travelled for workers, total distance travelled for the product, total time travelled for the workers, and total time travelled for the product. Three different layout alternatives have been developed in addition to the original layouts. Apple’s layout procedure was used to study and evaluate the different alternatives layouts, the study and evaluation of the layouts was done by calculating scores for each of the factors. After obtaining the scores from evaluating the layouts, ELECTRE method was used to compare the proposed alternatives with each other and with the existing layout; ELECTRE compares the alternatives based on their concordance and discordance indices. The alternatives were ranked from best to worst where regarding to the layouts concerned with the manufacturing area B.4 is the best alternative.

Economic and environmental impacts of alternative transportation technologies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

This project has focused on comparing alternative transportation technologies in terms of their : environmental and economic impacts. The research is data-driven and quantitative, and examines the : dynamics of impact. We have developed new theory an...

Management Development: A Need or a Luxury?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasca, Anthony J.

1975-01-01

Focusing on management development, the article suggest alternative ways for training and development professionals to adapt to economic cycle-related periods of feast or famine. Diagnosis, personnel management strategy, measurement, and alternative strategies are topics considered. (MW)

Promoting de-escalation of commitment: a regulatory-focus perspective on sunk costs.

PubMed

Molden, Daniel C; Hui, Chin Ming

2011-01-01

People frequently escalate their commitment to failing endeavors. Explanations for such behavior typically involve loss aversion, failure to recognize other alternatives, and concerns with justifying prior actions; all of these factors produce recommitment to previous decisions with the goal of erasing losses and vindicating these decisions. Solutions to escalation of commitment have therefore focused on external oversight and divided responsibility during decision making to attenuate loss aversion, blindness to alternatives, and justification biases. However, these solutions require substantial resources and have additional adverse effects. The present studies tested an alternative method for de-escalating commitment: activating broad motivations for growth and advancement (promotion). This approach should reduce concerns with loss and increase perceptions of alternatives, thereby attenuating justification motives. In two studies featuring hypothetical financial decisions, activating promotion motivations reduced recommitment to poorly performing investments as compared with both not activating any additional motivations and activating motivations for safety and security (prevention).

Seclusion and restraint in psychiatry: patients' experiences and practical suggestions on how to improve practices and use alternatives.

PubMed

Kontio, Raija; Joffe, Grigori; Putkonen, Hanna; Kuosmanen, Lauri; Hane, Kimmo; Holi, Matti; Välimäki, Maritta

2012-01-01

This study explored psychiatric inpatients' experiences of, and their suggestions for, improvement of seclusion/restraint, and alternatives to their use in Finland. The data were collected by focused interviews (n= 30) and were analyzed with inductive content analysis. Patients' perspectives received insufficient attention during seclusion/restraint processes. Improvements (e.g., humane treatment) and alternatives (e.g., empathetic patient-staff interaction) to seclusion/restraint, as suggested by the patients, focused on essential parts of nursing practice but have not been largely adopted. Patients' basic needs have to be met, and patient-staff interaction has to also continue during seclusion/restraint. Providing patients with meaningful activities, planning beforehand, documenting the patients' wishes, and making patient-staff agreements reduce the need for restrictions and offer alternatives for seclusion/restraint. Service users must be involved in all practical development. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Crossbar H-mode drift-tube linac design with alternative phase focusing for muon linac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, M.; Futatsukawa, K.; Hasegawa, K.; Kitamura, R.; Kondo, Y.; Kurennoy, S.

2017-07-01

We have developed a Crossbar H-mode (CH) drift-tube linac (DTL) design with an alternative phase focusing (APF) scheme for a muon linac, in order to measure the anomalous magnetic moment and electric dipole moment (EDM) of muons at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The CH-DTL accelerates muons from β = v/c = 0.08 to 0.28 at an operational frequency of 324 MHz. The design and results are described in this paper.

Validation of Alternative In Vitro Methods to Animal Testing: Concepts, Challenges, Processes and Tools.

PubMed

Griesinger, Claudius; Desprez, Bertrand; Coecke, Sandra; Casey, Warren; Zuang, Valérie

This chapter explores the concepts, processes, tools and challenges relating to the validation of alternative methods for toxicity and safety testing. In general terms, validation is the process of assessing the appropriateness and usefulness of a tool for its intended purpose. Validation is routinely used in various contexts in science, technology, the manufacturing and services sectors. It serves to assess the fitness-for-purpose of devices, systems, software up to entire methodologies. In the area of toxicity testing, validation plays an indispensable role: "alternative approaches" are increasingly replacing animal models as predictive tools and it needs to be demonstrated that these novel methods are fit for purpose. Alternative approaches include in vitro test methods, non-testing approaches such as predictive computer models up to entire testing and assessment strategies composed of method suites, data sources and decision-aiding tools. Data generated with alternative approaches are ultimately used for decision-making on public health and the protection of the environment. It is therefore essential that the underlying methods and methodologies are thoroughly characterised, assessed and transparently documented through validation studies involving impartial actors. Importantly, validation serves as a filter to ensure that only test methods able to produce data that help to address legislative requirements (e.g. EU's REACH legislation) are accepted as official testing tools and, owing to the globalisation of markets, recognised on international level (e.g. through inclusion in OECD test guidelines). Since validation creates a credible and transparent evidence base on test methods, it provides a quality stamp, supporting companies developing and marketing alternative methods and creating considerable business opportunities. Validation of alternative methods is conducted through scientific studies assessing two key hypotheses, reliability and relevance of the test method for a given purpose. Relevance encapsulates the scientific basis of the test method, its capacity to predict adverse effects in the "target system" (i.e. human health or the environment) as well as its applicability for the intended purpose. In this chapter we focus on the validation of non-animal in vitro alternative testing methods and review the concepts, challenges, processes and tools fundamental to the validation of in vitro methods intended for hazard testing of chemicals. We explore major challenges and peculiarities of validation in this area. Based on the notion that validation per se is a scientific endeavour that needs to adhere to key scientific principles, namely objectivity and appropriate choice of methodology, we examine basic aspects of study design and management, and provide illustrations of statistical approaches to describe predictive performance of validated test methods as well as their reliability.

The University of Maryland Electron Ring: A Model Recirculator for Intense Beam Physics Research

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

Bernal, S.; Li, H.; Cui, Y.

2004-12-07

The University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER), designed for transport studies of space-charge dominated beams in a strong focusing lattice, is nearing completion. Low energy, high intensity electron beams provide an excellent model system for experimental studies with relevance to all areas that require high quality, intense charged-particle beams. In addition, UMER constitutes an important tool for benchmarking of computer codes. When completed, the UMER lattice will consist of 36 alternating-focusing (FODO) periods over an 11.5-m circumference. Current studies in UMER over about 2/3 of the ring include beam-envelope matching, halo formation, asymmetrical focusing, and longitudinal dynamics (beam bunch erosionmore » and wave propagation.) Near future, multi-turn operation of the ring will allow us to address important additional issues such as resonance-traversal, energy spread and others. The main diagnostics are phosphor screens and capacitive beam position monitors placed at the center of each 200 bending section. In addition, pepper-pot and slit-wire emittance meters are in operation. The range of beam currents used corresponds to space charge tune depressions from 0.2 to 0.8, which is unprecedented for a circular machine.« less

Conflicting Orientations to Patient Advocacy in Long-Term Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litwin, Howard; And Others

1984-01-01

Analyzed national survey data on nursing home ombudsman programs to document three alternative formulations of advocacy: (1) individualized/developmentally focused; (2) individualized/patients' rights-focused, and (3) facility/patients' rights-focused. Programmatic efforts will be required to address disparities in conceptions of appropriate…

Environmenal analysis of the Bayo Canyon (TA-10) Site, Los Alamos, New Mexico

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

Ferenbaugh, R.W.; Buhl, T.E.; Stoker, A.K.

1982-05-01

The radiological survey of the old TA-10 site in Bayo Canyon found low levels of surface contamination in the vicinity of the firing sites and subsurface contamination in the old waste disposal area. The three alternatives proposed for the site are: (1) to take no action; (2) to restrict usage of the area of subsurface contamination to activities that cause no subsurface disturbance (minimal action); and (3) to remove the subsurface conamination to levels below the working criteria. Dose calculations indicate that doses from surface contamination for recreational users of the canyon, permanent residents, and construction workers and doses formore » workers involved in excavation of contaminated soil under the clean up alternative are only small percentages of applicable guidelines. No environmental impacts are associated with either the no-action or minimal action alternatives. The impact associated with the cleanup alternative is small, especially considering that the area already has been affected by the original TA-10 decommissioning action, but nevertheless, the preferred alternative is the minimal action alternative, where 0.6 hectare of land is restricted to surface activities. This leaves the rest of the canyon available for development with up to 400 homes. The restricted area can be used for a park, tennis courts, etc., and the /sup 90/Sr activity will decay to levels permitting unrestricted usage in about 160 y.« less

Man-machine cooperation in advanced teleoperation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiorini, Paolo; Das, Hari; Lee, Sukhan

1993-01-01

Teleoperation experiments at JPL have shown that advanced features in a telerobotic system are a necessary condition for good results, but that they are not sufficient to assure consistently good performance by the operators. Two or three operators are normally used during training and experiments to maintain the desired performance. An alternative to this multi-operator control station is a man-machine interface embedding computer programs that can perform some of the operator's functions. In this paper we present our first experiments with these concepts, in which we focused on the areas of real-time task monitoring and interactive path planning. In the first case, when performing a known task, the operator has an automatic aid for setting control parameters and camera views. In the second case, an interactive path planner will rank different path alternatives so that the operator will make the correct control decision. The monitoring function has been implemented with a neural network doing the real-time task segmentation. The interactive path planner was implemented for redundant manipulators to specify arm configurations across the desired path and satisfy geometric, task, and performance constraints.

Relative potentials of concentrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borden, C. S.; Schwartz, D. L.

1984-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess the relative economic potentials of concenrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications in the mid-1990's. Specific objectives of this study are to provide information on concentrator photovoltaic collector probabilistic price and efficiency levels to illustrate critical areas of R&D for concentrator cells and collectors, and to compare concentrator and flat-plate PV price and efficiency alternatives for several locations, based on their implied costs of energy. To deal with the uncertainties surrounding research and development activities in general, a probabilistic assessment of commercially achievable concentrator photovoltaic collector efficiencies and prices (at the factory loading dock) is performed. The results of this projection of concentrator photovoltaic technology are then compared with a previous flat-plate module price analysis (performed early in 1983). To focus this analysis on specific collector alternatives and their implied energy costs for different locations, similar two-axis tracking designs are assumed for both concentrator and flat-plate options.

Alternative oxidation technologies for organic mixed waste

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

Borduin, L.C.; Fewell, T.

1998-07-01

The Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA) is currently supporting the development and demonstration of several alternative oxidation technology (AOT) processes for treatment of combustible mixed low-level wastes. AOTs have been defined as technologies that destroy organic material without using open-flame reactions. AOTs include both thermal and nonthermal processes that oxidize organic wastes but operate under significantly different physical and chemical conditions than incinerators. Nonthermal processes currently being studied include Delphi DETOX and acid digestion at the Savannah River Site (SRS), and direct chemical oxidation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). All three technologies are at advanced stages of development ormore » are entering the demonstration phase. Nonflame thermal processes include catalytic chemical oxidation, which is being developed and deployed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and steam reforming, a commercial process being supported by the Department of Energy (DOE). Although testing is complete on some AOT technologies, most require additional support to complete some or all of the identified development objectives. Brief descriptions, status, and planned paths forward for each of the technologies are presented.« less

An overview of palm, jatropha and algae as a potential biodiesel feedstock in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunus, S.; Abdullah, N. R.; Mamat, R.; Rashid, A. A.

2013-12-01

The high demand to replace petroleum fuel makes renewable and sustainable sources such as Palm oil, Jatropha oil and Algae a main focus feedstock for biodiesel production in Malaysia. There are many studies conducted on Palm oil and Jatropha oil, however, the use of Algae as an alternative fuel is still in its infancy. Malaysia already implemented B5 based Palm oil as a feedstock and this biodiesel has been proven safe and can be used without any engine modification. The use of biodiesel produced from these feedstock will also developed domestic economic and provide job opportunities especially in the rural area. In addition, biodiesel has many advantages especially when dealing with the emissions produce as compared to petroleum fuel such as; it can reduce unwanted gases and particulate matter harmful to the atmosphere and mankind. Thus, this paper gathered and examines the most prominent engine emission produced from Palm oil and Jatropha feedstock and also to observe the potential of Algae to be one of the sources of alternative fuel in Malaysia.

Finite element assisted prediction of ductile fracture in sheet bulging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donald, Bryan J. Mac; Lorza, Ruben Lostado; Yoshihara, Shoichiro

2017-10-01

With growing demand for energy efficiency, there is much focus on reducing oil consumption rates and utilising alternative fuels. A contributor to the solution in this area is to produce lighter vehicles that are more fuel efficient and/or allow for the use of alternative fuel sources (e.g. electric powered automobiles). Near-net-shape manufacturing processes such as hydroforming have great potential to reduce structural weight while still maintaining structural strength and performance. Finite element analysis techniques have proved invaluable in optimizing such hydroforming processes, however, the majority of such studies have used simple predictors of failure which are usually yield criteria such as von Mises stress. There is clearly potential to obtain more optimal solutions using more advanced predictors of failure. This paper compared the Von Mises stress failure criteria and the Oyane's ductile fracture criteria in the sheet hydroforming of magnesium alloys. It was found that the results obtained from the models which used Oyane's ductile fracture criteria were more realistic than those obtained from those that used Von Mises stress as a failure criteria.

Production, distribution, and cost of oxygenated gasoline blends as a CO control strategy

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

Holmes, J.G; Dworsky, B.S.

1988-01-01

During the past two decades, efforts to reduce the contribution of automotive emissions to air pollution have focused principally on the development of more stringent emission standards for new vehicles, and the use of inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs. Despite the achievements in the last few years, motor vehicles have remained a major source of air pollution in urban areas. Further reductions in either the emission standards or in I/M program pass/fail cutpoints are not politically feasible, and alternative methods to achieve emission reductions are being investigated. One potential method is through the use of alternative fuels that can reducemore » tailpipe emissions. For example, the addition of alcohol or ether into gasoline has been shown to lean out the engine and cut carbon monoxide emissions. This paper compares the costs of producing and distribution methanol, ethanol, and MTBE blends as part of a carbon monoxide control strategy. It addresses the costs of production, distribution, infrastructure development, and retailing associated with each fuel blend.« less

Microbial resistance related to antibiotic-loaded bone cement: a historical review.

PubMed

Walker, Lucy C; Baker, Paul; Holleyman, Richard; Deehan, David

2017-12-01

The use of antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) has a range of indications for use in orthopaedics. It has the advantage of delivering high loads of antibiotics to a targeted site, thereby avoiding the side effects associated with systemic administration. However, there is concern that the use of ALBC may precipitate the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This review focuses on (1) the published research using both animal and human models examining the association between ALBC and the induction of microbial resistance (2) the mechanisms by which antimicrobial resistance develop (3) the research pertaining to specific classes of antibiotics commonly used in orthopaedic practice (4) the recent developments in calcium sulphate beads, nanoparticles and chitosan, as alternative antimicrobial treatments for periprosthetic joint infections. The literature for and against a link between ALBC and the development of microbiological resistance is reviewed and presented. It is concluded that further research is needed to develop a defined set of indications for the use of ALBC in the management of periprosthetic joint infection. In addition, further research into alternative antimicrobial therapies in this area should be encouraged.

Excitonic Materials for Hybrid Solar Cells and Energy Efficient Lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabra, Dinesh; Lu, Li Ping; Vaynzof, Yana; Song, Myounghoon; Snaith, Henry J.; Friend, Richard H.

2011-07-01

Conventional photovoltaic technology will certainly contribute this century, but to generate a significant fraction of our global power from solar energy, a radically new disruptive technology is required. Research primarily focused on developing the physics and technologies being low cost photovoltaic concepts are required. The materials with carbon-based solution processible organic semiconductors with power conversion efficiency as high as ˜8.2%, which have emerged over the last decade as promising alternatives to expensive silicon based technologies. We aim at exploring the morphological and optoelectronic properties of blends of newly synthesized polymer semiconductors as a route to enhance the performance of organic semiconductor based optoelectronic devices, like photovoltaic diodes (PV) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED). OLED efficiency has reached upto 150 lm/W and going to be next generation cheap and eco friendly solid state lighting solution. Hybrid electronics represent a valuable alternative for the production of easy processible, flexible and reliable optoelectronic thin film devices. I will be presenting recent advancement of my work in the area of hybrid photovoltaics, PLED and research path towards realization electrically injectable organic laser diodes.

A Survey of the Elderly in Regional Cities on their Attitudes toward Driving and Giving Up Driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nihei, Misato; Kamata, Minoru

Elderly drivers are increasing every year in Japan. However, physical depression caused by aging is also a cause of traffic accidents and they will all have to give up driving one day. The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of car dependency and the impact of having to stop driving among the elderly. And to propose alternative transportation options for elderly after having surrendered their driver's licenses. We carried out a questionnaire survey and a focus group interview. During this study, we sent 1338 questionnaires to people over 60 years old in regional cities that included areas with convenient access and inconvenient access to public transit. From our survey, we found that, over half of the elderly drive every day, the older people lower drive frequency. License holder of elderly with feelings of decreased motor skills awareness a decrease in driving ability. Moreover it is clarified that issue of alternative mobility are "mobility devices to maintain social and personal relationships" and "mobility devices as an extension of walking" and "use the existing public transport environment".

Santa Rosa Island Mission Utilization Plan Programmatic Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

subject areas with the greatest likelihood for potential environmental impacts. In each case, the assessment found that the preferred alternative would...7061, "The Environmental Impact Analysis Process"). Selection of Alternative 3, the preferred alternative, of the Santa Rosa Island Mission... Preferred Alternative ...............................................................................................................................2-12

Behind the wheel: community consultation informs adaptation of safe-transport program for older drivers.

PubMed

Coxon, Kristy; Keay, Lisa

2015-12-09

Safe-transport is important to well-being in later life but balancing safety and independence for older drivers can be challenging. While self-regulation is a promising tool to promote road safety, more research is required to optimise programs. Qualitative research was used to inform the choice and adaptation of a safe-transport education program for older drivers. Three focus groups were conducted with older drivers living in northwest Sydney to explore four key areas related to driving in later life including aged-based licensing, stopping or limiting driving, barriers to driving cessation and alternative modes of transportation. Data were analysed using content analysis. Four categories emerged from the data; bad press for older drivers, COMPETENCE not age, call for fairness in licensing regulations, and hanging up the keys: It's complicated! Two key issues being (1) older drivers wanted to drive for as long as possible but (2) were not prepared for driving cessation; guided the choice and adaption of the Knowledge Enhances Your Safety (KEYS) program. This program was adapted for the Australian context and focus group findings raised the need for practical solutions, including transport alternatives, to be added. Targeted messages were developed from the data using the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM), allowing the education to be tailored to the individual's stage of behaviour change. Adapting our program based on insights gained from community consultation should ensure the program is sensitive to the needs, skills and preferences of older drivers.

Critical review of complementary and alternative medicine use in menopause: focus on prevalence, motivation, decision-making, and communication.

PubMed

Peng, Wenbo; Adams, Jon; Sibbritt, David W; Frawley, Jane E

2014-05-01

This study aims to undertake the first critical review of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among menopausal women (a term here used to include premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women) by focusing on the prevalence of CAM use and CAM users' characteristics, motivation, decision-making, and communication with healthcare providers. A comprehensive search of 2002-2012 international literature in the Medline, CINAHL, AMED, and SCOPUS databases was conducted. The search was confined to peer-reviewed articles published in English with abstracts and reporting new empirical research findings regarding CAM use and menopause. A considerable level of CAM use was observed among women in menopause. Many menopausal women use CAM concurrently with their conventional medicine. However, communication regarding CAM between menopausal women and healthcare providers seems less than optimal, with a demand for further information on the safety and efficacy of medicines. Existing literature is of variable methodological rigor, often presenting small sample sizes and low-quality data collection. Further rigorous research on this topic-including quantitative and qualitative methods using large national samples, where relevant-is required. The findings of this critical review provide insights for those practicing and managing health care in this area of women's health. Healthcare providers should prepare to inform menopausal women about all treatment options, including CAM, and should be aware of the possible adverse effects of CAM and potential interactions between CAM and conventional medicine among women in menopause who are under their care.

An Alternative to Traditional Developmental Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tebelius, Ulla

1992-01-01

A Swedish folk high school program was focused on practicing an alternative style of living in a resource-saving and small-scale technology way. Emphasis was on examining the Western way of living from an ecological, human, and global perspective. (SK)

Alternative court procedures for DUI offenders.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-01-01

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the need for alternative court procedures in Virginia for handling cases involving persons charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), with particular focus on the referral of DUI offenders to ...

GREEN CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS THROUGH CATALYSIS AND ALTERNATE REACTION CONDITIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Green chemical synthesis through catalysis and alternate reaction conditions

Encompassing green chemistry techniques and methodologies, we have initiated several projects at the National Risk Management Research laboratory that focus on the design and development of chemic...

Alternate Reality Gaming: Teaching Visual Art Skills to Multiple Subject Credential Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engdahl, Eric

2014-01-01

Through Alternate Reality Games, students engage in narrative, play, cooperation, creativity, and joy by creating storylines focusing on one element of art. In 2008, the Luce Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum presented Ghosts of a Chance. The first Alternative Reality Game (ARG) to be hosted by a museum, it was designed to deepen and…

Alternative Programs for Students with Social, Emotional or Behavioral Problems. From the Second CCBD Mini-Library Series: Successful Interventions for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Mary Magee; Rutherford, Robert B., Jr.

This monograph examines educational alternatives for children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or social problems. It focuses on alternatives to traditional education systems, concentrating on those which have an administrative structure separate from the regular education system. It begins with a brief description of the role alternative…

Effects of proposed alternatives on aquatic habitats and native fishes [Chapter 3

Treesearch

James R. Sedell; Danny C. Lee; Bruce E. Rieman; Russell F. Thurow; Jack E. Williams

1997-01-01

The Aquatics and Riparian Science Teams analyzed the seven alternatives by evaluating their effectiveness in sustaining aquatic ecosystem structure and function, and their expected effect on 25 taxa of native fishes. Our analysis focused on alternatives as defined in Chapter 3 of the Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) (USDA and USDI 1996a, 1996b...

Environmental Resources of Selected Areas of Hawaii: Ecological Resources (DRAFT)

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

Trettin, C.C.; Tolbert, V.R.; Jones, A.T.

1994-06-01

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on ecological resources during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. The U.S. Department of Energy (COE) published a notice in the Federal Register on May 17, 1994 (Fed. Regist. 5925638) withdrawing its Notice of Intent (Fed. Regst. 575433) of February 14, 1992, to prepare the HGP-EIS. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuingmore » or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The background scientific data and related information presented in this report focus on several areas of Hawaii County, including the southeastern coast, a potential development corridor along the Saddle Road between Hilo and the North Kohala District on the northwestern coast, and on the southeastern coast of Maui. In this report, reference is made to these areas as study areas rather than as areas where proposed or alternative facilities of the HGP would be located. The resource areas addressed herein include terrestrial ecology, aquatic ecology, and marine ecology. The scientific background data and related information is being made available for future research in these areas. This report describes the environmental resources present in the areas studied (i.e., the affected environment) and does not represent an assessment of environmental impacts.« less

Equal Employment Legislation: Alternative Means of Compliance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daum, Jeffrey W.

Alternative means of compliance available to organizations to bring their manpower uses into line with existing equal employment legislation are discussed in this paper. The first area addressed concerns the classical approach to selection and placement based on testing methods. The second area discussed reviews various nontesting techniques, such…

Educational Alternatives for Boating Safety Programs. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sager, E.; And Others

The Coast Guard, in efforts to improve the safety of recreational boating, undertook research to identify educational alternatives in boating safety programs. Background research was done to assess materials from areas of boating education and education in comparable recreational areas. Research was also conducted to review educational and mass…

78 FR 47410 - General Management Plan, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Gateway National Recreation Area...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-05

...] General Management Plan, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Gateway National Recreation Area, New... (NPS) is releasing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the General Management Plan (GMP... alternatives to guide the management of the site over the next 20 years. The NPS preferred alternative...

Neural mechanisms underlying sound-induced visual motion perception: An fMRI study.

PubMed

Hidaka, Souta; Higuchi, Satomi; Teramoto, Wataru; Sugita, Yoichi

2017-07-01

Studies of crossmodal interactions in motion perception have reported activation in several brain areas, including those related to motion processing and/or sensory association, in response to multimodal (e.g., visual and auditory) stimuli that were both in motion. Recent studies have demonstrated that sounds can trigger illusory visual apparent motion to static visual stimuli (sound-induced visual motion: SIVM): A visual stimulus blinking at a fixed location is perceived to be moving laterally when an alternating left-right sound is also present. Here, we investigated brain activity related to the perception of SIVM using a 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging technique. Specifically, we focused on the patterns of neural activities in SIVM and visually induced visual apparent motion (VIVM). We observed shared activations in the middle occipital area (V5/hMT), which is thought to be involved in visual motion processing, for SIVM and VIVM. Moreover, as compared to VIVM, SIVM resulted in greater activation in the superior temporal area and dominant functional connectivity between the V5/hMT area and the areas related to auditory and crossmodal motion processing. These findings indicate that similar but partially different neural mechanisms could be involved in auditory-induced and visually-induced motion perception, and neural signals in auditory, visual, and, crossmodal motion processing areas closely and directly interact in the perception of SIVM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Focus! Keys to Developing Concentration Skills in Open-Skill Sports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monsma, Eva; Perreault, Melanie; Doan, Robert

2017-01-01

Sideline shouting to "focus" and "anticipate" can be stressful and counterproductive for athletes, especially when they are novices playing in dynamic sport environments. An alternative aproach is to coach athletes to understand that focusing is a concentration skill that improves with practice. Selective attention, attentional…

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Education in United States Pharmacy Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowell, Donna M.; Kroll, David J.

1998-01-01

Survey of 50 pharmacy schools investigated the degree to which instruction in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) was included in the pharmacy curriculum, and use of alternative practitioners as instructors. Almost three-quarters offered coursework in herbal medicine or other areas of CAM; about half offered other alternative medicine…

78 FR 47328 - National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-05

... Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... Alternative Medicine Special Emphasis Panel; ZAT1 HS 14 Training, Education and AREA grants. Date: October 25..., Ph.D., Scientific Review Officer, National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine...

Study of alternate methods of disposal of propellants and gases at KSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, W. I.

1970-01-01

A comprehensive study was conducted at KSC launch support facilities to determine the nature and extent of potential hazards from propellant and gas releases to the environment. The results of the study, alternate methods for reducing or eliminating the hazards, and recommendations pertaining to these alternatives are presented. The operational modes of the propellant or hazardous gas systems considered include: system charging, system standby, system operation, and post-test operations. The results are outlined on an area-by-area basis.

New Focus on Replacing Animals in the Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, Constance

1982-01-01

Reviews the pros and cons of using animals or alternatives in scientific research. Such alternatives (as indicated in congressional bill HR 556) include mathematical models, isolated organs, tissue and cell cultures, computer simulations, mechanical models, and "lower" organisms among others. (SK)

Air quality effects of alternative fuels : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-01

This report presents the results of Phase 1 of a comparison of the potential air quality effects of alternative transportation fuels. The focus is on reformulated gasoline (RFG), methanol blended with 15% gasoline (M85), and compressed natural gas (C...

Novel targets for natural killer/T-cell lymphoma immunotherapy.

PubMed

Kumai, Takumi; Kobayashi, Hiroya; Harabuchi, Yasuaki

2016-01-01

Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTL) is a rare but highly aggressive Epstein-Barr virus-related malignancy, which mainly occurs in nasopharyngeal and nasal/paranasal areas. In addition to its high prevalence in Asian, Central American and South American populations, its incidence rate has been gradually increasing in Western countries. The current mainstay of treatment is a combination of multiple chemotherapies and irradiation. Although chemoradiotherapy can cure NKTL, it often causes severe and fatal adverse events. Because a growing body of evidence suggests that immunotherapy is effective against hematological malignancies, this treatment could provide an alternative to chemoradiotherapy for treatment of NKTL. In this review, we focus on how recent findings could be used to develop efficient immunotherapies against NKTL.

Conservation and renewable energy technologies for transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1990-11-01

The Office of Transportation Technologies (OTT) is charged with long-term, high-risk, and potentially high-payoff research and development of promising transportation technologies that are unlikely to be undertaken by the private sector alone. OTT activities are designed to develop an advanced technology base within the U.S. transportation industry for future manufacture of more energy-efficient, fuel-flexible, and environmentally sound transportation systems. OTT operations are focused on three areas: advanced automotive propulsion systems including gas turbines, low heat rejection diesel, and electric vehicle technologies; advanced materials development and tribology research; and research, development, demonstration, test, and evaluation (including field testing in fleet operations) of alternative fuels. Five papers describing the transportation technologies program have been indexed separately for inclusion on the data base.

Measuring risk/benefit perceptions of emerging technologies and their potential impact on communication of public opinion toward science.

PubMed

Binder, Andrew R; Cacciatore, Michael A; Scheufele, Dietram A; Shaw, Bret R; Corley, Elizabeth A

2012-10-01

This study presents a systematic comparison of two alternative measures of citizens' perceptions of risks and benefits of emerging technologies. By focusing on two specific issues (nanotechnology and biofuels), we derive several insights for the measurement of public views of science. Most importantly, our analyses reveal that relying on global, single-item measures may lead to invalid inferences regarding external influences on public perceptions, particularly those related to cognitive schema and media use. Beyond these methodological implications, this analysis suggests several reasons why researchers in the area of public attitudes toward science must revisit notions of measurement in order to accurately inform the general public, policymakers, scientists, and journalists about trends in public opinion toward emerging technologies.

Advanced-technology space station study: Summary of systems and pacing technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butterfield, A. J.; Garn, P. A.; King, C. B.; Queijo, M. J.

1990-01-01

The principal system features defined for the Advanced Technology Space Station are summarized and the 21 pacing technologies identified during the course of the study are described. The descriptions of system configurations were extracted from four previous study reports. The technological areas focus on those systems particular to all large spacecraft which generate artificial gravity by rotation. The summary includes a listing of the functions, crew requirements and electrical power demand that led to the studied configuration. The pacing technologies include the benefits of advanced materials, in-orbit assembly requirements, stationkeeping, evaluations of electrical power generation alternates, and life support systems. The descriptions of systems show the potential for synergies and identifies the beneficial interactions that can result from technological advances.

Diatoms: a fossil fuel of the future.

PubMed

Levitan, Orly; Dinamarca, Jorge; Hochman, Gal; Falkowski, Paul G

2014-03-01

Long-term global climate change, caused by burning petroleum and other fossil fuels, has motivated an urgent need to develop renewable, carbon-neutral, economically viable alternatives to displace petroleum using existing infrastructure. Algal feedstocks are promising candidate replacements as a 'drop-in' fuel. Here, we focus on a specific algal taxon, diatoms, to become the fossil fuel of the future. We summarize past attempts to obtain suitable diatom strains, propose future directions for their genetic manipulation, and offer biotechnological pathways to improve yield. We calculate that the yields obtained by using diatoms as a production platform are theoretically sufficient to satisfy the total oil consumption of the US, using between 3 and 5% of its land area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hole-Transporting Materials for Printable Perovskite Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Salunke, Jagadish K.; Priimagi, Arri

2017-01-01

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) represent undoubtedly the most significant breakthrough in photovoltaic technology since the 1970s, with an increase in their power conversion efficiency from less than 5% to over 22% in just a few years. Hole-transporting materials (HTMs) are an essential building block of PSC architectures. Currently, 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis-(N,N’-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9’-spirobifluorene), better known as spiro-OMeTAD, is the most widely-used HTM to obtain high-efficiency devices. However, it is a tremendously expensive material with mediocre hole carrier mobility. To ensure wide-scale application of PSC-based technologies, alternative HTMs are being proposed. Solution-processable HTMs are crucial to develop inexpensive, high-throughput and printable large-area PSCs. In this review, we present the most recent advances in the design and development of different types of HTMs, with a particular focus on mesoscopic PSCs. Finally, we outline possible future research directions for further optimization of the HTMs to achieve low-cost, stable and large-area PSCs. PMID:28914823

The African Origin of Complex Projectile Technology: An Analysis Using Tip Cross-Sectional Area and Perimeter

PubMed Central

Sisk, Matthew L.; Shea, John J.

2011-01-01

Despite a body of literature focusing on the functionality of modern and stylistically distinct projectile points, comparatively little attention has been paid to quantifying the functionality of the early stages of projectile use. Previous work identified a simple ballistics measure, the Tip Cross-Sectional Area, as a way of determining if a given class of stone points could have served as effective projectile armatures. Here we use this in combination with an alternate measure, the Tip Cross-Sectional Perimeter, a more accurate proxy of the force needed to penetrate a target to a lethal depth. The current study discusses this measure and uses it to analyze a collection of measurements from African Middle Stone Age pointed stone artifacts. Several point types that were rejected in previous studies are statistically indistinguishable from ethnographic projectile points using this new measure. The ramifications of this finding for a Middle Stone Age origin of complex projectile technology is discussed. PMID:21755048

Adobe, rammed earth and wood: An energy-based environmental analysis of residential construction in Phoenix, Arizona

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

Gossen, C.L.

1996-10-01

More than 90% of the new single-family dwellings built in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area consists of wood frame construction. Using adobe and rammed earth as alternatives in residential wall construction are the main focus of this study. The study examines the process of home construction, concentrating on the environmental impacts of energy embodied in the four stages: extraction, transportation, construction, and operation. These four stages were applied to three prototypes built in the Phoenix Area throughout one year. The results are compared to determine which has the lowest environmental costs and most likely to benefit sustainability. The study requires amore » comparative analysis rather than a definite choice of a better prototype. The information provides assistance to the builder/designer with options about environmental impacts and the whole energy spectrum. Wherein previous research was based on performance standards of operation, one must also consider environmental impacts and externalities.« less

Permeability study of cancellous bone and its idealised structures.

PubMed

Syahrom, Ardiyansyah; Abdul Kadir, Mohammed Rafiq; Harun, Muhamad Nor; Öchsner, Andreas

2015-01-01

Artificial bone is a suitable alternative to autografts and allografts, however their use is still limited. Though there were numerous reports on their structural properties, permeability studies of artificial bones were comparably scarce. This study focused on the development of idealised, structured models of artificial cancellous bone and compared their permeability values with bone surface area and porosity. Cancellous bones from fresh bovine femur were extracted and cleaned following an established protocol. The samples were scanned using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and three-dimensional models of the cancellous bones were reconstructed for morphology study. Seven idealised and structured cancellous bone models were then developed and fabricated via rapid prototyping technique. A test-rig was developed and permeability tests were performed on the artificial and real cancellous bones. The results showed a linear correlation between the permeability and the porosity as well as the bone surface area. The plate-like idealised structure showed a similar value of permeability to the real cancellous bones. Copyright © 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ENGINEERING STUDY FOR THE 200 AREA EFFLUENT TREATMENT FACILITY (ETF) SECONDARY WASTE TREATMENT OF PROJECTED FUTURE WASTE FEEDS

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

LUECK, K.J.

2004-10-18

This report documents an engineering study conducted to evaluate alternatives for treating secondary waste in the secondary treatment train (STT) of the Hanford Site 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). The study evaluates ETF STT treatment alternatives and recommends preferred alternatives for meeting the projected future missions of the ETF. The preferred alternative(s) will process projected future ETF influents to produce a solid waste acceptable for final disposal on the Hanford Site. The main text of this report summarizes the ETF past and projected operations, lists the assumptions about projected operations that provide the basis for the engineering evaluation, andmore » summarizes the evaluation process. The evaluation process includes identification of available modifications to the current ETF process, screens those modifications for technical viability, evaluates the technically viable alternatives, and provides conclusions and recommendations based on that evaluation.« less

A high brightness source for nano-probe secondary ion mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, N. S.; Tesch, P. P.; Martin, N. P.; Kinion, D. E.

2008-12-01

The two most prevalent ion source technologies in the field of surface analysis and surface machining are the Duoplasmatron and the liquid metal ion source (LMIS). There have been many efforts in this area of research to develop an alternative source [ S.K. Guharay, J. Orloff, M. Wada, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 33 (6) (2005) 1911; N.S. Smith, W.P. Skoczylas, S.M. Kellogg, D.E. Kinion, P.P. Tesch, O. Sutherland, A. Aanesland, R.W. Boswell, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 24 (6) (2006) 2902-2906] with the brightness of a LMIS and yet the ability to produce secondary ion yield enhancing species such as oxygen. However, to date a viable alternative has not been realized. The high brightness and small virtual source size of the LMIS are advantageous for forming high resolution probes but a significant disadvantage when beam currents in excess of 100 nA are required, due to the effects of spherical aberration from the optical column. At these higher currents a source with a high angular intensity is optimal and in fact the relatively moderate brightness of today's plasma ion sources prevail in this operating regime. Both the LMIS and Duoplasmatron suffer from a large axial energy spread resulting in further limitations when forming focused beams at the chromatic limit where the figure-of-merit is inversely proportional to the square of the energy spread. Also, both of these ion sources operate with a very limited range of ion species. This article reviews some of the latest developments and some future potential in this area of instrument development. Here we present an approach to source development that could lead to oxygen ion beam SIMS imaging with 10 nm resolution, using a 'broad area' RF gas phase ion source.

Evaluation of stormwater harvesting sites using multi criteria decision methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inamdar, P. M.; Sharma, A. K.; Cook, Stephen; Perera, B. J. C.

2018-07-01

Selection of suitable urban stormwater harvesting sites and associated project planning are often complex due to spatial, temporal, economic, environmental and social factors, and related various other variables. This paper is aimed at developing a comprehensive methodology framework for evaluating of stormwater harvesting sites in urban areas using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). At the first phase, framework selects potential stormwater harvesting (SWH) sites using spatial characteristics in a GIS environment. In second phase, MCDA methodology is used for evaluating and ranking of SWH sites in multi-objective and multi-stakeholder environment. The paper briefly describes first phase of framework and focuses chiefly on the second phase of framework. The application of the methodology is also demonstrated over a case study comprising of the local government area, City of Melbourne (CoM), Australia for the benefit of wider water professionals engaged in this area. Nine performance measures (PMs) were identified to characterise the objectives and system performance related to the eight alternative SWH sites for the demonstration of the application of developed methodology. To reflect the stakeholder interests in the current study, four stakeholder participant groups were identified, namely, water authorities (WA), academics (AC), consultants (CS), and councils (CL). The decision analysis methodology broadly consisted of deriving PROMETHEE II rankings of eight alternative SWH sites in the CoM case study, under two distinct group decision making scenarios. The major innovation of this work is the development and application of comprehensive methodology framework that assists in the selection of potential sites for SWH, and facilitates the ranking in multi-objective and multi-stakeholder environment. It is expected that the proposed methodology will assist the water professionals and managers with better knowledge that will reduce the subjectivity in the selection and evaluation of SWH sites.

Chiropractic Identity: A Neurological, Professional, and Political Assessment.

PubMed

Rosner, Anthony L

2016-12-01

The purpose of this article is to propose a focused assessment of the identity of chiropractic and its profession, triangulating multiple viewpoints converging upon various aspects and definitions of neurology, manual medicine, and alternative or mainstream medicine. Over 120 years since its inception, chiropractic has struggled to achieve an identity for which its foundations could provide optimal health care. Despite recognition of the benefits of spinal manipulation in various government guidelines, advances in US military and Veterans Administration, and persistently high levels of patient satisfaction, the chiropractic profession remains underrepresented in most discussions of health care delivery. Distinguishing characteristics of doctors of chiropractic include the following: (1) they embrace a model of holistic, preventive medicine (wellness); (2) they embrace a concept of neurological imbalance in which form follows function, disease follows disturbed biochemistry, and phenomenology follows physiology; (3) they diagnose, and their institutions of training are accredited by a body recognized by the US Department of Education; (4) they manage patients on a first-contact basis, often as primary care providers in geographical areas that are underserved; (5) the spine is their primary-but not exclusive-area of interaction; (6) they deliver high-velocity, low-amplitude adjustments with a superior safety record compared with other professions; and (7) they use a network of institutions worldwide that have shown increasing commitments to research. This article provides an overview of chiropractic identity from 6 points of view: (1) concepts of manual medicine; (2) areas of interest beyond the spine; (3) concepts of the chiropractic subluxation; (4) concepts of neurology; (5) concepts of mainstream or alternative health care; and (6) concepts of primary care, first-contact provider, or specialist.

Adaptation strategies for water supply management in a drought prone Mediterranean river basin: Application of outranking method.

PubMed

Kumar, Vikas; Del Vasto-Terrientes, Luis; Valls, Aida; Schuhmacher, Marta

2016-01-01

The regional water allocation planning is one of those complex decision problems where holistic approach to water supply management considering different criteria would be valuable. However, multi-criteria decision making with diverse indicators measured on different scales and uncertainty levels is difficult to solve. Objective of this paper is to develop scenarios for the future imbalances in water supply and demand for a water stressed Mediterranean area of Northern Spain (Tarragona) and to test the applicability and suitability of an outranking method ELECTRE-III-H for evaluating sectoral water allocation policies. This study is focused on the use of alternative water supply scenarios to fulfil the demand of water from three major sectors: domestic, industrial and agricultural. A detail scenario planning for regional water demand and supply has been discussed. For each future scenario of climate change, the goal is to obtain a ranking of a set of possible actions with regards to different types of indicators (costs, water stress and environmental impact). The analytical method used is based on outranking models for decision aid with hierarchical structures of criteria and ranking alternatives using partial preorders based on pairwise preference relations. We compare several adaptation measures including alternative water sources (reclaimed water and desalination); inter basin water transfer and sectoral demand management coming from industry, agriculture and domestic sectors and tested the sustainability of management actions for different climate change scenarios. Results have shown use of alternative water resources as the most reliable alternative with medium reclaimed water reuse in industry and agriculture and low to medium use of desalination water in domestic and industrial sectors as the best alternative. The proposed method has several advantages such as the management of heterogeneous scales of measurement without requiring any artificial transformation and the management of uncertainty by means of comparisons at a qualitative level in terms of the decision maker preferences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Alternative stable states in coastal intertidal wetland ecosystems of Yangtze estuary, China].

PubMed

Li, Hui; Yuan, Lin; Zhang, Li Quan; Li, Wei; Li, Shi Hua; Zhao, Zhi Yuan

2017-01-01

Alternative stable states phenomenon widely exists in a variety of ecosystems and is closely related to ecosystem health and sustainable development. Although alternative stable states research has become the focus and hotspot of the ecology researches, only a few empirical evidences supported its behavior and mechanisms in coastal wetland ecosystems up to now. In our study, ta-king the intertidal wetland ecosystem in Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve as study area, we aimed to: 1) test the existence of alternative stable states based on judgment conditions (bimodal characteristic and threshold effect) and determine the relative stable state types; 2) explore the formation mechanisms of alternative stable states by monitoring hydrological conditions, sediment accretion dynamics as well as vegetation growth parameters and analyzing the positive feedbacks between saltmarsh vegetation and sedimentary geomorphology. Our results showed that: 1) Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) frequentness distribution revealed obvious bimodality at saltmarsh pioneer zone. Propagule biomass threshold limited the establishment of plant patches representing the "saltmarsh" state. The presence of bimodality and biomass threshold demonstrated there are "mudflat" stable state and "saltmarsh" stable state with distinct structure and function in intertidal wetland ecosystem. 2) Current velocities, turbidities and direction perpendicular to the vegetation zone were the most important factors responsible for the sediments rapid accretion at saltmarsh pioneer zone in spring and summer. Sediments accretion significantly promoted the growth of saltmarsh plant. The positive feedbacks between plant growth and sediments accretion resulted in the formation of alternative stable states. 3) The expansion pattern of saltmarshes in the Chongming Dongtan intertidal wetland ecosystem also suggested that increases of sediments accretion could trigger the formation of "mudflat" stable state and "saltmarsh" stable state on landscape scale. The results from this study could enrich regime shift mechanisms researches and provide the scientific supports for coastal zone protection, restoration and comprehensive management, which could have important theoretical and practical meaning.

National Survey of Accommodations and Alternate Assessments for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cawthon, Stephanie W.

2006-01-01

This paper reports the results of the "National Survey of Accommodations and Alternate Assessments for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the United States (National Survey)". This study focused on the use of accommodations and alternate assessments in statewide assessments used with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A…

Problem-based learning in teaching chemistry: enthalpy changes in systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayyildiz, Yildizay; Tarhan, Leman

2018-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) as a teaching strategy has recently become quite widespread in especially chemistry classes. Research has found that students, from elementary through college, have many alternative conceptions regarding enthalpy changes in systems. Although there are several studies focused on identifying student alternative conceptions and misunderstandings of this subject, studies on preventing the formation of these alternative conceptions are limited.

Teaching Areas of Polygons: An Alternative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoosain, Emam

2010-01-01

Measurement is an integral component of the PK-12 mathematics curriculum. At various grade levels, much attention is given to the areas of geometric shapes. However, there is research evidence that measurement is problematic for US students. In this paper, the merits and demerits of two possible sequences (conventional and alternative) in teaching…

76 FR 67407 - Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 37 (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1796] Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 37 (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site Framework Orange County, NY Pursuant to its.../10) as an option for the establishment or reorganization of general-purpose zones; Whereas, Orange...

Scenarios reducing greenhouse gas emission from motor vehicles in State University of Malang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agustin, I. W.; Meidiana, C.

2018-04-01

State University of Malang (UM) is one of the universities in Malang city. It has the second largest number of student after Brawijaya University (UB) with the growing number of students each year, resulting in increase the amount of motorized vehicle usage on campus. The State University of Malang condition shows the number of motorcycles in the provided parking area exceeded the capacity, causing the emergence of the improperly parking area. The condition causes the increase of mileage for vehicles that do not get a parking space. They must find and move to another parking area were still empty. The movement to another parking area resulted in the increase of exhaust emissions from motorized vehicles into the air. The main purpose of the research was to create alternative scenario of greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the State University of Malang. Alternative emission reduction based on strategies of Avoid-Shift-Improve (A-S-I), and the importance level of alternative determined with Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). The result showed that selected alternative in emission reduction with the highest score of 40 per cent was centralized parking management.

Factors Affecting Adherence to Osteoporosis Medications: A Focus Group Approach Examining Viewpoints of Patients and Providers

PubMed Central

Iversen, Maura D; Vora, Ruchita R; Servi, Amber; Solomon, Daniel H

2011-01-01

This is a qualitative study using a focus group approach, conducted to determine factors influencing adherence to osteoporosis medications among older adults. Thirty-two patients aged 65 to 85 years from the greater Boston area who were prescribed an osteoporosis medication, 11 general medicine physicians and 1 nurse practitioner were recruited from Boston based hospitals affiliated with a large healthcare system. Focus groups consisting of 6 to 8 subjects including males and females were held separately for providers and patients and conducted until thematic saturation was reached. Responses were obtained from patients and providers during the focus group interviews conducted by a trained focus group moderator. All interviews were audio taped and transcribed by a medical transcriptionist. According to patients, factors affecting adherence to osteoporosis drugs included lack of knowledge about osteoporosis, dissatisfaction with their doctor visits, side effects, and difficulty or failure to remember instructions for taking medications. Physicians reported lack of patient knowledge, structural barriers, medication side effects, and the inability to track patients’ adherence to their medications as barriers to adherence. This study identifies the extent of and reasons for non-adherence as perceived by patients and providers, and provides insights into strategies to modify treatment plans to address non-adherence. The results from this study were used to develop a RCT to conduct and evaluate patient and physician targeted interventions to improve adherence to osteoporosis medications and to examine cost effectiveness of alternative strategies. PMID:21937896

Pulga (flea market) contributions to the retail food environment of colonias in the South Texas border region.

PubMed

Dean, Wesley R; Sharkey, Joseph R; St John, Julie

2011-05-01

Accounts of the retail food environment have been limited by research that focused on supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants as the principal food sources for consumers. Little is known about alternative retail food sources, especially in rural and underserved areas such as the colonias along the South Texas border with Mexico. Many colonias are located near pulgas (flea markets). This is the first study to examine this alternative food source for colonia residents. This study's purpose is to provide preliminary data on food availability in this unstudied element of the retail food environment. Five pulgas were identified for study by local informants. Two separate teams of two promotores (indigenous community health workers) conducted observations, wrote field notes, and surveyed vendors in each pulga. Traditional foods, prepared foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables were available in the observed pulgas. Traditional foods included staples, meal items, and snacks and sweets. Prepared foods were available in small stands run by independent operators, and each pulga had permanent restaurants that served prepared foods. A large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables were also available. An emphasis on supermarkets and grocery stores will provide an incomplete account of the retail food environment. Further studies should attempt to provide a more complete account by identifying alternative retail sources used by local residents. One such alternative retail food source, the pulga, provides a range of traditional food stuffs, prepared food items, and fruits and vegetables that complement conventionally studied aspects of the retail food environment. Copyright © 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternating phase-shifting masks: phase determination and impact of quartz defects--theoretical and experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griesinger, Uwe A.; Dettmann, Wolfgang; Hennig, Mario; Heumann, Jan P.; Koehle, Roderick; Ludwig, Ralf; Verbeek, Martin; Zarrabian, Mardjan

2002-07-01

In optical lithography balancing the aerial image of an alternating phase shifting mask (alt. PSM) is a major challenge. For the exposure wavelengths (currently 248nm and 193nm) an optimum etching method is necessary to overcome imbalance effects. Defects play an important role in the imbalances of the aerial image. In this contribution defects will be discussed by using the methodology of global phase imbalance control also for local imbalances which are a result of quartz defects. The effective phase error can be determined with an AIMS-system by measuring the CD width between the images of deep- and shallow trenches at different focus settings. The AIMS results are analyzed in comparison to the simulated and lithographic print results of the alternating structures. For the analysis of local aerial image imbalances it is necessary to investigate the capability of detecting these phase defects with state of the art inspection systems. Alternating PSMs containing programmed defects were inspected with different algorithms to investigate the capture rate of special phase defects in dependence on the defect size. Besides inspection also repair of phase defects is an important task. In this contribution we show the effect of repair on the optical behavior of phase defects. Due to the limited accuracy of the repair tools the repaired area still shows a certain local phase error. This error can be caused either by residual quartz material or a substrate damage. The influence of such repair induced phase errors on the aerial image were investigated.

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 340: Pesticide Release sites, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

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

DOE /NV

This Corrective Action Decision Document has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit 340, the NTS Pesticide Release Sites, in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996 (FFACO, 1996). Corrective Action Unit 340 is located at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, and is comprised of the following Corrective Action Sites: 23-21-01, Area 23 Quonset Hut 800 Pesticide Release Ditch; 23-18-03, Area 23 Skid Huts Pesticide Storage; and 15-18-02, Area 15 Quonset Hut 15-11 Pesticide Storage. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide a rationale for the selection of a recommended correctivemore » action alternative for each Corrective Action Site. The scope of this Corrective Action Decision Document consists of the following tasks: Develop corrective action objectives; Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria; Develop corrective action alternatives; Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria; and Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for each Corrective Action Site.« less

Documentation and knowledge acquisition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rochowiak, Daniel; Moseley, Warren

1990-01-01

Traditional approaches to knowledge acquisition have focused on interviews. An alternative focuses on the documentation associated with a domain. Adopting a documentation approach provides some advantages during familiarization. A knowledge management tool was constructed to gain these advantages.

Primary healthcare provider knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding alternative tobacco products and marijuana: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Bascombe, Ta Misha S; Scott, Kimberly N; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J

2016-06-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This qualitative study explored knowledge, beliefs and clinic-based practices regarding traditional and alternative tobacco products (cigar-like products, smokeless tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes) and marijuana among rural and urban Georgia primary healthcare providers. The sample comprised 20 healthcare providers in primary care settings located in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and rural southern Georgia who participated in semi-structured interviews. Results indicated a lack of knowledge about these products, with some believing that some products were less harmful than traditional cigarettes or that they may be effective in promoting cessation or harm reduction. Few reported explicitly assessing use of these various products in clinic. In addition, healthcare providers reported a need for empirical evidence to inform their clinical practice. Healthcare providers must systematically assess use of the range of tobacco products and marijuana. Evidence-based recommendations or information sources are needed to inform clinical practice and help providers navigate conversations with patients using or inquiring about these products. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Alternatives to the face-to-face consultation in general practice: focused ethnographic case study.

PubMed

Atherton, Helen; Brant, Heather; Ziebland, Sue; Bikker, Annemieke; Campbell, John; Gibson, Andy; McKinstry, Brian; Porqueddu, Tania; Salisbury, Chris

2018-04-01

NHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to the face-to-face consultation, such as telephone, email, e-consultation systems, or internet video. Most have been slow to adopt these, citing concerns about workload. This project builds on previous research by focusing on the experiences of patients and practitioners who have used one or more of these alternatives. To understand how, under what conditions, for which patients, and in what ways, alternatives to face-to-face consultations present benefits and challenges to patients and practitioners in general practice. Focused ethnographic case studies took place in eight UK general practices between June 2015 and March 2016. Non-participant observation, informal conversations with staff, and semi-structured interviews with staff and patients were conducted. Practice documents and protocols were reviewed. Data were analysed through charting and the 'one sheet of paper' mind-map method to identify the line of argument in each thematic report. Case study practices had different rationales for offering alternatives to the face-to-face consultation. Beliefs varied about which patients and health issues were suitable. Co-workers were often unaware of each other's practice; for example, practice policies for use of e-consultations systems with patients were not known about or followed. Patients reported benefits including convenience and access. Staff and some patients regarded the face-to-face consultation as the ideal. Experience of implementing alternatives to the face-to-face consultation suggests that changes in patient access and staff workload may be both modest and gradual. Practices planning to implement them should consider carefully their reasons for doing so and involve the whole practice team. © British Journal of General Practice 2018.

Alternatives to the face-to-face consultation in general practice: focused ethnographic case study

PubMed Central

Atherton, Helen; Brant, Heather; Ziebland, Sue; Bikker, Annemieke; Campbell, John; Gibson, Andy; McKinstry, Brian; Porqueddu, Tania; Salisbury, Chris

2018-01-01

Background NHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to the face-to-face consultation, such as telephone, email, e-consultation systems, or internet video. Most have been slow to adopt these, citing concerns about workload. This project builds on previous research by focusing on the experiences of patients and practitioners who have used one or more of these alternatives. Aim To understand how, under what conditions, for which patients, and in what ways, alternatives to face-to-face consultations present benefits and challenges to patients and practitioners in general practice. Design and setting Focused ethnographic case studies took place in eight UK general practices between June 2015 and March 2016. Method Non-participant observation, informal conversations with staff, and semi-structured interviews with staff and patients were conducted. Practice documents and protocols were reviewed. Data were analysed through charting and the ‘one sheet of paper’ mind-map method to identify the line of argument in each thematic report. Results Case study practices had different rationales for offering alternatives to the face-to-face consultation. Beliefs varied about which patients and health issues were suitable. Co-workers were often unaware of each other’s practice; for example, practice policies for use of e-consultations systems with patients were not known about or followed. Patients reported benefits including convenience and access. Staff and some patients regarded the face-to-face consultation as the ideal. Conclusion Experience of implementing alternatives to the face-to-face consultation suggests that changes in patient access and staff workload may be both modest and gradual. Practices planning to implement them should consider carefully their reasons for doing so and involve the whole practice team. PMID:29378697

Evaluation of a peer-reviewed career development and compensation program for physicians at an academic health science center.

PubMed

O'Brodovich, Hugh; Pleinys, Ramune; Laxer, Ronald; Tallett, Susan; Rosenblum, Norman; Sass-Kortsak, Christina

2003-01-01

The Department of Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children, which is funded by an alternative payment plan, has implemented a novel career development and compensation program (CDCP). Job activity profiles were used to more clearly define job expectations, benchmarks guided career development, and peer review was used to assess performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the departmental pediatricians' satisfaction with the CDCP. Pediatricians, all of whom had undergone CDCP annual reviews, could participate if they had undergone the in-depth triennial CDCP review. Each received a 5-point Likert scale-based questionnaire that asked how well the CDCP had conformed to the principles identified by the department during the development of the CDCP. Anonymous, confidential responses were collated and used to guide focus groups that discussed areas of greatest concern and attempted to identify solutions. Focus groups were led by external facilitators who were experienced in qualitative research. They audiotaped the sessions, transcribed the comments, and analyzed the data with the assistance of a qualitative analysis application. Sixty of the eligible 88 pediatricians participated, and 74% of their responses were that the CDCP had addressed the original principles "somewhat," "to a great extent," or "extremely well." The remainder indicated that some of the principles were either "not addressed" or "only to a small extent" by the CDCP. Results from the 11 focus groups (46 participants) indicated that the CDCP was an improvement over the previous method of career development and determination of the rate of remuneration. Most were also still in agreement with the purpose and design principles. Although they did not want the CDCP to undergo a major redesign, they identified areas that need improvement. Short-, medium-, and long-term action plans to address these areas are under way. Pediatricians at the health science center of the Hospital for Sick Children remain supportive of the CDCP.

Landscaping practices, land use patterns and stormwater quantity and quality in urban watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, B.; Band, L. E.

2011-12-01

Increasing quantity and decreasing quality of urban stormwater threatens biodiversity in local streams and reservoirs, jeopardizes water supplies, and ultimately contributes to estuarine eutrophication. To estimate the effects that present and alternative landscaping practices and land use patterns may have on urban stormwater quantity and quality, simulations of existing land use/land cover using the Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys), a process-based surface hydrology and biogeochemistry model, were developed for watersheds in Baltimore, MD (as part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) NSF Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site) and Durham, NC (as part of the NSF Urban Long-Term Research Area (ULTRA) program). The influence of land use patterns and landscaping practices on nutrient export in urban watersheds has been explored as part of the BES; this work has focused on improving our understanding of how residential landscaping practices (i.e. lawn fertilization rates) vary across land use and socioeconomic gradients. Elsewhere, others have explored the political ecology of residential landscaping practices - seeking to understand the economic, political, and cultural influences on the practice of high-input residential turf-grass management. Going forward, my research will synthesize and extend this prior work. Rather than pre-supposing predominant residential land use patterns and landscaping practices (i.e. lower-density periphery development incorporating high-input turf landscapes) alternate land use and landscaping scenarios (e.g. higher-density/transit-oriented development, rain gardens, vegetable gardens, native plant/xeriscaping) will be developed through interviews/focus groups with stakeholders (citizens, public officials, developers, non-profits). These scenarios will then be applied to the RHESSys models already developed for catchments in Baltimore and Durham. The modeled scenario results will be used to identify alternate land use patterns and landscaping practices that would: (1) help to reduce non-point sources of nutrient pollution in urban watersheds; and (2) be likely to gain public support. This research will inform sustainable development policy while furthering interdisciplinary research in the fields of planning and water resource management.

The influence of the number of relevant causes on the processing of covariation information in causal reasoning.

PubMed

Kim, Kyungil; Markman, Arthur B; Kim, Tae Hoon

2016-11-01

Research on causal reasoning has focused on the influence of covariation between candidate causes and effects on causal judgments. We suggest that the type of covariation information to which people attend is affected by the task being performed. For this, we manipulated the test questions for the evaluation of contingency information and observed its influence on both contingency learning and subsequent causal selections. When people select one cause related to an effect, they focus on conditional contingencies assuming the absence of alternative causes. When people select two causes related to an effect, they focus on conditional contingencies assuming the presence of alternative causes. We demonstrated this use of contingency information in four experiments.

Noninvasive thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma by using magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound.

PubMed

Jolesz, Ferenc A; Hynynen, Kullervo; McDannold, Nathan; Freundlich, David; Kopelman, Doron

2004-11-01

A number of minimally invasive methods have been tested for the thermal ablation of liver tumors as an alternative to surgical resection. The use of focused ultrasound transducers to ablate deep tumors offers the first completely noninvasive alternative to these techniques. By increasing the flexibility of this technology with modern phased-array transducer design and by combining it with magnetic resonance imaging for targeting and online guidance, a powerful tool results with the potential to offer treatment to a larger population of patients, to reduce trauma to the patient, and to reduce the cost of treatment. In this article, we review previous work with focused ultrasound in the liver and recent experimental results with magnetic resonance imaging guidance.

Forecasting inundation from debris flows that grow during travel, with application to the Oregon Coast Range, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reid, Mark E.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Brien, Dianne

2016-01-01

Many debris flows increase in volume as they travel downstream, enhancing their mobility and hazard. Volumetric growth can result from diverse physical processes, such as channel sediment entrainment, stream bank collapse, adjacent landsliding, hillslope erosion and rilling, and coalescence of multiple debris flows; incorporating these varied phenomena into physics-based debris-flow models is challenging. As an alternative, we embedded effects of debris-flow growth into an empirical/statistical approach to forecast potential inundation areas within digital landscapes in a GIS framework. Our approach used an empirical debris-growth function to account for the effects of growth phenomena. We applied this methodology to a debris-flow-prone area in the Oregon Coast Range, USA, where detailed mapping revealed areas of erosion and deposition along paths of debris flows that occurred during a large storm in 1996. Erosion was predominant in stream channels with slopes > 5°. Using pre- and post-event aerial photography, we derived upslope contributing area and channel-length growth factors. Our method reproduced the observed inundation patterns produced by individual debris flows; it also generated reproducible, objective potential inundation maps for entire drainage networks. These maps better matched observations than those using previous methods that focus on proximal or distal regions of a drainage network.

FOCUS: a fire management planning system -- final report

Treesearch

Frederick W. Bratten; James B. Davis; George T. Flatman; Jerold W. Keith; Stanley R. Rapp; Theodore G. Storey

1981-01-01

FOCUS (Fire Operational Characteristics Using Simulation) is a computer simulation model for evaluating alternative fire management plans. This final report provides a broad overview of the FOCUS system, describes two major modules-fire suppression and cost, explains the role in the system of gaming large fires, and outlines the support programs and ways of...

A motivation-focused weight loss maintenance program is an effective alternative to a skill-based approach.

PubMed

West, D S; Gorin, A A; Subak, L L; Foster, G; Bragg, C; Hecht, J; Schembri, M; Wing, R R

2011-02-01

Maintaining weight loss is a major challenge in obesity treatment. Individuals often indicate that waning motivation prompts cessation of effective weight management behaviors. Therefore, a novel weight loss maintenance program that specifically targets motivational factors was evaluated. Overweight women (N=338; 19% African American) with urinary incontinence were randomized to lifestyle obesity treatment or control and followed for 18 months. All participants in lifestyle (N=226) received the same initial 6-month group behavioral obesity treatment and were then randomized to (1) a novel motivation-focused maintenance program (N=113) or (2) a standard skill-based maintenance approach (N=113). Weight assessed at baseline, 6 and 18 months. Both treatment groups (motivation-focused and skill-based) achieved comparable 18-month weight losses (-5.48% for motivation-focused vs -5.55% in skill-based, P=0.98), and both groups lost significantly more than controls (-1.51%; P=0.0012 in motivation-focused and P=0.0021 in skill-based). A motivation-focused maintenance program offers an alternative, effective approach to weight maintenance expanding available evidence-based interventions beyond traditional skill-based programs.

NEW CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVES FOR THE PROTECTION OF STRATOSPHERIC OZONE

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a study that focused on the investigation of fluorinated derivatives of propane and butane to determine if synthesis routes of such compounds were feasible and economical and to measure the physical properties needed to evaluate the compounds as altern...

Mind-Sets for a Happier Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webber, Jo

1997-01-01

Discusses how irrational beliefs can be disputed and replaced with alternative, healthier mind-sets. Focuses on cognitive restructuring theory, changing unhealthy thoughts, disputation, semantics, and adopting alternative mind-sets, such as life is bizarre and funny. Claims that using words that indicate preferences and possibilities can help…

42 CFR § 414.1300 - Basis and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2017-10-01

... Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Model Incentive § 414.1300 Basis and scope. (a) Basis. This... Participation in Eligible Alternative Payment Models. (2) Section 1848(a)—Payment for Physicians' Services Based... to QPs. (10) Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models (PFPMs). ...

Motor Development: Manual of Alternative Procedures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormack, James E.

The manual of alternative procedures for teaching handicapped children focuses on programming, planning, and implementing training in the gross motor (posture, limb control, locomotion) and fine motor (facial, digital) skills. The manual consists of the following sections: specific teaching tactics commonly used in motor training stiuations…

77 FR 33642 - Regional Haze: Revisions to Provisions Governing Alternatives to Source-Specific Best Available...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-07

... of the Two-Pronged Test 2. Identification of Affected Class I Areas 3. Control Scenarios Examined 4... two-pronged test to the Transport Rule control scenario and the source-specific BART control scenario... approaches to identify the Class I areas ``affected'' by the Transport Rule as an alternative control program...

76 FR 63284 - Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 170 (Expansion of Service Area) under Alternative Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1781] Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 170 (Expansion of Service Area) under Alternative Site Framework; Clark County, Indiana Pursuant to its authority under the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of June 18, 1934, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u...

20 CFR 661.330 - Under what circumstances may the State use an alternative entity as the Local Workforce...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., at a minimum, two or more representatives of business in the local area and two or more representatives of labor organizations nominated by local labor federations or employees in the local area. (b)(1...) If the membership structure of an alternative entity is significantly changed after December 31, 1997...

Effect of mass housing settlement type on the comfortable open areas in terms of noise.

PubMed

Akdağ, Neşe Yüğrük; Gedik, Gülay Zorer; Kiraz, Fatih; Şener, Bekir

2017-09-12

The layout of the structures according to the noise source is an important parameter in terms of the level of noise reaching to both open usage areas and the structure surfaces. In this paper, it is aimed to reveal the effect of mass housing settlement type on the size of suitable open usage areas in terms of noise. Comfortable open usage areas in 25 mass housing alternatives are determined for the case of being affected by three different road noises. The reliability of the simulation results is validated by on-site noise level measurements. As a result, it is seen that better results are obtained in linear, L, C, and U type alternatives than point-type blocks. Especially in alternatives consisting of point-and linear-type blocks, if the noise level is above 75 Leq (dBA), the percentage of comfortable open usage areas is very low. It is determined that the percentage of comfortable open areas increases between 50 and 100% by means of appropriately designed noise barriers.

Biogas Implementation as Waste Management Effort in Lembang Sub-district, West Bandung District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alberdi, H. A.; Sagala, S. A. H.; Wulandari, Y.; Srajar, S. L.; Nugraha, D.

2018-05-01

As the population and economic activities increase, energy demand will increase significantly too. In the near future, Indonesia will have more limitations on fossil fuel based energy. Therefore, sources of renewable energy have to be found. On the other hand, rural areas in Indonesia suffer from lack of energy supply. Therefore, energy resilient villages need to be created. Kampung Areng in Cibodas Village, Lembang sub-district is one of the locations declared as an energy resilient village. This study focused on Kampung Areng due to previous information and studies that have shown that the farmers in this area are capable of generating renewable energy through conversion of animal waste using biogas digesters. Biogas adoption was also initiated due to the issue of Cikapundung river pollution. Some people pointed their finger at Kampung Areng as the upstream source of this pollution due to irresponsible handling of animal waste. Thus, the idea emerged that biogas digester adoption in this area could solve the waste management issue while providing an alternative energy source for the community. In this paper, the authors aimed to identify the benefit and impact of biogas adoption in Cibodas Village, particularly regarding waste management.

The increased risk of predation enhances cooperation

PubMed Central

Krams, Indrikis; Bērziņš, Arnis; Krama, Tatjana; Wheatcroft, David; Igaune, Kristīne; Rantala, Markus J.

2010-01-01

Theory predicts that animals in adverse conditions can decrease individual risks and increase long-term benefits by cooperating with neighbours. However, some empirical studies suggest that animals often focus on short-term benefits, which can reduce the likelihood that they will cooperate with others. In this experimental study, we tested between these two alternatives by evaluating whether increased predation risk (as a correlate of environmental adversity) enhances or diminishes the occurrence of cooperation in mobbing, a common anti-predator behaviour, among breeding pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca. We tested whether birds would join their mobbing neighbours more often and harass a stuffed predator placed near their neighbours' nests more intensely in areas with a higher perceived risk of predation. Our results show that birds attended mobs initiated by their neighbours more often, approached the stuffed predator significantly more closely, and mobbed it at a higher intensity in areas where the perceived risk of predation was experimentally increased. In such high-risk areas, birds also were more often involved in between-pair cooperation. This study demonstrates the positive impact of predation risk on cooperation in breeding songbirds, which might help in explaining the emergence and evolution of cooperation. PMID:19846454

A typology of household-level adaptation to coastal flooding and its spatio-temporal patterns.

PubMed

Koerth, Jana; Vafeidis, Athanasios T; Carretero, Silvina; Sterr, Horst; Hinkel, Jochen

2014-01-01

The predicted sea-level rise and changes in storm surge regimes are expected to lead to an increasing risk of flooding in coastal regions. Accommodation can be an alternative to protection in many areas, with household-level adaptation potentially constituting an important element of such a strategy, as it can significantly reduce costs. To date, a systematic typology of household-level adaptation to coastal flooding does not exist. In order to bridge this gap, we conducted a series of quantitative surveys in different coastal areas in Denmark, Germany and Argentina. We applied a cluster analysis in order to categorise the adaptive behaviour of coastal households. Coastal households were found to cluster in four groups that we term: the comprehensives, the theoreticians, the minimalists and the structurals. With the exception of households focusing on the implementation of high-effort structural measures, our results show the affiliation to these groups to follow a specific temporal sequence. At the same time, large differences in category affiliation exist between the study areas. Risk communication tools can utilise our typology to selectively target specific types of households or to ensure that the information needs of all groups are addressed.

Oromucosal multilayer films for tailor-made, controlled drug delivery.

PubMed

Lindert, Sandra; Breitkreutz, Jörg

2017-11-01

The oral mucosa has recently become increasingly important as an alternative administration route for tailor-made, controlled drug delivery. Oromucosal multilayer films, assigned to the monograph oromucosal preparations in the Ph.Eur. may be a promising dosage form to overcome the requirements related to this drug delivery site. Areas covered: We provide an overview of multilayer films as drug delivery tools, and discuss manufacturing processes and characterization methods. We focus on the suitability of characterization methods for particular requirements of multilayer films. A classification was performed covering indication areas and APIs incorporated in multilayer film systems for oromucosal use in order to provide a summary of data published in this field. Expert opinion: The shift in drug development to high molecular weight drugs will influence the field of pharmaceutical development and delivery technologies. For a high number of indication areas, such as hormonal disorders, cardiovascular diseases or local treatment of infections, the flexible layer design of oromucosal multilayer films provides a promising option for tailor-made, controlled delivery of APIs to or through defined surfaces in the oral cavity. However, there is a lack of discriminating or standardized testing methods to assess the quality of multilayer films in a reliable way.

Comparative effectiveness research: what to do when experts disagree about risks.

PubMed

Lie, Reidar K; Chan, Francis K L; Grady, Christine; Ng, Vincent H; Wendler, David

2017-06-19

Ethical issues related to comparative effectiveness research, or research that compares existing standards of care, have recently received considerable attention. In this paper we focus on how Ethics Review Committees (ERCs) should evaluate the risks of comparative effectiveness research. We discuss what has been a prominent focus in the debate about comparative effectiveness research, namely that it is justified when "nothing is known" about the comparative effectiveness of the available alternatives. We argue that this focus may be misleading. Rather, we should focus on the fact that some experts believe that the evidence points in favor of one intervention, whereas other experts believe that the evidence favors the alternative(s). We will then introduce a case that illustrates this point, and based on that, discuss how ERCs should deal with such cases of expert disagreement. We argue that ERCs have a duty to assess the range of expert opinions and based on that assessment arrive at a risk judgment about the study under consideration. We also argue that assessment of expert disagreement is important for the assignment of risk level to a clinical trial: what is the basis for expert opinions, how strong is the evidence appealed to by various experts, and how can clinical trial monitoring affect the possible increased risk of clinical trial participation.

Authentic Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenneson, Paula M.

1999-01-01

Choosing Higher Options in Community Education (CHOICE) Alternative School is devoted to professional development. This report documents the need for and planning of sustained and supported professional development for 4 staff members at the CHOICE Alternative School in Jamestown, New York. There was no focused plan or vision for staff development…

Exploring an alternative transportation program to reduce impaired driving.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-11-01

This study assessed the impact of an alternate ride home for persons who wanted to plan ahead for instances when they may be too impaired to drive, specifically targeting persons between the ages of 29 and 49. First, a series of focus groups was cond...

Rocket Scientist for a Day: Investigating Alternatives for Chemical Propulsion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angelin, Marcus; Rahm, Martin; Gabrielsson, Erik; Gumaelius, Lena

2012-01-01

This laboratory experiment introduces rocket science from a chemistry perspective. The focus is set on chemical propulsion, including its environmental impact and future development. By combining lecture-based teaching with practical, theoretical, and computational exercises, the students get to evaluate different propellant alternatives. To…

Teachers' Work and Innovation in Alternative Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bascia, Nina; Maton, Rhiannon

2016-01-01

Toronto boasts a large and diverse system of public alternative schools: schools where democratic practices, student access and a commitment to public education are fundamental. There are academic schools; schools with thematically focused curricula; schools driven by social movement principles such as antiracism and global education; schools for…

Tapping the potential of alternative medicine.

PubMed

La Puma, J; Eiler, G

1998-04-01

Interest in alternative medicine is growing among healthcare consumers. Health plans and healthcare organizations may be able to improve clinical outcomes and benefit financially by providing patients with access to alternative services. Organizations that can assess their communities' particular needs, draw on interested professional staff to help develop alternative medicine programs and protocols, and study quality outcomes will stand a better chance of making such programs successful. Educating medical staff, designing a credible program, and forging strategic alliances with respected partners can help organizations create a sharply focused brand identity in the community.

Environmental Assessment: Peterson AFB Military Housing Privatization Initiative, El Paso County, Colorado

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-08

would sublease the land from Peterson AFB, and would maintain and manage the housing area for a minimum of 723 military families for 50 years. Under...housing area for a minimum of 723 military families for 50 years. Under the no action alternative, the Air Force would not implement the MHPI at...Peterson AFB, and would maintain and manage the housing area for a minimum of 723 military families for 50 years. No Action Alternative Under the no

Moving further upstream: from toxics reduction to the precautionary principle.

PubMed

Mayer, Brian; Brown, Phil; Linder, Meadow

2002-01-01

Early policies to reduce the amount of toxic waste in the environment focused on cleaning up downstream sources of pollution, such as toxic disposal sites. Public attention in the 1980s encouraged both industry and government to develop an alternative to this command-and-control approach. This article describes the emergence of that alternative-pollution prevention-and its application in Massachusetts through the 1989 Toxics Use Reduction Act. Pollution prevention focuses on the sources of pollution, both metaphorically and physically, more upstream than its predecessors. The success of the Toxics Use Reduction Act in Massachusetts helped create an opportunity where an alternative pollution prevention paradigm could develop. That paradigm, the precautionary principle, is popular among environment activists because it focuses further upstream than pollution prevention by calling attention to the role the social construction of risk plays in decisions regarding the use of hazardous substances. The authors examine the evolution of the precautionary principle through an investigation of three major pathways in its development and expansion. The article concludes with a discussion of the increased potential for protecting public health and the environment afforded by this new perspective.

Evolution and Biological Roles of Alternative 3'UTRs.

PubMed

Mayr, Christine

2016-03-01

More than half of human genes use alternative cleavage and polyadenylation to generate alternative 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) isoforms. Most efforts have focused on transcriptome-wide mapping of alternative 3'UTRs and on the question of how 3'UTR isoform ratios may be regulated. However, it remains less clear why alternative 3'UTRs have evolved and what biological roles they play. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the functional roles of alternative 3'UTRs, including mRNA localization, mRNA stability, and translational efficiency. Recent work suggests that alternative 3'UTRs may also enable the formation of protein-protein interactions to regulate protein localization or to diversify protein functions. These recent findings open an exciting research direction for the investigation of new biological roles of alternative 3'UTRs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tanks Focus Area annual report FY2000

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

None

2000-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) continues to face a major radioactive waste tank remediation effort with tanks containing hazardous and radioactive waste resulting from the production of nuclear materials. With some 90 million gallons of waste in the form of solid, sludge, liquid, and gas stored in 287 tanks across the DOE complex, containing approximately 650 million curies, radioactive waste storage tank remediation is the nation's highest cleanup priority. Differing waste types and unique technical issues require specialized science and technology to achieve tank cleanup in an environmentally acceptable manner. Some of the waste has been stored for overmore » 50 years in tanks that have exceeded their design lives. The challenge is to characterize and maintain these contents in a safe condition and continue to remediate and close each tank to minimize the risks of waste migration and exposure to workers, the public, and the environment. In 1994, the DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) created a group of integrated, multiorganizational teams focusing on specific areas of the EM cleanup mission. These teams have evolved into five focus areas managed within EM's Office of Science and Technology (OST): Tanks Focus Area (TFA); Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area; Nuclear Materials Focus Area; Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area; and Transuranic and Mixed Waste Focus Area.« less

Preliminary Study on the Role of Alternative Educational Pathways in Promoting the Use of Problem-Focused Coping Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shankland, Rebecca; Franca, Lionel Riou; Genolini, Christophe M.; Guelfi, Julien-Daniel; Ionescu, Serban

2009-01-01

Coping styles are generally considered to be environmentally driven. Up to now, research has mainly focused on family influences. However, some studies underline the effect of educational settings on the development of problem-focused coping strategies. Consistently with previous reports on the enhancement of autonomy and problem-solving in…

A Guide to Alternative Education In the Bay Area. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCausland, Leigh; Rockbottom, Gwendolyn

More than 150 schools that offer alternatives to traditional education in San Francisco and the Bay Area are listed in this 60-page catalog. Each entry lists the name, address, phone number and name of the director of each school. Many entries include a 20-200 word description of the school's philosophy, cost, student teacher ratio, total…

75 FR 14623 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Management Plan and Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-26

... Concern (ACEC), Plank Road and East Mesa. The preferred alternative would continue the 298-acre Plank Road... preferred alternative would reduce the East Mesa ACEC from 6,454 acres to 5,799 acres, which overlaps the Planning Area. The East Mesa ACEC would continue to protect biological resources and other resource values...

76 FR 31583 - Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 152, (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1763] Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 152, (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site Framework, Burns Harbor, IN Pursuant to its authority under the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of June 18, 1934, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), the...

Alternative Education: A Comparative Case Study of the Behavior Modification Programs of Two Upstate South Carolina Alternative Schools for Youth Who Exhibit Behavior That Is Disruptive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scipio, Timothy Lamont

2013-01-01

This study examined behavior modification programs in schools designed to focus on discipline and that aim to reform disruptive behavior in students, usually over a limited period of time. This was a comparative case study of two type II alternative schools in the Upstate of South Carolina. The findings contributed to the research base regarding…

Developing Community-Focused Solutions using a Food-Energy-Water Calculator, with Initial Application to Western Kansas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, M. C.; Pahwa, A.; Rogers, D.; Roundy, J. K.; Barron, R. W.

2017-12-01

Many agricultural areas are facing difficult circumstances. Kansas is one example, with problems that are typical. Past agricultural and hydrologic data document how irrigation in western Kansas has produced a multi-billion-dollar agricultural economy that is now threatened by pumping-induced declines in groundwater levels. Although reduced pumping could mitigate much of the threat and preserve much of Kansas' agricultural economy (albeit at a reduced level) in the long term, a primary disincentive for reducing pumping is the immediate economic impact of diminished irrigation. One alternative to continued unsustainable groundwater use is a water-energy tradeoff program that seeks to reduce pumping from the Ogallala aquifer to sustainable rates while maintaining local income levels. This program would allow development of the region's rich wind and solar energy resources in a way that focuses on local economic benefits, in exchange for water rights concessions from affected stakeholders. In considering this alternative, most citizens are currently unable to address a key question, "What could this mean for me?" Answering this question requires knowledge of agriculture, energy, water, economics, and drought probabilities, knowledge that is available at Kansas universities. This talk presents a joint University of Kansas - Kansas State University effort to address this need through development of the Food-Energy-Water Calculator. This talk will present the idea and discuss how the calculator would work. It is suggested that the framework created provides a powerful way to organize data and analysis results, and thus to seek solutions to difficult problems in many regions of the US and the world.

Laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device

DOEpatents

Vann, Charles S.

1993-01-01

A laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device permits the focus of a single focal point of different frequency laser beams emanating from the same source point. In particular it allows the focusing of laser beam originating from the same laser device but having differing intensities so that a low intensity beam will not convert to a higher frequency when passing through a conversion crystal associated with the laser generating device. The laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device uses a cassegrain system to fold the lower frequency, low intensity beam back upon itself so that it will focus at the same focal point as a high intensity beam. An angular tilt compensating lens is mounted about the secondary mirror of the cassegrain system to assist in alignment. In addition cameras or CCD's are mounted with the primary mirror to sense the focused image. A convex lens is positioned co-axial with the cassegrain system on the side of the primary mirror distal of the secondary for use in aligning a target with the laser beam. A first alternate embodiment includes a cassegrain system using a series of shutters and an internally mounted dichroic mirror. A second alternate embodiment uses two laser focus compensating sensing and imaging devices for aligning a moving tool with a work piece.

Laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device

DOEpatents

Vann, C.S.

1993-08-31

A laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device permits the focus of a single focal point of different frequency laser beams emanating from the same source point. In particular it allows the focusing of laser beam originating from the same laser device but having differing intensities so that a low intensity beam will not convert to a higher frequency when passing through a conversion crystal associated with the laser generating device. The laser focus compensating sensing and imaging device uses a Cassegrain system to fold the lower frequency, low intensity beam back upon itself so that it will focus at the same focal point as a high intensity beam. An angular tilt compensating lens is mounted about the secondary mirror of the Cassegrain system to assist in alignment. In addition cameras or CCD's are mounted with the primary mirror to sense the focused image. A convex lens is positioned co-axial with the Cassegrain system on the side of the primary mirror distal of the secondary for use in aligning a target with the laser beam. A first alternate embodiment includes a Cassegrain system using a series of shutters and an internally mounted dichroic mirror. A second alternate embodiment uses two laser focus compensating sensing and imaging devices for aligning a moving tool with a work piece.

How Traumatic Violence Permanently Changes Shopping Behavior.

PubMed

Sigirci, Ozge; Rockmore, Marc; Wansink, Brian

2016-01-01

Traumatic experiences - such as combat, living in a conflict country or war-torn nation, or experiencing a violent crime or natural disaster - change social relationships and may also influence a life-time of consumer relationships with brands and shopping. Our focus on this previously overlooked area is centered on an analysis of the long-term shopping habits of 355 combat veterans. We show that those who experienced heavy trauma (e.g., heavy combat) exhibited similar disconnection from brands as others have experienced in social relationships. They became more transactional in that they were more open to switching brands, to trying new products, and buying the least expensive alternative (p < 0.01). In contrast, those who had experienced a light trauma were more influenced by ads and more open to buying brands even when they cost more (p < 0.00). Trauma, such as combat, may change one's decision horizon. Functionality and price become more important, which is consistent with the idea that they are more focused on the present moment than on building on the past or saving for the future.

How Traumatic Violence Permanently Changes Shopping Behavior

PubMed Central

Sigirci, Ozge; Rockmore, Marc; Wansink, Brian

2016-01-01

Traumatic experiences – such as combat, living in a conflict country or war-torn nation, or experiencing a violent crime or natural disaster – change social relationships and may also influence a life-time of consumer relationships with brands and shopping. Our focus on this previously overlooked area is centered on an analysis of the long-term shopping habits of 355 combat veterans. We show that those who experienced heavy trauma (e.g., heavy combat) exhibited similar disconnection from brands as others have experienced in social relationships. They became more transactional in that they were more open to switching brands, to trying new products, and buying the least expensive alternative (p < 0.01). In contrast, those who had experienced a light trauma were more influenced by ads and more open to buying brands even when they cost more (p < 0.00). Trauma, such as combat, may change one’s decision horizon. Functionality and price become more important, which is consistent with the idea that they are more focused on the present moment than on building on the past or saving for the future. PMID:27656152

Phenotypic screening in cancer drug discovery - past, present and future.

PubMed

Moffat, John G; Rudolph, Joachim; Bailey, David

2014-08-01

There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of phenotypic screens in drug discovery as an alternative to target-focused approaches. Given that oncology is currently the most active therapeutic area, and also one in which target-focused approaches have been particularly prominent in the past two decades, we investigated the contribution of phenotypic assays to oncology drug discovery by analysing the origins of all new small-molecule cancer drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past 15 years and those currently in clinical development. Although the majority of these drugs originated from target-based discovery, we identified a significant number whose discovery depended on phenotypic screening approaches. We postulate that the contribution of phenotypic screening to cancer drug discovery has been hampered by a reliance on 'classical' nonspecific drug effects such as cytotoxicity and mitotic arrest, exacerbated by a paucity of mechanistically defined cellular models for therapeutically translatable cancer phenotypes. However, technical and biological advances that enable such mechanistically informed phenotypic models have the potential to empower phenotypic drug discovery in oncology.

Tailored laser beam shaping for efficient and accurate microstructuring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Häfner, T.; Strauß, J.; Roider, C.; Heberle, J.; Schmidt, M.

2018-02-01

Large-area processing with high material removal rates by ultrashort pulsed (USP) lasers is coming into focus by the development of high-power USP laser systems. However, currently the bottleneck for high-rate production is given by slow and inefficient beam manipulation. On the one hand, slow beam deflection with regard to high pulse repetition rates leads to heat accumulation and shielding effects, on the other hand, a conventional focus cannot provide the optimum fluence due to the Gaussian intensity profile. In this paper, we emphasize on two approaches of dynamic laser beam shaping with liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulation and acousto-optic beam shaping. Advantages and limitations of dynamic laser beam shaping with regard to USP laser material processing and methods for reducing the influence of speckle are discussed. Additionally, the influence of optics induced aberrations on speckle characteristics is evaluated. Laser material processing results are presented correlating the achieved structure quality with the simulated and measured beam quality. Experimental and analytical investigations show a certain fluence dependence of the necessary number of alternative holograms to realize homogeneous microstructures.

Harvesting alternate energies from our planet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, Bhakta B.

2009-04-01

Recent price fluctuations have focused attention on the phenomenal increase of global energy consumption in recent years. We have almost reached a peak in global oil production. Total world consumption of oil will rise by nearly 60% between 1999 and 2020. In 1999 consumption was 86 million barrels of oil per day, which has reached a peak of production extracted from most known oil reserves. These projections, if accurate, will present an unprecedented crisis to the global economy and industry. As an example, in the United States, nearly 40% of energy usage is provided by petroleum, of which nearly a third is used in transportation. An aggressive search for alternate energy sources, both renewable and nonrenewable, is vital. This article will review national and international perspectives on the exploration of alternate energies with a focus on energy derivable from the ocean.

Supply Chain Collaboration Alternatives: Understanding the Expected Costs and Benefits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaren, Tim; Head, Milena; Yuan, Yufei

2002-01-01

Discusses collaboration as a recent trend in supply chain management (SCM) that focuses on joint planning, coordination, and process integration between suppliers, customers, and other partners in a supply chain. Analyzes alternative information systems approaches for supporting collaborative SCM, including phone, fax, or email systems; Web-based…

Academic Remediation-Focused Alternative Schools: Impact on Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkerson, Kimber L.; Afacan, Kemal; Yan, Min-Chi; Justin, Whitney; Datar, Sujata D.

2016-01-01

School districts offer specialized programming for secondary students who experience high rates of course failure or low credit accumulation. While these alternative programs are meant to increase student success, little research evaluates outcomes for students attending them. In this study, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to investigate…

Education and Training in New and Renewable Sources of Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beresovski, T.; And Others

1981-01-01

Identifies past and present efforts and future directions for UNESCO activities related to energy but focusing on alternative energy sources. Reports results of an international survey and analysis of programs, facilities, and needs in alternative energy education and training. Outlines curricula for policymakers, specialists, and technicians. (DC)

Alternative Administrative Certification: Socializing Factors Influencing Program Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Dana L.; Bickmore, Steven T.; Raines, Sarah

2013-01-01

This study used an organizational socialization lens to examine factors influencing participants' decision to pursue the principalship and choice to engage in an alternate administration certification program. Through an analysis of participant focus groups and interviews, factors emerged from the codes that were compared with dimensions of…

Exploring Reading Growth Profiles for Middle School Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farley, Daniel Patrick

2017-01-01

Statewide accountability programs are incorporating academic growth estimates for general assessments. This transition focuses attention on modeling growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCD) who take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), as most states attempt to structure their AA-AAS…

Building Alternative Agri-Food Networks: Certification, Embeddedness and Agri-Environmental Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Vaughan; Dibden, Jacqui; Cocklin, Chris

2008-01-01

This paper examines the role of certification in alternative agri-food networks (AAFNs), which are "in the process" of building markets for their produce outside conventional supply chains. Drawing upon recent writing on "embeddedness", we argue that certification provides an important focus for exploring the relationship and…

Considerations of Administrative Licensure, Provider Type, and Leadership Quality: Recommendations for Research, Policy, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackmann, Donald G.

2016-01-01

This article reviews U.S. administrative licensure regulations, focusing on type of school leader licensure, provider types, and leadership quality. Licensure obtained through university-based and alternative routes is examined. Due to limited research on alternative school administrative licensure, regulations in medicine, psychology,…

Technology-Based Classroom Assessments: Alternatives to Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salend, Spencer J.

2009-01-01

Although many teachers are using new technologies to differentiate instruction and administer tests, educators are also employing a range of technology-based resources and strategies to implement a variety of classroom assessments as alternatives to standardized and teacher-made testing. Technology-based classroom assessments focus on the use of…

Sustainable Agriculture in Print: Current Books. Special Reference Briefs: SRB 95-02.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD.

Prepared by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) staff and volunteers, this annotated bibliography provides a list of 85 recently published books pertaining to sustainable agriculture. AFSIC focuses on alternative farming systems (e.g., sustainable, low-input, regenerative, biodynamic, and organic) that maintain agricultural…

Restorative Justice in Everyday Life: Beyond the Formal Ritual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wachtel, Ted

2003-01-01

Restorative justice provides a promising alternative to punitive models in justice and education. Most programs to date have focused on "conferencing," where victims and offenders are brought together for mediation and reconciliation. This article extends the restorative model to the entire milieu of an alternative school setting. (Contains 3…

Gantry for medical particle therapy facility

DOEpatents

Trbojevic, Dejan

2013-04-23

A particle therapy gantry for delivering a particle beam to a patient includes a beam tube having a curvature defining a particle beam path and a plurality of superconducting, variable field magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path. In a method for delivering a particle beam to a patient through a gantry, a particle beam is guided by a plurality of variable field magnets sequentially arranged along a beam tube of the gantry and the beam is alternately focused and defocused with alternately arranged focusing and defocusing variable field magnets.

Alternate fusion fuels workshop

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

Not Available

1981-06-01

The workshop was organized to focus on a specific confinement scheme: the tokamak. The workshop was divided into two parts: systems and physics. The topics discussed in the systems session were narrowly focused on systems and engineering considerations in the tokamak geometry. The workshop participants reviewed the status of system studies, trade-offs between d-t and d-d based reactors and engineering problems associated with the design of a high-temperature, high-field reactor utilizing advanced fuels. In the physics session issues were discussed dealing with high-beta stability, synchrotron losses and transport in alternate fuel systems. The agenda for the workshop is attached.

Gantry for medical particle therapy facility

DOEpatents

Trbojevic, Dejan [Wading River, NY

2012-05-08

A particle therapy gantry for delivering a particle beam to a patient includes a beam tube having a curvature defining a particle beam path and a plurality of fixed field magnets sequentially arranged along the beam tube for guiding the particle beam along the particle path. In a method for delivering a particle beam to a patient through a gantry, a particle beam is guided by a plurality of fixed field magnets sequentially arranged along a beam tube of the gantry and the beam is alternately focused and defocused with alternately arranged focusing and defocusing fixed field magnets.

Environmental and economic comparisons of the satellite power system and six alternative energy technologies

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

Whitfield, R.G.; Habegger, L.J.; Levine, E.P.

1981-04-01

The objective of the comparative assessment is to provide an initial, traceable and consistent comparison of the SPS and selected current, near-term, and advanced energy technologies. Terrestrial alternatives were selected, and their cost, performance, and environmental and societal attributes were specified for use in the comparison with the SPS in the post-2000 era. The framework for comparisons was established. The SPS was compared with alternative systems in terms of key issues such as life-cycle cost and environmental impacts. The results of the assessments were assembled and integrated into a consistent comparative assessment. Environmental and economic effects are evaluated, which weremore » subdivided into the following issue areas: human health and safety, environmental welfare, resources (land, materials, energy, water, labor), macroeconomics, socioeconomics, and institutional. These evaluations were based on technology characterization data and alternative futures scenarios, which were developed as part of CDEP by supporting studies. The technologies and the scenarios are described. An additional major issue area concerned the cost and performance of the SPS and the alternative technologies: results in this area provided part of the basis of the macroeconomic analyses. 159 references.« less

Robust small area prediction for counts.

PubMed

Tzavidis, Nikos; Ranalli, M Giovanna; Salvati, Nicola; Dreassi, Emanuela; Chambers, Ray

2015-06-01

A new semiparametric approach to model-based small area prediction for counts is proposed and used for estimating the average number of visits to physicians for Health Districts in Central Italy. The proposed small area predictor can be viewed as an outlier robust alternative to the more commonly used empirical plug-in predictor that is based on a Poisson generalized linear mixed model with Gaussian random effects. Results from the real data application and from a simulation experiment confirm that the proposed small area predictor has good robustness properties and in some cases can be more efficient than alternative small area approaches. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

The Comprehension Toolkit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Stephanie; Goudvis, Anne

2005-01-01

"The Comprehension Toolkit" focuses on reading, writing, talking, listening, and investigating, to deepen understanding of nonfiction texts. With a focus on strategic thinking, this toolkit's lessons provide a foundation for developing independent readers and learners. It also provides an alternative to the traditional assign and correct…

Conventional Systems of Classroom Discipline (the Patriarchy Speaks).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumenfeld-Jones, Donald S.

1996-01-01

Considers traditional classroom discipline systems as patriarchal moral systems focused on hyperindividuality and dependent upon rules, consequences, and principles focused through authoritarian structures. Critiques the Assertive Discipline, Control Theory, and Discipline with Dignity discipline systems, and proposes an alternative model for…

Biological Diversity in the Patent System

PubMed Central

Oldham, Paul; Hall, Stephen; Forero, Oscar

2013-01-01

Biological diversity in the patent system is an enduring focus of controversy but empirical analysis of the presence of biodiversity in the patent system has been limited. To address this problem we text mined 11 million patent documents for 6 million Latin species names from the Global Names Index (GNI) established by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). We identified 76,274 full Latin species names from 23,882 genera in 767,955 patent documents. 25,595 species appeared in the claims section of 136,880 patent documents. This reveals that human innovative activity involving biodiversity in the patent system focuses on approximately 4% of taxonomically described species and between 0.8–1% of predicted global species. In this article we identify the major features of the patent landscape for biological diversity by focusing on key areas including pharmaceuticals, neglected diseases, traditional medicines, genetic engineering, foods, biocides, marine genetic resources and Antarctica. We conclude that the narrow focus of human innovative activity and ownership of genetic resources is unlikely to be in the long term interest of humanity. We argue that a broader spectrum of biodiversity needs to be opened up to research and development based on the principles of equitable benefit-sharing, respect for the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, human rights and ethics. Finally, we argue that alternative models of innovation, such as open source and commons models, are required to open up biodiversity for research that addresses actual and neglected areas of human need. The research aims to inform the implementation of the 2010 Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization and international debates directed to the governance of genetic resources. Our research also aims to inform debates under the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore at the World Intellectual Property Organization. PMID:24265714

Quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Rühle, Sven; Shalom, Menny; Zaban, Arie

2010-08-02

Quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) are a promising low-cost alternative to existing photovoltaic technologies such as crystalline silicon and thin inorganic films. The absorption spectrum of quantum dots (QDs) can be tailored by controlling their size, and QDs can be produced by low-cost methods. Nanostructures such as mesoporous films, nanorods, nanowires, nanotubes and nanosheets with high microscopic surface area, redox electrolytes and solid-state hole conductors are borrowed from standard dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) to fabricate electron conductor/QD monolayer/hole conductor junctions with high optical absorbance. Herein we focus on recent developments in the field of mono- and polydisperse QDSCs. Stability issues are adressed, coating methods are presented, performance is reviewed and special emphasis is given to the importance of energy-level alignment to increase the light to electric power conversion efficiency.

Composite structures for optical mirror applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, Richard A.; Marks, John E.

1990-10-01

The employment of composites in RF structures such as antennas, feedhorns, and waveguides is outlined, and focus is placed on the parameters of a composite mirror operating in the 3-5- and 8-12-micron areas. A large beam-steering composite mirror fabricated from ultrahigh-modulus graphite/epoxy is described, including its three subassemblies: the core subassembly and two facesheet subassemblies. Attention is given to an alternative approach in which a gel coat resin is applied to the glass surface and the mirror substrate is pressed to the tool to cover the mirror with the resin. Another method is to seal the composite from the effects of moisture expansion by applying a eutectic coating; voids and crystal-grain growth are the main sources of surface perturbation on such mirror surfaces.

Comparative study of chitosan and chitosan-gelatin scaffold for tissue engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Pawan; Dehiya, Brijnandan S.; Sindhu, Anil

2017-12-01

A number of orthopedic disorders and bone defect issues are solved by scaffold-based therapy in tissue engineering. The biocompatibility of chitosan (polysaccharide) and its similarity with glycosaminoglycan makes it a bone-grafting material. The current work focus on the synthesis of chitosan and chitosan-gelatin scaffold for hard tissue engineering. The chitosan and chitosan-gelatin scaffold have shown improved specific surface area, density, porosity, mechanical properties, biodegradability and absorption. These scaffolds can lead to the development or artificial fabrication of hard tissue alternates. The porous scaffold samples were prepared by freeze-drying method. The microstructure, mechanical and degradable properties of chitosan and chitosan-gelatin scaffolds were analyzed and results revealed that the scaffolds prepared from chitosan-gelatin can be utilized as a useful matrix for tissue engineering.

Antimony Resistance in Leishmania, Focusing on Experimental Research

PubMed Central

Jeddi, Fakhri; Piarroux, Renaud; Mary, Charles

2011-01-01

Leishmaniases are parasitic diseases that spread in many countries with a prevalence of 12 million cases. There are few available treatments and antimonials are still of major importance in the therapeutic strategies used in most endemic regions. However, resistance toward these compounds has recently emerged in areas where the replacement of these drugs is mainly limited by the cost of alternative molecules. In this paper, we reviewed the studies carried out on antimonial resistance in Leishmania. Several common limitations of these works are presented before prevalent approaches to evidence antimonial resistance are related. Afterwards, phenotypic determination of resistance is described, then confronted to clinical outcome. Finally, we detail molecular mechanisms and targets involved in resistance and already identified in vitro within selected mutant strains or in clinical isolates. PMID:22174724

Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution

DOE PAGES

Gaffney, Jeffrey S.; Marley, Nancy A.

2003-01-01

Atmospheric chemistry is an important discipline for understanding air pollution and its impacts. This mini-review gives a brief history of air pollution and presents an overview of some of the basic photochemistry involved in the production of ozone and other oxidants in the atmosphere. Urban air quality issues are reviewed with a specific focus on ozone and other oxidants, primary and secondary aerosols, alternative fuels, and the potential for chlorine releases to amplify oxidant chemistry in industrial areas. Regional air pollution issues such as acid rain, long-range transport of aerosols and visibility loss, and the connections of aerosols to ozonemore » and peroxyacetyl nitrate chemistry are examined. Finally, the potential impacts of air pollutants on the global-scale radiative balances of gases and aerosols are discussed briefly.« less

Knowledge Dissemination of Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Studies Measured Using Alternative Metrics: Results From a Scoping Review.

PubMed

Madden, Kim; Evaniew, Nathan; Scott, Taryn; Domazetoska, Elena; Dosanjh, Pritnek; Li, Chuan Silvia; Thabane, Lehana; Bhandari, Mohit; Sprague, Sheila

2016-07-01

Alternative metrics measure the number of online mentions that an academic paper receives, including mentions in social media and online news outlets. It is important to monitor and measure dispersion of intimate partner violence (IPV) victim intervention research so that we can improve our knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) processes improving utilization of study findings. The objective of this study is to describe the dissemination of published IPV victim intervention studies and to explore which study characteristics are associated with a greater number of alternative metric mentions and conventional citations. As part of a larger scoping review, we conducted a literature search to identify IPV intervention studies. Outcomes included znumber of alternative metric mentions and conventional citations. Fifty-nine studies were included in this study. The median number of alternative metric mentions was six, and the median number of conventional citations was two. Forty-one percent of the studies (24/59) had no alternative metric mentions, and 27% (16/59) had no conventional citations. Longer time since publication was significantly associated with a greater number of mentions and citations, as were systematic reviews and randomized controlled trial designs. The majority of IPV studies receive little to no online attention or citations in academic journals, indicating a need for the field to focus on implementing strong knowledge dissemination plans. The papers receiving the most alternative metric mentions and conventional citations were also the more rigorous study designs, indicating a need to focus on study quality. We recommend using alternative metrics in conjunction with conventional metrics to evaluate the full dissemination of IPV research.

Impact of alternative energy forms on public utilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keith, F. W., Jr.

1977-01-01

The investigation of alternative energy sources by the electric utility industry is discussed. Research projects are reviewed in each of the following areas; solar energy, wind energy conversion, photosynthesis of biomass, ocean thermal energy conversion, geothermal energy, fusion, and the environmental impact of alternative energy sources.

27 CFR 19.201 - Procedure for alternating proprietors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... operated alternately by proprietors who have filed and received approval of the necessary bonds and... describe the areas, rooms or buildings or combination thereof, which will be alternated, and shall be... diagram shall be submitted for each arrangement under which the premises will be operated. Once such...

Marital Alternatives and Marital Disruption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Udry, J. Richard

1981-01-01

Explores the usefulness of "marital alternatives" as a dimension in explaining marital stability, using longitudinal data from a panel of married, White, urban couples from 16 urban areas. Results indicated the dimension of marital alternatives appeared to be a better predictor of marital disruption than marital satisfaction. (Author/RC)

Multi-objective optimization for conjunctive water use using coupled hydrogeological and agronomic models: a case study in Heihe mid-reach (China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LI, Y.; Kinzelbach, W.; Pedrazzini, G.

2017-12-01

Groundwater is a vital water resource to buffer unexpected drought risk in agricultural production, which is however apt to unsustainable exploitation due to its open access characteristic and a much underestimated marginal cost. Being a wicked problem of general water resource management, groundwater staying hidden from surface terrain further amplifies difficulties of management. China has been facing this challenge in last decades, particularly in the northern part where irrigated agriculture resides despite of scarce surface water available compared to the south. Farmers therefore have been increasingly exploiting groundwater as an alternative in order to reach Chinese food self-sufficiency requirements and feed fast socio-economic development. In this work, we studied Heihe mid-reach located in northern China, which represents one of a few regions suffering from symptoms of unsustainable groundwater use, such as a large drawdown of the groundwater table in some irrigation districts, or soil salinization due to phreatic evaporation in others. In addition, we focus on solving a multi-objective optimization problem of conjunctive water use in order to find an alternative management scheme that fits decision makers' preference. The methodology starts with a global sensitivity analysis to determine the most influential decision variables. Then a state-of-the-art multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) is employed to search a hyper-dimensional Pareto Front. The aquifer system is simulated with a distributed Modflow model, which is able to capture the main phenomenon of interest. Results show that the current water allocation scheme seems to exploit the water resources in an inefficient way, where areas with depression cones and areas with salinization or groundwater table rise can both be mitigated with an alternative management scheme. When assuming uncertain boundary conditions according to future climate change, the optimal solutions can yield better performance in economical productivity by reducing opportunity cost under unexpected drought conditions.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan for the 92-Acre Area and Corrective Action Unit 111: Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

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

NSTec Environmental Restoration

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan (CADD/CAP) has been prepared for the 92-Acre Area, the southeast quadrant of the Radioactive Waste Management Site, located in Area 5 of the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The 92-Acre Area includes Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 111, 'Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits.' Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) were developed for the 92-Acre Area, which includes CAU 111. The result of the DQO process was that the 92-Acre Area is sufficiently characterized to provide the input data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives (CAAs) without the collection of additional data. The DQOs aremore » included as Appendix A of this document. This CADD/CAP identifies and provides the rationale for the recommended CAA for the 92-Acre Area, provides the plan for implementing the CAA, and details the post-closure plan. When approved, this CADD/CAP will supersede the existing Pit 3 (P03) Closure Plan, which was developed in accordance with Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 265, 'Interim Status Standards for Owners and Operators of Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities.' This document will also serve as the Closure Plan and the Post-Closure Plan, which are required by 40 CFR 265, for the 92-Acre Area. After closure activities are complete, a request for the modification of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Permit that governs waste management activities at the NNSS will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to incorporate the requirements for post-closure monitoring. Four CAAs, ranging from No Further Action to Clean Closure, were evaluated for the 92-Acre Area. The CAAs were evaluated on technical merit focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, safety, and cost. Based on the evaluation of the data used to develop the conceptual site model; a review of past, current, and future operations at the site; and the detailed and comparative analysis of the potential CAAs, Closure in Place with Administrative Controls is the preferred CAA for the 92-Acre Area. Closure activities will include the following: (1) Constructing an engineered evapotranspiration cover over the 92-Acre Area; (2) Installing use restriction (UR) warning signs, concrete monuments, and subsidence survey monuments; (3) Establishing vegetation on the cover; (4) Implementing a UR; and (5) Implementing post-closure inspections and monitoring. The Closure in Place with Administrative Controls alternative meets all requirements for the technical components evaluated, fulfills all applicable federal and state regulations for closure of the site, and will minimize potential future exposure pathways to the buried waste at the site.« less

Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan for the 92-Acre Area and Corrective Action Unit 111: Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

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

NSTec Environmental Restoration

2009-07-31

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan (CADD/CAP) has been prepared for the 92-Acre Area, the southeast quadrant of the Radioactive Waste Management Site, located in Area 5 of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The 92-Acre Area includes Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 111, 'Area 5 WMD Retired Mixed Waste Pits.' Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) were developed for the 92-Acre Area, which includes CAU 111. The result of the DQO process was that the 92-Acre Area is sufficiently characterized to provide the input data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives (CAAs) without the collection of additional data. The DQOs are includedmore » as Appendix A of this document. This CADD/CAP identifies and provides the rationale for the recommended CAA for the 92-Acre Area, provides the plan for implementing the CAA, and details the post-closure plan. When approved, this CADD/CAP will supersede the existing Pit 3 (P03) Closure Plan, which was developed in accordance with Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 265, 'Interim Status Standards for Owners and Operators of Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities.' This document will also serve as the Closure Plan and the Post-Closure Plan, which are required by 40 CFR 265, for the 92-Acre Area. After closure activities are complete, a request for the modification of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Permit that governs waste management activities at the NTS will be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to incorporate the requirements for post-closure monitoring. Four CAAs, ranging from No Further Action to Clean Closure, were evaluated for the 92-Acre Area. The CAAs were evaluated on technical merit focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, safety, and cost. Based on the evaluation of the data used to develop the conceptual site model; a review of past, current, and future operations at the site; and the detailed and comparative analysis of the potential CAAs, Closure in Place with Administrative Controls is the preferred CAA for the 92-Acre Area. Closure activities will include the following: (1) Constructing an engineered evapotranspiration cover over the 92-Acre Area; (2) Installing use restriction (UR) warning signs, concrete monuments, and subsidence survey monuments; (3) Establishing vegetation on the cover; (4) Implementing a UR; and (5) Implementing post-closure inspections and monitoring. The Closure in Place with Administrative Controls alternative meets all requirements for the technical components evaluated, fulfills all applicable federal and state regulations for closure of the site, and will minimize potential future exposure pathways to the buried waste at the site.« less

Attitudes toward hepatitis B virus among Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean Americans in the Houston area, Texas.

PubMed

Hwang, Jessica P; Roundtree, Aimee K; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E

2012-10-01

We explored attitudes about prevention, screening and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese communities. We use qualitative methods in 12 focus groups (n = 113) of adults who self-reported their ethnicity to be Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese. We use grounded theory (i.e., consensus-building between co-coders about recurring, emerging themes) for analysis. Diet, nutrition, fatigue and stress were misidentified as HBV causes. Improving hygiene, diet, exercise, and holistic methods were misidentified as viable HBV prevention methods. Common screening problems included not affording test and not understanding test results. Participants shared reasons for using complementary and alternative medicine--when Western medicine fails or becomes unaffordable. Participants sought information from medical providers and fellow community members, but also from the internet. Many of the attitudes and opinions that emerged may deter participation in HBV screening, prevention and treatment, insofar as community members may factor them into healthcare decision-making, choose alternative but ineffective methods of prevention and treatment, and undervalue the benefits of screening. More patient education in both traditional and new media is necessary for clarifying transmission, screening and treatment misunderstandings.

Regenerating the kidney using human pluripotent stem cells and renal progenitors.

PubMed

Becherucci, Francesca; Mazzinghi, Benedetta; Allinovi, Marco; Angelotti, Maria Lucia; Romagnani, Paola

2018-06-25

Introduction Chronic kidney disease is a major healthcare problem worldwide and its cost is becoming no longer affordable. Indeed, restoring damaged renal structures or building a new kidney represent an ambitious and ideal alternative to renal replacement therapy. Streams of research have explored the possible application of pluripotent SCs (embryonic SCs and induced pluripotent SCs) in different strategies aimed at regenerate functioning nephrons and at understanding the mechanisms of kidney regeneration. Areas covered In this review, we will focus on the main potential applications of human pluripotent SCs to kidney regeneration, including those leading to rebuilding new kidneys or part of them (organoids, scaffolds, biological microdevices) as well as those aimed at understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of renal disease and regenerative processes (modeling of kidney disease, genome editing). Moreover, we will discuss the role of endogenous renal progenitors cells in order to understand and promote kidney regeneration, as an attractive alternative to pluripotent SCs. Expert opinion Opportunities and pitfalls of all these strategies will be underlined, finally leading to the conclusion that a deeper knowledge of the biology of pluripotent SCs is mandatory, in order to allow us to hypothesize their clinical application.

Functional specialization of the primate frontal cortex during decision making.

PubMed

Lee, Daeyeol; Rushworth, Matthew F S; Walton, Mark E; Watanabe, Masataka; Sakagami, Masamichi

2007-08-01

Economic theories of decision making are based on the principle of utility maximization, and reinforcement-learning theory provides computational algorithms that can be used to estimate the overall reward expected from alternative choices. These formal models not only account for a large range of behavioral observations in human and animal decision makers, but also provide useful tools for investigating the neural basis of decision making. Nevertheless, in reality, decision makers must combine different types of information about the costs and benefits associated with each available option, such as the quality and quantity of expected reward and required work. In this article, we put forward the hypothesis that different subdivisions of the primate frontal cortex may be specialized to focus on different aspects of dynamic decision-making processes. In this hypothesis, the lateral prefrontal cortex is primarily involved in maintaining the state representation necessary to identify optimal actions in a given environment. In contrast, the orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex might be primarily involved in encoding and updating the utilities associated with different sensory stimuli and alternative actions, respectively. These cortical areas are also likely to contribute to decision making in a social context.

Qualitative evaluation: A critical and interpretative complementary approach to improve health programs and services

PubMed Central

Tayabas, Luz María Tejada; León, Teresita Castillo; ESPINO, JOEL MONARREZ

2014-01-01

This short essay aims at commenting on the origin, development, rationale, and main characteristics of qualitative evaluation (QE), emphasizing the value of this methodological tool to evaluate health programs and services. During the past decades, different approaches have come to light proposing complementary alternatives to appraise the performance of public health programs, mainly focusing on the implementation process involved rather than on measuring the impact of such actions. QE is an alternative tool that can be used to illustrate and understand the process faced when executing health programs. It can also lead to useful suggestions to modify its implementation from the stakeholders’ perspectives, as it uses a qualitative approach that considers participants as reflective subjects, generators of meanings. This implies that beneficiaries become involved in an active manner in the evaluated phenomena with the aim of improving the health programs or services that they receive. With this work we want to encourage evaluators in the field of public health to consider the use of QE as a complementary tool for program evaluation to be able to identify areas of opportunity to improve programs’ implementation processes from the perspective of intended beneficiaries. PMID:25152220

Attitudes toward Hepatitis B Virus among Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean Americans in the Houston Area, Texas

PubMed Central

Hwang, Jessica P.; Roundtree, Aimee K.; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E.

2017-01-01

Objectives We explored attitudes about prevention, screening and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese communities. Methods We use qualitative methods in 12 focus groups (n=113) of adults who self-reported their ethnicity to be Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese. We use grounded theory (i.e., consensus-building between co-coders about recurring, emerging themes) for analysis. Results Diet, nutrition, fatigue and stress were misidentified as HBV causes. Improving hygiene, diet, exercise, and holistic methods were misidentified as viable HBV prevention methods. Common screening problems included not affording test and not understanding test results. Participants shared reasons for using complementary and alternative medicine—when Western medicine fails or becomes unaffordable. Participants sought information from medical providers and fellow community members, but also from the internet. Conclusions Many of the attitudes and opinions that emerged may deter participation in HBV screening, prevention and treatment, insofar as community members may factor them into healthcare decision-making, choose alternative but ineffective methods of prevention and treatment, and undervalue the benefits of screening. More patient education in both traditional and new media is necessary for clarifying transmission, screening and treatment misunderstandings. PMID:22302653

Guidance for Large-scale Implementation of Alternate Wetting and Drying: A Biophysical Suitability Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sander, B. O.; Wassmann, R.; Nelson, A.; Palao, L.; Wollenberg, E.; Ishitani, M.

2014-12-01

The alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology for rice production does not only save 15-30% of irrigation water, it also reduces methane emissions by up to 70%. AWD is defined by periodic drying and re-flooding of a rice field. Due to its high mitigation potential and its simplicity to execute this practice AWD has gained a lot of attention in recent years. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) has put AWD high on its agenda and funds a project to guide implementation of this technology in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Colombia. One crucial activity is a biophysical suitability assessment for AWD in the three countries. For this, we analyzed rainfall and soil data as well as potential evapotranspiration to assess if the water balance allows practicing AWD or if precipitation is too high for rice fields to fall dry. In my talk I will outline key factors for a successful large-scale implementation of AWD with a focus on the biophysical suitability assessment. The seasonal suitability maps that we generated highlight priority areas for AWD implementation and guide policy makers to informed decisions about meaningful investments in infrastructure and extension work.

National Surface Water Survey, western wilderness area lakes: environmental assessment. Draft

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

Not Available

1985-03-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to sample 498 lakes in federally designated wilderness areas and national parks during the western part of the National Surface Water Survey (NSW). The NSWS has been undertaken to provide high quality data for evaluating the nature and extent of acid deposition throughout the United States. Sampling protocols established for the national survey call for the use of helicopters to gain access to lakes for sampling. Helicopters have already been used in the eastern and midwestern parts of the survey. The US Forest Service (FS) and the National Park Service (NPS) willmore » have to decide which sampling plan for wilderness areas, if any, can be approved under the Wilderness Act of 1964. This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to evaluate the environmental consequences of alternative means of gaining access to wilderness areas to meet the objectives of the NSWS. Based on this evaluation, EPA has reviewed the possible sampling alternatives and reached a conclusion on the preferred alternative. This assessment is being provided to the FS and the NPS for their use in evaluating the alternatives, including EPA's preferred one. As a result of its evaluation, EPA believes that wilderness area lakes should be included in the survey and that the preferred means of access is using helicopters. 94 references, 14 figures, 18 tables.« less

Electrocorticographic language mapping with a listening task consisting of alternating speech and music phrases.

PubMed

Mooij, Anne H; Huiskamp, Geertjan J M; Gosselaar, Peter H; Ferrier, Cyrille H

2016-02-01

Electrocorticographic (ECoG) mapping of high gamma activity induced by language tasks has been proposed as a more patient friendly alternative for electrocortical stimulation mapping (ESM), the gold standard in pre-surgical language mapping of epilepsy patients. However, ECoG mapping often reveals more language areas than considered critical with ESM. We investigated if critical language areas can be identified with a listening task consisting of speech and music phrases. Nine patients with implanted subdural grid electrodes listened to an audio fragment in which music and speech alternated. We analysed ECoG power in the 65-95 Hz band and obtained task-related activity patterns in electrodes over language areas. We compared the spatial distribution of sites that discriminated between listening to speech and music to ESM results using sensitivity and specificity calculations. Our listening task of alternating speech and music phrases had a low sensitivity (0.32) but a high specificity (0.95). The high specificity indicates that this test does indeed point to areas that are critical to language processing. Our test cannot replace ESM, but this short and simple task can give a reliable indication where to find critical language areas, better than ECoG mapping using language tasks alone. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The simulation of cropping pattern to improve the performance of irrigation network in Cau irrigation area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuningsih, Retno; Rintis Hadiani, RR; Sobriyah

2017-01-01

Cau irrigation area located in Madiun district, East Java Province, irrigates 1.232 Ha of land which covers Cau primary channel irrigation network, Wungu Secondary channel irrigation network, and Grape secondary channel irrigation network. The problems in Cau irrigation area are limited availability of water especially during the dry season (planting season II and III) and non-compliance to cropping patterns. The evaluation of irrigation system performance of Cau irrigation area needs to be done in order to know how far the irrigation system performance is, especially based on planting productivity aspect. The improvement of irrigation network performance through cropping pattern optimization is based on the increase of water necessity fulfillment (k factor), the realization of planting area and rice productivity. The research method of irrigation system performance is by analyzing the secondary data based on the Regulation of Ministry of Public Work and State Minister for Public Housing Number: 12/PRT/M/2015. The analysis of water necessity fulfillment (k factor) uses Public Work Plan Criteria Method. The performance level of planting productivity aspect in existing condition is 87.10%, alternative 1 is 93.90% dan alternative 2 is 96.90%. It means that the performance of the irrigation network from productivity aspect increases 6.80% for alternative 1 and 9.80% for alternative 2.

Alternative Learning Environments in the Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Eugene D.

This paper outlines a program utilized in the Countryside School which offers alternative learning environments in the elementary school. The program includes (1) semi-departmentalization; (2) team teaching; and (3) an open-alternatives program. Each of these areas is outlined and fully discussed in terms of student and parent needs. (YRJ)

Alternative energy resources for MoDOT

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-01

This research investigates environmentally friendly alternative energy sources that could be used by MoDOT in various areas, and develops applicable and sustainable strategies to implement those energy sources.

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

Hodgson, Alfred T.; Fisk, William J.; Shendell, Derek G.

Relocatable classrooms (RCs) are widely employed by California school districts to satisfy rapidly expanding space requirements due to population growth and class size reduction policies. There is public concern regarding indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools, particularly in RCs, but very little data to support or dispel these concerns. Several studies are investigating various aspects of IEQ in California schools. This laboratory-based study focused on evaluating the emissions of toxic and/or odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, from materials used to finish the interiors of new RCs. Furthermore, the study implemented a procedure for VOC source reductionmore » by testing and selecting lower-emitting materials as substitutes for standard materials. In total, 17 standard and alternate floor coverings, wall panels and ceiling panels were quantitatively tested for emissions of VOCs using smallscale environmental chambers. Working with the largest northern California manufacturer of conventional RCs and two school districts, specifications were developed for four new RCs to be produced in early summer 2001. Two of these will be predominantly finished with standard materials. Alternate carpet systems, an alternate wall panel covering and an alternate ceiling panel were selected for the two other RCs based on the results of the laboratory study and considerations of cost and anticipated performance and maintenance. Particular emphasis was placed on reducing the concentrations of VOCs on California agency lists of toxic compounds. Indoor concentrations of toxic and odorous VOCs were estimated for the four classrooms by mass balance using the measured VOC emission factors, exposed surface areas of the materials in the RCs, and three ventilation rate scenarios. Results indicate that reductions in the concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde phenol, di(ethylene glycol) butyl ether, vinyl acetate, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone should be achieved as the result of the source reduction procedure.« less

Refrigeration and air-conditioning technology workshop

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

Lewis, P. J.; Counce, D. M.

1993-01-01

The Alternative Fluorocarbon Environmental Acceptability Study (AFEAS), a consortium of fluorocarbon manufacturers, and the US Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating on a project to evaluate the energy use and global warming impacts of CFC alternatives. The goal of this project is to identify technologies that could replace the use of CFCs in refrigeration, heating, and air-conditioning equipment; to evaluate the direct impacts of chemical emissions on global warming; and to compile accurate estimates of energy use and, indirect CO{sub 2} emissions of substitute technologies. The first phase of this work focused on alternatives that could be commercialized before themore » year 2000. The second phase of the project is examining not-in-kind and next-generation technologies that could be developed to replace CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs over a longer period. As part of this effort, Oak Ridge National Laboratory held a workshop on June 23--25, 1993. The preliminary agenda covered a broad range of alternative technologies and at least one speaker was invited to make a brief presentation at the workshop on each technology. Some of the invited speakers were unable to participate, and in a few cases other experts could not be identified. As a result, those technologies were not represented at the workshop. Each speaker was asked to prepare a five to seven page paper addressing six key issues concerning the technology he/she is developing. These points are listed in the sidebar. Each expert also spoke for 20 to 25 minutes at the workshop and answered questions from the other participants concerning the presentation and area of expertise. The primary goal of the presentations and discussions was to identify the developmental state of the technology and to obtain comparable data on system efficiencies. Individual papers are indexed separately.« less

Alternative Methods by Which Basic Science Pharmacy Faculty Can Relate to Clinical Practice, Executive Summary and Final Report, October 1, 1978 - March 15, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabat, Hugh F.; And Others

The areas of basic science pharmacy instruction and clinical pharmacy practice and their interrelationships were identified in order to help develop didactic and clinical experience alternatives. A 10-member advisory committee ranked basic pharmaceutical science topical areas in terms of their applicability to clinical practice utilizing a Delphi…

78 FR 70533 - Reorganization of Foreign-Trade Zone 18 (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-26

... Zone 18 (Expansion of Service Area) Under Alternative Site Framework, San Jose, California Pursuant to its authority under the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of June 18, 1934, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), the... zones; Whereas, the City of San Jose, grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone 18, submitted an application to the...

Neural Mechanisms of Credit Assignment in a Multicue Environment

PubMed Central

Kolling, Nils; Brown, Joshua W.; Rushworth, Matthew

2016-01-01

In complex environments, many potential cues can guide a decision or be assigned responsibility for the outcome of the decision. We know little, however, about how humans and animals select relevant information sources that should guide behavior. We show that subjects solve this relevance selection and credit assignment problem by selecting one cue and its association with a particular outcome as the main focus of a hypothesis. To do this, we examined learning while using a task design that allowed us to estimate the focus of each subject's hypotheses on a trial-by-trial basis. When a prediction is confirmed by the outcome, then credit for the outcome is assigned to that cue rather than an alternative. Activity in medial frontal cortex is associated with the assignment of credit to the cue that is the main focus of the hypothesis. However, when the outcome disconfirms a prediction, the focus shifts between cues, and the credit for the outcome is assigned to an alternative cue. This process of reselection for credit assignment to an alternative cue is associated with lateral orbitofrontal cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Learners should infer which features of environments are predictive of significant events, such as rewards. This “credit assignment” problem is particularly challenging when any of several cues might be predictive. We show that human subjects solve the credit assignment problem by implicitly “hypothesizing” which cue is relevant for predicting subsequent outcomes, and then credit is assigned according to this hypothesis. This process is associated with a distinctive pattern of activity in a part of medial frontal cortex. By contrast, when unexpected outcomes occur, hypotheses are redirected toward alternative cues, and this process is associated with activity in lateral orbitofrontal cortex. PMID:26818500

Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models. Final rule with comment period.

PubMed

2016-11-04

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repeals the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the physician fee schedule (PFS) and replaces it with a new approach to payment called the Quality Payment Program that rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care through two avenues: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible clinicians or groups under the PFS. This final rule with comment period establishes incentives for participation in certain alternative payment models (APMs) and includes the criteria for use by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) in making comments and recommendations on physician-focused payment models (PFPMs). Alternative Payment Models are payment approaches, developed in partnership with the clinician community, that provide added incentives to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient care. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population. This final rule with comment period also establishes the MIPS, a new program for certain Medicare-enrolled practitioners. MIPS will consolidate components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals (EPs), and will continue the focus on quality, cost, and use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) in a cohesive program that avoids redundancies. In this final rule with comment period we have rebranded key terminology based on feedback from stakeholders, with the goal of selecting terms that will be more easily identified and understood by our stakeholders.

Education in Cuba--An Alternative Educational Discourse: Lessons to Be Learned?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breidlid, Anders

2007-01-01

This article focuses on the Cuban education system, which is well known for its focus on inclusion and equality of opportunity, but also for its focus on political and ideological conformity. The economic crisis in Cuba has led to an educational crisis as well, both in terms of teacher shortages and a decrease in quality and in…

Clean Cities Guide to Alternative Fuel Commercial Lawn Equipment (Brochure)

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

Not Available

Guide explains the different types of alternative fuel commercial mowers and lists the makes and models of the ones available on the market. Turf grass is a fixture of the American landscape and the American economy. It is the nation's largest irrigated crop, covering more than 40 million acres. Legions of lawnmowers care for this expanse during the growing season-up to year-round in the warmest climates. The annual economic impact of the U.S. turf grass industry has been estimated at more than $62 billion. Lawn mowing also contributes to the nation's petroleum consumption and pollutant emissions. Mowers consume 1.2 billionmore » gallons of gasoline annually, about 1% of U.S. motor gasoline consumption. Commercial mowing accounts for about 35% of this total and is the highest-intensity use. Large property owners and mowing companies cut lawns, sports fields, golf courses, parks, roadsides, and other grassy areas for 7 hours per day and consume 900 to 2,000 gallons of fuel annually depending on climate and length of the growing season. In addition to gasoline, commercial mowing consumes more than 100 million gallons of diesel annually. Alternative fuel mowers are one way to reduce the energy and environmental impacts of commercial lawn mowing. They can reduce petroleum use and emissions compared with gasoline- and diesel-fueled mowers. They may also save on fuel and maintenance costs, extend mower life, reduce fuel spillage and fuel theft, and promote a 'green' image. And on ozone alert days, alternative fuel mowers may not be subject to the operational restrictions that gasoline mowers must abide by. To help inform the commercial mowing industry about product options and potential benefits, Clean Cities produced this guide to alternative fuel commercial lawn equipment. Although the guide's focus is on original equipment manufacturer (OEM) mowers, some mowers can be converted to run on alternative fuels. For more information about propane conversions. This guide may be particularly helpful for organizations that are already using alternative fuels in their vehicles and have an alternative fuel supply or electric charging in place (e.g., golf cart charging stations at most golf courses). On the flip side, experiencing the benefits of using alternative fuels in mowing equipment may encourage organizations to try them in on-road vehicles as well. Whatever the case, alternative fuel commercial lawnmowers are a powerful and cost-effective way to reduce U.S. petroleum dependence and help protect the environment.« less

Reframing the concept of alternative livelihoods

PubMed Central

Wright, Juliet H.; Hill, Nicholas A. O.; Roe, Dilys; Rowcliffe, J. Marcus; Kümpel, Noëlle F.; Day, Mike; Booker, Francesca; Milner‐Gulland, E. J.

2015-01-01

Abstract Alternative livelihood project (ALP) is a widely used term for interventions that aim to reduce the prevalence of activities deemed to be environmentally damaging by substituting them with lower impact livelihood activities that provide at least equivalent benefits. ALPs are widely implemented in conservation, but in 2012, an International Union for Conservation of Nature resolution called for a critical review of such projects based on concern that their effectiveness was unproven. We focused on the conceptual design of ALPs by considering their underlying assumptions. We placed ALPs within a broad category of livelihood‐focused interventions to better understand their role in conservation and their intended impacts. We dissected 3 flawed assumptions about ALPs based on the notions of substitution, the homogenous community, and impact scalability. Interventions based on flawed assumptions about people's needs, aspirations, and the factors that influence livelihood choice are unlikely to achieve conservation objectives. We therefore recommend use of a sustainable livelihoods approach to understand the role and function of environmentally damaging behaviors within livelihood strategies; differentiate between households in a community that have the greatest environmental impact and those most vulnerable to resource access restrictions to improve intervention targeting; and learn more about the social–ecological system within which household livelihood strategies are embedded. Rather than using livelihood‐focused interventions as a direct behavior‐change tool, it may be more appropriate to focus on either enhancing the existing livelihood strategies of those most vulnerable to conservation‐imposed resource access restrictions or on use of livelihood‐focused interventions that establish a clear link to conservation as a means of building good community relations. However, we recommend that the term ALP be replaced by the broader term livelihood‐focused intervention. This avoids the implicit assumption that alternatives can fully substitute for natural resource‐based livelihood activities. PMID:26310510

Alternative theories of gravity and Lorentz violation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Rui; Foster, Joshua; Kostelecky, V. Alan

2017-01-01

General relativity has achieved many successes, including the prediction of experimental results. However, its incompatibility with quantum theory remains an obstacle. By extending the foundational properties of general relativity, alternative theories of gravity can be constructed. In this talk, we focus on fermion couplings in the weak-gravity limit of certain alternative theories of gravity. Under suitable experimental circumstances, some of these couplings match terms appearing in the gravitational SME, which is a general framework describing violations of local Lorentz invariance. Existing limits on Lorentz violation can therefore be used to constrain certain Lorentz-invariant alternative theories of gravity.

Impacts of rural development on Yellowstone wildlife: linking grizzly bear Ursus arctos demographics with projected residential growth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Charles C.; Gude, Patricia H.; Landenburger, Lisa; Haroldson, Mark A.; Podruzny, Shannon

2012-01-01

Exurban development is consuming wildlife habitat within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with potential consequences to the long-term conservation of grizzly bears Ursus arctos. We assessed the impacts of alternative future land-use scenarios by linking an existing regression-based simulation model predicting rural development with a spatially explicit model that predicted bear survival. Using demographic criteria that predict population trajectory, we portioned habitats into either source or sink, and projected the loss of source habitat associated with four different build out (new home construction) scenarios through 2020. Under boom growth, we predicted that 12 km2 of source habitat were converted to sink habitat within the Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone (RZ), 189 km2 were converted within the current distribution of grizzly bears outside of the RZ, and 289 km2 were converted in the area outside the RZ identified as suitable grizzly bear habitat. Our findings showed that extremely low densities of residential development created sink habitats. We suggest that tools, such as those outlined in this article, in addition to zoning and subdivision regulation may prove more practical, and the most effective means of retaining large areas of undeveloped land and conserving grizzly bear source habitat will likely require a landscape-scale approach. We recommend a focus on land conservation efforts that retain open space (easements, purchases and trades) coupled with the implementation of ‘bear community programmes’ on an ecosystem wide basis in an effort to minimize human-bear conflicts, minimize management-related bear mortalities associated with preventable conflicts and to safeguard human communities. Our approach has application to other species and areas, and it has illustrated how spatially explicit demographic models can be combined with models predicting land-use change to help focus conservation priorities.

Wavefront coherence area for predicting visual acuity of post-PRK and post-PARK refractive surgery patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Daniel D.; van de Pol, Corina; Barsky, Brian A.; Klein, Stanley A.

1999-06-01

Many current corneal topography instruments (called videokeratographs) provide an `acuity index' based on corneal smoothness to analyze expected visual acuity. However, post-refractive surgery patients often exhibit better acuity than is predicted by such indices. One reason for this is that visual acuity may not necessarily be determined by overall corneal smoothness but rather by having some part of the cornea able to focus light coherently onto the fovea. We present a new method of representing visual acuity by measuring the wavefront aberration, using principles from both ray and wave optics. For each point P on the cornea, we measure the size of the associated coherence area whose optical path length (OPL), from a reference plane to P's focus, is within a certain tolerance of the OPL for P. We measured the topographies and vision of 62 eyes of patients who had undergone the corneal refractive surgery procedures of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and photorefractive astigmatic keratectomy (PARK). In addition to high contrast visual acuity, our vision tests included low contrast and low luminance to test the contribution of the PRK transition zone. We found our metric for visual acuity to be better than all other metrics at predicting the acuity of low contrast and low luminance. However, high contrast visual acuity was poorly predicted by all of the indices we studied, including our own. The indices provided by current videokeratographs sometimes fail for corneas whose shape differs from simple ellipsoidal models. This is the case with post-PRK and post-PARK refractive surgery patients. Our alternative representation that displays the coherence area of the wavefront has considerable advantages, and promises to be a better predictor of low contrast and low luminance visual acuity than current shape measures.

Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects Electric Power Marketing. Draft environmental impact statement: Volume 4, Appendixes B-D

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

Not Available

1994-02-01

The Salt Lake City Area Office of the Western Area Power Administration (Western) markets electricity produced at hydroelectric facilities operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. The facilities are known collectively as the Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects (SLCA/IP) and include dams equipped for power generation on the Green, Gunnison, Rio Grande, and Colorado rivers and on Deer and Plateau creeks in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Of these facilities, only the Glen Canyon Unit, the Flaming Gorge Unit, and the Aspinall Unit (which includes Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal dams;) are influenced bymore » Western power scheduling and transmission decisions. The EIS alternatives, called commitment-level alternatives, reflect combinations of capacity and energy that would feasibly and reasonably fulfill Westerns firm power marketing responsibilities, needs, and statutory obligations. The viability of these alternatives relates directly to the combination of generation capability of the SLCA/IP with energy purchases and interchange. The economic and natural resource assessments in this environmental impact statement (EIS) include an analysis of commitment-level alternatives. Impacts of the no-action alternative are also assessed. Supply options, which include combinations of electrical power purchases and hydropower operational scenarios reflecting different operations of the dams, are also assessed. The EIS evaluates the impacts of these scenarios relative to socioeconomics, air resources, water resources, ecological resources, cultural resources, land use, recreation, and visual resources.« less

Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects Electric Power Marketing. Draft environmental impact statement: Volume 2, Sections 1-16

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

Not Available

The Salt Lake City Area Office of the Western Area Power Administration (Western) markets electricity produced at hydroelectric facilities operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. The facilities are known collectively as the Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects (SLCA/IP) and include dams equipped for power generation on the Green, Gunnison, Rio Grande, and Colorado rivers and on Deer and Plateau creeks in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Of these facilities, only the Glen Canyon Unit, the Flaming Gorge Unit, and the Aspinall Unit (which includes Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal dams;) are influenced bymore » Western power scheduling and transmission decisions. The EIS alternatives, called commitment-level alternatives, reflect combinations of capacity and energy that would feasibly and reasonably fulfill Westerns firm power marketing responsibilities, needs, and statutory obligations. The viability of these alternatives relates directly to the combination of generation capability of the SLCA/IP with energy purchases and interchange. The economic and natural resource assessments in this environmental impact statement (EIS) include an analysis of commitment-level alternatives. Impacts of the no-action alternative are also assessed. Supply options, which include combinations of electrical power purchases and hydropower operational scenarios reflecting different operations of the dams, are also assessed. The EIS evaluates the impacts of these scenarios relative to socioeconomics, air resources, water resources, ecological resources, cultural resources, land use, recreation, and visual resources.« less

A Human Resource Management Perspective on Work Alternatives for Older Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Carolyn E.

This study examined work alternatives for middle-aged and older persons from two perspectives. The first perspective focused on personnel policies of the employer that relate to the development and administration of employment options. The second perspective concentrated on public policy variables that influence or could influence the availability…

Proletarianization of English Language Teaching: Iranian EFL Teachers and Their Alternative Role as Transformative Intellectuals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safari, Parvin

2017-01-01

In the field of English Language Teaching (ELT), attention has been shifted toward the alternative role of teachers as transformative intellectuals whereby transformation in teaching occurs from control and technical operations to criticism and intellectual reflection. This role enables teachers to focus on marginalized students' lived experiences…

Apparent digestibility of possible fish meal replacements in Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar and Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To increase the sustainability of salmonid production, alternative protein sources to fish meal need to be identified. Many studies have examined terrestrial plant meals/protein concentrates as alternatives. Recently the focus has turned to aquatic protists and plants as well as by-products from oth...

A Preliminary Discussion on Several Forms of Alternate Location Schooling in Ethnic Minority Education and the Problems Therein

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ba, Zhanlong

2010-01-01

"Alternate location schooling" ("yidi banxue"), a special measure adopted in China to advance ethnic minority education and especially basic education, adheres to the principle of providing focused educational support in Tibet and Xinjiang and giving consideration to education in ethnic minority regions nationwide. Since the…

Experiences in Rural Mental Health. V: Creating Alternatives to Clinical Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollister, William G.; And Others

Based on a North Carolina feasibility study (1967-73) which focused on development of a pattern for providing comprehensive mental health services to rural people, this guide deals with the process of creating alternatives to clinical care in Vance and Franklin counties. Specifically, this booklet details the chronological development of the…

EFL Primary School Teachers' Attitudes, Knowledge and Skills in Alternative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Nouh, Nowreyah A.; Taqi, Hanan A.; Abdul-Kareem, Muneera M.

2014-01-01

The study investigated female EFL primary school teachers' attitudes as well as teachers' knowledge and skills in alternative assessment. Data was collected via a questionnaire from 335 EFL primary school teachers randomly selected from six educational zones. An interview with principals and head teachers and a focus group interview with EFL…

An Alternative Definition of Quality of Undergraduate College Education: Toward Usable Knowledge for Improvement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordvall, Robert C.; Braxton, John M.

1996-01-01

Traditional approaches to defining academic quality (reputational, resources, and outcomes or value-added) are criticized as not providing useful information. An alternative perspective is offered, focusing on fundamental course-level academic processes and defining the quality of such processes as the level of understanding of course content…

Restorative Practices: The Role of Leadership and Effective Implementation and Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Angelia D.

2017-01-01

The focus of this dissertation is on the impact that zero tolerance policies have had on public education, and the need for an alternative approach to addressing student discipline. This research study introduces restorative practices as an alternative approach that has shown to be successful in changing school culture, by building positive…

The Costs and Potential Benefits of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houghton, John W.

2011-01-01

Introduction: This paper reports on a study undertaken for the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), which explored the economic implications of alternative scholarly publishing models. Rather than simply summarising the study's findings, this paper focuses on the approach and presents a step-by-step account of the research process,…

Benchmarking--Current Availability, Possible New National Alternatives, and Making a Contribution to the Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atchison, Eric S.; Hosch, Braden J.

2015-01-01

This chapter synthesizes the national discussion on other solutions to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), such as a national student record system, and complications. The authors will briefly examine the pros and cons of IPEDS while primarily focusing on national alternatives, as well providing specific examples for…

Connecting University Course Work and Practitioner Knowledge through Mediated Field Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Sara Sunshine; Dunleavy, Teresa K.

2016-01-01

Teacher preparation in the United States, both university based and alternative, has been strongly critiqued as ineffective when it comes to preparing new teachers. Although many criticisms have been directed at alternative teacher education, this article focuses on university-based teacher education because approximately 70% of our nation's…

Alternative Teaching Strategies; Helping Behaviorally Troubled Children Achieve. A Guide for Teachers and Psychologists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, Marshall S.; Spivack, George

This book provides (1) specific information about overt classroom behaviors that affect or reflect academic success or failure, and (2) information and suggestions about alternative teaching strategies that may be used to increase behavioral effectiveness and subsequent academic achievement. The focus of the book is on specific behaviors, behavior…

Stickie removal using neutral enzymatic repulping pressure screening

Treesearch

Marguerite Sykes; John Klungness; Roland Gleisner; Said Abubakr

1998-01-01

Removal of stickie contaminants is currently a major focus of paper recycling research. Medium consistency alkaline repulping followed by pressure screening has proven to be effective for stickie removal. There is, however, an alternate method that is equally effective and more environmentally benign. This study compares the effectiveness of this alternative method,...

Superitem Test: An Alternative Assessment Tool to Assess Students' Algebraic Solving Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lian, Lim Hooi; Yew, Wun Thiam; Idris, Noraini

2010-01-01

Superitem test based on the SOLO model (Structure of the Observing Learning Outcome) has become a powerful alternative assessment tool for monitoring the growth of students' cognitive ability in solving mathematics problems. This article focused on developing a superitem test to assess students' algebraic solving ability through interview method.…

A Study of Alternatives in American Education, Vol. IV: Family Choice in Schooling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridge, R. Gary; Blackman, Julie

Originating in the Rand Corporation's evaluation of the voucher demonstration project in the Alum Rock Union School District (California), this study of family choice in schooling focuses on these questions: Are parents motivated and competent to make intelligent choices among competing educational alternatives? What kinds of schools do parents…

Beyond GDP: Classifying Alternative Measures for Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleys, Brent

2012-01-01

Both the potential pitfalls of macro-economic policies focused on stimulating economic growth and the problems involved in using GDP as a measure of well-being or economic welfare have long been recognized by economists and researchers from other social sciences. Therefore, it is no surprise that alternative measures for policy-making have been…

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 428: Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

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

U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office

2000-02-08

This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies and rationalizes the US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's selection of a recommended corrective action alternative (CAA) appropriate to facilitate the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 428, Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in Area 3 at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in Nevada, CAU 428 is comprised of two Corrective Action Sites (CASs): (1) CAS 03-05-002-SW01, Septic Waste System 1 and (2) CAS 03-05-002- SW05, Septic Waste System 5. A corrective action investigation performed in 1999 detected analyte concentrations that exceeded preliminarymore » action levels; specifically, contaminants of concern (COCs) included benzo(a) pyrene in a septic tank integrity sample associated with Septic Tank 33-1A of Septic Waste System 1, and arsenic in a soil sample associated with Septic Waste System 5. During this investigation, three Corrective Action Objectives (CAOs) were identified to prevent or mitigate exposure to contents of the septic tanks and distribution box, to subsurface soil containing COCs, and the spread of COCs beyond the CAU. Based on these CAOs, a review of existing data, future use, and current operations in Area 3 of the TTR, three CAAs were developed for consideration: Alternative 1 - No Further Action; Alternative 2 - Closure in Place with Administrative Controls; and Alternative 3 - Clean Closure by Excavation and Disposal. These alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of the evaluation, the preferred CAA was Alternative 3. This alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will eliminate potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soils at the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5.« less

Sidewall containment of liquid metal with vertical alternating magnetic fields

DOEpatents

Lari, Robert J.; Praeg, Walter F.; Turner, Larry R.; Battles, James E.; Hull, John R.; Rote, Donald M.

1990-01-01

An apparatus for containing molten metal using a magnet producing vertical alternating magnetic field positioned adjacent the area in which the molten metal is to be confined. This invention can be adapted particularly to the casting of metal between counter-rotating rollers with the vertical alternating magnetic field used to confine the molten metal at the edges of the rollers. Alternately, the vertical alternating magnetic field can be used as a flow regulator in casting molten metal from an opening in a channel.

The eruptive history of the Trous Blancs pit craters, La Réunion Island: The origin of a 24 km long lava flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walther, Georg; Frese, Ingmar; Di Muro, Andrea; Kueppers, Ulrich; Michon, Laurent; Métrich, Nicole

2015-04-01

The assessment of volcanic hazards is strongly based on the past eruptive behaviour of volcanoes and its morphological parameters. Since past eruption characteristics and their frequency provide the best probabilities of such eruptions for the future, understanding the complete eruptive history of a volcano is one of the most powerful tools in assessing the potential hazards or eruptions. At Piton de la Fournaise (PdF) volcano (La Réunion, Indian Ocean), the most frequent style of activity is the effusion of lava flows, which pose the greatest hazard by invasion of inhabited areas and destruction of human property. Here we examined the eruptive history of a previously uninvestigated area, believed to be the origin of a 24 km long lava flow. The eruptions recurrence time of PdF is about one eruption every 9 months in the central caldera. Besides this central activity, eruptive vents have been built along three main rift zones cutting the edifice during the last 50 kyrs. In this study we focused on the largest rift zone of about 15 km width and 20 km length, which extends in a north westerly direction between PdF and the nearby Piton des Neiges volcanic complex. This rift zone is typified by deep seismicity (up to 30 km), emitting mostly primitive magmas, indicative of high fluid pressures (up to 5 kbar) and large volume eruptions. Our area of investigation focused on four consecutively aligned pit craters called the Trous Blancs. These have been identified [1] as the source area of one of the youngest (ca. 6 kyrs) and largest lava field, which extends for 24 km from a height of 1800m asl, passing Le Tampon and Saint Pierre city, until it reaches the coast. To gain insight into the development of this eruption and possible future similar activity, we collected new field data (including stratigraphic logs, a geological map of the area, C-14 dating and geochemical analyses of the eruptive products). Fieldwork revealed that the eruption initiated with intense fountaining activity, producing a m-thick bed of loose black scoria, which becomes densely welded in its upper part. It was followed by an alternation of volume rich lava effusions and strombolian activity and deposition of meter-thick massive units of olivine basalt, alternating with coarse scoria beds in the proximal area. Activity ended with the emplacement of a dm sized bed of glassy, dense scoria and a stratified lithic breccia, marking the pit crater formation. Preliminary dating suggested that this type of eruption could have a millennial recurrence time at PdF. Reoccurring similar activity on the NW rift represents a major source of risk for this now densely populated region (more than 150,000 people living in the affected area). [1] Villeneuve, N., and P. Bachélery (2006),Revue de la typologie des eruptions au Piton de La Fournaise, processus et risqué volcaniques associés, Cybergeo: European Journal of Geography, 330,1-26

REMOVAL OF CHLORINATED AND BROMINATED ALKANES FROM DRINKING WATER USING REVERSE OSMOSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Membrane use in water treatment has historically focused on desalination. With the development of new membrane materials, attention began to focus on reverse osmosis and pervaporation as alternatives to traditional water treatment processes. This paper addresses the use of reve...

Focused and divided attention in a simulated cocktail-party situation: ERP evidence from younger and older adults.

PubMed

Getzmann, Stephan; Golob, Edward J; Wascher, Edmund

2016-05-01

Speech perception under complex listening conditions usually decreases in aging. This is especially true for listening conditions requiring divided attention among 2 and more relevant speakers. Using a speech perception task and event-related potential measures, we studied the ability of younger and older adults to attend to speech information from a single-target speaker (focused attention) or from 2 different (alternative) target speakers (divided attention). The focused and divided attention conditions were presented either in silence or in the presence of 3 concurrent speakers. In the presence of concurrent speakers, older participants showed worse performance with divided versus focused attention. In contrast, there was no effect of attention condition for the younger adults. Relative to the young, event-related potential analysis in older subjects indicated a decline in preparatory activity for the critical speech information (a delayed and smaller contingent negative variation), and delayed attentional control (indicated by a longer P2 latency). Standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography revealed that the age-related decline in preparatory activity was associated with reduced activation of medial and superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus. The results suggest that age-related differences in these prefrontal brain areas reflect declines in preparatory attention and gating of subsequent task-related speech information, especially under conditions of divided attention. These findings may reflect mechanisms relating to impaired speech perception by older people in "cocktail-party" listening situations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of probabilistic risk assessment: Evaluating remedial alternatives at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Portland, Oregon, USA.

PubMed

Ruffle, Betsy; Henderson, James; Murphy-Hagan, Clare; Kirkwood, Gemma; Wolf, Frederick; Edwards, Deborah A

2018-01-01

A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) was performed to evaluate the range of potential baseline and postremedy health risks to fish consumers at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site (the "Site"). The analysis focused on risks of consuming fish resident to the Site containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), given that this exposure scenario and contaminant are the primary basis for US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) selected remedy per the January 2017 Record of Decision (ROD). The PRA used probability distributions fit to the same data sets used in the deterministic baseline human health risk assessment (BHHRA) as well as recent sediment and fish tissue data to evaluate the range and likelihood of current baseline cancer risks and noncancer hazards for anglers. Areas of elevated PCBs in sediment were identified on the basis of a geospatial evaluation of the surface sediment data, and the ranges of risks and hazards associated with pre- and postremedy conditions were calculated. The analysis showed that less active remediation (targeted to areas with the highest concentrations) compared to the remedial alternative selected by USEPA in the ROD can achieve USEPA's interim risk management benchmarks (cancer risk of 10 -4 and noncancer hazard index [HI] of 10) immediately postremediation for the vast majority of subsistence anglers that consume smallmouth bass (SMB) fillet tissue. In addition, the same targeted remedy achieves USEPA's long-term benchmarks (10 -5 and HI of 1) for the majority of recreational anglers. Additional sediment remediation would result in negligible additional risk reduction due to the influence of background. The PRA approach applied here provides a simple but adaptive framework for analysis of risks and remedial options focused on variability in exposures. It can be updated and refined with new data to evaluate and reduce uncertainty, improve understanding of the Site and target populations, and foster informed remedial decision making. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:63-78. © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2017 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Ethnomedicinal survey and in vitro anti-plasmodial activity of the palm Borassus aethiopum Mart.

PubMed

Gruca, Marta; Yu, Wanwan; Amoateng, Patrick; Nielsen, Morten Agertoug; Poulsen, Thomas B; Balslev, Henrik

2015-12-04

Malaria remains a major global health threat, with the heaviest burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Effective treatment is not available in many affected areas, and the Plasmodium falciparum parasite is becoming resistant to existing drugs. Alternative therapies are necessary to overcome these challenges. Borassus aethiopum is the third most used palm species in traditional medicines in Africa. Yet, there is only limited information substantiating medicinal properties of the palm. The objective of this study was to document medicinal uses of B. aethiopum and investigate anti-plasmodial activity of the palm extracts used in traditional medicine to treat malaria. The fieldwork and collection of samples was done in Ghana in the Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, and Volta regions. Our ethnomedicinal survey did not specifically focus on medicinal uses against malaria; any medicinal application of B. aethiopum was of interest. Data collection employed a structured questionnaire, open-ended questions, and group discussion. The experimental extraction of samples was carried out using three common solvents: distilled water, absolute ethanol, and dichloromethane (CH2Cl2). Anti-plasmodial activity of compounds was determined against erythrocytic stages of the FCR3 strain of P. falciparum by a [3H]-hypoxanthine incorporation assay. A total of 37 use records were documented regarding the medicinal uses of B. aethiopum for the management of 24 different disorders. The highest medicinal use value was recorded for the use of B. aethiopum against malaria, and a subsequent laboratory investigation focused on evaluating anti-plasmodial activity of the palm. Several root and leaf extracts displayed anti-plasmodial activity, with the highest (78% at 50 μg/mL) elicited by one of the dichloromethane root extracts. Our results demonstrate the value of integrating ethnobotanical and pharmacological research in the study of beneficial effects of palm products on human health. While the high inhibitory activity found in dichloromethane extracts cannot validate the ethnomedicinal use, the anti-plasmodial effect observed cannot be nullified. We brought preliminary evidence that this palm is a promising source of alternative medicines that could contribute to improving health conditions in malaria endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An alternating pressure sequence proposal for an air-cell cushion for preventing pressure ulcers.

PubMed

Arias, Sandra; Cardiel, Eladio; Rogeli, Pablo; Mori, Taketoshi; Nakagami, Gojiro; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Sanada, Hiromi

2014-01-01

The distribution and release of pressure on ischial regions are two important parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of a cushion; especially the release of pressure over time on ischial tuberosities, which is significant for preventing pressure ulcers. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect on interface pressure through the application of a proposed alternating pressure sequence for an air-cell cushion. Six healthy volunteers were asked to sit on the air cell cushion, in static and alternating modes, as well as on a typical foam cushion for 12 minutes. Interface pressure was monitored with a matrix sensor system. Interface pressure values on ischial tuberosities, user contact area and pressure distribution were analyzed. Results showed that IP on IT tends to increase in both foam and static cushions, while in alternating cushion IP on IT tends to decrease. User contact area was significantly larger in alternating cushion than in static or foam cushions. Moreover, there is a better pressure re-distribution with alternating cushion than with the other cushions. The goal of the alternating sequence is to redistribute pressure and stimulate the ischial regions in order to promote blood flow and prevent pressure occurring in wheelchair users.

Cross-Boundary Coordination on Forested Landscapes: Investigating Alternatives for Implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gass, Rebecca J.; Rickenbach, Mark; Schulte, Lisa A.; Zeuli, Kimberly

2009-01-01

Cross-boundary coordination is a tool for ecosystem management whereby landowners voluntarily coordinate management practices toward economic and/or ecological landscape-scale outcomes (e.g., fiber, invasive species control, habitat). Past research indicates that it may be particularly applicable on landscapes that include small forest landholdings. To explore alternatives by which coordination might occur, we conducted seven focus groups with landowners ( n = 51) who actively manage their forests in southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. Focus group participants were presented with three hypothetical alternatives to coordinate with their neighbors; landowners could self-organize, work with a natural resource professional (i.e., forester), or work with an organization to complete a cross-boundary practice. In this article, we focus on the latter two alternatives and the role of two social theories—principal-agent and cooperation—in explaining landowners’ evaluations of these alternatives. Key findings are that (1) cross-boundary coordination has the potential to alleviate problems between landowners and resource professionals inherent to their typical working relationship, and (2) social relationships are a major factor contributing to landowners’ willingness to participate. We posit that cross-boundary coordination offers a non-economic incentive for landowners to work together as it may reduce the uncertainty associated with hiring a resource professional. At the same time, professionals can provide a bridging function among landowners who are unacquainted. To achieve these outcomes and expand the adoption of cross-boundary coordination, we suggest four guidelines. First, foster dialogue among landowners toward shared cognition and oversight. Second, match landowners’ practices and objectives such that there are clear benefits to all. Third, develop relationships through low risk activities where possible. Fourth, do not expect on-going commitments.

Cross-boundary coordination on forested landscapes: investigating alternatives for implementation.

PubMed

Gass, Rebecca J; Rickenbach, Mark; Schulte, Lisa A; Zeuli, Kimberly

2009-01-01

Cross-boundary coordination is a tool for ecosystem management whereby landowners voluntarily coordinate management practices toward economic and/or ecological landscape-scale outcomes (e.g., fiber, invasive species control, habitat). Past research indicates that it may be particularly applicable on landscapes that include small forest landholdings. To explore alternatives by which coordination might occur, we conducted seven focus groups with landowners (n=51) who actively manage their forests in southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. Focus group participants were presented with three hypothetical alternatives to coordinate with their neighbors; landowners could self-organize, work with a natural resource professional (i.e., forester), or work with an organization to complete a cross-boundary practice. In this article, we focus on the latter two alternatives and the role of two social theories--principal-agent and cooperation--in explaining landowners' evaluations of these alternatives. Key findings are that (1) cross-boundary coordination has the potential to alleviate problems between landowners and resource professionals inherent to their typical working relationship, and (2) social relationships are a major factor contributing to landowners' willingness to participate. We posit that cross-boundary coordination offers a non-economic incentive for landowners to work together as it may reduce the uncertainty associated with hiring a resource professional. At the same time, professionals can provide a bridging function among landowners who are unacquainted. To achieve these outcomes and expand the adoption of cross-boundary coordination, we suggest four guidelines. First, foster dialogue among landowners toward shared cognition and oversight. Second, match landowners' practices and objectives such that there are clear benefits to all. Third, develop relationships through low risk activities where possible. Fourth, do not expect on-going commitments.

Alternative energy resources for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

This research investigates environmentally friendly alternative energy sources that could be used by MoDOT in various areas, and develops applicable and sustainable strategies to implement those energy sources.

Alternate Methods of Effluent Disposal for On-Lot Home Sewage Systems. Special Circular 214.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooding, N. Henry

This circular provides current information for homeowners who must repair or replace existing on-lot sewage disposal systems. Several alternatives such as elevated sand mounds, sand-lined beds and trenches and oversized absorption areas are discussed. Site characteristics and preparation are outlined. Each alternative is accompanied by a diagram…

Alternative Energy: A Bay Area Reference Center Workshop. Proceedings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Kay, Ed.; And Others

Presented are proceedings and related documents of a workshop on alternative energy resources which was held in April, 1980. This information is intended to bring reference librarians up to date on alternative energy technologies and available reference materials to which library patrons may be directed. Among the speeches included are those…

Pigeon homing from unfamiliar areas: An alternative to olfactory navigation is not in sight.

PubMed

Wallraff, Hans G

2014-01-01

The conclusion that pigeons and other birds can find their way home from unfamiliar areas by means of olfactory signals is well based on a variety of experiments and supporting investigations of the chemical atmosphere. Here I argue that alternative concepts proposing other sources of geopositional information are disproved by experimental findings or, at least, are not experimentally supported and hardly realistic.

Study of Fallout Shelter Ventilation Kit Placement Design

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

all this Rop.def APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE: DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED 17. DISTRSIGUTION STATEMENT (of the obol,atel ".r, sdg ~n Block 20, It 4lforI9...plans Kfor each shelter facility in that host area have been completed. ~In addition, alternative systems for distributing shelter supplies from the...alternative systems for distributing shelter supplies from Jthe host-area county seat to individual shelter faciiities were evaluated. Analysis of

Annual Energy Outlook 2016 With Projections to 2040

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

None, None

The Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016), prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2040. The projections, focused on U.S. energy markets, are based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). NEMS enables EIA to make projections under alternative, internallyconsistent sets of assumptions. The analysis in AEO2016 focuses on the Reference case and 17 alternative cases. EIA published an Early Release version of the AEO2016 Reference case (including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP)) and a No CPP case (excluding the CPP) in May 2016.

Lifeworld-led care: Is it relevant for well-being and the fifth wave of public health action?

PubMed

Hemingway, Ann

2011-01-01

A recent paper has made the case for a "fifth wave" of public health action. The paper articulated the first four waves as focusing on civil engineering, the germ theory of disease, welfare reforms and lifestyle issues. This article will focus on well-being and will expand on the authors' articulation of a current need to "discover a new image of what it is to be human" to begin to address the challenges of promoting well-being. This article will consider an alternative way of viewing human beings within a "caring" context and how this alternative view may aid this potential fifth wave of public health action. This alternative view has emerged from the work of Husserl who suggested that any human view of the world without subjectivity has excluded its basic foundation. The phenomenological understanding of "lifeworld" is articulated through five elements, temporality, spaciality, intersubjectivity, embodiment and mood that are all discussed here in detail. A world of colours, sparkling stars, memories, happiness, joy, anger and sadness. It is this "lifeworld' that when health care or as argued in this article as public health becomes overly focused on decontextualized goals, and measuring quality superficially can be neglected.

Nature engineered diatom biosilica as drug delivery systems.

PubMed

Uthappa, U T; Brahmkhatri, Varsha; Sriram, G; Jung, Ho-Young; Yu, Jingxian; Kurkuri, Nikita; Aminabhavi, Tejraj M; Altalhi, Tariq; Neelgund, Gururaj M; Kurkuri, Mahaveer D

2018-05-14

Diatoms, unicellular photosynthetic algae covered with siliceous cell wall, are also called frustule. These are the most potential naturally available materials for the development of cost-effective drug delivery systems because of their excellent biocompatibility, high surface area, low cost and ease of surface modification. Mesoporous silica materials such as MCM-41 and SBA-15 have been extensively used in drug delivery area. Their synthesis is challenging, time consuming, requires toxic chemicals and are energy intensive, making the entire process expensive and non-viable. Therefore, it is necessary to explore alternative materials. Surprisingly, nature has provided some exciting materials called diatoms; biosilica is one such a material that can be potentially used as a drug delivery vehicle. The present review focuses on different types of diatom species used in drug delivery with respect to their structural properties, morphology, purification process and surface functionalization. In this review, recent advances along with their limitations as well as the future scope to develop them as potential drug delivery vehicles are discussed. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Exploration of the views of traditional healers regarding the termination of pregnancy (TOP) law.

PubMed

Rakhudu, M A; Mmelesi, A M M; Myburgh, C P H; Poggenpoel, M

2006-08-01

The North-West Province is predominantly a rural area, and traditional healers remain the most important and influential members of the rural communities. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used. In-depth, individual focused and interactive interviews were held with eight traditional healers from the rural areas of Mmabatho-Mafikeng. In addition, field notes and observations were utilised. The objective of this article is to explore the views of the traditional healers regarding termination of pregnancy (TOP) law. The results reflected the following themes: termination of pregnancy is killing; a child is a precious gift from God and the ancestors; there are alternatives to TOP; people who had any type of abortion should be cleansed with "dipitsa" or herbs; TOP may be allowed only in case of rape and incest, rape and incest offenders should be severely punished; and the traditional healers were not consulted during formulation of the TOP Law. It is therefore recommended that traditional should be involved in TOP workshops and educational programmes to enable them to provide counselling before and after abortion.

[The Internet:an alternative to face-to-face training for teachers in remote locations?].

PubMed

Gagnon, Suzanne; Minguet, Cassian

2008-08-01

For some family medicine supervisors working in rural and remote areas, access to face-to-face training is problematic. They need distance training programs designed specifically for them. To study the advantages, disadvantages, and feasibility of a training program for these supervisors that is delivered over the Internet. This was a pilot project for international on-line training consisting of a platform of courses and a collaborative type of Web conferencing that ran for 2 hours each week for 5 weeks. The training focused on the acquisition of teaching skills and the use of information and communications technology, and included discussions on topics related to practising and teaching in rural areas. Such a program is feasible and economical. The main difficulties are recruiting participants, keeping them in the program, and the amount of time spent on development and supervision. Participants who persevered reported high levels of satisfaction. The content of this type of training, barriers to participation, and the role of distance education in rural supervisor training programs remain to be explored.

Grameen Bank`s experience with energy related microenterprise development

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

Barua, D.C.

1997-12-01

Increased population and growth of industry have resulted in greater demand for energy worldwide. Most of this energy is derived from fossil fuel (coal, gas, oil and nuclear) which will soon be depleted. In this context the need for developing renewable sources of energy has taken on a greater sense of importance and urgency. Over the years significant technological advances have been made in the area of renewable energies especially in the field of solar photovoltaics (PV), wind energy and bio-gas technology. In addition, for remote rural areas where there exists no infrastructure for conventional energy supply, these forms ofmore » decentralized alternative energy systems will be far more adaptable and well suited. Grameen Shakti (Energy) is an addition to the family of companies of Grameen Bank, to promote and supply renewable energy sources to rural households. GS, a not-for-profit company, expects not only to supply renewable energy services, but also to create employment and income generation opportunities in rural Bangladesh. GS will focus on supply, marketing, sales, testing and development of renewable energy systems of solar pv, biogas, wind turbines and windpumps.« less

3D modelling of mechanical peat properties in the Holocene coastal-deltaic sequence of the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koster, Kay; Stouthamer, Esther; Cohen, Kim; Stafleu, Jan; Busschers, Freek; Middelkoop, Hans

2016-04-01

Peat is abundantly present within the Holocene coastal-deltaic sequence of the Netherlands, where it is alternating with clastic fluvial, estuarine and lagoonal deposits. The areas that are rich in peat are vulnerable to land subsidence, resulting from consolidation and oxidation, due to loading by overlying deposits, infrastructure and buildings, as well as excessive artificial drainage. The physical properties of the peat are very heterogeneous, with variable clastic admixture up to 80% of its mass and rapid decrease in porosity with increasing effective stress. Mapping the spatial distribution of the peat properties is essential for identifying areas most susceptible to future land subsidence, as mineral content determines volume loss by oxidation, and porosity influences the rate of consolidation. Here we present the outline of a study focusing on mapping mechanical peat properties in relation to density and amount of admixed clastic constituents of Holocene peat layers (in 3D). In this study we use a staged approach: 1) Identifying soil mechanical properties in two large datasets that are managed by Utrecht University and the Geological Survey. 2) Determining relations between these properties and palaeogeographical development of the area by evaluating these properties against known geological concepts such as distance to clastic source (river, estuary etc.). 3) Implementing the obtained relations in GeoTOP, which is a 3D geological subsurface model of the Netherlands developed by the Geological Survey. The model will be used, among others, to assess the susceptibility of different areas to peat related land subsidence and load bearing capacity of the subsurface. So far, our analysis has focused stage 1, by establishing empirical relations between mechanical peat properties in ~70 paired (piezometer) cone penetration tests and continuously cored boreholes with LOI measurements. Results show strong correlations between net cone resistance (qn), excess pore water (u1-u0), and total vertical stress (σvo), suggesting that the overburden strongly controls the vertical differential susceptibility of peat layers to consolidation.

The Effect of Tree Spacing and Size in Urban Areas: Strategies for Mitigating High Temperature in Urban Heat Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry, R.; Shandas, V.; Makido, Y.

2017-12-01

Many cities are unintentionally designed to be heat sinks, which absorb the sun's short-wave radiation and reemit as long-wave radiation. Long time reorganization of this `urban heat island' (UHI) phenomena has led researchers and city planners into developing strategies for reducing ambient temperatures through urban design. Specifically, greening areas have proven to reduce the temperature in UHI's, including strategies such as green streets, green facades, and green roofs have been implemented. Among the scientific community there is promoted study of how myriad greening strategies can reduce temperature, relatively limited work has focused on the distribution, density, and quantity of tree campaigns. This paper examines how the spacing and size of trees reduce temperatures differently. A major focus of the paper is to understand how to lower the temperature through tree planting, and provide recommendations to cities that are attempting to solve their own urban heat island issues. Because different cities have different room for planting greenery, we examined which strategies are more efficient given an area constraint. Areas that have less available room might not be able to plant a high density of trees. We compared the different experimental groups varying in density and size of trees against the control to see the effect the trees had. Through calibration with local weather stations, we used a micrometeorology program (ENVI-Met) to model and simulate the different experimental models and how they affect the temperature. The results suggest that some urban designs can reduce ambient temperatures by over 7 0C, and the inclusion of large form trees have the greatest contribution, by reducing temperatures over 15 0C. The results suggest that using specific strategies that combine placement of specific tree configurations with alternative distribution of urban development patterns can help to solve the current challenges of UHI's, and thereby support management actions for addressing future impacts from climate change.

Anchors weigh more than power: why absolute powerlessness liberates negotiators to achieve better outcomes.

PubMed

Schaerer, Michael; Swaab, Roderick I; Galinsky, Adam D

2015-02-01

The current research shows that having no power can be better than having a little power. Negotiators prefer having some power (weak negotiation alternatives) to having no power (no alternatives). We challenge this belief that having any alternative is beneficial by demonstrating that weak alternatives create low anchors that reduce the value of first offers. In contrast, having no alternatives is liberating because there is no anchor to weigh down first offers. In our experiments, negotiators with no alternatives felt less powerful but made higher first offers and secured superior outcomes compared with negotiators who had weak alternatives. We established the role of anchoring through mediation by first offers and through moderation by showing that weak alternatives no longer led to worse outcomes when negotiators focused on a countervailing anchor or when negotiators faced an opponent with a strong alternative. These results demonstrate that anchors can have larger effects than feelings of power. Absolute powerlessness can be psychologically liberating. © The Author(s) 2014.

Medical applications of nanotechnology.

PubMed

Zdrojewicz, Zygmunt; Waracki, Mateusz; Bugaj, Bartosz; Pypno, Damian; Cabała, Krzysztof

2015-10-29

Nanotechnologies are new areas of research focusing on affecting matter at the atomic and molecular levels. It is beyond doubt that modern medicine can benefit greatly from it; thus nanomedicine has become one of the main branches of nanotechnological research. Currently it focuses on developing new methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating various diseases. Nanomaterials show very high efficiency in destroying cancer cells and are already undergoing clinical trials. The results are so promising that nanomaterials might become an alternative to traditional cancer therapy, mostly due to the fact that they allow cancer cells to be targeted specifically and enable detailed imaging of tissues, making planning further therapy much easier. Nanoscience might also be a source of the needed breakthrough in the fight against atherosclerosis, since nanostructures may be used in both preventing and increasing the stability of atherosclerotic lesions. One area of interest is creating nanomaterials that are not only efficient, but also well tolerated by the human body. Other potential applications of nanotechnology in medicine include: nanoadjuvants with immunomodulatory properties used to deliver vaccine antigens; the nano-knife, an almost non-invasive method of destroying cancer cells with high voltage electricity; and carbon nanotubes, which are already a popular way of repairing damaged tissues and might be used to regenerate nerves in the future. The aim of this article is to outline the potential uses of nanotechnology in medicine. Original articles and reviews have been used to present the new developments and directions of studies.

Making the Most of What We Already Know: A Three-Stage Approach to Systematic Reviewing.

PubMed

Rebelo Da Silva, Natalie; Zaranyika, Hazel; Langer, Laurenz; Randall, Nicola; Muchiri, Evans; Stewart, Ruth

2016-09-06

Conducting a systematic review in social policy is a resource-intensive process in terms of time and funds. It is thus important to understand the scope of the evidence base of a topic area prior to conducting a synthesis of primary research in order to maximize these resources. One approach to conserving resources is to map out the available evidence prior to undertaking a traditional synthesis. A few examples of this approach exist in the form of gap maps, overviews of reviews, and systematic maps supported by social policy and systematic review agencies alike. Despite this growing call for alternative approaches to systematic reviews, it is still common for systematic review teams to embark on a traditional in-depth review only. This article describes a three-stage approach to systematic reviewing that was applied to a systematic review focusing in interventions for smallholder farmers in Africa. We argue that this approach proved useful in helping us to understand the evidence base. By applying preliminary steps as part of a three-stage approach, we were able to maximize the resources needed to conduct a traditional systematic review on a more focused research question. This enabled us to identify and fill real knowledge gaps, build on work that had already been done, and avoid wasting resources on areas of work that would have no useful outcome. It also facilitated meaningful engagement between the review team and our key policy stakeholders. © The Author(s) 2016.

Cardiac arrest while exercising on mountains in national or provincial parks: A national observational study from 2012 to 2015.

PubMed

Jung, Eujene; Park, Jeong Ho; Kong, So Yeon; Hong, Ki Jeong; Ro, Young Sun; Song, Kyoung Jun; Ryu, Hyun Ho; Shin, Sang Do

2017-12-20

Previous studies on cardiac arrest in mountainous areas were focused on environmental features such as altitude and temperature. However, those are limited to factors affecting the prognosis of patients after cardiac arrest. We analyzed the cardiac arrests in national or provincial parks located in the mountains and determined the factors affecting the prognosis of patients after cardiac arrest. This study included all emergency medical service (EMS) treated patients over the age of 40 experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) of presumed cardiac etiology during exercise, between January 2012 and December 2015. The main focus of interest was the location of cardiac arrest occurrence (national mountain parks and provincial parks vs. other sites). The main outcome was survival to discharge and multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for possible confounding effects. A total 1835 patients who suffered a cardiac arrest while exercising were included. From these, 68 patients experienced cardiac arrest in national or provincial parks, and 1767 occurred in other locations. The unadjusted and adjusted ORs (95% CI) for a good cerebral performance scale (CPC) were 0.09 (0.01-0.63) and 0.08(0.01-0.56), survival discharges were 0.13(0.03-0.53) and 0.11 (0.03-0.48). Cardiac arrests occurring while exercising in the mountainous areas have worse prognosis compared to alternative locations. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Low-Cost and Large-Area Electronics, Roll-to-Roll Processing and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiesenhütter, Katarzyna; Skorupa, Wolfgang

In the following chapter, the authors conduct a literature survey of current advances in state-of-the-art low-cost, flexible electronics. A new emerging trend in the design of modern semiconductor devices dedicated to scaling-up, rather than reducing, their dimensions is presented. To realize volume manufacturing, alternative semiconductor materials with superior performance, fabricated by innovative processing methods, are essential. This review provides readers with a general overview of the material and technology evolution in the area of macroelectronics. Herein, the term macroelectronics (MEs) refers to electronic systems that can cover a large area of flexible media. In stark contrast to well-established micro- and nano-scale semiconductor devices, where property improvement is associated with downscaling the dimensions of the functional elements, in macroelectronic systems their overall size defines the ultimate performance (Sun and Rogers in Adv. Mater. 19:1897-1916, 2007). The major challenges of large-scale production are discussed. Particular attention has been focused on describing advanced, short-term heat treatment approaches, which offer a range of advantages compared to conventional annealing methods. There is no doubt that large-area, flexible electronic systems constitute an important research topic for the semiconductor industry. The ability to fabricate highly efficient macroelectronics by inexpensive processes will have a significant impact on a range of diverse technology sectors. A new era "towards semiconductor volume manufacturing…" has begun.

Energy and Resources: A plan is outlined according to which solar and wind energy would supply Denmark's needs by the year 2050.

PubMed

Sørensen, B

1975-07-25

Two possible futures for the industrial world may be distinguished: (i) Large amounts of low-cost energy become available and the more energy-intensive methods for extracting resources from lowergrade deposits continue to sustain industrial expansion until either the environmental impact becomes unacceptable or ultimate limits, such as climate disruptions, put an end to such growth. (ii) The cost of nonrenewable energy resources continue to rise, but a fixed amount of energy from continuous sources may be utilized at constant cost. In this case a lower production level may be set by the amount of energy that is available from renewable sources, and society may thus have to be reshaped with energy economization in focus. If it is possible to choose between these two alternatives, the choice should be based on a discussion of the pros and cons of each one, and in particular on the desirability of having to process an increasing fraction of the earth's crust in search of raw materials in order to maintain growth as long as possible. However, the availability, of the first option is far from certain and it thus seems reasonable to plan for the second alternative. I have tried to propose such a plan for a small, homogeneous geographical region, namely Denmark. The ceiling on the consumption of energy from continuous sources is chosen in accordance with the criterion of not having to convert a major part of the land area to energy-collecting systems. The proposed annual average energy consumption of 19 gigawatts by the year 2050 corresponds to solar energy collecting panels (in use only 50 percent of the time) with an area of roughly 180 square kilometers and a windmill swept area of about 150 square kilometers. These (vertical) areas constitute less than 1 percent of the total land area. The selection of solar or wind energy for different applications has been based on known technology and may be subject to adjustments. The project has been shown to be economically feasible according to estimates of the cost of various alternatives during the 25-year depreciation period adopted. However, the initial cost per energy unit produced is higher than that for most of the alternatives, so that action is not expected to be taken immediately as a result of purely private initiative. In a public economic evaluation, other factors must be considered in addition to the cost of energy per kilowatt-hour. At present, Denmark has over 10 percent of its labor force out of employment and a substantial deficit on its balance of payments, so that an early start on the solar and wind energy project, based on national industry, would have additional payoffs compared with energy systems based on imported technology or imported fuels. Several factories that are now being closed down as a result of the economic crisis could be adapted to the production of parts for solar or wind power systems, and the building industry, badly hit by unemployment, would receive legitimate work.

Reaching the Neglected 95%

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoSchiavo, Frank M.; Shatz, Mark A.

2009-01-01

Comments on an article by J. J. Arnett regarding the assertion that American psychology focuses too narrowly on Americans while neglecting the other 95% of the world's population. The authors' comments focus on why American psychologists have become overreliant on American samples, and they provide alternative suggestions for broadening the scope…

Investigating the over-representation of older persons in do-it-yourself home maintenance injury and barriers to prevention.

PubMed

Ashby, K; Ozanne-Smith, J; Fox, B

2007-10-01

To examine why older persons undertake high-risk do-it-yourself (DIY) home maintenance and under what circumstances, what constitutes acceptable low-risk alternatives to DIY, and to assess if alternatives are feasible in the current context. Exploratory qualitative study using focus-group methodology. Fifteen focus groups were conducted, involving 118 persons aged 60 years and older, in two Melbourne communities. Participants resided locally, participated in local seniors groups, or received treatment for a DIY injury at one of two public hospitals serving these communities. Older persons' involvement in DIY ranged from necessity to choice. A number chose DIY for general fitness enhancement, satisfaction and pride in a job well done, and giving meaning and enjoyment to daily tasks. However, some older, frailer seniors were forced into DIY because of difficulties in choosing appropriate alternatives; lack of knowledge of some available resources and services; the challenge of accessing cost-effective and reliable private service providers; and fear of vulnerability to overcharging, overservicing or their personal security. Preferred DIY alternatives were local government providers, local paper advertised services, recommendations to private service providers and family, friends or neighbors. Lack of knowledge of other existing alternatives was an impediment to preventing DIY injury, or accessing DIY alternatives. A number of potentially feasible alternatives to DIY were identified from our review. This research is an important first step in understanding issues facing community-dwelling seniors remaining at home, and provides a basis on which government agencies and other providers can develop services to meet increasing needs.

Alternative Fuels Data Center

Science.gov Websites

develop regulations to allow the use of PEV infrastructure and battery charging stations in all areas except critical areas or areas zoned for residential or resource use. The Washington Department of

Integrated modeling of agricultural scenarios (IMAS) to support pesticide action plans: the case of the Coulonge drinking water catchment area (SW France).

PubMed

Vernier, Françoise; Leccia-Phelpin, Odile; Lescot, Jean-Marie; Minette, Sébastien; Miralles, André; Barberis, Delphine; Scordia, Charlotte; Kuentz-Simonet, Vanessa; Tonneau, Jean-Philippe

2017-03-01

Non-point source pollution is a cause of major concern within the European Union. This is reflected in increasing public and political focus on a more sustainable use of pesticides, as well as a reduction in diffuse pollution. Climate change will likely to lead to an even more intensive use of pesticides in the future, affecting agriculture in many ways. At the same time, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and associated EU policies called for a "good" ecological and chemical status to be achieved for water bodies by the end of 2015, currently delayed to 2021-2027 due to a lack of efficiency in policies and timescale of resilience for hydrosystems, especially groundwater systems. Water managers need appropriate and user-friendly tools to design agro-environmental policies. These tools should help them to evaluate the potential impacts of mitigation measures on water resources, more clearly define protected areas, and more efficiently distribute financial incentives to farmers who agree to implement alternative practices. At present, a number of reports point out that water managers do not use appropriate information from monitoring or models to make decisions and set environmental action plans. In this paper, we propose an integrated and collaborative approach to analyzing changes in land use, farming systems, and practices and to assess their effects on agricultural pressure and pesticide transfers to waters. The integrated modeling of agricultural scenario (IMAS) framework draws on a range of data and expert knowledge available within areas where a pesticide action plan can be defined to restore the water quality, French "Grenelle law" catchment areas, French Water Development and Management Plan areas, etc. A so-called "reference scenario" represents the actual soil occupation and pesticide-spraying practices used in both conventional and organic farming. A number of alternative scenarios are then defined in cooperation with stakeholders, including socio-economic conditions for developing alternative agricultural systems or targeting mitigation measures. Our integrated assessment of these scenarios combines the calculation of spatialized environmental indicators with integrated bio-economic modeling. The latter is achieved by a combined use of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling with our own purpose-built land use generator module (Generator of Land Use version 2 (GenLU2)) and an economic model developed using General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) for cost-effectiveness assessment. This integrated approach is applied to two embedded catchment areas (total area of 360,000 ha) within the Charente river basin (SW France). Our results show that it is possible to differentiate scenarios based on their effectiveness, represented by either evolution of pressure (agro-environmental indicators) or transport into waters (pesticide concentrations). By analyzing the implementation costs borne by farmers, it is possible to identify the most cost-effective scenarios at sub-basin and other aggregated levels (WFD hydrological entities, sensitive areas). Relevant results and indicators are fed into a specifically designed database. Data warehousing is used to provide analyses and outputs at all thematic, temporal, or spatial aggregated levels, defined by the stakeholders (type of crops, herbicides, WFD areas, years), using Spatial On-Line Analytical Processing (SOLAP) tools. The aim of this approach is to allow public policy makers to make more informed and reasoned decisions when managing sensitive areas and/or implementing mitigation measures.

Sex education and family planning services for young adults: alternative urban strategies in Mexico.

PubMed

Townsend, J W; Diaz de May, E; Sepúlveda, Y; Santos de Garza, Y; Rosenhouse, S

1987-01-01

In Mexico, youth face difficulties in obtaining reliable information on sex education and family planning through existing community programs. Two alternative strategies to provide these services are being tested in poor urban areas of Monterrey. In one experimental area, Integrated Youth Centers were established, which provide sex education and family planning services as well as counseling, academic tutoring, and recreational activities. In another area, trained young adults and community counselors work through informal networks to provide sex education and family planning information. Both utilization and the cost of these services are examined in the context of plans for expanding coverage in Mexico-U.S. border areas.

Gettysburg National Military Park alternative transportation system planning study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-06-01

This project identifies and evaluates transit service alternatives in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, including Gettysburg National Military Park, the Borough of Gettysburg, and surrounding townships. The report concludes that public transit would...

Thermal energy supply optimization for Edgewood Area, US Army Aberdeen Proving Ground: Energy supply alternatives. Final report

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

McCammon, T.L.; Dilks, C.L.; Savoie, M.J.

1995-09-01

Relatively poor performance at the aging central heating plants (OH Ps) and planned changes in steam demand at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) Edgewood Area, Aberdeen, MD warranted an investigation of alternatives for providing thermal energy to the installation. This study: (1) evaluated the condition of the APG CHPs and heat distribution system, (2) identified thermal energy supply problems and cost-effective technologies to maintain APG`s capability to produce and distribute the needed thermal energy, and (3) recommended renovation and modernization projects for the system. Heating loads were analyzed using computer simulations, and life cycle costs were developed for each alternative. Recommendedmore » alternatives included upgrading the existing system, installing new boilers, consolidating the central heating plants, and introducing the use of absorption chilling.« less

Place Value and Mathematics for Students with Mild Disabilities: Data and Suggested Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cawley, John F.; Parmar, Rene S.; Lucas-Fusco, Lynn M.; Kilian, Joy D.; Foley, Teresa E.

2007-01-01

Place value is a phenomenon that has ominous implications for developing number sense and meaning and for using alternative algorithms and alternative representations within whole number arithmetic. For the most part, school programs examine place value at a surface level, with a primary focus on having the student identify or state a number value…

The Force of Habit: Channelling Young Bodies at Alternative Education Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraftl, Peter

2016-01-01

This article develops a novel conceptual framework for examining the (re)formulation of habits in education spaces. It is based on the premise that education spaces are key sites for channelling and intervening in children's habits, to various ends. The article focuses on the ways educators at alternative education spaces in the United Kingdom…

At-Risk Students' Perceptions of Traditional Schools and a Solution-Focused Public Alternative School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lagana-Riordan, Christine; Aguilar, Jemel P.; Franklin, Cynthia; Streeter, Calvin L.; Kim, Johnny S.; Tripodi, Stephen J.; Hopson, Laura M.

2011-01-01

Recent trends in education have drawn attention to students at risk of school failure and dropout in the United States. Alternative schools are one method for preventing the severe and long-lasting consequences of underachievement and dropout. Few research studies have sought the opinions and perceptions of the at-risk students who attend…

NGO Provision of Basic Education: Alternative or Complementary Service Delivery to Support Access to the Excluded?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Pauline

2009-01-01

This paper focuses on approaches by non-government organisations (NGOs) to reach primary school-aged children excluded from access to the conventional state education system. It highlights recent shifts in international literature and agency priorities from the portrayal of NGO provision as a (non-formal) "alternative" to (formal) state…

Characteristics of Students in Traditional versus Alternative High Schools: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Enrollment in One Urban District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perzigian, Aaron B.; Afacan, Kemal; Justin, Whitney; Wilkerson, Kimber L.

2017-01-01

Urban school districts are comprised of many diverse high school environments including comprehensive neighborhood schools as well as a variety of smaller alternative models that focus on innovative practices, behavior remediation, or academic recovery. In terms of enrollment distribution, urban school districts are increasingly offering…

Effectiveness of an Alternative Certification Program for the Preparation of Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Follo, Eric J.; Rivard, James J.

2009-01-01

This study focuses on the effectiveness of the alternative elementary teacher certification program at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. The program was developed in response to the projected teacher shortage, the need for teachers in subjects such as mathematics and science, the need for teachers in urban schools, and the need for…

The Design and Implementation of an Alternative High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kritek, William J.

The analysis of the planning for an implementation of an alternative high school in a large urban school system is the focus of this study. Interview data are used. This investigation draws on, and compliments, the previous literature on implementation. While most of the earlier studies look at failures, this one is based on an instance of…

Creating a School-within-a-School. Fastback 462.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sicoli, Aldo

This fastback document explores ways to develop alternative high-school programs to help at-risk students. It focuses on the "school within a school" model where the emphasis is on a caring school climate and smaller class sizes. The booklet offers a step-by-step guide for developing an alternative school, which begins with determining the need…

A Study of SATP Scores and Principals' Perceptions for Traditional and Alternate Routes to Teacher Certification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Eddie Eugene

2012-01-01

This study explores the differences between traditional and alternate route certification by focusing on the achievement of students who have been instructed by teachers from each program. In addition, this study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of teachers from each certification route through surveys and interviews with principals in the…

Apparent digestibility of macro-nutrients and phosphorus in plant-derived ingredients for Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar and Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The inclusion of alternative protein sources in aquafeed needs to be increased in order to reduce reliance on fishmeal and to enhance salmonid culture sustainability. Many studies have examined terrestrial plant meals and protein concentrates as alternative sources of protein. Recently the focus h...

Social acceptability of alternatives to clearcutting: discussion and literature review with emphasis on southeast Alaska.

Treesearch

Debra L. Clausen; Robert F. Schroeder

2004-01-01

Changing social contexts have necessitated a new approach to forest management. Growing dissatisfaction with clearcutting has made the USDA Forest Service the focus of criticism by various public interest groups.We discuss and provide a comprehensive annotated list of published and unpublished references on the subject of socially acceptable alternatives to...

Alternation between Work and Education. A Study of Educational Leave of Absence at Enterprise Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

The study reported here involves six countries (Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia, United Kingdom, United States, and Sweden) and focuses on the ways in which those who are actively employed have access to opportunities to alternate education and training with their employment. The first chapter discusses the study structure and defines the field covered…

Primary Healthcare Provider Knowledge, Beliefs and Clinic-Based Practices Regarding Alternative Tobacco Products and Marijuana: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bascombe, Ta Misha S.; Scott, Kimberly N.; Ballard, Denise; Smith, Samantha A.; Thompson, Winifred; Berg, Carla J.

2016-01-01

Use prevalence of alternative tobacco products and marijuana has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, clinical guidelines have focused on traditional cigarettes with limited attention regarding these emerging public health issues. Thus, it is critical to understand how healthcare professionals view this issue and are responding to it. This…

Predictors of tanning salon use: behavioral alternatives for enhancing appearance, relaxing and socializing.

PubMed

Danoff-Burg, Sharon; Mosher, Catherine E

2006-05-01

This study investigated cognitive predictors of tanning salon use, based on Jaccard's Theory of Alternative Behavior. A total of 164 undergraduates completed questionnaires that assessed tanning salon use, attitudes toward tanning salon use and attitudes toward behavioral alternatives for enhancing appearance, relaxing and socializing. Results indicated that attitudes toward alternatives for enhancing appearance were not significantly related to tanning salon use. However, favorable attitudes toward engaging in a hobby to relax and going to the gym to socialize were inversely related to frequency of tanning salon use. Findings suggest that interventions for reducing skin cancer risk should focus not only on decreasing favorable attitudes toward tanning, but also on increasing favorable attitudes toward healthier alternatives to tanning salon use.

Alternative Energy Development and China's Energy Future

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

Zheng, Nina; Fridley, David

2011-06-15

In addition to promoting energy efficiency, China has actively pursued alternative energy development as a strategy to reduce its energy demand and carbon emissions. One area of particular focus has been to raise the share of alternative energy in China’s rapidly growing electricity generation with a 2020 target of 15% share of total primary energy. Over the last ten years, China has established several major renewable energy regulations along with programs and subsidies to encourage the growth of non-fossil alternative energy including solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, geothermal and biomass power as well as biofuels and coal alternatives. This study thusmore » seeks to examine China’s alternative energy in terms of what has and will continue to drive alternative energy development in China as well as analyze in depth the growth potential and challenges facing each specific technology. This study found that despite recent policies enabling extraordinary capacity and investment growth, alternative energy technologies face constraints and barriers to growth. For relatively new technologies that have not achieved commercialization such as concentrated solar thermal, geothermal and biomass power, China faces technological limitations to expanding the scale of installed capacity. While some alternative technologies such as hydropower and coal alternatives have been slowed by uneven and often changing market and policy support, others such as wind and solar PV have encountered physical and institutional barriers to grid integration. Lastly, all alternative energy technologies face constraints in human resources and raw material resources including land and water, with some facing supply limitations in critical elements such as uranium for nuclear, neodymium for wind and rare earth metals for advanced solar PV. In light of China’s potential for and barriers to growth, the resource and energy requirement for alternative energy technologies were modeled and scenario analysis used to evaluate the energy and emission impact of two pathways of alternative energy development. The results show that China can only meets its 2015 and 2020 targets for non-fossil penetration if it successfully achieves all of its capacity targets for 2020 with continued expansion through 2030. To achieve this level of alternative generation, significant amounts of raw materials including 235 Mt of concrete, 54 Mt of steel, 5 Mt of copper along with 3 billion tons of water and 64 thousand square kilometers of land are needed. China’s alternative energy supply will likely have relatively high average energy output to fossil fuel input ratio of 42 declining to 26 over time, but this ratio is largely skewed by nuclear and hydropower capacity. With successful alternative energy development, 32% of China’s electricity and 21% of its total primary energy will be supplied by alternative energy by 2030. Compared to the counterfactual baseline in which alternative energy development stumbles and China does not meet its capacity targets until 2030, alternative energy development can displace 175 Mtce of coal inputs per year and 2080 Mtce cumulatively from power generation by 2030. In carbon terms, this translates into 5520 Mt of displaced CO 2 emissions over the twenty year period, with more than half coming from expanded nuclear and wind power generation. These results illustrate the critical role that alternative energy development can play alongside energy efficiency in reducing China’s energy-related carbon emissions.« less

Forum on Alternate Assessment and "Gray Area" Assessment: A Report on the Pre-Conference Session at the National Conference on Large Scale Assessment (Snowbird, Utah, June 11-12, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Educational Outcomes, Minneapolis, MN.

This report discusses the outcomes of a June 11-12, 1999, forum that addressed alternative assessments and gray areas in large-scale assessments for students with disabilities. The forum included 161 representatives from 42 state departments of education, 3 large school districts, 1 territory, and the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. Five…

The Use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Network Analysis in the Area Development Planning Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

layouts. The alternative layout scoring process, base in multi-criteria evaluation, returns a quantitative score for each alternative layout and a...The purpose of this research was to develop improvements to the area development planning process. These plans are used to improve operations within...an installation sub-section by altering the physical layout of facilities. One methodology was developed based on apply network analysis concepts to

Social implications of alternatives to clearcutting on the Tongass National Forest: an exploratory study of residents' responses to alternative silvicultural treatments at Hanus Bay, Alaska.

Treesearch

James A. Burchfield; Jeffrey M. Miller; Stewart Allen; Robert F. Schroeder; Theron Miller

2003-01-01

After a series of eight harvest treatments were completed at Hanus Bay, Alaska, on the Tongass National Forest in 1998, 27 respondents representing nine interest groups were interviewed to understand their reactions to the various harvest patterns in the eight treatment areas. Harvests patterns included three stands with 25 percent retention of basal area; three stands...

Constructing Histories on Television: Reading the Country.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craik, Jennifer

The current tension in the writing of histories has been between the defense of "textbook" histories--i.e., the conventional approach which focuses on great events, great individuals, and great collectivities--and progressive--i.e., populist or alternative histories which focus on ordinary people. A new form has been engineered by…

A Call to Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colleary, Shawn

2004-01-01

This article features the Challenge School, a magnet school in the CherryCreek School District in Colorado that focuses on academically advanced, motivated, and gifted students. The school was developed as an alternative to best meet the needs of these students. The Challenge School focuses on high student achievement and commensurate academic…

Future Focusing: An Alternative to Long-Range Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peck, Robert D.

Characteristics of small college administration as it applies to the future are described. Consideration is given to the process for anticipating change in the circumstances surrounding colleges, identifying opportunities, and planning to take advantage of positive changes in the environment (i.e., future focused planning). The use of the Planning…

Conversations, Not Evaluations: An Alternative Model of Performance Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Christopher D.

2003-01-01

Traditional appraisal and evaluation systems focus almost exclusively on an employee's past performance. The desired result in each of these systems is better work performance. The very nature of most appraisals or evaluations, however, may inhibit performance unintentionally by focusing energy, attention and effort on past shortcomings rather…

Impressionistic Realism: The Europeans Focus the U.S. on Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, David S.

2009-01-01

At the Joint OECD/University of Maryland Conference on "Measuring Poverty, Income Inequality, and Social Exclusion: Lessons from Europe" (held in Paris, 2009), many of the conference papers focused on alternative measures of income, evaluating their impacts on inequality and poverty. The conference papers highlighted the impact of making…

Organisational Change: A Solution-Focused Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Gavin

2016-01-01

This study investigates the effectiveness of a solution-focused approach to organisational change. Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) is an intervention more commonly applied to individuals. In this study the intervention is used with groups of people working in educational organisations to help manage the change process. The approach…

Applying Art and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viglione, Nick M.

2009-01-01

The education system in the United States is going through change. Consequently, curriculum and instructional delivery are focusing on math, reading, and science. This focus is causing an effect that reduces the amount of arts becoming infused into the school design. An alternative education program in a charter school has created a…

Future Forest Cover Change Scenarios with Implications for Landslide Risk: An Example from Buzau Subcarpathians, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malek, Žiga; Boerboom, Luc; Glade, Thomas

2015-11-01

This study focuses on future forest cover change in Buzau Subcarpathians, a landslide prone region in Romania. Past and current trends suggest that the area might expect a future increase in deforestation. We developed spatially explicit scenarios until 2040 to analyze the spatial pattern of future forest cover change and potential changes to landslide risk. First, we generated transition probability maps using the weights of evidence method, followed by a cellular automata allocation model. We performed expert interviews, to develop two future forest management scenarios. The Alternative scenario (ALT) was defined by 67 % more deforestation than the Business as Usual scenario (BAU). We integrated the simulated scenarios with a landslide susceptibility map. In both scenarios, most of deforestation was projected in areas where landslides are less likely to occur. Still, 483 (ALT) and 276 (BAU) ha of deforestation were projected on areas with a high-landslide occurrence likelihood. Thus, deforestation could lead to a local-scale increase in landslide risk, in particular near or adjacent to forestry roads. The parallel process of near 10 % forest expansion until 2040 was projected to occur mostly on areas with high-landslide susceptibility. On a regional scale, forest expansion could so result in improved slope stability. We modeled two additional scenarios with an implemented landslide risk policy, excluding high-risk zones. The reduction of deforestation on high-risk areas was achieved without a drastic decrease in the accessibility of the areas. Together with forest expansion, it could therefore be used as a risk reduction strategy.

Future Forest Cover Change Scenarios with Implications for Landslide Risk: An Example from Buzau Subcarpathians, Romania.

PubMed

Malek, Žiga; Boerboom, Luc; Glade, Thomas

2015-11-01

This study focuses on future forest cover change in Buzau Subcarpathians, a landslide prone region in Romania. Past and current trends suggest that the area might expect a future increase in deforestation. We developed spatially explicit scenarios until 2040 to analyze the spatial pattern of future forest cover change and potential changes to landslide risk. First, we generated transition probability maps using the weights of evidence method, followed by a cellular automata allocation model. We performed expert interviews, to develop two future forest management scenarios. The Alternative scenario (ALT) was defined by 67% more deforestation than the Business as Usual scenario (BAU). We integrated the simulated scenarios with a landslide susceptibility map. In both scenarios, most of deforestation was projected in areas where landslides are less likely to occur. Still, 483 (ALT) and 276 (BAU) ha of deforestation were projected on areas with a high-landslide occurrence likelihood. Thus, deforestation could lead to a local-scale increase in landslide risk, in particular near or adjacent to forestry roads. The parallel process of near 10% forest expansion until 2040 was projected to occur mostly on areas with high-landslide susceptibility. On a regional scale, forest expansion could so result in improved slope stability. We modeled two additional scenarios with an implemented landslide risk policy, excluding high-risk zones. The reduction of deforestation on high-risk areas was achieved without a drastic decrease in the accessibility of the areas. Together with forest expansion, it could therefore be used as a risk reduction strategy.

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

Deeb, Rula A.; Hawley, Elisabeth L.

The goal of United States (U.S.) Department of Energy's (DOE)'s environmental remediation programs is to restore groundwater to beneficial use, similar to many other Federal and state environmental cleanup programs. Based on past experience, groundwater remediation to pre-contamination conditions (i.e., drinking water standards or non-detectable concentrations) can be successfully achieved at many sites. At a subset of the most complex sites, however, complete restoration is not likely achievable within the next 50 to 100 years using today's technology. This presentation describes several approaches used at complex sites in the face of these technical challenges. Many complex sites adopted a long-termmore » management approach, whereby contamination was contained within a specified area using active or passive remediation techniques. Consistent with the requirements of their respective environmental cleanup programs, several complex sites selected land use restrictions and used risk management approaches to accordingly adopt alternative cleanup goals (alternative endpoints). Several sites used long-term management designations and approaches in conjunction with the alternative endpoints. Examples include various state designations for groundwater management zones, technical impracticability (TI) waivers or greater risk waivers at Superfund sites, and the use of Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) or other passive long-term management approaches over long time frames. This presentation will focus on findings, statistics, and case studies from a recently-completed report for the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) (Project ER-0832) on alternative endpoints and approaches for groundwater remediation at complex sites under a variety of Federal and state cleanup programs. The primary objective of the project was to provide environmental managers and regulators with tools, metrics, and information needed to evaluate alternative endpoints for groundwater remediation at complex sites. A statistical analysis of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) sites receiving TI waivers will be presented as well as case studies of other types of alternative endpoints and alternative remedial strategies that illustrate the variety of approaches used at complex sites and the technical analyses used to predict and document cost, time frame, and potential remedial effectiveness. This presentation is intended to inform DOE program managers, state regulators, practitioners and other stakeholders who are evaluating technical cleanup challenges within their own programs, and establishing programmatic approaches to evaluating and implementing long-term management approaches. Case studies provide examples of long-term management designations and strategies to manage and remediate groundwater at complex sites. At least 13 states consider some designation for groundwater containment in their corrective action policies, such as groundwater management zones, containment zones, and groundwater classification exemption areas. Long-term management designations are not a way to 'do nothing' or walk away from a site. Instead, soil and groundwater within the zone is managed to be protective of human health and the environment. Understanding when and how to adopt a long-term management approach can lead to cost savings and the more efficient use of resources across DOE and at numerous other industrial and military sites across the U.S. This presentation provides context for assessing the use and appropriate role of alternative endpoints and supporting long-term management designations in final remedies. (authors)« less

78 FR 8582 - Final Environmental Impact Statement for Brooks River Visitor Access for Katmai National Park and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-06

... River floating bridge and sites to relocate the existing Naknek Lake barge landing area at the mouth of... barge landing site would be located approximately 200 feet south of the mouth of the Brooks River. A new... new Naknek Lake barge landing site. Alternative 4 (NPS Preferred Alternative): This alternative...

Integration of Planetary Protection Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Race, Margaret S.

2000-01-01

Research and activities under this grant have focused on a systematic examination and analysis of critical questions likely to impact planetary protection (PP) controls and implementation for Mars sample return missions (MSR). Four areas in the non-scientific and social realms were selected for special attention because of their importance to future mission planning and concern about critical timing or possible economic impacts on MSR mission implementation. These include: (1) questions of legal uncertainty and the decision making process, (2) public perception of risks associated with sample return, (3) risk communication and Education/Public Outreach , and (4) planetary protection implications of alternative mission architectures, for both robotic and human sample return missions. In its entirety, NAG 2-986 has encompassed three categories of activity: (1) research and analysis (Race), (2) subcontracted research (MacGregor/Decision Research), and (3) consulting services.